Read Online Endure by Carrie Jones - Free Book Online

basketball game we didn’t know about?” I ask.
    “Okay. Fact check. The people aren’t in the bleachers. There are no bouncing balls. No refs. No cheerleaders. No smell of popcorn. I think they are here for us.”
    For us. I swallow hard. “Okay. Okay. This is a good thing. Repeat after me: this is a good thing.”
    “This is a good thing,” Issie whispers.
    “The whole entire freaking world knowing that there are pixies is a good thing,” I say, trying to convince myself. I stare up at the empty basketball hoops. The nets dangle off of little orange rims, waiting for the balls, waiting for the action. I toughen up and say to both Is and myself, “We can handle this.”
    “We totally can.” She looks stunned, though.
    I scan the crowd. “Is Nick coming?”
    “I think so.”
    “Okay. We can do this.” I stride into the room like I have done this a million times, like I’m not worried about Astley, like I’m a leader. I hold up the box. “Hey! People! Everybody! Let’s get started!”
    People stop talking except for Austin, who basically never stops talking. Everyone starts heading toward me. They are tall, short, skinny, not so skinny, and regular. They are younger and slightly older, but mostly all in high school, I think. Some have pimples. Some have glasses. Some look a little confused. Some look a little scared. And some, like Jay and Callie, look angry and determined. Jay nods at me. I nod back.
    Cassidy grabs the box from me and smiles. It’s a serious smile, but still a smile. I smile back. It’s so good to see her here, so good that she is on our side. She’s wearing a tracksuit that looks pure vintage 1970s, all orange and cotton. With her multiple braids she looks kind of Rastafarian, like she might start singing reggae or something. Maybe she’s trying out a new identity. I can understand that.
    I take one of the manuals out. “We’ve got some handbooks, but not enough, so you’ll have to share!”
    People hustle forward and grab the handbooks out of the box. Some people even say thank you, which is kind of astonishing. Anne Kat looks up at me. She clutches her manual to her chest. She’s wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. Her hands shake.
    “Is this for real, Zara?” she asks.
    “Yeah,” I say. “It’s for real.”
    She sucks her lips in, nods just the tiniest bit, and turns around. I have no idea how she’ll ever be able to fight. Her glasses always fall off in PE class every time she runs. She skitters into the crowd and disappears between the taller, broader people.
    Paul grabs a handbook and says to me and Is, “Got a turnout, huh?”
    “Did you tell the entire school?” Issie asks.
    He shrugs and then reaches up absently to touch his hair. “Basically.”
    “Awesome sauce.” Issie bounces on her toes and hands out some more handbooks, passing one to Tara Bogue. “People! Get your handbooks here. Step right up and get your handbooks.”
    She sounds almost like a circus barker or something and it makes me giggle. She giggles too. I turn to her and whisper, “I can’t believe we are training people to fight pixies.”
    “I know!” She leans back a little and gives a handbook to Tonisha Walsh, who starts reading it before she even turns away. “Like, who would have ever believed it?”
    She must see the doubt in my eyes, because she adds, “You’ll do a good job, Zara. No worries.”
    “Yeah. We will,” I say, and wink at Cassidy, but I’m still sort of wondering where Nick is.
    She holds up the box and yells out, “All gone, people. We’ll make some more for tomorrow. Share for now.”
    People stand in clumps and alone. Their body lotions and perfumed soaps and deodorant smell like lilacs and baby powder and musk. Some of them are flipping through the manual. It seems so skimpy, like there isn’t nearly enough information in there to keep them safe. I blow the hair out of my face. It flops right back in it. I tuck it behind my ear and decide that this is