How common are novels, animes, or mangas, that are both coming of age and thriller? What do you think of these kinds of stories? What are some examples?

Alissa gives him a shove and he nearly falls off the back of the bench. “Stop! You’re going to scare me out of it.”

Dad used to scream the whole house awake. Nightmares, Mom said, but that was an understatement.

I know I should go, but somehow I find myself taking off my helmet and sitting down beside her.

How do military families handle communication when a service member is injured overseas?

Miles puts the last bit of pizza into his mouth and stands up. “Got to go.”

What would it feel like to kiss that soft bit of skin?

“It’s almost time for your break, isn’t it? Come on, have some.” Seems the girl with the blue eyes knows not just my name, but my work schedule too.

How did Kate Mulgrew feel about Jeri Ryan joining the cast of Star Trek: Voyager?

Alissa doesn’t have a clue that I only started dating Caitlin to divert attention.

Alissa waves a five-dollar bill around. It reminds me of the first day of junior high. I thought Alissa had made a bet then too.

Mint’s mom gives me a quick nod but then turns back to her daughter. “A deal is a deal.”

What blowjob techniques do you use for your man to cum inside your mouth?

I know Mint’s mom can get, like, totally panicky, but it still shocks me every time. She talks to Mint like she’s a little kid. My younger sister’s nine, and not even she gets treated that much like a baby.

“And who are you?” asks Miles.

I’ve never talked to Miles, but whenever I go to meet Sky at work, I watch him from a distance.

Do you think it is likely that Maegor was presented a young dragon at some point, almost to the point of full-bonding, only to scorn it for Balerion in the end? If so, which one could it have been?

“You belong with me,” I say quietly to the photo. “You just need to see it.”

I have no idea who my two best friends are talking about. Their conversations often pass me by, like I’m on the other side of a wall.

In the window of number 39, there’s still a line of wooden cows on the ledge. I used to spend ages looking at them when I was a little kid. Dad stood patiently beside me as I counted them and gave them all names.

Can it be true that people know your name, not your story, they’ve heard what you’ve done, but not what you’ve been through, so take their opinions of you with a grain of salt?

My heart skips a beat when I see that nothing’s changed. The sidewalk is lower in one place, where I could always ride over it on my bike without bumping the back wheel.

At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but then when Alissa broke her wrist in the gym, mine was painful for weeks too.

Solve the puzzles.

What’s the saddest thing you’ve seen at your job?

“What do you think?” I ask yet again when we’re both on our bikes.

I don’t realize where I am until I’m almost at the front door. This is my old street.

Now and then I watch the documentary again. I see the dark circles under my eyes, which look anxiously into the camera.

Why do people immediately disregard subjects such as flat earth, without opening their minds/taking time to research?

Fenna would climb into my bed, terrified, whenever Dad started screaming. I’d hold her until she fell asleep.

But her voice sounds like she’s singing. Her eyes are an endless blue. And she smells like autumn sunshine.

Since when has Alissa wanted a piercing? I try to imagine what it would look like on her, a little ring through her eyebrow.

Canadians went out of their way to help Americans stranded in Canada after 9.11.2001. Why did Canadians help so much the way they did? We read that Canadians don't particularly like Americans to begin with.

I turn my face from left to right. “Do you like it?”

But I haven’t forgotten.

One night, when Dad was on duty, four people died in a fire, including one of his fellow firefighters. A beam burned through and collapsed on the guy’s head.

What are some hard rock or heavy metal bands that are overrated?

“Alissa.”

Caitlin’s in our year at school. If I squint, they even look a bit like each other. But Caitlin’s blue eyes don’t match up to the real thing.

A couple of weeks ago in Textile Studies, we had to make dresses out of garbage bags. Alissa pulled hers over her head, grabbed hold of it on one side, and shot a staple through the plastic. Then she paraded around the classroom like she was on a catwalk. Some of the boys started whistling. Even in a garbage bag, she was stunning.

Why didn't people like the Game of Thrones ending?

Sky’s voice brings me back to the present. “Let’s bet for a pizza,” he says. “And Miles can deliver it. Perfect.”

At the door, Mint reaches for her keys, but the light in the hallway goes on and her mom opens up.

“Nice.” Mint went so pale as the needle sank into my nose. It was like she was the one who was suffering.

Why do I feel so lazy every time I get into my room?

Miles stands out, not because he’s good-looking, but because he doesn’t seem to want to be. It’s as if his looks torment him somehow. And that’s something I recognize.

