Alienation by Jon S. Lewis Page A

thinking.”
    â€œThe truth?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œThe first thing I thought about was how hard it must have been on your mom. I mean, can you imagine what it would be like to watch your own child go through something like that?”
    Colt couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “She was there when it happened.”
    â€œExactly,” Danielle said. “I mean, fine. It’s your life and you can be mad at her if you want, but what was she supposed to do? Hide you in a basket and send you down the river? Or maybe she could have sneaked you across the border and raised you in some remote South American jungle.”
    â€œI get the point.”
    â€œThe second thing I thought about was how lucky you are.”
    â€œAre you serious?” he said. “For all I know, I’m going to sprout four more arms on my eighteenth birthday. I don’t know about you, but that’s not my definition of lucky.”
    â€œYou’re so busy feeling sorry for yourself that you’re missing the point.” Danielle crossed her arms. “When we were kids, I would get so excited when my parents told me that you were coming over. I’d pick a bouquet of flowers out of my mom’s garden, and then I’d take all the chairs out of the dining room and line them up so we could play wedding.”
    â€œIs that why you always wore that white dress?”
    â€œThat only took you, what, ten years to figure out?” Danielle said. “You’re a regular Sherlock Holmes.”
    â€œLook, I—”
    â€œI’m not done,” she said. “How many times did you walk down the aisle with me?”
    Colt shrugged. “I don’t remember.”
    â€œWell, I do,” she said. “It was a grand total of zero, because all you wanted to do was play superheroes. You’d run around with a towel tied around your neck, pretending it was a cape. And if I didn’t want to be your sidekick, I got stuck playing a super villain.”
    â€œHow was I supposed to know? You never said anything.”
    â€œThat’s not the point,” Danielle said. “You spent your entire childhood dreaming about saving the world from bad guys, and now that you have a chance to be a real hero, you want to pout and run away. I don’t get it.”
    Colt was caught somewhere between disbelief and anger. “I don’t want to run away, it’s just that . . .”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI don’t know,” he asked. “Maybe you’re right.”
    â€œSo what if you grow two more arms?” Danielle asked. “I mean, is that the worst thing that could happen? Besides, even if you do turn into one of the Thule, you can shape-shift into anything you want.”
    The beginnings of a smile played on his lips. “I guess I didn’t think about that.”
    â€œObviously,” Danielle said. “And by the way, I have a secret of my own.” She handed him an invitation that was stuffed inside a cream-colored envelope with gold foil lining—the same invitation that he had received a few weeks back.
    â€œAre you serious?”
    â€œYep. I’ve been invited to attend the CHAOS Military Academy.” Danielle was smiling so hard it looked like her cheeks were going to crack. “I couldn’t believe it either! I mean, I wanted to go with you guys, but it’s not like you can fill out an application or anything.”
    â€œWhen did you find out?”
    â€œThis afternoon.”
    â€œAnd you don’t think Oz is playing some kind of practical joke?”
    â€œWhat, you don’t think I can make it?”
    â€œIt’s not that,” he said, instantly regretting the comment. “Have you told him yet?”
    â€œNo. I wanted you to be the first to know.”
    â€œI’m really glad, Dani,” he said. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the academy without