THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

Silent.
    Tony kept muttering to himself, so apparently he hadn’t heard her, but I’d caught what she’d said.
    Had she heard my thoughts?
    I’d had weirder things than that happen today already, so I kept my face blank and acted as if I hadn’t heard her. I returned to moving computer parts around on the table.
    That must have worked to convince her I’d heard nothing, because her shoulders slumped, as if in relief. She continued cleaning up the spilled liquid.
    The door still stood propped open with her cart half in and half out.
    Temptation hit me square in the chest. All at once, I wanted to leave, even just far enough to find a place to sit and think. Anything would be better than being stuck as Tony’s shadow for the rest of the day, as Mr. Suarez had instructed me to do. I didn’t want to build a computer or go to another class. I wanted to go home, wherever that was.
    With Tony distracted removing the cover off one computer, I slipped out the door. Two steps into the hallway I smelled something rank, and familiar.
    The beast. I swung around, looking everywhere until I spied a black bird, a raven maybe, perched on the top edge of an open door at the end of the hallway.
    So it could morph into a winged creature. But why hadn’t the thing done that out in the desert?
    Instead of questioning my good fortune that I’d escaped it once, I backed up, slowly. I stepped into the room again, tugging Gabby’s cart all the way inside and closing the door. Sweat dampened my palms.
    Tony turned around, scowling at me, but an undercurrent of worry he hadn’t managed to hide tinged his words. Something was bothering him. “Suarez finds you here doin’ nothin’ he’s hangin’ it on me. You gonna help or not?” 
    With that beast outside, waiting, I needed to figure out a plan. A way to escape. One that wouldn’t get these two hurt. The thing might look like a simple bird right now, but no telling what it could become in the next minute.
    I stepped over to the last worktable where... what were those ? Laptops. That’s what Tony had called the thin units that opened like a book. A mix of styles and colors sat open in rows, facing forward like good little soldiers. I started fumbling with the closest one.
    Appeased, Tony returned to tinkering with a computer on his side of the room.
    Nothing happened to the one I’d chosen, no flickering lights when I hit a couple of buttons, so I stared at the worktable as if one of the devices would choose me. I had a hard time believing what had been left here would work at all if the cracked faces and beat up exteriors were any indication of functionality. But if I managed to get one of these turned on, maybe I could send a message for help.
    I paused. How’d I know these things could do that? Searching my thoughts ended in a blank again. I felt eyes on me and glanced over at Gabby who still sat on the floor with a curious squint in her gaze, though she said nothing.
    She shot Tony a weighted look then made some decision and stood up next to me. “The universe can be a strange and wonderful place...”  She paused, glancing over at Tony for a moment before adding, “If not for those who should have remained a glint in their parents’ eyes. Don’t you agree?”
    Nicholas’s warning about Gabby came back to me, but this girl didn’t seem dangerous. Just unusual, different from the others, but so was I in their eyes.
    And other than Nicholas, she’d been the only friendly one around my age so far. But Nicholas might be snitching on me at this very minute.
    Gabby didn’t wait on my answer, moving ahead to say, “We didn’t get a chance to meet earlier. I’m Gabby.”
    I started to offer my hand to her–some strange reflex that felt like what I should do to greet someone–but I left my arms hanging at my side, wary of touching anyone.
    On the other hand, she didn’t reach out either.
    Where had I gotten that stupid idea anyhow?
    Tony turned halfway, took one look at the taunting smile Gabby sent him and shook his head in disgust before giving us his back.
    I got it. She wanted to poke at Tony by being friendly with me.
    “I’m Rayen.” I was glad to offer her something in return, even if it was only my name. All I had for now.
    Tony paused when I mentioned my name, shook his head and muttered something about low placement standards.
    Gabby studied me with her odd, mismatched eyes. “I presume you’re one of the chosen few offered a spot on the Top Ten