“I didn’t think so either.”
“Then what do you mean he had a meltdown?”
“It’s like his spirit was broken.”
I grabbed a fistful of my hair in frustration. “What does that mean?” I growled. “Olivia, what’s wrong with you? First you almost knock my tooth out, then you nearly blind me, then you get all mysterious.”
“Sorry,” she said, blinking. Now she really did seem upset. She held up the box of candy. “I’m an emotional eater.”
“Okay,” I said. “Take it easy. Just relax. He drives me crazy, too. Where is Amp now?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is he nearby?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did he come back to my house?”
“I don’t know.”
“Which direction did he go?”
“I don’t know.”
“Was he going to get something?”
“I. Don’t. Know.”
“You’re some babysitter! I hope you’re not expecting a tip!”
Olivia looked down at her shoes. I thought she might start to cry.
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll figure this out. He gets touchy sometimes. When did this all happen?”
“About two hours ago.”
“What? He’s got a two-hour lead? He can’t be out on his own! He can’t be seen. He’ll get eaten by a cat or a badger.”
“I know that!” she shouted.
“Shhh! My parents . . . Why didn’t you come get me earlier?”
“I told you, I tried! Your mom has you in sleepy time lockdown. I was trying to find him on my own so you could get your beauty rest.”
I thought for a moment. “Okay, go get your grandpa’s ladder. My mom is not going to let me out, not at this hour. We’ll find him together.”
Olivia nodded and walked off, looking relieved to have the beginnings of a plan, any plan, taking shape.
“And save some Milk Duds for me,” I said, trying to make the situation less tense. I’m not sure if it worked. Olivia didn’t look back. She disappeared into the hole in the fence between our two backyards.
I popped my screen out and dropped it into the bushes below. I looked around my room. An uneasy feeling overtook me. I quietly closed my door all the way. I could hear my parents talking excitedly down in the kitchen.
I turned back to my empty room. “Somebody remind me to strangle that alien when I get my hands on him.”
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About the Author
NATE BALL is the host of the Emmy and Peabody award–winning PBS reality shows Design Squad and Design Squad Nation. An MIT graduate with a Master’s Degree in mechanical engineering, Nate is also the cofounder of Atlas Devices, a two-time All-American pole-vaulter, and a competitive beatboxer. He lives with his wife and son in Cambridge, Massachusetts. You can find him online at www.alieninmypocket.com.
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Credits
Cover art by Macky Pamintuan
Design by Jeff Shake
Copyright
ALIEN IN MY POCKET: FORCES OF NATURE. Text by Nate Ball, copyright © 2015 by HarperCollins Publishers. Illustrations by Macky Pamintuan, copyright © 2015 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Library of Congress catalog card number: 2014942415
ISBN 978-0-06-231490-1 (trade bdg.)—ISBN 978-0-06-221633-5 (pbk.)
EPub Edition © July 2015 ISBN 9780062216342
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FIRST EDITION
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