Discover a world packed with secretive characters and spine-tingling danger as loyalty and courage are tested.

What’s the story with Akhil Vyas?

At first, Becky is convinced that Akhil Vyas is the weirdest person on earth when he shows up in her English class. He refuses to sit in a chair, stares at her with spooky dark eyes, and has skin covered in scars.

But when her best friend Omar begins to befriend him, Becky’s revulsion changes to fascination. Akhil reveals that the National Institutes of Health is studying him, but he can’t say why—until something happens that makes him swear Omar and Becky to secrecy. Suddenly Becky isn’t sure what’s more shocking—Akhil’s secret or the chilling reason why he must reveal it.
© Sharon Natoli
Elisa Carbone taught in the Speech Communications department at the University of Maryland, but now she enjoys being a full-time writer and part-time rock climber, windsurfer, and white-water kayaker. “The physical exertion of the sports balances out the mental exertion of writing,” she says. She loves doing the research required to write historical fiction and is fascinated by the small details of everyday life in the past. Ms. Carbone’s Sarah books, Starting School with an Enemy and Sarah and the Naked Truth, have been praised for their accessibility to reluctant readers.  View titles by Elisa Carbone

About

Discover a world packed with secretive characters and spine-tingling danger as loyalty and courage are tested.

What’s the story with Akhil Vyas?

At first, Becky is convinced that Akhil Vyas is the weirdest person on earth when he shows up in her English class. He refuses to sit in a chair, stares at her with spooky dark eyes, and has skin covered in scars.

But when her best friend Omar begins to befriend him, Becky’s revulsion changes to fascination. Akhil reveals that the National Institutes of Health is studying him, but he can’t say why—until something happens that makes him swear Omar and Becky to secrecy. Suddenly Becky isn’t sure what’s more shocking—Akhil’s secret or the chilling reason why he must reveal it.

Author

© Sharon Natoli
Elisa Carbone taught in the Speech Communications department at the University of Maryland, but now she enjoys being a full-time writer and part-time rock climber, windsurfer, and white-water kayaker. “The physical exertion of the sports balances out the mental exertion of writing,” she says. She loves doing the research required to write historical fiction and is fascinated by the small details of everyday life in the past. Ms. Carbone’s Sarah books, Starting School with an Enemy and Sarah and the Naked Truth, have been praised for their accessibility to reluctant readers.  View titles by Elisa Carbone

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