Free The Power Within by H. K. Varian

reached into his shirt pocket for his phone. “I took these the night before he vanished. See? You see how happy he looks? Content.”
    Fiona took the phone and studied the screen. Suddenly, all the color drained from her face, as if she’d seen a ghost . . .
    Or something even worse.

Chapter 7
Gone
    Fiona didn’t want to alarm anyone. She wasn’t the type to jump to conclusions—not about something as serious as this. But her hands were trembling, ever so slightly, and her heart was pounding. Because what she’d seen in that photo—something small, something most people never would’ve noticed—had filled her with a terrible sense of foreboding. Fiona had never met Jai; she had never even seen his picture before, but there was something in the photo that was immediately recognizable to her: Jai was wearing the same imprinted leather wristband that Darren had on in Changers class.
    And Darren did so great today, Fiona thought, her mindwhirling. Just like Ankur said that Jai’s powers were suddenly under control.
    It couldn’t be a coincidence.
    Or could it?
    A small part of Fiona was tempted to tell everybody her theory, right then and there. Why not let Mr. Kimura figure out what to do next? But if she was wrong—if she caused a whole lot of trouble over a whole lot of nothing—or worse, if she got Ankur’s hopes up for no reason . . .
    Fiona shook her head, just a little. I’ve got to be certain, she thought. One hundred percent, no-doubt-about-it certain.
    â€œAnkur, could I have copies of these photos?” she asked, scrolling through the others and hoping she sounded normal. She glanced from face to face. If anyone in the room had noticed her unease, they weren’t showing it.
    â€œYes, of course,” he said. “You can go ahead and send them to yourself, if you want.”
    Fiona tapped at the screen until she had texted herself three different photos of Jai. In each one, the leatherwristband was clearly displayed. As soon as she could see Darren’s wristband in comparison to the one Jai was wearing in the photos, she would know for sure.
    And then, Fiona hoped, she would know what to do next.

    Somehow, Fiona managed to avoid spilling all the details of her theory during the drive back to Willow Cove. But by the time they approached her house, she was about to burst with the secret.
    â€œMack,” she said. “Do you want to study together for our math test?”
    â€œOur math test?” Mack repeated, looking confused.
    Fiona tried not to groan in frustration. “Yes,” she said, very clearly. “Our math test tomorrow. We can study together now. You could even stay for dinner, I’m sure. If you want.”
    Mack still looked clueless, so Fiona gave his ankle a swift kick.
    â€œOh!” he said suddenly. “Right! That math test. I forgot. Jiichan, do you mind if I go over to Fiona’s house to study?”
    From the front seat, Mr. Kimura chuckled. “If you forgot you even had an exam, I think studying with Fiona is an excellent idea,” he said. “Call me when you are finished, and I’ll come to pick you up.”
    â€œThanks, Jiichan,” Mack said as he and Fiona climbed out of the car. As his grandfather drove away, Mack turned to Fiona. “This better be good,” he said, leaning over to rub his ankle, “because that hurt!”
    â€œSorry,” Fiona murmured. “I didn’t know how else to get your attention. Listen, I think I found a big clue.”
    Mack looked intrigued. “Since we met with Ankur?” he asked.
    â€œActually, during,” Fiona corrected him. She held up her phone so he could see one of the photos of Jai.
    Mack stared at the screen for several seconds. “Okay, what am I missing?” he finally asked.
    â€œThe wristband,” Fiona replied at once. “Check it out! I think it’s identical to the