“But not every Copycat lives in Saint John. Gigi says we have cousins all over America.”

Digger threw his hands up into the air. “Then . . . honestly? I have no idea.”

Weren’t parents supposed to know stuff? “What am I going to do? I can’t just turn into random people at school. And what am I going to tell Cassie when I see her again? Unless you let me drop out of school,” she added hopefully.

Digger exhaled. “You’re not quitting school. I bet Cassie thinks she imagined the whole thing. In my experience, strange things make people uncomfortable, so they find a way to explain it away so life can return to normal. And you won’t turn into random people. I’ll train you, starting tonight, so you can control your powers. A Copycat out of control is a dangerous thing, both for themself and everyone else. Once you’re trained, everything will be fine.”

It sounded so simple. And maybe it would be if Ali had gotten her powers when she was young. But now? Now it was unnerving, because she had no idea if she could control herself.

“I don’t want to be a Copycat, Digger. You should have seen how Cassie looked at me. She thinks I’m a freak.”

Digger took her hand. “Copycats are not freaks. We’re just regular people who can do something extraordinary, okay?”

Ali nodded. But she didn’t believe him. If Digger didn’t think he was a freak, why had he always seemed relieved that she wasn’t a Copycat? Something was either good or bad. It couldn’t be both.

They shared the news as soon as Ali’s mother got home. Gigi clapped her hands and squealed with delight. Ali’s mother was speechless. She hugged Ali hard, like that would make everything better. Which it did, at least for a while.

“What do we do?” her mother asked.

“I’ll start training her right away,” said Digger.

Ali’s mom kept her arms wrapped around Ali as if she expected her daughter to change into a bird and fly away. “Your dad will make sure you’re okay.”

“Of course he will,” said Gigi. “Digger is a very talented Copycat.”

Ali knew that was true. But he wasn’t talented when it came to getting a real job. Was that because he was a Copycat? And if it was, would she have trouble holding down a job someday too? Ali didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up, but she was already doubting her ability to do whatever it was.

“You’ll live an extraordinary life,” Gigi continued. Her gray eyes shone, as if Ali’s news was a tonic for what was ailing her. “I did.”

“We have to make sure she’s trained well, Digger,” Ali’s mother whispered. “We can’t let what happened—”

Digger cut her off. “It won’t.”