Private (Private 1)

You’ve gotta be kidding me. You do ?

I glanced at Constance. Her skin grew pale under all those

“Um . . .”

freckles. My heart went out to her even as I was flooded with relief.

“Ten seconds, Mr. Simmons.” Mr. Barber seemed to be enjoy-

“Yes?” she said with remarkable calm.

ing this. “And for the record, we don’t say um in my class.”

Okay. If I knew the answer to this, I would be fine.

“It’s Mary something,” the chunky kid said. “Mary . . . Surratt?”

“Which king of England was served with the lawyer’s brief that

Right. That sounds vaguely familiar. I think.

declared this country’s independence in 1776?” he asked.

“Yes. And for what crime was she put to death?”

Wha-huh? Lawyer’s brief? Since when was the Declaration of

“Conspiring to assassinate President Lincoln,” Mr. Simmons

Independence referred to as a lawyer’s brief?

said with much more confidence.

Wait. What was the question again?

“Good. You pulled that one out, Mr. Simmons,” Mr. Barber said,

“King George the third,” Constance said.

adding a point under the A. I glanced at my watch, wondering

“Correct.”

if there was any possible way I could make it out of here without Constance beamed. Someone behind me said “easy one.” Right.

getting called on. There were still fifty-three minutes left in the King George III had received the Declaration of Independence. I class and only about twenty students.

knew that. I just had to focus. I took a deep breath, glad that I hadn’t

“Miss . . . Brennan.”

been chosen as the first victim. On the blackboard Mr. Barber

Oh, God.

wrote a big A and B with bright yellow chalk. Under the B he added

“Yes?”