in that Disney cartoon. Any teeth he’s got aren’t good for much more than grass. Does that make sense?”
Luke said it did.
Kalisha sighed. “The Institute’s a bad place for a Thumper, but maybe it doesn’t matter, since we all go to Back Half eventually.”
“How much TP has he got—compared, say, to you?”
“A ton more. They have this thing they measure—BDNF. I saw it on Dr. Hendricks’s laptop one time, and I think it’s a big deal, maybe the biggest. You’re the brainiac, do you know what that is?”
Luke didn’t, but intended to find out. If they didn’t take his computer away first, that was.
“Whatever it is, this kid’s must be over the moon. I talked to him! It was real telepathy!”
“But you must have been around other TPs, even if it’s rarer than TK. Maybe not in the outside world, but here, for sure.”
“You don’t get it. Maybe you can’t. That’s like listening to a stereo with the sound turned way down, or listening to people talk out on the patio while you’re in the kitchen with the dishwasher running. Sometimes it’s not there at all, just falls completely out of the mix. This was the real deal, like in a science fiction movie. You have to take care of him after I’m gone, Luke. He’s a goddam Thumper, and it’s no surprise he doesn’t act his age. He’s had an easy cruise up to now.”
What resonated with Luke was after I’m gone. “You . . . has anyone said anything to you about going to Back Half? Maureen, maybe?”
“No one needs to. I didn’t get a single one of their bullshit tests yesterday. No shots, either. That’s a sure sign. Nick’s going, too. George and Iris may be here a little longer.”
She gently gripped the back of Luke’s neck, producing another of those tingles.
“I’m gonna be your sister for a minute, Luke, your soul sister, so listen to me. If the only thing you like about Punk Rock Girl is how she wiggles when she walks, keep it that way. It’s bad to get too involved with people here. It fucks you up when they go away, and they all do. But you need to take care of this one for as long as you can. When I think of Tony or Zeke or that bitch Winona hitting Avery, it makes me want to cry.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Luke said, “but I hope you’ll be here a lot longer. I’d miss you.”
“Thanks, but that’s exactly what I’m talking about.”
They sat quiet for awhile. Luke supposed he would have to go soon, but he didn’t want to yet. He wasn’t ready to be alone.
“I think I can help Maureen.” He spoke in a low voice, hardly moving his lips. “With those credit card bills. But I’d have to talk to her.”
Her eyes opened wide at that and she smiled. “Really? That would be great.” Now she put her lips to his ear, causing fresh shivers. He was afraid to look at his arms, in case they had broken out in goosebumps. “Make it soon. She’s got her week off coming up in a day or two.” Now she placed her hand, oh God, high up on his leg, territory Luke’s mother did not even visit these days. “After she comes back, she’s somewhere else for three weeks. You might see her in the halls, or in the break room, but that’s all. She won’t talk about it even where it’s safe to talk, so it just about has to be Back Half.”
She removed her lips from his ear and her hand from his thigh, leaving Luke to wish fervently that she had other secrets to impart.
“Go on back to your room,” she said, and the little gleam in her eye made him think she was not unaware of the effect she’d had on him. “Try to catch some winks.”
7
He awoke from deep and dreamless sleep to loud knocking on his door. He sat up, looking around wildly, wondering if he had overslept on a school day.
The door opened, and a smiling face peered in at him. It was Gladys, the woman who’d taken him to get chipped. The one who had told him he was here to serve. “Peekaboo!” she trilled. “Rise and shine! You missed breakfast, but I brought you orange juice. You can drink it while we walk. It’s fresh squeezed!”
Luke saw the green power light on his new laptop. It had gone to sleep, but if