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    Spy School
    Spy School
    Spy School
    Ebook273 pages3 hours

    Spy School

    By Stuart Gibbs

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    “Combines Alex Rider’s espionage skills with a huge dose of the sarcasm of Artemis Fowl.” —School Library Journal

    Can an undercover nerd become a superstar agent? In the first book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley sure hopes so—and his life may depend on it!

    Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: CIA or bust. Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn’t exactly scream “secret agent.” In fact, Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap. Because of his innate nerdiness, Ben is not surprised when he is recruited for a magnet school with a focus on science—but he’s entirely shocked to discover that the school is actually a front for a junior CIA academy. Could the CIA really want him?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
    Release dateMar 6, 2012
    ISBN9781442421844
    Author

    Stuart Gibbs

    Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Thorne series, FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, Once Upon a Tim series, and Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras (the world’s largest rodents). Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he’s up to at StuartGibbs.com.

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    Reviews for Spy School

    4.5/5

    90 ratings27 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      It is a competitive book, so I enjoyed being Ben Reiley and solving the problem of lots of mysteries and threats. I respect the author of this spy school series book.
    • 4/5
      Ben is a great character! Go Ben!!!I liked the others too, really.
      To be honest, two words.
      “Great Book.”
    • 5/5
      Just breathtaking. It’s just amazing to sit down and listen to this book. For me it just put me into a good whole different world of the CIA.
    • 5/5
      Loved this book. Whenever I was bored I would just read hope there is more book in this series love it
    • 5/5
      Awesome and really funny.
      The mole was a genuine surprise.
    • 5/5
      K,lookjjjjjjjjjjjj il y a beaucoup beaucoup plus dans les cheveux
    • 5/5
      I loved it! And it wan't even my first time reading it!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Little bit too cutesy for my taste although I though the premise was good.
    • 5/5
      Great book for people who are really into spying and like mysterious adventure books.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This book is very good highly recommend it after you read Harry Potter or Percy Jackson
    • 5/5
      Keeps you reading to find out what happens next.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      it was very interesting and funny, I liked it and also I wish something very dumb would happen
    • 5/5
      I loved it and so hope that Ben and Erica work out this book is the best
    • 4/5
      I would give it a 5 except the fact that there was an inappropriate word for children, in a child's book!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The storyline is really fun. An average 12-year-old boy is selected to go to Spy School, which is pretty cool. And, like all schools, this one has all the great characters you’d expect to meet, bullies and all. But, when his life is suddenly placed in danger, things get crazy and all kinds of drama and adventures unfold.What I liked: Great story line! The characters are intriguing and realistic, especially the main character, who thinks it’d be really cool to be a spy and get the girl, but finds out pretty fast that it comes with a lot of danger as well. And, anytime you have an ordinary kid thrown into extraordinary situations you have a great plot.What I did not like: This novel would probably get a much higher rating, but one thing really bothered me about the book…it has curse words. I wouldn’t mind as much if they were used in context of heightened emotion (ie–he gets super mad and a curse word slips out), but they are thrown in so casually that they took me by surprise each time, enough to pull me out of the story, and that’s bad. The author could’ve easily told the story without them. That’s fine for YA, but not for middle grade.Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

