pets.’
‘Yes, yes, but perhaps they were startled because they didn’t expect to see a gerbil in a storage unit. Then what did you do?’
‘I got away, I was outside. But it was still cold, and I was so hungry. I became a boy again.’
‘And that was when you were found,’ Dr Paley said.
‘I guess so.’
‘Why didn’t you say anything?’
‘I turned myself off.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Like a TV. I was off.’
There was a moment of silence. Then he heard Dr Paley’s voice again, only this time it wasn’t from the screen. The real Dr Paley was in the room, and he’d paused the videotape.
‘You’ve been turned back on now, Paul.’ The doctor moved his chair so he could be directly facing him. ‘I’ve done some research on your family. You were four years old when you and your parents witnessed an act of organized crime in New York — a murder. Your parents testified against the criminals, and that put their lives in danger. Your life was in danger too. You couldn’t testify but you were still a witness. So the government put your family in a witness protection programme. Your name was changed and you were moved to another city. But the crime syndicate discovered your whereabouts and you were moved again, and then again. You have a memory of many homes, don’t you?’
Paul nodded. In his mind he saw a small house, a large house, a hotel, an apartment. He dimly recalled many times when his parents were talking quietly, worriedly, and then abruptly falling silent when he entered the room. They must have tried so hard to keep him from feeling the danger they were all in.
‘It wasn’t easy tracking you,’ Dr Paley continued. ‘Your name was changed many times. Your birth name was Paul, but you’ve been called Daniel, Sam and Jonathan. It was in your last home that your parents went back to your original name, Paul.’
So that was why Paul sounded natural, but not familiar. A lot of things were making sense now.
‘And your last names — you’ve been Fletcher, O’Malley and Kingston. Do you have a preference for one over the other?’
Paul shook his head.
‘Well, I don’t want to give you a name that the criminal syndicate might recognize. How about if we call you Paul Carter?’
Paul nodded.
‘How do you feel, Paul?’
And he remembered horror, terror, when those men killed his parents. He remembered feeling frightened.
He was still frightened. He didn’t have to speak — Dr Paley must have read it in his expression.
‘You’re scared, aren’t you?’
Paul nodded.
‘You have a gift, Paul,’ Dr Paley said. ‘Just like your classmates. How does that feel, knowing you have a gift?’
It was hard trying to decide what to say about that, and even harder actually saying it. He managed to get some words out. ‘I. . don’t. . know.’
‘Do you feel good?’
That wasn’t the word. Paul shook his head.
‘Are you afraid of your gift?’
That was closer to what he felt. Paul nodded.
‘Don’t be,’ Dr Paley said. ‘I can help you.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE BUS ARRIVED, AND Amanda reluctantly followed Jenna up the steps. Now that they were among other people, Jenna lowered her voice. ‘Remember to keep an eye on the resident assistants. When I was there, a real goon tried to blackmail me. He’s been fired, but there might be other creeps around. Don’t trust anyone.’
Amanda fumbled in her bag and pulled out her iPod. Without even looking at Jenna, she stuck the plugs in her ears and turned it on. Jenna glared at her, but Amanda closed her eyes.
She wasn’t lying when she admitted to Ken that she was a little nervous. She knew she was getting better and better at body-snatching, but there was always the chance something could go wrong. She could get stuck being a juvenile delinquent forever. But this would definitely impress her classmates. Nobody could call her selfish again.
Quickly, she amended her thoughts. Of course she didn’t really care what any of those weirdos thought about her, and the only person she wanted to impress was Ken.
Jenna poked her in the arm when it was time to get off the bus. ‘Don’t do that,’ Amanda snapped. ‘I’ll get a bruise.’ Which made her think of something else.
‘Do these kids at Harmony House get into physical fights?’ she asked nervously. She took the plugs out of her ears.
Jenna shrugged. ‘The resident assistants break up the fights.’
That wasn’t much comfort.
‘How long does it take for you to get into someone?’ Jenna asked.
‘That depends,’ Amanda replied. ‘If I feel really sorry for someone, if someone’s super-pitiful, it can happen pretty quickly.’
Jenna looked at her curiously. ‘You were Sarah for a while, weren’t you? How did you make that happen? There’s nothing pitiful about Sarah.’
Amanda looked at her scornfully. ‘Are you kidding? She’s a goody-goody. I don’t think she knows what fun means. She dresses like a ten-year-old. And have you ever seen her with a boy?’
Jenna met Amanda’s scorn with her own scorn. ‘So what?’
Amanda knew Jenna would never understand, so she didn’t even try to explain. ‘I don’t think it will be very difficult for me to take over someone at Harmony House. Considering the kind of people who end up there. .’ She gave Jenna a meaningful look, but Jenna didn’t catch it. She was staring at someone across the street.
‘Look at that girl,’ Jenna said.
Amanda gave her a quick once-over. She seemed to be in her mid-teens, average height, with long blonde hair and a backpack hanging from her shoulders. What Amanda found most interesting about her were her jeans. She recognized the new super-skinny washed-out style immediately — she’d been thinking about them ever since she saw them in
But surely that wasn’t what interested Jenna. ‘What about her?’ Amanda asked.
‘She’s hitchhiking!’
Sure enough, Amanda saw the girl stick out her thumb as a car passed. ‘That’s dangerous.’
‘No kidding,’ Jenna said. ‘She shouldn’t get into a car with a stranger.’
Amanda shrugged. ‘Maybe someone nice will pick her up.’
Jenna shook her head. ‘Most people don’t stop for hitchhikers. I mean, the hitchhiker could end up being a carjacker or something. It’s dangerous for both of them.’
‘Someone’s pulling over for her,’ Amanda said.
