The Pack 1

one

Charm House, the old convent that had been converted into a boarding school for girls, was the last place Sadie Samson thought she d find herself on a Friday afternoon ­ or ever.

The stone institution was at the edge of the forest, where brittle leaves lay in forgotten piles by the iron gates. It had a spindly bell tower jutting up from its center like a murder weapon, and the Virgin Mary statue above the entrance was missing an arm. So, yeah. The whole scene was beyond the scope of Sadie s imagination. And yet there she was, seated in a dimly lit office across from a woman roughly her grandmother s age, with a strict silver bob, red-­framed glasses, and a nameplate that read Headmistress Flora. Outside, rain streaked down the arched windowpanes like tears.

Do you know why you ve been transferred to Charm House? Miss Flora asked, without the tiniest bit of a British accent. This, too, was unimaginable. In the movies, headmistresses always had accents, especially at charm schools. They also had permanent scowls, thin lips, and beady eyes that could see straight into a girl s soul.

But Miss Flora spoke the way everyone else in Timor Lake, Washington, spoke: bag sounded like beg; leg sounded like lig; and keg sounded like cake.

Why, yes, Miss Flora, I do know why I was transferred to Charm House, Sadie wanted to answer. I m here because I m too weird for middle school and no one wants to be around me, not even my own parents. But there was no point in saying any of that out loud; hearing it would only make her cry. Because without her parents, Sadie had no one. No siblings, no cousins, no pets. And friends? Friends were for people who fit in ­not misfits with dark circles under their eyes, straw-­blond hair that grew out instead of down, balloon-­animal muscles, a heightened sense of smell, and anger issues. Instead, Sadie shrugged like she didn t know the answer and waited for Miss Flora to fill the silence, the way

Lisi Harrison

"An evil science institute, literal cattiness, new friendships, and explorations of identity are all woven through this fun, fast-paced read, guaranteed to fly off the shelf.   Booklist

"A sympathetic, engaging protagonist throughout." PW