      4 people found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The Skinny: When Ben Ripley is selected to attend the CIA’s Espionage Academy, a highly selective school that trains its students to become future operatives, he discovers himself in the middle of a dangerous plot to uncover a clandestine informant. This is a fast-paced and fun read and a good title to recommend to upper elementary or early middle school boys who are reluctant readers.Full(er) Review: There are more books than can be counted that feature an outsider, the new guy who must learn along the way, thereby also guiding readers through the story. Ben Ripley is this guy, new to a secretive school for aspiring spies that disguises itself as a prestigious science school. From pretty much the moment he arrives on campus, nothing is as it seems. In his first full day, Ben discovers someone has planted information in his school files to draw out a sinister plot and he’s attacked by an attempted kidnapper/assassin. What follows is a mystery and adventure story, where Ben works with the attractive and insanely talented fellow student Erica Hale to seek out the dangerous double-agent.The strength of a mystery really lies in its plotting. Most mysteries follow a formula and even titles that subvert the formula play off it in some way. Spy School in many ways follows the traditional formula with the necessary red herrings and plot twists, yet the model of Ben as pre-teen detective seems more familiar to young adult fiction than the mystery genre specifically; Ben must “fake it till he makes it,” not understanding much of what happens to him until someone else (namely Erica) lets him in on what’s really going on. Of course Ben eventually comes into his own, saving the day and saving the girl (who immediately saves him back).Other reviewers find issue with both Gibbs’ plotting and character development. Yes, Gibbs has a tendency to tell rather than show. Yes, adults seem to be both all-powerful and completely clueless. Yes, character development takes a back seat to the action and secondary characters’ voices at times fail to be clearly distinguished. Yes, this will be a familiar story to some readers. While these critiques are well-deserved, I would nevertheless still recommend this title. This is a good title to hand to a reluctant reader. Gibbs skillfully sets a scene, giving just enough detail without making it overwhelming. This action-oriented title has moments that are wonderfully cinematic, with enough secret passageways, underground tunnels and nun-chuck-wielding ninjas to keep things exciting. This story doesn’t get bogged down in a character’s internal struggle or much character development at all; and, really, for this type of story character is not the most important feature.. For a potential reader who does not identify as a reader, has little experience of reading for pleasure or just has to find a ‘choice’ book for an open reading assignment, Spy School is familiar and predictable enough for a reader to feel accomplished, but with enough unanswered questions to make it engaging.

      4 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Ben gets a spot in Spy School. He is not sure why but he is in the thick of the action as someone tries to kidnap him and may be out to kill him. What can he do with his limited skills?This is laugh out loud funny. Ben is a riot. His asides are a scream as is his droll thoughts of what is happening to him. As he tries to figure out what is happening with Erica, the tops in her class--maybe even the whole school--things do not look good for Ben to have a long career (or life) as a spy. But Ben turns out to be better than the powers that be gave him credit for. He follows the clues and thwarts one part but did he get them all? I had a blast with this book and look forward to Spy Camp next.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Fast paced if a bit long, this laugh out loud tale of Ben Ripley (age 12) training at an elite CIA school for young spies is a winner for the upper elementary grades. The strictest parent won't like the line about kicking an assassin's ass, but no matter. The high level of vocabulary, well-paced storytelling and sheer fun make up for it.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Ben Ripley is at home, minding his own business, when he gets a visit from a man named Alexander Hale from the CIA. He tells Ben that he'll be going to spy school to hone his craft because of his promising skills. Ben can’t quite figure out how the CIA knows anything about him, but he knows he's exceptionally good with numbers, so he packs his bags and heads to his new school. Who wouldn’t be excited about attending a special school for the coolest of the cool? As soon as Ben gets there he finds the school being sabotaged by enemies with weapons, and he instantly needs to learn how to protect himself. Thank goodness he runs into Erica, who proves to be an amazing spy trained in more ways than Ben can even imagine. When he finds out Alexander Hale wasn’t completely honest with him and learns that his life is in danger, he'll have some tough decisions to make. Will Ben stay at spy school? Why was he selected for such a special school? Who can he trust? One thing is for sure, life just became a whole lot more dangerous. Read this intriguing book to find out what is going on!

      Spy School by Stuart Gibbs was the first book I've read by this author, and I thought it was great. I would recommend this book to kids between the ages of nine and thirteen. It has a few bad words that might be a problem for some people (just a warning). I liked trying to figure out who Ben should trust and who he should stay away from. Lots of clues to piece together! It's always fun to try to solve a mystery! Adventure and action can be found on every page, so it's a wonderful book to keep kids reading. I learned a lot about being a spy and it is way more way work than I realized! I look forward to reading Spy Camp.
    • 5/5
      Ben Ripley, age 12on a mission to fight the bad guysbeing used as baitExcellent bookDESTROY THIS NOT ONCE YOU HAVE IT MEMORIZED.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      At first it wasn't all that exiting but then the end was just amazing!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Bought this book for my son who is 9 years old and in the 4th grade because I thought it would interest him that Ben, the protagonist, is a 12 year old boy who stumbles into spy school. I will say right off, that there are a few occurrences of words such as "ass" or "damn" in the novel in case that matters to you. I rarely notice language when I'm reading for myself, but as I try to provide my son with literature that is closer to his reading level, I definitely notice these things more.

