text: Marisa Maichel Flying To Justice 
   
   
   Chapter 1 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Chapter 1 
   
   
   
   How many thirteen year olds do you know who can fly, let alone turn invisible while doing so? Only me. I can fly and turn invisible, but I can only turn invisible while I'm flying. 
   I can soar over the buildings, over trees. It takes a lot of energy to be able to go higher. It's an escape for me; a gift that I haven't revealed to anyone, even my mother, who is my best friend. 
   My heart becomes filled with joy as I fly. Like now. I land on the roof of my small house in the bad part of the neighborhood. My mother's job as a waitress at Fryer's doesn't pay enough to be able to afford a nice house, or even an apartment. And I'm not old enough to get a job yet. 
   I stare over at the house next door. Another fight has broken out. I think that Anton Sever secretly hates his life; that's why he drinks so much. Every time I see his wife or one of his sons, they have a new cut or bruise. No one wants to report Anton, either, because he's crazy. And my mother says that it's none of our business, anyway. 
   Every time I see Efron Sever, I get butterflies. His brother, Issac, is closer to my age at thirteen, but Efron is more interesting. Boys my age are immature and loud; Efron is mature and quiet. Efron is seventeen. 
   I know that he's too old for me; we are on different ends of the teenage year spectrum. It's okay though, because he hasn't shown interest in anyone, not just me. 
   "It's okay," I say to the air. "Efron and Penelope forever." That's my name. Penelope Ryder. Technically, my birth name is Justice Penelope Ryder, but I go by Penelope. 
   I gain some momentum, turn invisible, and take off into the air. I use my feet to kick and propel myself. My small brown purse slaps against my hip. The goal: the town library. 
   New Hope is a small town somewhere in Maine. The birthplace of spooky cabins in the woods and watermelon and witches. Okay, not really. Except for spooky cabins the woods and Maine Coon cats, Maine hasn't really impressed me all that much, and I've lived here my whole life. 
   I land behind the New Hope library and go around to the front and go inside. It's warm inside on this overcast day. I immediately head for the young adult section, and go straight to the real magic, the nonfiction books. 
   Ever since I was little, I've been interested in where my family came from, since I found out I can fly and disappear. I pick up a book on vampires and start reading. 
   My heart jumps as the door slams. It's Efron Sever, and he looks furious. He has a new cut on his forehead and his dark blond hair is sticking straight up messily. He opens a Coke bottle noisily and takes a drink. His blue eyes are wild, full of anger. He sits down by the manga and comics and sits staring at the wall. 
   I try to focus on the book, but it's hard not to stare at him. He glares around at all the shelves. Then his eyes land on me. I blush and hide behind the book. I wish I could wear makeup, but the most I've ever been allowed to wear is clear lip gloss. I'm hoping that will change soon. 
   I can feel Efron's eyes still burning into me like a cigarette on skin. My nearly-black hair is long, but it doesn't quite hide my embarassment or interest. 
   
   The types of vampires differ from country to country, folklore to folklore. For example, the strigoi are a type of evil ghoul or wraith which takes the form of a vampire.  
   
   "Hello," says a soft voice. I look up. It's Efron. "You're Justice, right?" 
   "Penelope," I correct. 
   "Right. My brother Issac talks about you all the time. You live next door, right?" I nod. "I know it seems strange, but I think you can help me. My deadbeat father needs to get off his ass and work. And my mom's job at the government plant is being threatened. I need you to fly-" 
   "Whoa, what?" 
   He looks embarassed now. "Look, I saw you flying, or gliding, or whatever. I didn't believe it at first, but...wow. You can fly. Are you an alien or a witch?" 
   "Neither, as far as I know," I tell him. "Listen, you can't tell anybody what you saw, especially my mother." 
   "That's the thing..." 
   No, this couldn't be happening. 
   "I need you to fly over and see what's going on at the plant where my mom works. I promise I won't tell afterwards." 
   Wow. All this time, and I thought he was different. It appears that I was wrong. He was a big jerk, just like everyone else. What choice did I have? I went through them in my mind. 
   I could: do it, tell the truth to my mom, or let him tell and hope she thinks he's a practical joker. 
   Crap. 
   
