I walk up the steps and go inside.

Dane

"You must be Jenna."

The room is small. I could almost spread my arms out and touch each wall. It holds a desk and a large round woman, who is smiling at me. She already knows my name. I stare at her shocking orange hair.

I want to leave and flag down Claire.

"It is Jenna, right?"

"Yes," I say. "Who are you?"

"Mitch." She remains seated but holds out her hand. I take it. It is puffy and hot and amazingly strong as she squeezes my fingers tight. "I'm the facilitator, which means I do about everything around here."

"Except pull weeds?"

She hesitates for a moment and then laughs. "You're going to fit right in around here, Jenna." She reaches behind her and hands me a small Netbook. "I just need you to fill out a questionnaire and then I'll take you back with the others."

I am relieved that the questions are basic, mostly wanting to know my interests and what I see as my strengths and weaknesses. Strengths? Easy. I don't hold grudges. It's difficult to hold a grudge when you can't remember what they are. Weaknesses? Would forgetful be understating it? I go for something easier to interpret. Strength: History buff. Weakness: None. The last question makes me pause: Why did you choose a school with an ecosystem emphasis?

I didn't. Claire did.

"Finished?" Mitch asks.

Close enough. "Yes." I close the Netbook and hand it back to her. I remember why I wanted to come to school. I need friends, Not questions. I have enough of those already.

"Fine then, let's go meet the other students — and Dr. Rae. She's your principal teacher. Director, really. Most of the curriculum is self-guided, and each of you takes on the role of collaborator-teacher. But she will tell you all about that." She slides the Netbook into a file with four others, stands, and guides me through a doorway and down a hall that creaks under her heavy footsteps.

She opens the last door, and I follow her in. It is a large room with modern furnishings. At one end are chairs and three long library desks. At the other end of the room are a half dozen Net stations. In the center, taking up most of the room, are two worn leather couches and four sling chairs. I note that the chairs' fabric matches Mitch's cheddar-cheese hair. Two boys and one girl occupy them. None of them look like they could be a Dr. Rae.

"Where's Rae?" Mitch asks.

"She's conferencing," the girl offers.

Mitch raises her eyebrows. "With Mr. Collins, I presume?"

No one answers. I conclude it wasn't a question because Mitch appears satisfied and moves on. "Let me introduce Jenna. She's going to be joining your group."

The boy whose back is to me stands up, turns, and I recognize him. He is the boy from the mission with the dirty hands and black hair. "Ethan," he says. He doesn't offer a smile or a hand, but his eyes are clearly focused on mine.

The girl struggles to get up. She has a brace in each hand. "I hope to lose these soon," she says. She tucks one brace under her arm and reaches out her other hand. "I'm Allys." Her hand is stiff and cool.

Mitch turns, not waiting for the rest of the introductions. "Rae will be in soon, I'm sure. Carry on," she says as she leaves.

The other boy steps forward, wipes his palms on his jeans, and then stuffs them in his pockets, apparently deciding not to offer one after all. He is thin and small. "I'm Gabriel. Hi."

"Hello," I say to them all. "Where's the rest of your class?"

"This is it, cupcake. Welcome to Freaks Unlimited."

I spin around. A young man fills the doorway.

"Shut up, Dane."

Dane ignores Ethan and smiles at me. "So this is our latest addition. Very nice. Ethan's right for once — nothing freakish about you." He carefully looks me over, like he is trying to decide something. "We've met?"

"A couple days ago. I was outside — "

"My house. Yes. I remember. So you're Jenna Fox."

I never told him my last name. Did Mitch? 68

Dane saunters past me and plops onto the couch. He is full of smiles. He seems to be the happiest of the group.

"You can put your stuff in there, if you like," Allys tells me, pointing to a cabinet behind the library tables. All I have is a small knapsack containing my vial of nutrients, but I go ahead and walk to the other end of the room to put it away.

"Wrong!" Dane calls out. "I stand corrected. You are one of us."

I turn back to him. "Pardon me?" I say.

"Your feet?"

"Leave it, Dane."

"What? We're supposed to pretend she doesn't walk funny? Right, Allys. And you've got all your digits, and Ethan has a magnetic personality."

"Eat it," Ethan says and falls back into one of the sling chairs.

Gabriel slinks into the corner and sits at a Net station, looking small and thankful to be under the radar.

Allys works her way back to her chair. "Learn to ignore him, Jenna. The rest of us do."

I walk funny?

"It's okay," I say. "I had an — " Don't discuss the accident. "— an illness. I'll be better soon."

"That's what we all say," Dane answers.

Dr. Rae breezes into the room. "Jenna, you're here. Welcome! And you've all been getting acquainted. That's nice."