PROLOGUE
Mom says everyone has a superpower.
She has one. My brother Jude has one.
Even my dad has one, but I still don’t know what his is.
Mom says my superpower is that I’m observant.
She says I see things. Things other people don’t. Things even the grown-ups miss. It doesn’t feel very super to me, though. Sometimes, I wish I didn’t have it at all. Maybe it would be better if I could actually say the things I see, but I’m not good at that yet.
Mom says it’s important to figure out other people’s superpowers.
She says the right people, with the right superpowers, can change your life for the better. She says it’s how we find our family.
When Jesse from next door started coming around, I learned his superpower right away. I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t know how. I couldn’t say it, but I felt it. I saw it.
When I realized I should probably say something, because none of the grown-ups were figuring it out, I told my brother. He’s still a kid. He can’t keep a secret. He’s better at being loud, at being the center of attention. I thought he would say it so I wouldn’t have to, and then my life could change for the better. Then Jesse could be part of our family.
I should have just done it myself.
By the time everyone else figured out what I already knew, it was too late.