      Spy School is full of action and comedy. There were several parts that made me chuckle out loud. The "romance" in this series involves Ben's crush on a girl super spy a couple years older than himself. A handful of times he references her signature scent of being a combination of "lilacs and gunpowder". The interactions are always cute between the two.

      Despite the age recommendation for this book being 9-12, I have no problem stating I would be interested in continuing this series on my own if my son hadn't loved it as well. Looking forward to the second one in the series, Spy Camp!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      this book has taught me a lot it has told me that I can be want I want to be just belive in myself

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Spy School is the greatest book I have ever read.It has action ,adventure and mystery.this book is about a kid named ben ripley gets accepted at a spy school and while he is there an assassin try's to break into his room and kill him and a surprising twist happens with the assassin and ben. if you like spy books I would definitely recommend this book there was nothing I didn't like about this book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      It didn’t have pictures please put in pictures soon .
    • 5/5
      Ben Ripley is a ordinary kid who lives in Washington D.C. who gets recruited for a spy school.
    • 5/5
      loved it awesome best series read really good cool nice

    Book preview

    Spy School - Stuart Gibbs

    1

    RECRUITMENT

    Ripley Residence

    2107 Mockingbird Road

    Vienna, Virginia

    January 16

    1530 hours

    Hello, Ben, said the man in my living room. My name is Alexander Hale. I work for the CIA.

    And just like that, my life became interesting.

    It hadn’t been, up till then. Not by a long shot. That day had been a prime example: day 4,583, seven months into the twelfth year of my mundane existence. I had dragged myself out of bed, eaten breakfast, gone to middle school, been bored in class, stared at girls I was too embarrassed to approach, had lunch, slogged through gym, fallen asleep in math, been harassed by Dirk the Jerk, taken the bus home…

    And found a man in a tuxedo sitting on the couch.

    I didn’t doubt he was a spy for a second. Alexander Hale looked exactly like I’d always imagined a spy would. A tiny bit older, perhaps—he seemed about fifty—but still suave and debonair. He had a small scar on his chin—from a bullet, I guessed, or maybe something more exotic, like a crossbow. There was something very James Bond about him; I could imagine he’d been in a car chase on the way over and taken out the bad guys without breaking a sweat.

    My parents weren’t home. They never were when I got back from school. Alexander had obviously let himself in. The photo album from our family vacation to Virginia Beach sat open on the coffee table before him.

    Am I in trouble? I asked.

    Alexander laughed. For what? You’ve never done anything wrong in your life. Unless you count the time you spiked Dirk Dennett’s Pepsi with Ex-Lax—and frankly, that kid was asking for it.

    My eyes widened in surprise. How did you know that?

    I’m a spy. It’s my job to know things. Do you have anything to drink?

    Uh, sure. My mind quickly cataloged every beverage in the house. Although I had no idea what this man was doing there, I found myself desperately wanting to impress him. My folks have all kinds of stuff. What would you like? A martini?

    Alexander laughed again. This isn’t the movies, kid. I’m on the clock.

    I blushed, feeling foolish. Oh. Right. Water?

    I was thinking more like an energy drink. Something with electrolytes, just in case I need to leap into action. I had to ditch some undesirables on my way over here.

    Undesirables? I tried to sound cool, as though I discussed things like this every day. What sort of…?

    I’m afraid that information is classified.

    Of course. That makes sense. Gatorade?

    That’d be grand.

    I headed to the kitchen.

    Alexander followed. The Agency has had its eye on you for some time, he said.

    I paused, surprised, the refrigerator door half open. Why?

    For starters, you asked us to.

    I did? When?

    How many times have you accessed our website?

    I grimaced, feeling foolish once again. Seven hundred twenty-eight.

    Alexander looked the tiniest bit intrigued. "That’s exactly right. Usually you merely play the games on the kids’ page—at which you performed very well, by the way—but you’ve also browsed the employment and internship pages with some regularity. Ergo, you’ve considered a career as a spy. And when you express an interest in the CIA, the CIA becomes interested in you. Alexander pulled a thick envelope from inside his tuxedo and set it on the kitchen counter. We’ve been impressed."

    The envelope was marked, To be hand-delivered ONLY to Mr. Benjamin Ripley. There were three security seals on it, one of which required a steak knife to open. Inside was a thick wad of paper. The first page had only one sentence: Destroy these documents immediately after reading.