A few minutes later, we’re riding our bikes into the upscale neighborhood where Mint lives. The first time I went to her house, I couldn’t believe my eyes. But Mint’s dad is a lawyer, so he earns way more than my dad, who works for the fire department.

So when a documentary maker asked me if I’d interview the effects of the fire on our family, I said yes immediately. The documentary was broadcast on a kids’ channel, and I hoped I’d be able to help someone, even if it was just one person.

Do people really have sex with animals?

Boys like to check me out, and it drives me crazy. Andreas is the last boy I kissed, and I did like him. But after our kiss, I heard him bragging about it like I wasn’t even a person, just some “hot” girl.

I’m not sure I want to forget her.

How is that possible? All this time, I’ve never gone the wrong way. I settled into our new place immediately.

I’m startled by my thought. After Karla, I made up my mind never to feel anything for a girl again. It’s easier to reject them all than to let anyone get close. Because when they get close, they start asking questions. Questions I can’t answer.

I can see part of her bare neck.

The girl smiles. “Want a slice?”

“Where to?"

These days I do sleep, but never very deeply.

He kisses me on the forehead and closes the front door behind him. I watch through the glass as he rides his bike out of the front yard.

“Where were you?”

Alissa likes him.

All they need to do is get out.

Miles

I pick up the photo and hold it close to my face. There’s a small worn patch where I sometimes press my lips to it. We’re standing close together, our arms touching.

“Mom . . .” Mint blushes.

Sky

“Of course.”

I fall back onto my bed and look at the group photo on my nightstand. Having it there makes it hard for me to sleep, but it’s even harder without it.

Sky grabs my wrist and looks at my watch. “Bang on time. Typical Miles. You see? He’s a punctual gay guy.”

“Don’t think so.” Alissa takes out her wallet. “How much do you want to bet?”

At home, I sometimes stare at myself in the mirror. I don’t dare get a tattoo, but how about a piercing? Once I put a dot on the side of my nose with a Sharpie. The thought of a stud in my nose instantly made me feel stronger.

“Sky’s paying for the pizza,” I say. “And the tip.”

“One pepperoni pizza?” The boy takes out a pizza box. The scent of melted cheese makes my mouth water.

Why can’t I shake it off?

I’d like to cut everyone else out of the photo, but this way Alissa can come into my room without realizing what’s up. There’s no need to worry about Mint. She spends half her time floating in another dimension.

Find the clues.

“To get the piercing?”

Choose their game.

Sky points at his eyebrow. “So much gunk came out! I could have made it into a smoothie.”

The people who lived in the house were in the bedrooms on the second floor, and no one could reach them. Dad tried to get through, but it was too dangerous. In the end, all he could do was stand and watch helplessly as the whole house burned down.

“Miles has half an hour to get here. After that, the pizza’s free.”

Alissa

“You coming?” I ask Mint as she gets on her bike.

“Where’s that pizza?” Alissa asks impatiently.

“Are you gay?” Sky asks.

I’ve seen this girl before. She meets Sky after work sometimes. I noticed her immediately because she had the same blue eyes as me. Dad used to say I was the only one except him with blue peepers like this, but he was wrong. This girl’s eyes are hypnotic.

Certainly not since last Christmas.

Did Sky tell her my name?

After a few months, he went back full-time and seemed to have forgotten it all.

“Sure.”

It got loads of positive reactions from all kinds of young people, which pulled me through that tough time.

Alissa. Every pizza I deliver for the rest of the evening, I’m thinking about her. As I ride my scooter home, I can still see her bare neck.

Nothing’s changed here, and yet everything has changed.

Absolutely none of it was his fault, but the accident still changed him. Dad stayed home from work, wandering around the house like a ghost. Even the firefighters who’d been with him that night couldn’t get through to him.

Mint

When I was little, I used to spend hours awake in bed, waiting for my dad finally to come back safely from work. I didn’t dare close my eyes until he was home. Sometimes I didn’t manage to stay awake. Then I’d wake up with a start in the middle of the night and run barefoot to my mom and dad’s room. When I saw the lump on his side of the bed, I’d sneak back to my room, feeling relieved.

So they’re talking about Miles, who works at the pizzeria with Sky. I’ve never seen him before, but Alissa’s mentioned him a few times.

There's no getting away from this unputdownable thriller about teens being held captive in an escape room where the stakes are all too real. Perfect for a spooky season!

