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Before I could answer, I heard Dad calling from downstairs: “Max? Are you two up there?”
“Yeah. We’ll be right down,” I shouted.
“What are you two doing up there?” Dad demanded. I heard him start to climb the stairs.
I ran to the top of the stairs to head him off. “Sorry, Dad,” I said. “We’re coming.”
Dad stared up at me in the stairwell. “What on earth is so interesting up there?”
“Just a lot of old stuff,” I muttered. “Nothing, really.”
Lefty appeared behind me, looking like his old self. Dad disappeared back to the dining room.
Lefty and I started down the stairs.
“Wow, that was awesome!” Lefty exclaimed.
“Didn’t you start to feel weird after a while?” I asked him, whispering even though we were
alone.
“No.” He shook his head. “I felt fine. It was really awesome! You should have seen the look on
your face when I made the soup bowl float up in the air!” He started giggling again, that high-pitched
giggle of his that I hate.
“Listen, Lefty,” I warned, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, blocking his way to the hallway.
“Getting invisible is fun, but it could be dangerous. You—”
“It’s awesome!” he repeated. “And I’m the new champ.”
“Listen to me,” I said heatedly, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Just listen. You’ve got to
promise me that you won’t go up there and get invisible by yourself again. I mean it. You’ve got to
wait till someone else is around. Promise?” I squeezed his shoulders hard.
“Okay, okay,” he said, trying to squirm away. “I promise.”
I looked down. He had his fingers crossed on both hands.
Erin called me later that night. It was about eleven. I was in my pajamas, reading a book in bed,
thinking about going downstairs and begging my parents to let me stay up and watch Saturday Night
Live.
Erin sounded really excited. She didn’t even say hello. Just started talking a mile a minute in that
squeaky mouse voice, so fast I had trouble understanding her.
“What about the science fair?” I asked, holding the phone away from my ear, hoping that would
help me understand her better.
“The winning project,” Erin said breathlessly. “The prize is a silver trophy and a gift certificate
at Video World. Remember?”
“Yeah. So?” I still wasn’t following her. I think I was sleepier than I’d thought. It had been a
nervous, tiring day, after all.
“Well, what if you brought the mirror to school?” Erin asked excitedly. “You know. I would
make you go invisible. Then I’d bring you back, and I’d get invisible. That could be our project.”
“But, Erin—” I started to protest.
“We’d win!” she interrupted. “We’d have to win! I mean, what else could beat it? We’d win first
prize. And we’d be famous!”
“Whoa!” I cried. “Famous?”
“Of course. Famous!” she exclaimed. “Our picture would be in People magazine and
everything!”