    The second page began: Dear Mr. Ripley: It is my great privilege to accept you to the Academy of Espionage of the Central Intelligence Agency, effective immediately.…

    I set the letter down, at once stunned, thrilled, and confused. My whole life, I’d dreamt of being a spy. And yet…

    You think it’s a joke, Alexander said, reading my mind.

    Well… yes. I’ve never heard of the CIA’s Academy of Espionage.

    That’s because it’s top secret. But I assure you it exists. I graduated from there myself. A fine institution, dedicated to creating the agents of tomorrow today. Congratulations! Alexander raised his glass of Gatorade and flashed a blinding smile.

    I clinked glasses with him. He waited for me to drink some of mine before downing his, which I figured was a habit you picked up after a lifetime of having people try to poison you.

    I caught a glimpse of my own reflection in the microwave behind Alexander—and doubt descended on me. It didn’t seem possible that he and I could have been selected by the same organization. Alexander was handsome, athletic, sophisticated, and cool. I wasn’t. How could I be qualified to keep the world safe for democracy when I’d been shaken down for my lunch money three times that week alone?

    But how—? I began.

    … did you get into the academy when you didn’t even apply?

    Er—yes.

    Applications merely provide opportunities for you to tell the institution you’re applying to about yourself. The CIA already has all the information it needs. Alexander removed a small handheld computer from his pocket and consulted it. For example, you’re a straight-A student who speaks three languages and has Level 16 math skills.

    What’s that mean?

    What is 98,261 times 147?

    14,444,367. I didn’t even have to think about it. I have a gift for mathematics—and, as a result, an uncanny ability to always know exactly what time it is—although for much of my life, I hadn’t realized this was anything special. I thought everyone could do complex mathematical equations in their heads… or instantly calculate how many days, weeks, or minutes they’d been alive. I was 3,832 days old when I found out otherwise.

    "That’s Level 16, Alexander said, then looked at his computer again. According to our files, you also aced your STIQ exams, have a strong aptitude for electronics, and harbor a severe crush on a Miss Elizabeth Pasternak—although, sadly, she appears to have no idea you exist."

    I’d assumed as much about Elizabeth, but it still hurt to hear it confirmed. By the CIA, no less. So I tried to divert attention. Stick exams? I don’t remember taking those.

    "You wouldn’t. You didn’t even know you were taking them. Standardized Test Inserted Questions: STIQ. The CIA places them in every standardized test to assess potential espionage aptitude. You’ve gotten every one right since third grade."

    You insert your own questions in the standardized tests? Does the Department of Education know that?

    I doubt it. They don’t know much of anything over at Education. Alexander set his empty glass in the sink and rubbed his hands together excitedly. Well, enough chitchat. Let’s get you packed, shall we? You have a busy afternoon ahead.

    "You mean, we’re going now?"

    Alexander turned back to me, already halfway to the stairs. You scored in the ninety-nine point ninth percentile on the perception section of your STIQs. What part of ‘effective immediately’ did you not understand?

    I stammered a bit; there were still a hundred questions tumbling around in my brain, vying to be asked at once. I… uh… well… Why am I packing? How far away is this academy?

    Oh, not far at all. Just across the Potomac in DC. But becoming a spy is a full-time job, so all students are required to live on campus. Your training lasts six years, starting in the equivalent of seventh grade and going through twelfth. You’ll be a first year, obviously. With that, Alexander bounded up the steps to my room.

    When I got there twenty seconds later, he already had my suitcase open and was casting a disdainful eye on the contents of my closet. Not a single decent suit. He sighed. He selected a few sweaters and tossed them on my bed.

    Is the academy on a different schedule than normal schools? I asked.

    No.

    "Then why are they accepting me now? It’s the middle of the school year." I pointed to the four inches of fresh snow piled on my windowsill.

    For the first time since I’d met him, Alexander Hale appeared at a loss for words. It didn’t last long. Less than a second. As though there were something he wanted to say but didn’t.

    Instead, he told me, There was a sudden opening.

    Someone quit?

    Flunked out. Your name was next on the list. Do you have any weapons?

    In retrospect, I realize the question was designed to distract me from the current topic. It served its purpose extremely well. Uh… I have a slingshot.

