Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

blankly.

Jenna sighed. 'Sit down, Amanda.'

The Other-Amanda obeyed.

There was no point in trying to talk to this whatever-it-was, this thing that looked like Amanda, talked like Amanda, moved like Amanda-but wasn't Amanda, just a robotic shell of the real girl. Oh, what a crummy time for Amanda to suddenly do a body snatch! She might not have the world's best personality, but at least she was smart.

Which was probably why she'd done a body snatch. She must have really believed Emily's prediction. Which clearly didn't come true, since the body of Amanda was still here. But where was the real Amanda?

So there was only herself, Ken, and Charles left to work with Madame on this situation. Ken was the next to arrive.

'I just saw Madame,' he said. 'She's going to be a little late. The police are here, and she has to talk to them.'

Jenna shook her head. 'I don't think the police are going to be much help. You know these aren't regular kidnappings. There won't be ransom demands or anything like that.'

'You're right.' Ken turned to Amanda. 'Hi, Amanda. You got any theories about this?'

'About what?'

'The missing students! Jenna and I were just saying we don't think these are ordinary kidnappings.'

Other-Amanda opened her handbag and brought out a cosmetic case. She set up a little mirror on her desk and began applying mascara to her eyelashes.

'Amanda!' Ken said again. 'Do you have any ideas?'

'No,' she replied and continued putting on her makeup.

'Don't bother with her,' Jenna informed him. 'She's not Amanda.'

Ken understood what she meant and groaned. 'Oh, no.'

Madame arrived. Despite the events of the morning, she seemed calm, though Jenna thought she detected a dark glint in the teacher's eyes. She didn't waste any time on opening remarks.

'We have a situation,' she said abruptly. 'And we've all got to work together.' She stopped. 'Where's Charles?'

As if on cue, the door opened and Charles wheeled himself in. 'Sorry I'm late,' he said casually. 'I was hanging with my friends.'

'What friends?' Ken murmured. 'Could I have everyone's attention?' Madame demanded. 'Amanda?'

'She's not Amanda, Madame,' Jenna told her.

The teacher sighed and closed her eyes for a moment as if trying to absorb this new bad news.

'All right, thank you, Jenna. Charles, would you please stop that immediately!'

Jenna realized that paper clips were jumping out of the tray on Madame's desk and going into the cup that held pencils and pens. But Madame had spoken more sharply than usual, and Charles stopped.

Madame continued in the same tone. 'We can't afford not to take this seriously, people! I do not believe that Tracey is invisible or that Martin has run away from home. Someone-some organization-is causing members of our class to disappear, and these disappearances have something to do with who you are. We have to figure out who is behind this and why.'

'Do you think they're in danger?' Ken asked the teacher.

'It's quite possible, though not in the way you think. I don't think they will be physically injured. But I do think they will be used.'

Jenna knew what she meant. It was Madame's greatest fear for them-that their gifts could be utilized by people with bad intentions. Trust no one-that was her mantra. But Madame's next comment surprised her.

'I must say, though, I feel a little better knowing that Emily has gone in search of them.'

Jenna's mouth fell open. 'Why?'

'Because in a situation like this, I think she's our best hope,' Madame said simply.

Jenna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Emily, their best hope? Emily, with her inaccurate predictions? Emily, whose gift was the weakest of them all?

If Emily was their best hope, Jenna thought, then they were in more trouble than she'd ever imagined.

Chapter Six

WHEN SHE WOKE UP, Emily had no idea where she was-geographically speaking. She could tell that she was in a bed, but that was about it.

Immediately after she'd entered the back seat of the car, the man in the passenger's seat turned around, leaned toward her, and put a blindfold over her eyes. He'd done this gently, almost apologetically, but even so it had been a frightening moment, and Emily had started to panic. This wasn't alleviated by the woman's sharp voice.

'Don't struggle, Emily. There's nothing you can do.'

'What's going on?' Emily asked, without much hope of getting an answer.

'You'll find out when the time is right,' the woman said.

The man spoke in a kinder tone. 'Here's something to drink.'

She felt a bottle being placed in her hand. Then she heard a soft whirring sound. Reaching out, she felt a glass panel that now separated her from the people in the front seat, like in a limousine. She wouldn't be able to hear anything they said to each other.

There was one benefit to the silence and darkness. It might be easier to concentrate and envision her future. She took a sip from the bottle and almost immediately wanted to kick herself. How stupid can I be? she wondered as drowsiness swept over her.

Now, awake, she sat up in the bed. There was nothing covering her eyes, but the room was pitch-dark. She could feel a table next to her bed and something that could be a lamp on it. By touch, she located a button and pushed it in.

Light flooded the room. There wasn't much to see though. It was a plain room, with light blue walls. There was something on one wall in the shape of a window, but it was completely covered by a metal shutter. A white chest of drawers stood against the far wall.

There were two other beds in the room, but both were empty. They were unmade and looked as if they'd been slept in recently. The door started to open, and Emily stiffened.

'Good morning.'

Emily let out the breath she'd been holding. 'Tracey.'

Tracey came over and sat on the edge of Emily's bed. 'How are you feeling?'

'A little groggy,' Emily admitted.

Tracey nodded. 'They gave you something to make you out of it.'

'Where are we?'

'I don't know,' Tracey replied. 'In some kind of house, but I don't know the address. And all the windows are blocked.'

'How did they get you here?'

'They grabbed me inside the girls' bathroom at school and put a wet towel on my face. There must have been something in it that knocked me out.

They must have put me in a car and taken me here. I woke up in this room.'

'A man and a woman with blond hair?'

Tracey shook her head. 'There were two men, and the woman was a redhead.'

So there were at least jour of them, Emily thought. 'Who are they?'

'I don't know.'

'What do they want us for?'

'I don't know that either.'