Among the Imposters

excuse was entirely plausible — hadn’t he been lost a million times so far at school? But he didn’t know what he was missing. Supper? The evening lecture? Lights out?

The hall monitor peered at him suspiciously

“Nobody’s supposed to be in this wing of the building right now,’ he said. “Why did you leave the dining hail?” Luke got a sudden inspiration.

“I got sick,’ he said. “I ran out to go to the bathroom. Then I got lost when I was going back”.

The hall monitor looked skeptical.

“The bathroom’s right across from the dining hall,’ he said.

“I–I wasn’t paying attention. I’m new. I was sick.” Luke tried to look dumb enough — and queasy enough — to have made such a stupid mistake.

The hall monitor took a step back, like he didn’t want to catch anything.

“Okay,’ he relented. “Go back immediately”.

Relieved, Luke turned to go. Then he stopped. Only the day before, he would have obeyed unthinkingly But now he had a secret to protect. Now he had to be crafty He turned back to the monitor.

“I don’t know how to get there. Remember?’

“Oh, for crying out loud. Why do I have to baby-sit all the leckers?’ He took Luke’s arm and jerked him to the right “Go that way Thin left at the first hallway then left and right again. Just get out of here!”

The hall monitor sounded a little panicked himself The day before, Luke wouldn’t have noticed, but now he had to pay attention. Something about that door, Luke thought Why is the hail monitor so desperate to get me away from it?

Luke was still pondering that question when he reached the doors to the dining hall. They burst open, and boys streamed out. Luke’s timing was perfect He’d gotten there just as everyone was heading toward the evening lecture. He blended in. See, Mr. Talbot? he thought bitterly I am following the only bit of advice you saw fit to give me. Aren’t you proud? Mighty generous of you, I’m sure.

But some of Luke’s bitterness had eased. The note had been worthless, but he had the woods to think about now. And if the note had led him to the woods — well, he did have reason to be grateful to Jen’s dad, didn’t he?

Nobody challenged Luke as he walked into the lecture room and sat down. Nobody asked, “Where have you been all day?’ Nobody ordered him, “Never leave this building again!’

He’d gotten away with it. He could get away with it again.

Eleven

Luke longed to race straight to the woods as soon as he woke up the next morning. It was torture to stand patiently beside all the other boys, splashing water on his face. It was torture to sit still and slowly spoon in the lumpy oatmeal, when he longed to gulp it down and get out of there. (Though, since he’d missed two meals the day before, it was amazing how delicious the oatmeal seemed for once.) It was torture waiting for the cafeteria doors to open and release everyone else to classes, and Luke to the woods.

As soon as breakfast was over, he took off, all but running. Surprisingly, given how confused he usually got in the Hendricks halls, he managed to make a beeline straight for the door, without once making a wrong turn and having to retrace his steps. Approaching the door, he slowed down, waiting for the crowd to clear in the hall. Finally, there was only Luke and a hall monitor, several yards away The door wasn’t open today, but Luke was confident that it wasn’t locked. He was confident that he could slip out quickly enough. He glanced back. The monitor was looking the other way. Now! Luke reached for the doorknob—

— and then drew back.

At the last minute, it was like someone or something screamed, “No!’ in his mind. Mother had talked about God sometimes — maybe that’s who it was. Or maybe it was Jen’s spirit, come to help Luke when her father’s note hadn’t Maybe it was just Luke’s own common sense. Luke didn’t know what he thought about God or ghosts or even his own intelligence, but he knew: He couldn’t risk going to the woods today.

Luke walked on, pretending to be casually.dawdling.

“Get to class,” the monitor growled.

Luke nodded, and stepped into the next classroom he passed. He felt as disappointed as if he’d discovered bars on the door. What was he — a coward?

Luke remembered all the mind games he’d played with himself trying to get up the nerve to go to Jen’s house that first time. He’d waited weeks, always telling himself he was just waiting for the right moment. He had been a coward then.

But he wasn’t being a coward now. Sinking into a seat, as anonymous as every other boy in the room, he actually felt brave, clever, crafty.

Probably he’d just gotten lucky the day before. If he wanted to be able to go the woods again and again and again, without getting caught, he’d have to be smart about it. He’d have to pay attention to everything. Maybe he’d even have to figure out why the hall monitor the night before had been so panicky Before he went back again, he’d have to know it was safe.

Luke looked around the room. Up front, the teacher was drawing complicated-looking mathematical formulas on the chalkboard. Luke couldn’t have solved any of them if his life depended on it. But for once, instead of sinking into despair and staring down at the desk in front of him, Luke got the nerve to peer around at the other boys. A few were watching the teacher. A few were taking notes — er, no, they were drawing pictures of naked girls. Some were blatantly sleeping, their mouths slack-jawed. And some were sitting off to the side, their arms clutched around their legs, rocking.

Luke stared. He didn’t have much to go on, since he’d only known six people before in his entire life, but that rocking certainly didn’t seem like normal behavior.

Eventually the bell rang, and he stumbled into another class. It was the same there: some boys acting normal, some boys rocking endlessly.

Why hadn’t he noticed anything like that before?

He knew why. Every other time he’d looked directly at any of the other boys, he’d glanced quickly, then looked away, for fear that they might actually look back.

You could miss a lot, doing that.

Walking through the hall to his next class, Luke tried an experiment: He stared directly into the eyes of every single boy who went past him.

It was terrifying — even worse than running blindly across a lawn. Luke’s stomach seized up, and he thought he might actually throw up his breakfast oatmeaL He thought his legs might crumple under him, in fear.

But it was also interesting.

Most of the other boys he passed looked away as soon as Luke made eye contact. Some of them seemed to have a sort of sixth sense that warned them off from letting Luke look at them in the first place. Only two or three stared boldly back, their eyes locked on Luke’s just as Luke’s were locked on theirs.

Remember them, Luke ordered himself. But it took all his willpower just to keep himself from looking away.

When he finally arrived in a classroom doorway, Luke was shaking all over.

I gave something away, just then, he thought. Now they’ll know.

But he didn’t know who “they” were.

Twelve

Luke made himself wait an entire week before he went back to the woods. But in that time, no matter how closely he paid attention to everything, the mysteries only seemed to multiply.