   Chapter 2 
   
   I need to get away, to think. So I check out a couple of books and fly over to my friend Marie's house. Marie lives in a nicer part of town, closer to the upper middle-class part of town. She is the only one who knows about my special gift, and only because she saw me do it last year. 
   As I land in her backyard, the family dog, Sugar, runs to greet me. She's a black Labrador who eats everything. It is amazing that she hasn't died from all the batteries she's swallowed. She also loves it when I fly, because then she can bark at me and pretend I'm a bird. 
   "Hey, girl," I say, scratching her ears. She greets me with her usual stinky kisses and jumping. 
   "Sugar!" Marie runs out, only wearing shorts, flip flops, and a sports bra. I envy her body. She has curves in all the right places, where I am too skinny. She gets to eat well and even has her own cook, where I sometimes go to bed feeling guilty because Mom has skipped another meal to feed me. 
   Marie grabs Sugar by the collar, and Sugar abruptly stops licking me and gives my friend an insulted look. 
   "Come inside," she says. "I've got major gossip." 
   "So do I," I tell her. "It involves Efron." 
   Her eyes widen and she runs back into the house, Sugar at her heels. I slip off my tennis shoes inside so I don't track mud, and Marie leads me up to her room. I like her room. It's a big contrast to mine, colorful and clean. She chose a rainbow theme, with a rainbow comforter and pink and blue everywhere. Her bookshelf is crammed with pink books, and even her VCR is nicer than mine. 
   Owl City is playing on her iPod, and she's been putting new posters up of the latest boy band and the most beautiful female teen celebrities. 
   "Did he ask you out?" she asks, hugging her knees. 
   "No," I say, and I tell her all about our conversation. She gasps in all the right places, reacting like a best friend should. "What do you think I should do?" 
   "That jerk! Don't do it! Your mom  cannot  hear it from anyone except you." 
   "I know, and I don't even know if I like him anymore. I know I shouldn't." 
   "No, you shouldn't. Tell your mom yourself and refuse. Do  not  get involved with Efron Sever!" 
   I knew that what she said was the truth. I just needed to be honest with my mother. But she was working now, and wouldn't get off until seven, unless she took an extra shift. I needed to think. 
   Marie and I walked to our special rock, a large boulder that could hold five full-grown people. I climb the rock instead of flying, like I usually do. I don't think flying is a good idea anymore. My crush turned out to be a huge jerk. 
   I sat on the rock and though. Marie was right; my mom needed to hear the truth from me. I made my decision. My mom would hear the truth from me, and only me. 
   >*< 
   I felt like a bird as I soared over the government fence, going deep into dangerous territory. The government building where Efron's mom worked. She was easy to spot. She was the only woman there with a visible bruise on her cheek. Her dark blond hair was also the dullest and frizziest. 
   I stayed invisible as I landed on top of the building. My bag bounced against my hip. It held everything I needed. My library ID, cash, and pepper spray. I didn't know how I was going to get in, though, and there was no way I was crawling through an air vent. 
   I watched as Marsha Sever punched in a code, swiped her ID card, and was let in. I thought about sneaking through with the next person to open the door, when I realized my foot was going through the concrete roof. 
   Too easy,  I thought. I slipped through the roof and landed on a dusty floor that looked like it hadn't been swept in years. I looked around. Layers of chalk were on everything, including me. Ignoring the dust, I swept through the door and ended up in a hallway. I looked around for a sign, which there was none. 
   I started walking to the left. A man was coming towards me with a hurried, nervous look. 
   "She's not going to be happy," he muttered into a phone. "Marsha? Is she here? Okay, I'll be down as soon as I can." 
   I ran past him, causing him to look around fearfully. 
   
   
   Images: Google-iStock All rights reserved. Publication Date: September 27th 2018 https://www.bookrix.com/-redhead16