The Last Hope in Hopetown by Maria Tureaud

Author:Maria Tureaud [Tureaud, Maria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2022-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

His words knocked into my chest like a runaway truck. It wasn’t possible. Nobody came back from being rogue. Right? I stared at Simon, squinting at his face as if I’d be able to tell if he had gone rogue and been cured. But all I could see were what-ifs. What if we could cure Mama? What if I could keep my family together?

“Nonsense,” Delphine said with a snort. “Are you telling us that your father—the governor—knows what the FBVA is up to and is letting it happen?”

My eyes stretched so wide I thought they might fall out of my face. If that was true, then there was no way my petition to the governor would go anywhere. It was a complete waste of time.

“Yes.” Simon shrugged, glancing between us. “Listen, I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. I went rogue at school last year, and the FBVA were called. They took me away, and the principal told my father what happened. After that, Dad threatened to pull state funding from the FBVA if they didn’t cure and release me.”

“Umm… okay. But didn’t all the kids at school know you went rogue?” Delphine asked. “How was this kept quiet?”

“I’m the only vampire student, so I like to take my meals in my room. I don’t like being stared at while I eat… and that’s where I was when it happened. The only people who knew were the teacher who came running with garlic spray—when I trashed the place—and the principal. Pretty sure Dad paid them both to keep quiet. Anyway, a few spritzes, and I was down for the count until the FBVA showed up.” He said it all calmly, but Simon puffed out his cheeks and ran a hand over his hood. “So yeah. I know, because I went rogue, and was cured. That’s why I’m on the forums. To let people know. But it’s not like I have my medical chart or anything.”

“Well.” Delphine raised an eyebrow. “That all seems very…”

“Screwed up? Weird?” Simon nodded. “It was a nightmare.”

“How… I mean, aren’t you afraid of getting caught telling people?” I asked. If all this was true, the FBVA definitely wouldn’t want the public knowing.

“Of course I am,” he said, looking straight at me. “I mean, if they locked me up again, Dad would just pull their funding and pretend he knew nothing about it. He’d destroy them. But that’s also why he can’t shut it down, and why I don’t want him to be the one who does it. The FBVA could destroy him too. It’s an election year, and SynCorps—Bennington’s company—is Dad’s biggest donor. He’s running for senator, and if Bennington cuts off funding for Dad’s election, Dad won’t be able to try and shut them down from Washington.”

“Wishful thinking,” Delphine muttered.

“Maybe… but he’s going to try. He promised.” A muscle in Simon’s cheek twitched. “You know, I wanted to attend Rexar because of their advanced coding programs. I thought it might be a nice distraction from the boredom of regular high school.

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