frowned. “Well, yeah. Apart from one thing.”
“What?”
“It might be dangerous.”
“How can it be dangerous? No one will see us. We’ll keep hidden; they won’t know we have anything to do with the lab. And if someone
does
come and I
do
follow them in, I’ll be invisible!”
Izzy chewed on a fingernail. “You sure we shouldn’t check with Nancy first?”
“Nancy’ll just get all nervous and probably say no. And you heard what she said. She’s worried. How cool would it be if we do this a couple of times, check there’s no one breaking in, and then we can set her mind at rest?”
Izzy took off her glasses and wiped the lenses while she thought. Then she put them back on and nodded. “OK,” she said. “Let’s do it tomorrow.”
We were just leaving the park when Tom appeared at the gates. He was out of breath, as if he’d been running.
“Good — you’re still here!” he exclaimed, falling into stride with us as we walked down the road. “Well? What happened? I want every detail. Even the ones you don’t think are important! Tell me everything!”
So we did. Between us, as we walked down the road, heading vaguely into town, Izzy and I relayed everything Nancy had told us — and shown us.
When we’d finished, Tom stopped walking.
I stopped and turned toward him. He was staring at me. His face had lost some of its color. His mouth hung open.
“What?” Izzy asked.
Tom shook his head. “Don’t you see? Don’t you realize what you’ve just told me?”
“Er . . . yes. What about it? Is it something to do with Nancy?” Izzy asked.
“No. It’s something to do with
me
.” Tom looked at me. “To do with
us
.”
“Us?” I echoed. “You and me?”
Tom rolled his eyes. “Jess! Three babies born on the same day. In the same ward . . .”
I clapped a hand over my mouth as I suddenly realized what Tom was saying. How could I have missed it?
“You,” I said simply. “Of course.”
“You were one of the other babies!” Izzy squealed, catching on to my thinking. “That means you might have superpowers, too!”
Tom stared at Izzy as though she’d just said that he’d been born on Mars and his parents were aliens — although, to be fair, Tom was probably the one person in the world who would have thought that sounded like fun. And I guess what she actually
had
said wasn’t much less bizarre.
“I can’t take this in,” he said quietly. He looked down at his feet. “I’m not sure I want something like this.”
“Something like what?” I asked.
“I have a hard enough time because I happen to enjoy math and science.” He shook his head. “You think I want to be even
more
different?”
I reached out to touch his hand. “Tom, it’s OK. It’s fun. It’s different in a
good
way!”
He shrugged me off. “Sorry, girls.” He waved his hands in an “I’m done” kind of gesture and started to walk away. “I just can’t handle it. I’m out.”
“Tom!” Izzy called down the road to him.
He stopped and turned back to us. “I won’t tell anyone,” he said. “And it doesn’t change anything about our friendship. I’m just — I think I’m maybe just in shock right now. I need some time to myself, OK?”
And then, before we had a chance to reply, he turned on his heel and paced off down the road.
“Should we go after him?” Izzy asked.
I wanted to, but I knew what Tom was going through. I’d been through the same panic and disbelief myself. I’d dealt with it by confiding in Izzy and figuring it out with her. Tom had a different way of handling things. I knew that. And so did Izzy. Tom dealt with worries in the same way he dealt with everything — in his brain, on his own, logically.
“He just needs some space to think things over. Let’s leave him for now. He’ll be all right in a couple of days, I’m sure,” I said, hoping it was true.
Izzy nodded. We walked in silence, each thinking our own thoughts.
Izzy was the first to speak. When
“What?”
“It might be dangerous.”
“How can it be dangerous? No one will see us. We’ll keep hidden; they won’t know we have anything to do with the lab. And if someone
does
come and I
do
follow them in, I’ll be invisible!”
Izzy chewed on a fingernail. “You sure we shouldn’t check with Nancy first?”
“Nancy’ll just get all nervous and probably say no. And you heard what she said. She’s worried. How cool would it be if we do this a couple of times, check there’s no one breaking in, and then we can set her mind at rest?”
Izzy took off her glasses and wiped the lenses while she thought. Then she put them back on and nodded. “OK,” she said. “Let’s do it tomorrow.”
We were just leaving the park when Tom appeared at the gates. He was out of breath, as if he’d been running.
“Good — you’re still here!” he exclaimed, falling into stride with us as we walked down the road. “Well? What happened? I want every detail. Even the ones you don’t think are important! Tell me everything!”
So we did. Between us, as we walked down the road, heading vaguely into town, Izzy and I relayed everything Nancy had told us — and shown us.
When we’d finished, Tom stopped walking.
I stopped and turned toward him. He was staring at me. His face had lost some of its color. His mouth hung open.
“What?” Izzy asked.
Tom shook his head. “Don’t you see? Don’t you realize what you’ve just told me?”
“Er . . . yes. What about it? Is it something to do with Nancy?” Izzy asked.
“No. It’s something to do with
me
.” Tom looked at me. “To do with
us
.”
“Us?” I echoed. “You and me?”
Tom rolled his eyes. “Jess! Three babies born on the same day. In the same ward . . .”
I clapped a hand over my mouth as I suddenly realized what Tom was saying. How could I have missed it?
“You,” I said simply. “Of course.”
“You were one of the other babies!” Izzy squealed, catching on to my thinking. “That means you might have superpowers, too!”
Tom stared at Izzy as though she’d just said that he’d been born on Mars and his parents were aliens — although, to be fair, Tom was probably the one person in the world who would have thought that sounded like fun. And I guess what she actually
had
said wasn’t much less bizarre.
“I can’t take this in,” he said quietly. He looked down at his feet. “I’m not sure I want something like this.”
“Something like what?” I asked.
“I have a hard enough time because I happen to enjoy math and science.” He shook his head. “You think I want to be even
more
different?”
I reached out to touch his hand. “Tom, it’s OK. It’s fun. It’s different in a
good
way!”
He shrugged me off. “Sorry, girls.” He waved his hands in an “I’m done” kind of gesture and started to walk away. “I just can’t handle it. I’m out.”
“Tom!” Izzy called down the road to him.
He stopped and turned back to us. “I won’t tell anyone,” he said. “And it doesn’t change anything about our friendship. I’m just — I think I’m maybe just in shock right now. I need some time to myself, OK?”
And then, before we had a chance to reply, he turned on his heel and paced off down the road.
“Should we go after him?” Izzy asked.
I wanted to, but I knew what Tom was going through. I’d been through the same panic and disbelief myself. I’d dealt with it by confiding in Izzy and figuring it out with her. Tom had a different way of handling things. I knew that. And so did Izzy. Tom dealt with worries in the same way he dealt with everything — in his brain, on his own, logically.
“He just needs some space to think things over. Let’s leave him for now. He’ll be all right in a couple of days, I’m sure,” I said, hoping it was true.
Izzy nodded. We walked in silence, each thinking our own thoughts.
Izzy was the first to speak. When
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