Among the Imposters

Twenty Four

Jason was as good as his word. The next morning at breakfast, he handed Luke a computer printout that said, at the top, CLASS SCHEDULE FOR LEE GRANT. It had times, room numbers, teachers’ names.

“Where’d you get this?” Luke asked.

“You think your only computer hacker friend is dead?” Jason said.

He meant Jen. Luke had a flash of missing her all over again. He could picture her sitting at the computer, typing fast. She’d created a chat room for third children, with the password of “free.” She’d connected hundreds of third children, so they weren’t just sitting in their little rooms, all alone. She’d hacked into the records of the national police, to make sure none of the kids going to the third-child rally were caught before they got to the capital.

But what good had all her hacking done?

“Earth to Lee,” Jason was saying. “Or whatever your name is. You should know, your schedule really doesn’t matter. I can change all your grades on the computer, anyhow.”

But after breakfast, Luke determinedly marched off to his first class, listened closely, and took detailed notes. By the end of the hour, he knew something he’d never known before: Prime numbers could be divided only by themselves and one.

In his second class, he boldly grabbed a textbook off the bookshelf and read the poem whose page number the teacher had written on the board. He could even make sense of the fancy language — two people were friends, and one of them died, and the other one felt sad.

Luke figured he had an unfair advantage, understanding that.

In science and technology class, the teacher was talking about gasoline motors. Luke could just picture one, all grease-covered, in Father’s tractor. And now he knew how they worked.

By lunchtime, Luke was ready to brag to Jason, “I am learning something now.” He was even confident enough to tease, ~Maybe I won’t need your help with my grades.”

— You’re going to learn a whole term’s worth in just a week?” jackal boy mocked. “Right. Next week, Friday, at five o’clock, you’ll come begging, ‘Please, please, I need help! I’ll do anything!”’

Luke only set his jaw and pulled out a book to study.