Rex shook his head, starting to disagree, but stopped. If he was going to say it out loud, he had to be right. As he had a dozen times that day, he lifted his thick glasses an inch, looking at Jessica Day with just his eyes. The cafeteria dissolved into a bright, churning blur, but even from this distance she stood out sharp and clear.

It was after noon, and her Focus hadn’t faded. It was permanent. There was only one explanation.

He took a deep breath. “She’s one of us.”

Dess looked at him, finally allowing an expression of interest to cross her face. Melissa felt the change between her friends and looked up blankly. Listening, but not with her ears.

“Her? One of us?” Dess said. “No way. She could run for mayor of Normal, Oklahoma.”

“Listen to me, Dess,” Rex insisted. “She’s got the Focus.”

Dess squinted, as if trying to see what only Rex could. “Maybe she got touched last night or something like that.”

“No. It’s too strong. She’s one of us.”

Dess looked back up at the ceiling, her expression sliding again into totally bored with the ease of long practice. But Rex knew he’d gotten her attention.

“All right,” she relented. “If she’s a sophomore, maybe she’s in one of my classes. I’ll check her out.”

Melissa nodded too, bobbing her head to the whispered music.

2

2:38 P.M.

DESS

When Jessica finally collapsed behind a desk for her last class of the day, she was completely exhausted. She crammed the wrinkled schedule into her pocket, hardly caring if she was in the right room anymore, and gratefully dropped her book bag onto the floor. All day it had been gaining weight like a new employee at Baskin-Robbins.

No first day of school was ever easy. But at least back in Chicago, Jessica had had the same old faces and familiar halls of Public School 141 to look forward to. Here in Bixby everything was a challenge. This school might be smaller than PS 141, but it was all spread out on ground level, a maze of add-ons and trailers. Every five-minute change of classes had been traumatic.

Jessica hated being late. She always wore a watch, which she set at least ten minutes fast. Today, when she already stood out as the new girl, she’d dreaded having to creep into a class late, everyone’s eyes on her, looking sheepish and too dumb to find her way around. But she’d made it again. The bell hadn’t rung yet. Jessica had managed to be on time the whole day.