MY FOURTH GRADE TEACHER had been a fan of Greek mythology and he'd told us many of their stories. "I think so," I said, trying to mentally calculate how long this conversation needed to be to convince Dad we'd had our little heart-to-heart conversation. "It has something to do with curiosity, right?""You're correct, Tru. It starts out as an origin story, explaining how humans came to this earth."I picked at my nails absently. "Like Adam and Eve?""Yes, but unlike Christians, the Greeks believed in many gods. Pandora's box was originally called Pandora's jar, but somewhere down the line of storytellers it changed."Despite my reluctance, I found that tidbit of information fascinating."It could have been something similar to your mother's jar," she said. "I have one like it in my office at school. I guess your mother and I had a common interest. You're welcome to stop by if you'd like to see it," she invited, but I refused to take the bait and remained silent. "Anyway, I'm su

IT FELT LIKE AN eternity before Ruthie arrived. Her parents followed her into the house, their arms full of food. I was grateful for the reprieve from Dad's not so subtle questions about Dr. Frankler and what we'd discussed. Our parents visited in the kitchen while Ruthie and I hustled upstairs to my bedroom.As soon as my door shut, she dropped her bags and pushed me into the Black Hole. The beanbag squished as I settled in."Free from my crazy family for another night!" She sighed loudly as she grabbed a few pieces of clothing from the messy floor and shoved them under my door, saying, "Just in case our voices carry ..." We both jumped as an object slammed into my bedroom window. I crawled my way across the floor after Ruthie, who looked ready to grapple with the devil. "What was that?" I asked, rising to peek through the side of the window."Pfft!" A burst of irritation flew out of Ruthie's mouth as she hauled herself up. "I should have known they wouldn't listen."She raise

I MADE SURE THAT I heard Dad snoring before I texted Zander to give him the "all clear." Before that, there had been more than enough time to do our homework, pick out our clothes for school tomorrow, and even tidy up my room. After homework, we'd moved on to the traditional sleepover activities, painting nails, fixing hair and boy talk. She had described her idea of the perfect school dance with the perfect guy. Her imagination made me laugh. I could have told her to stop dreaming, but I didn't want to squash her dream. So, I'd let her gush while making approving noises. She had gradually transitioned into going to Homecoming with Maverick and how great that was going to be, even though I hadn't asked him yet. When she spent almost an hour on her makeup and hair, I started calling her "Sophia Loren" again because she had that hot Latin look going on with dark, smoky eyes and thick, wavy brown hair. Although her parents were Hispanic and had rich cocoa tans year-round, her skin was m

I WOKE UP ON my bed, a wet cloth on my forehead. Ruthie and Zander sat on either side of me, worry pinching their faces."What happened?" I asked."Hey! Is she okay?" piped in a voice across the room."Crap," muttered Ruthie. "We left Conny on the chair." She dashed over to move the tablet to the desk beside my bed. Conrad's eyes blinked owlishly at me."How do you feel?" asked Zander, his hands fluttering over me like he didn't know what to do with them."Okay, I think." I recalled what I'd seen before I lost consciousness. "I had the dream again. I don't know how, because obviously I wasn't asleep." I wrinkled my forehead in confusion. "But it couldn't have been a dream because I was awake. It happened before I blacked out.""Holy Spamburger! Wait just a second." Ruthie moved away again to grab her notebook. I could hear Conrad scrambling for something, too. He mumbled "waking dream" as he scribbled way.Ruthie rushed back, kneeling at the edge of the bed, pencil poised ov

CONRAD SPOKE UP FIRST. "So Tru's mom was like a human lie detector for little kids ... Doesn't that remind us of someone?""Barbecued beef kabobs!" Ruthie remembered to lower her voice, but she still wrung her hands and hopped up and down. "Tru, your mom was like you! That means she was idimmu! She must have been if your aunt was. Does that mean your dad is, too? Oh my gosh! This is crazy!"Was my mom involved in this madness? Could my dad be, too? "No. Not possible," I murmured. But impossible had taken a back seat to possible a while ago."Tru," Zander said, scooting closer. He rested a hand on my arm tentatively. "Maybe your mom didn't even realize she had a talent like that. It's common for many idimmu to not realize they are different. Just because she could tell when a kid was lying doesn't mean she knew she was idimmu. She may have just chalked it up to great intuition.""But she wasn't crazy, like idimmu are, I mean." My mom was in her sixties when she died and never once