    "Slingshots are for squirrels. We don’t fight many squirrels in the CIA. I meant real weapons. Guns, knives, perhaps a pair of nunchucks…"

    No.

    Alexander shook his head slightly, as though disappointed. "Well, it’s no matter. The school armory can loan you some. In the meantime, I suppose this will suffice. He pulled my dusty old tennis racket from the back of the closet and swung it like a sword. Just in case there’s trouble, you know."

    For the first time it occurred to me that Alexander might be armed himself. There was a slight bulge in his tuxedo, right below his left armpit, which I now took to be a gun. In that moment, the entire encounter with him—which had merely been strange and exciting so far—became slightly unsettling as well.

    Maybe before I make any big decisions, I should discuss all this with my parents, I said.

    Alexander wheeled on me. "Out of the question. The existence of the academy is classified. No one is to know you are attending. Not your parents, not your best friends, not Elizabeth Pasternak. No one. As far as they’re concerned, you’ll be attending St. Smithen’s Science Academy for Boys and Girls."

    A science academy? I frowned. I’ll be training to save the world, but everyone’s gonna think I’m a dork.

    Isn’t that pretty much how everyone thinks of you now?

    I winced. He did know a lot about me. They’ll think I’m an even bigger dork.

    Alexander sat on my bed and looked me in the eye. Being an elite operative demands sacrifice, he said. "This is only the beginning. Your training won’t be easy. And if you succeed, your life won’t be easy. A lot of people can’t hack it. So if you want to back out… this is your chance."

    I assumed this was a final test. The last step in my recruitment. A chance to prove I wouldn’t be dissuaded by the threat of hard work and tough times ahead.

    It wasn’t. Alexander was being honest with me, but I was too caught up in the excitement of being chosen to notice. I wanted to be just like Alexander Hale. I wanted to be suave and debonair. I wanted to let myself in to people’s homes with a gun casually tucked inside my tuxedo. I wanted to ditch undesirables, keep the world safe, and impress the heck out of Elizabeth Pasternak. I wouldn’t have even minded a rakish crossbow scar on my chin.

    And so, I stared back into his steel gray eyes and made the worst decision of my life.

    I’m in, I said.

    2

    INITIATION

    CIA Academy of Espionage

    Washington, DC

    January 16

    1700 hours

    The academy didn’t look a thing like what I expected an institution that taught espionage to look like. Which, of course, was the whole point. Instead, it looked like a dowdy old prep school that might have been popular around World War II but had long since lost its mojo. It was located in a similarly dowdy, rarely visited corner of Washington, DC, hidden from the world by a high stone wall. The only thing that seemed the least bit suspicious about it was the cluster of security guards at the front gate, but since our nation’s capital is also its murder capital, extra security around a private school wouldn’t raise many eyebrows.

    Inside, the grounds were surprisingly large. There were vast expanses of lawn that I assumed would be beautiful in spring, although they were currently buried under a foot of snow. And beyond the buildings stood a large, pristine swath of forest, untouched since the days when our forefathers had decided a fetid, malaria-ridden swamp on the Potomac River was the perfect place to build our nation’s capital.

    The buildings themselves were ugly and gothic, trying to imitate the majesty of places like Oxford and Harvard but failing miserably. Though braced by flying buttresses and dotted with gargoyles, they were still gray and uninteresting, designed so that anyone who accidentally stumbled upon St. Smithen’s Science Academy would turn his back and never think of it again.

    But compared to the squat cement slab where I went to middle school, the campus was gorgeous. I arrived with Alexander at an inauspicious time, minutes before nightfall in the dead of winter. The light was bleak, the sky was leaden, and the buildings were shrouded in shadow. And yet, I was thrilled. The fact that we’d come in Alexander’s customized luxury sedan with a few extra buttons on the dashboard probably heightened my excitement. (Though he’d warned me to keep my hands off them for fear of launching heavy artillery into rush-hour traffic.)

