UnBound - Neal Shusterman Page 0,7
to the point. “I understand the courts found you and your husband liable for the things that Kevin stole.”
She leans back in her chair, suddenly seeing Jasper through a much darker lens. “How do you know that?”
“It’s all public record—I looked it up on my phone. I could show you the app.” He holds up his phone to her, but she doesn’t take it. “Isn’t there also a family that’s suing you for another kid’s medical expenses, because Alph—uh, I mean Kevin—broke the kid’s jaw? You’ll probably be paying damages for years.”
Now she doesn’t say anything. Good. Stunned into silence. Now to go in for the kill. Jasper smiles. “I’m sorry; I don’t mean to upset you or anything. In fact, I’m here with good news. You can make all that go away! Paragraph Nine-B of the unwind order states that the liability for any offenses made by your son from seven days postconception until now falls upon the state. You won’t owe anyone anything!”
She looks at the order again. Jasper can see her eyes darting over it, but he knows she’s not reading. She’s thinking. Weighing. Pitting her conscience against what’s practical. So Jasper adds another weight on the scale.
“The court will even remove the lien they’ve placed on your house.”
Now she stares at him as if she hasn’t heard him right. “What lien?”
“You mean your husband didn’t tell you? That kid with the broken jaw’s got sharks for lawyers. They’re trying to take away your house.”
She holds eye contact with him for a moment longer. Of all the things he’s said, this is the only one that isn’t true, but a white lie can be justified if it leads to the proper end. The woman looks over the unwind order again, this time actually reading it. Then she looks up at Jasper with those eyes so old before their time.
“You got a pen?”
• • •
The raid happens two days later. Jasper’s in a Juvey-cop car, on a ride-along. It’s a perk of being part of his school’s SDS club: Students for a Divisional Solution. So far Jasper is the only member, but he expects his club’s popularity will grow.
Juvies descend on the old theater like a SWAT team. Kids scatter like rats. Some get away, but more are captured. Once Jasper hears the squad captain give the all clear over the police radio, he gets out of the cruiser and slips inside. He was told to wait in the car, and said that he would, but of course he was lying.
Inside, the Juvies have about a dozen kids cuffed and seated. About a dozen others are being laid out in a neat row as if they’re dead, but Jasper knows they’re just tranq’d.
The captain spots Jasper and frowns. “What the hell are you doing in here? Didn’t I tell you to wait in the car?”
“It was my lead that made this happen, Officer,” Jasper says respectfully. “The least you could do is let me see how it went down.”
“It’s still not safe, kid.”
“Looks safe to me. Where’s the leader?”
The cop glares at him a bit more, then gives up, shaking his head. “Over there.”
Jasper turns to see Alph sitting alone, separated from the others, with his hands cuffed behind his head. Jasper approaches, waiting for the moment Alph looks up and sees him. The astonished look on Alph’s face is perfect. At that moment Jasper decides there is no feeling in life better than revenge.
“Hi, Kevin,” Jasper says with a condescending wave.
Alph’s astonishment resolves into his cool poker face. “You did this?”
Jasper shrugs. “I helped,” he says. “School project. Extracurricular actually, but it’ll look good on college applications.”
Behind Jasper, the Juvey-cops take care of business.
“Are they all going to the North Detention Center?” he hears one of the officers ask the squad captain.
“No, North Detention is full up. They’re going to East.”
Hearing this, Alph looks up at Jasper and smiles. “Oh well,” he says, mocking. “Guess I have detention.”
“Not you,” says the squad captain. “You’re going to a different facility.”
The smile leaves Alph’s face even more quickly than it had arrived. “What kind of facility?”
“For unwinding!” Jasper says brightly. “Haven’t you read about it? Oh, right, you can’t read!”
Alph squirms like a fish with a hook firmly lodged deep down its throat.
“I decided to take your advice, Kevin,” Jasper says. “I’m learning to appreciate all the things I have and working hard to become a productive member of society. Out of respect for those of you who can’t.