The situation with Dad seemed to be going on forever, but at a certain point, it gradually started to get better. They gave him medication to calm him down. He saw a psychologist and, with the help of the other firefighters, he was even able to go back to work for half days.

It's simple.

Is he leaving because Sky asked that question? I realize that I’m riled up. I want Miles to look at me again the way he just did. It was like he could see much more than my exterior.

“He’s on his way, so now we just have to wait and see.” Sky puts his phone in his pocket and casually rolls a cigarette. He never has actual packs of cigarettes. Sky always does everything just a little bit differently from everyone else.

~~ Amazon Books

Alissa

My dad’s already in his firefighter uniform when I come into the hallway.

I swallow the pizza. “And who are you?”

“Now?” Mint smiles. She knows I have no patience. When I have an idea, it has to happen right away.

Even now, I still feel that scared sometimes.

“Here.” The pretty girl passes me the box. As I eat my slice, I dare to take a closer look at her. There has to be something about her that’s disappointing, something that’ll help me to forget about her later.

I curse to myself.

I follow Alissa’s gaze to Sky’s eyebrow piercing, which he had done a while ago. When he turned up at school the next day, the skin around the piercing was red and swollen. I touched my eyebrow, which also hurt for a few days.

It’s only then that I notice the other girl on the bench. She’s leaning forward slightly, with her straight hair hanging over her face like two curtains. She doesn’t quite seem to belong.

But what happens if the Game Master has no intention of letting them go?

I get why the teachers say he’s direct. He’s like a bulldozer sometimes.

Sky’s handsome too, but his rough-and-tough exterior scares a lot of people off. Which seems like a great idea to me.

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“Stop it.” Alissa quickly straightens her T-shirt. It’s a small gesture, but I can tell she’s nervous.

“He’s gay. For sure.” Sky’s sitting on the backrest of the bench, right behind Alissa and me. It’s just the three of us. The rest of the park is deserted.

“Yep. It’s for us.” Then Sky points at Alissa. “She’s paying.”

My stomach’s churning, like I’m about to take an important exam.

And escape the room in 60 minutes.

The memory’s painful.

“What’s that in your nose?”

“Did it hurt?” I hear Alissa ask. I’m back on the bench in the park. What were they talking about now?

Miles shakes his head irritably. “No, I’m not gay.”

I hated that Fenna had to go through that. I wanted to do something to help, but I didn’t know what.

Miles breaks in front of our bench and gives Sky a wave. When he lifts the visor of his helmet, I see two bright blue eyes, like Alissa’s. But there’s something cold about these eyes. They have nothing to do with the Italian sea but are more like icy water. I get a weird feeling that I can’t quite identify.

Alissa, Sky, Miles, and Mint are ready for a night of fun at the Escape Room.

Get locked in a room.

When I get home, I turn the amp for my electric drum kit up high. Drumming always works, but not this time. Even after playing for half an hour, I still feel angry. I pull off my headphones.

A girl with blond hair and a red scarf around her neck comes jogging into the park. As she passes us, she flashes me a quick smile.

Sky lights his cigarette. “No need to get pissed. Gay people are cool.”

Can I feel other people’s pain? Is that possible? It feels supernatural, weird. And if anyone finds out, I’ll get even more of a reputation for being crazy.

I thought this was just about a bet, but Alissa smiled at Miles the way only she could. Her boy-slaying smile.

We’re sitting so close that Miles’s leg is touching mine. He’s looking at me as if he hopes to find something in my face. His eyes scan every inch of my skin.

I don’t like it when people know my name and I don’t know theirs. Feels like I’m down 1–0.

Dad tries to look stern, but then he bursts out laughing. “I think it’s cool. Hey, your mom will be home soon. Ruben and Koby are upstairs. Will you give Fenna a hand with her math homework?”

But there was no one else there. We were the only ones in the classroom.

I hesitate because I need to get going, but something about her voice makes me stop.

“You think?” Alissa looks at the boy. “Hey, Miles.”

Miles

She came up to my desk that first morning and asked if the seat next to me was taken. Alissa was the kind of girl who could have sat anywhere. She was so incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were the color of the sea on the Italian coast, where I’d spent the summer. I looked around suspiciously. Where were her giggling friends, laughing at me from a distance because I’d fallen for it?

A few minutes later, a scooter with a big blue trunk on the back drives into the park.