    My parents hadn’t protested my leaving much. Alexander had wowed them with his pitch for the science academy and reassured them that I was going to be only a few miles away. Mom and Dad were both proud of me for getting into such a prestigious institution—and thrilled that they wouldn’t have to pay for it. (Alexander told them I’d earned a full scholarship, and he told me the whole tab was picked up by the U.S. government.) Still, they’d been surprised that I had to leave so quickly—and disappointed that Mom couldn’t even make me a farewell dinner. Mom was big on commemorative dinners, throwing them for things as mundane as my getting elected captain of the school chess team, even though I was the only student on the school chess team. But Alexander had quelled their anxiety by promising I could return home to visit soon. (When they’d asked if they could visit me on the campus, he’d assured them they could, although he’d artfully avoided telling them exactly when.)

    Mike Brezinski hadn’t been quite so enthusiastic about my going. Mike has been my best friend since first grade, though if we’d met later in life, we probably wouldn’t have been friends at all. Mike had grown into one of those cool underachievers who should have been in all advanced classes but preferred remedial ones because he didn’t have to work in them. Middle school was one big joke to him. You’re going to a science academy? he’d asked when I called him with the news, making no attempt to hide his disgust. Why don’t you just get ‘loser’ tattooed on your forehead?

    It took every ounce of restraint I had not to tell him the truth. More than anyone, Mike would have been blown away by the idea that I had been selected for training by the CIA. As kids, we’d spent untold hours reenacting James Bond movies on the playground. But I couldn’t reveal a thing; Alexander was sitting in my room, casually eavesdropping on my phone call. Instead, I’d only been able to say, It’s not as lame as you think.

    No, Mike had replied. It’s probably lamer.

    So as I arrived at the Academy of Espionage, escorted by an honest-to-God federal agent, I couldn’t help but think that, if Mike were there, for the first time in our lives he’d be jealous of me. The campus seemed full of promise, intrigue, and excitement.

    Wow, I said, my nose pressed against the car window.

    This is nothing, Alexander told me. There’s far more here than meets the eye.

    What do you mean?

    Alexander didn’t answer. When I turned back to him, his normally confident expression had clouded.

    What’s wrong? I asked.

    I don’t see any students.

    They’re not all at dinner?

    Dinner’s not for another hour. This period is reserved for sports, physical conditioning, and self-defense training. Campus ought to be crawling with people right now. Alexander suddenly braked in front of a rambling four-story building with a sign denoting it as the Armistead Dormitory. When I say so, run for that doorway. I’ll cover you. It turned out, there was a gun holstered under his left armpit. He snapped it out and reached for my door handle.

    Wait! Within a second, I’d gone from blissful to terrified. Isn’t it safer to stay in the car?

    Who’s the agent here? You or me?

    You.

    Then run! In one fluid motion Alexander popped my door open and practically shoved me out it.

    I hit the ground running. The stone path to the dormitory was slick with slush trampled by a hundred pairs of shoes. My feet slipped and skidded in it.

    Something cracked in the distance. A tiny explosion erupted in the snow to my left.

    Someone was shooting at me!

    I immediately began to question my decision to attend the academy.

    Another series of cracks echoed in the cold air, this time from behind me. Alexander was shooting back. Or, at least, I assumed he was. I didn’t dare turn around to see for fear that it’d waste precious milliseconds that could be better spent running for my life.

    A bullet ricocheted off the ground by my feet.

    I hit the dormitory door at full speed. It flew open, and I tumbled into a small security area. There was a second, more secure door ahead next to a glassed-in security booth, but the door hung ajar and the glass was pocked with three neat, round bullet holes. I scrambled through and found myself in an open lounge area.

    It was the type of place students would normally have been hanging out. There were ratty couches, an old television, a lopsided pool table, and some ancient video games. Hallways extended from it on both sides, and a weathered grand staircase led up to—

    Something suddenly swept my feet out from under me. I landed flat on my back. A split second later someone dropped on me, sheathed entirely in black except for the eyes. Each knee pinioned one of my arms to the ground. A hand slapped over my mouth before I could scream.

    Who are you? my attacker hissed.

    B-B-B-Benjamin Ripley, I sputtered. I’m a student here.

    I’ve never seen you before.

    I only got accepted this afternoon, I explained, and then thought to add, Please don’t kill me.

    My attacker groaned. A newbie? Now?! This day just keeps getting better. Now that the voice was inflected with sarcasm rather than aggression, it was higher than I’d expected. I looked at the body sitting on my chest and realized it was slim with curves.

    You’re a girl, I said.

    Wow, she replied. No wonder you got accepted. Your powers of deduction are amazing. She pulled her mask back,

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