Free The Quirks, Welcome to Normal by Erin Soderberg Page A

Intihar said, suddenly noticing Finn. The girls’ teacher had his arm wrapped around his son protectively. “Where did you come from, kiddo? Who do
you belong to? We should find your adult.”
    Bree looked panic stricken for a moment, then smiled shakily. “What on earth do you mean?” she asked with a laugh. “It’s Finn, of course. You know Finn.” She stared
at Mr. Intihar with great focus, trying to convince him that he’d met Finn a million times before.
    “Finn . . . ,” Mr. Intihar said, pulling his eyebrows together. “Um . . .”
    “My son,” Bree said, shooting Finn a smile. “Finnegan. Five, going on six? Surely you haven’t forgotten about the one Quirk child who isn’t in your class?”
She laughed again nervously, and Molly looked from their teacher to her mother and back again. Bree’s smile was wiggling and wobbling, and she stared at Mr. Intihar hard. One piece of her
hair was sticking straight out from the side of her head, like a broken bird’s wing. “You remember, don’t you? Why, earlier tonight we talked about how much fun it would be to get
Finn and Charlie together sometime, when Charlie’s visiting you for the weekend.”
    Molly bit her lower lip. She knew that her mother didn’t like to lie, and she felt horrible when using her powers meant stretching the truth, even a bit.
    Mr. Intihar nodded, his lips splitting into a giant slice-of-watermelon-shaped grin. “I don’t know what I was thinking,” he said, scratching his head. “Of course I know
Finn.”
    “Of course you know Finn,” Bree agreed, nodding, her hair all askew. “He’s in the kindergarten class here in Normal.”
    “Yes.” Mr. Intihar nodded. “He’s in the kindergarten class! Of course! Charlie, meet Finn. Finn . . . my son, Charlie.” Mr. Intihar still looked a little uncertain,
but smiled at Finn anyway.
    Charlie and Finn eyed each other. Finnegan Quirk had never had a real friend. He wasn’t sure
how
to act with kids outside his family. In all his life, the most Finn had ever been
was an imaginary friend. And you’d be surprised at how much an imaginary friend can boss people around!
    “Hello, dude,” Charlie said, after his father prodded him.
    Finn half hid behind his mother but shyly whispered, “Hello.”
    “Well,” Mr. Intihar said, shuffling his feet in the tiny rocks that covered the paved surface of the parking lot. His foot connected with a gumball. “Thanks again for a lovely
evening. I guess we should be on our way. I’ll see you girls at school next week. And, uh . . .” He paused, shaking his head as though he couldn’t quite believe what he was
saying. “And you, too, ah, Finn.”
    “That you will,” Bree said, smiling weakly again. “Finn will be at school on Monday, with my girls.” She swallowed, and only Molly could see just how shaken she really
was.
    As soon as Mr. Intihar and Charlie walked away, the other Quirks turned to study Finn.
    “Look at this handsome fellow,” Grandpa Quill said, reaching out to ruffle Finn’s hair.
    “Did you do this, Penelope?” Bree Quirk asked. “Did you make him appear, you clever girl?”
    Pen shrugged. “I don’t think so,” she admitted. “But maybe?”
    Finn wiggled out from under Penelope’s arm and grinned. “Don’t give Pen all the credit!” he cried, dancing around happily. “Because guess what I found out, Mom? Gum
really
is
good for me!” He pulled the wad of gum he’d been chewing out of his mouth. As he did, his body faded until he was invisible once again.
    The others stared, seeing nothing but a blank space where Finn had been standing. But Molly watched as her brother shot a fresh gumball into his mouth. The rest of the Quirk family
ooh
-ed and
aah
-ed as Finn came back into focus again.
    “See?” he cried. “It’s like magic! I figured out how to control my Quirk! Now you see me . . .” Finn popped the gum out of his mouth again and faded into thin air.
“Now you don’t!” He