A List of Cages(31)

But he’s already opening the glass doors and poking at everything on the shelves—five antique cameras, dozens of first-edition books, delicate dishes, and an old silver gun.

“This is weird,” Adam says, picking it up. “Who mixes their weapons with their china?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t like people touching them. He doesn’t like people in the house at all.” When Adam puts it back and carefully closes the glass door, I exhale in relief.

But I get nervous all over again when he bounces into the kitchen and tears open the refrigerator. “Is this all you have?” he asks.

I nod.

Adam frowns as he studies the jar. “Now if this was a halfway-decent brand of jelly it would be one thing, but it’s all processed.” He says it like it’s a curse word. “Full of sugar and preservatives.” Those are curse words too.

“I’m feeling a lot better. I’ll probably be back at school tomorrow.”

“Want me to hang out?”

“No,” I say quickly, listening for Russell’s car. “My uncle really doesn’t like people to be over.”

“But you’re sick. He wouldn’t want you to be by yourself when you’re sick.”

“He won’t care what the reason is.”

Now Adam looks at me so intensely that for a second he reminds me of Dr. Whitlock and Mr. Pearce and everyone else who tries to read my thoughts.

“Okay,” he says, still looking uncertain. “I guess I’ll go.”





WHEN I GET to first period on Thursday, the door is locked. It takes me a second to notice the sign that reads CLASS IN LAB ROOM 202. By the time I get there I’m late, but it looks like almost everyone else is too.

“I told the class yesterday where to go,” Miss West says when she sees me. “Is that so hard to remember?”

“I’m sorry. I was absent yesterday.”

“It’s always something with you, isn’t it?”

I sit at the empty table in the back and drop my head onto my arms. A minute later, a throat clears behind me. I open my eyes to find Kristin, Alex, and Violet standing over me. “Would you mind if we took this table, since it’s big enough for three people?” Violet asks. Her eyes are round and black and kind.

“Okay.”

I’m grabbing my backpack when Kristin adds, “Unless you’re waiting for all your friends.”

“No…I’m not waiting for anyone.”

The three of them exchange a look, then Kristin smirks. “Yes, Julian. We know.”


“Julian!” I hear Adam call out from inside a classroom. I halt and find him grinning at me from his desk. “Come here!” His class is noisy chaos, so I continue to hover in the hallway. “Come on.”

Cautiously, I make my way inside.

Allison and another girl—I can’t remember her name—are standing in the front on a raised platform. Some kids are sitting in their desks, ones that are scattered instead of in rows, and the rest of the kids are standing or walking around.

Adam taps the empty desk beside him. I sit down and ask, “What class is this?”

“Theater. Where were you going?”

I shrug.

“Skipping?”

I shrug again.

“You’re going to get caught eventually.”

He’s right and it scares me, but I had to. When I got to Child Development, Miss Carlisle said we’d be doing group work. “I told my teacher I was going to the nurse.”

“Are you still sick?”

“No.”

“So you were faking?”

“Well…”

“You’re the reason Grumpy Nurse is so suspicious!” He points an accusing finger at me.

“I should leave. Before your teacher gets back.”

“She’s not here. She’s running lines with some kids for the show.”

“Oh. So who’s in charge?”

“Me.” Then he pitches his voice louder. “All right, everybody, listen up.” Everyone stops talking and watches Adam pull a slip of paper from the small metal box on top of his desk. “Hypochondriac at the doctor’s office. Go!”

Allison and the other girl on the platform whisper into each other’s ears, then the girl clutches her knee and wails. The classroom fills with laughter as the scene continues.

When Adam’s phone beeps, he yells, “Time!” Then it’s someone else’s turn. After several performances, he looks at me. “You want a turn?”

I quickly shake my head. “No, thank you.”

“How ’bout you, Stef?” he says to a girl I didn’t notice until then.

Stef looks embarrassed and pulls at her wild, frizzy hair. “I’m not sure….”

“Come on,” Adam says, hopping out of his seat. “I’ll be your partner.”

I know he’s just being nice. All of Adam’s friends are so pretty, but she’s like me, one of those people you aren’t supposed to talk to if other people are around to see.

Stef blushes as they walk to the front of the class.

“Julian,” Adam says, “read one of the prompts.”

Everyone looks while I pull a strip of paper from the box. “H-hiring a…private de-detective.”