THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

one that questioned where the young boy was going with his question.
    V’ru nodded, as if puzzle pieces slipped into place. “That confirms what I have determined. You are of C’raydonian descent–”
    Every child in the common area gasped.
    I had no idea who or what a C’raydonian was, but it sure didn’t sound good.
    “That is all they have time for,” Callan snapped, grasping my hand, a serious edge to his words. “You must go. Now!”
    “Wait. I need to hear more from V’ru and I said I’d stay. I don’t want to leave you and the children here alone.”
    “I’ll tell you what you need to know on the way, but...you’ll never be able to live with yourself if you fail to take your friends home.” 
    I didn’t think that was the real reason Callan had decided I had to leave right this minute.
    He squeezed my arm, letting me know he was sincere and not just trying to get rid of me. “Go home with them. That may be the only place to find a way to free us.”
    There was something he wasn’t saying. But what? And what was a C’raydonian? I thought there were only MystiKs and TecKnatis.
    Callan started barking orders at the children. “You three finish getting the young ones to their chambers. Etoi, pull together ten hunters who can travel to the transender location where we originally found these three. Get moving.”
    I grabbed Callan by the arm. “I can’t do this.”
    He stepped close to me. “Yes, you can, just as I can, and will , take care of this village...until you return.”
    The faith he showed in me was humbling. I put my palm on his cheek. He was right. I had to take Tony and Gabby home, but could I really find a way back here? I had to. For him. For all of them. And what if V’ru could tell me more about myself? “I will return as soon as I can. Just as soon as I get those two back to the school.”
    “I know. But we need to move out. The moon is close to setting.”
    When I turned to leave, I noticed one person who wasn’t joining us. Zilya had watched the entire exchange through eyes flashing dangerous thoughts. I didn’t have time to waste wondering what was going on between her and Callan.
    After giving me a wide berth as if I were a threat, Etoi whipped together a band of young hunters, all the while her expression saying she didn’t like doing it. Callan led the march through the fog wall, out to the jungle side of the village. Once the kids entered the dense foliage made darker by the setting moon, every fourth child lifted his or her hands in the air and light glowed from their palms. At that point, they raced forward, beating a path to the transender and making it impossible to talk.
    I took the last position, watching over all of them and trying to convince myself I wasn’t doing the wrong thing and that Callan was right.
    Tony and Gabby had ended up in this dangerous place because of me. I owed them and could pay them back by taking them home.
    When our group reached the edge of the jungle next to the transender landing spot, I searched beyond the thick leaves for croggles. Callan stepped up to me, barely winded from the run. He said, “Hurry. Giant croggles only come after a transender lands, but the baby croggles are more active and appear unexpectedly sometimes. If you go quickly, you should be safe.”
    “What did V’ru–” I started to ask when Gabby yelled, “ No, Tony! ”
    I saw Gabby rushing toward Tony who had knelt next to a pink bloom identical to the attack flower and stuck his arm into the center of it.
    Was the guy suicidal?
    Running over to him, I got there first and grabbed Tony’s free arm.
    “Let go, Rayen. I got this. It’s not a real flower.”
    When a holographic panel like the one V’ru had used appeared next to Tony, he stood up, pulling his arm free, grinning his who’s-the-man-now grin he’d had when I first saw him enter Mr. Suarez’s classroom.
    A female voice from the panel announced, “ Four minutes left to request transender return from Sphere .”
    Tony told me in a rush, “Put your palm here.” He pointed to the panel. “And hold it there until you get a red outline.”
    I hadn’t gotten the information I wanted from Callan, but with minutes counting down, I did as Tony instructed. A red line traced my palm then started blinking, and finally the outline glowed green. The voice said, Request acknowledged.
    “That’s it!” Tony shouted. “You did it , babe.”
    A whirring sound began out in the open space.
    I