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44 “You did?” Reuben said, utterly confused. But of course she
had. He’d heard her.
45 “Well, I just poked my head in, but you weren’t on your bed.”
46 For a moment Reuben felt as if his brain were out of focus.
Then, suddenly, realization thundered inside his head. It crashed
and hammered and pounded like a violent storm: She couldn’t see
you! She couldn’t see you! She couldn’t see you!

47 “I was . . . under it,” he muttered, trying, despite the crazy tumult
in his mind, to think of an excuse. “I was . . . getting my book out
from under it and then I thought I saw something—or, well, I
thought I heard something, and then I looked over and thought I

saw a person in my closet. . . .”
48 “You poor thing. Did you bang your head?” his mom asked,
gently feeling the crown of his skull for a bump.
49 “No, I’m fine. I just panicked, I guess. It was . . . only my jacket.”

50 She winked. “Just come out when you’re ready, okay?”
51 He closed the door behind her. Then, as quietly as he could, he
locked it. He stood with his hand on the doorknob, his mind still
whirling. She hadn’t seen him. She had looked at his bed and hadn’t
seen him sitting right there. He turned to look at the bed, to see
what she had seen—what she hadn’t seen. It was impossible. But it
had happened.

52 He stood there, perfectly still, trying to think of what to do. His
heartbeat was galloping. He had an idea and ran to his closet. Once
again he pulled out the box of toys. A few years earlier, his mom
had given him a toy digital camera for Christmas. He had loved it
at the time, though he was pretty sure it was a factory reject she’d
gotten on deep discount. It took terrible photos, and you couldn’t
print them or anything, only look at them on a miniature screen.
But it would serve his purpose now.

53 In a moment Reuben had the camera out. Was there any chance
the batteries weren’t dead? He pressed the pale green power button.
The camera emitted a barely audible whine. The little display
screen flickered on. Yes!

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