A gloomy Saturday morning began with a jolt. In his room, Aaron was jolted awake not by an alarm, but by the heavy stomp of feet echoing down the hall. Just across the street, his neighbor Nicole was pulled from a deep sleep by the same sound. When they finally dragged themselves out of bed, they were met by the grim, disappointed faces of their parents. The school had called to inform them about their book report project—the one that had unleashed scorpions across campus.
In the cold, sterile detention room, they spotted a familiar face. Luz smiled at them, a nervous, tight-lipped expression that didn't quite reach her eyes. "What are you in for?" she asked.