Jumper: Griffin's Story Read Free

didn't eat, they'd really begin to suspect something. I ate as much as I could but it sat in my stomach like lead.
    "What are you thinking about, Griff?"
    "What? Uh, nothing, Dad."
    "You've been staring at the wall for five minutes. No moving fingers, I hope? Mene mene tekel upharsin and all that."
    Dad's a bit odd sometimes. "Math, I guess. And I was thinking about karate today. And when we did paintball out in the desert." All true. All lies.
    He nodded. Both of them watched me and it felt like the truth was written across my forehead. I could feel my ears heating up. "I don't understand why things repeat sometimes to infinity."
    It was my best distraction. When in doubt, always ask a math question or a question about Le Petit Prince. Either could occupy them for hours, avoiding whatever they'd been on about. The downside was, well, it could occupy them for hours.
    "What do you mean?"
    "Like ten divided by three. You know–the answer is three point three three three three three three three and so on. Forever, I guess. But does it go on forever? How do they know? Maybe after enough times it becomes two? Or four? They call it a rational number, but really–what's rational about that?"
    So Mum pulled down a pad of paper and Dad pulled out an old textbook and by the time I escaped to my room, an hour and a half later, they were showing each other that it was really a function of a base–ten numbering system. "Yeah, if you divide ten by three in base nine, you get three."
    I shut the door to my room and flopped facedown onto my bed. I should have told them. I wanted to tell them. But I didn't want to move again.
    I changed for bed early, and tried to lose myself in reading, in drawing, even math. Later I brushed my teeth without being asked, causing more comments from Mum. She came in and kissed me good night. Dad stood in the doorway, said, "Good dreams, Griff."
    Mum asked, "You want the door shut?"
    "Yeah."
    "Bonne nuit, mon cher."
    Normally I'm asleep in minutes but this time I couldn't get it out of my head. I'd lied about it. I'd broken the rules.
    So they'll never know. Only Paully saw and who would believe him, even if he talked?
    I buried my head under my pillow but it didn't help. I'd know. Didn't matter if Mum and Dad found out. I'd always know.
    I got up. I could hear them–well, I could hear the TV. They always watched the late news together and drank a cup of herbal tea. It was part of their routine, their last thing before bedtime. Sometimes I'd sneak down the hall and watch from the corner. Half the time Mum would doze off during the sports and Dad would tease her about it.
    I eased open my door. I had to tell them. Whatever happened, I had to tell them. I took a step out into the hall and the doorbell rang.
    I felt a jolt in the stomach. Paully? His parents? Someone from the school?
    Dad turned off the TV before he went to the door, followed by Mum, yawning. She hadn't fallen asleep yet–the news was on the weather. She saw me in the doorway and blinked, started to frown.
    I heard Dad open the door–it was around the corner past the kitchen so I couldn't see it from the hall.
    "Mr. O'Conner?" It was a woman's voice. "I'm so sorry to drop by this late, but I'd like to talk to you about
Griffin
. I'm from the Homeschooling Administration Department at SDSD."
    Mum's head snapped around. "No, you're not."
    "Beg your pardon?" the woman's voice said.
    "You're not. It's not the SDSD. It's the
San Diego
Unified School District or the
San Diego
City
Schools
. And there is no department for homeschooling. It's done through the charter schools."
    "Fine. Have it your way," said the woman. Her voice, previously warm and apologetic, went hard like granite.
    Mum took a step away from the door and I saw her eyes get really big. Her hand down at her side jerked toward me and pointed back, a clear indication to go back into my room.
    I took a step back but I left the door open so that I could still hear, but what I heard was