The Shadow Cipher (York, #1)

by Laura Ruby

Well, maybe she was catastrophizing. But catastrophes happened every day, didn’t they? A person ought to be prepared. And to be prepared you had to imagine all the possibilities. Tess was very good at imagining the possibilities.

When she went back downstairs, her parents would tell her to stop worrying so much, that worrying didn’t solve anything. But worrying was supposed to keep bad things from happening—that was the entire point of worrying. You said to yourself, I hope I don’t die in a bizarre accident with a revolving door, and you didn’t, see? Because you worried about it.

“Not everyone wants poor people fed and educated,” said Jaime. “Or living in decent housing,” said Tess.

“No! I just thought when boys draw lady superheroes, they put them in dumb outfits.” “Hey, now,” Jaime said. “Plenty of girls draw them that way. And the guy superheroes wear tights and other dumb stuff.” “Not as dumb as the outfits the girls wear. Metal bikinis or whatever. I hate that. Unless the women have skin made of diamonds, any idiot could stab them in the femoral artery with a pencil and they’d bleed out.” “That’s why she’s wearing the armor,” Jaime said. “Stylish yet practical.” Tess laughed.

Why is this man chasing us around tables, why doesn’t he just block the door, who is this bad at geometry?