I stare at him, wondering how he can make a joke at a time like this, especially after everything I told him. But he just grins at me and follows after Lynne.

She herds us through the room, a mother hen smiling at everyone we pass. Dr. Kapur and Dr. Walters bend over a computer, talking about something on the screen. Four other scientists type on keyboards or work on different parts of the accelerator, but they stop to take a good look at us as we walk by.

Soon we’ll be stepping inside that thing, facing whatever fate awaits us. After the conversation I overheard, I suspect it might be something dangerous. I know it’s a long shot, but I have to do something. I have to talk to Lynne about my concerns. The trick will be making sure I don’t reveal what I know.

“I have some questions,” I say to Lynne, keeping my voice low.

“Yes?”

“Are we really the first ones to go to the future?”

She hesitates for the briefest moment. I almost miss it. “You are. Isn’t it exciting? You’ll be the first people to see the world ten years from now.”

“But how do you know it’s safe? Shouldn’t you have someone else go first before sending in five teenagers? Why not send scientists or people who work for your company?”

“Don’t worry, Elena. We’ve tested it thoroughly. You don’t have anything to worry about.” She gives me another of those big smiles she likes to throw around. “Now please excuse me. We’re about to get started.”

Well, that was no help at all. If anything, I’m even more suspicious now.

She leaves me at a table with five large backpacks, each labeled with one of our names. Chris grabs his, purposefully slamming into Adam’s side as he walks past. Trent follows at his heels, snickering. Zoe snatches her backpack and clings to it, glancing at the elevator like she might bolt at any second.

I grab mine and sit in a chair against the wall, while the scientists work on the accelerator. Lynne steps aside with Dr. Walters, but they speak too low for me to hear them. What are they discussing? Is Lynne telling him about our conversation? Or am I just being paranoid?

Adam sits beside me. The last person I want to talk to. “I spoke with Dr. Walters, and he said everything is fine.”

“You talked to him?” I whisper, looking around to make sure no one else is listening. “What I told you was private!”

“I didn’t tell him what you heard. I just asked him some questions. They’ve used the accelerator before with different objects and animals. They’ve done lots of tests. It’s totally safe.”

“Yeah, well, I asked Lynne some questions too, and I’m pretty sure she wasn’t telling me everything.”