1.Doppelgänger(s)
Olive, Iggy, James, Phil, and Theo stood in the middle of San Francisco, utterly gobsmacked, as they faced the five teenagers who blocked their way. At first glance, it was like looking into a fun house mirror at older, meaner, scowlier versions of themselves.
Olive’s eyes narrowed on her own doppelgänger—a girl around five inches taller than her, with straight black hair and messy bangs, wearing a vintage T-shirt, a battered jacket, and boots. Even her incisor tooth was slightly crooked, just like Olive’s.
A wicked grin crossed Not-Olive’s face as her friends grouped up behind her in attack formation. “We’re the MixFits,” Not-Olive said smugly, “and we’re here to replace you.”
For a moment, Olive’s shock threatened to crush her—the teenagers just looked
too much like the Misfits. How was she supposed to fight
herself?
Then Iggy whooshed past Olive, chomping down on her ComChom so that only the Misfits could hear her say, “Go! Now go, go, go!”
Swoosh! Anxiety gave way to adrenaline as Olive launched into action. She did a twirl-whirl, then sidestepped away from the teens to sprint alongside James, Phil, and Theo, who were running as if their lives depended on it. And maybe they did. One never knew, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
As trained, when Iggy had said
“Split,” the five crime fighters split up to confuse their pursuers. Olive had peeled off, heading straight toward a seven-foot concrete wall, the sound of pounding boots close behind her.
“Hey!” her doppelgänger yelled. “Hey, my name’s
Palmolive. Get it? Palmolive, like the dish soap!” She let loose an evil laugh.
Ahead of Olive, the tall concrete wall loomed, and she sped toward it instead of slowing down. Reaching into her fanny pack, she tossed a mini-trampoline into her path, jumped on it, and vaulted into the air, landing gracefully on top of the wall. Olive balanced briefly before leaping off, executing a midair flip, and landing solidly on her feet on the other side. Now standing in the middle of what appeared to be a run-down used car lot, Olive spotted a low gate leading to the street on the other side.
To her relief, Palmolive was nowhere to be seen. As Olive allowed herself to exhale, an image of the MixFits flashed before her eyes, causing her to shudder. How could Palmolive have the
exact same crooked incisor? What were the odds? Who was this person? A relative? A clone?
That was when Olive heard growling.
She spun around to face a trio of angry dogs, teeth bared as if ready to attack. In slow motion, she reached into her fanny pack and pulled out something the size of a pea. After placing the Startle Starter between her middle finger and thumb, she snapped. Immediately the sound of cymbals crashed through the air.
The dogs yelped and retreated, giving Olive just enough time to scramble over the gate that led to the street. She skidded to a halt when faced with a familiar figure. There on the sidewalk, waiting for her under the stop sign, was Palmolive, with her arms crossed and a smug look on her face.
“What took you so long, Olive?” she asked, then launched into that awful laugh again. “Cat got your tongue?”
Olive’s mind flashed back to the bullies at her old school. To the days when she used to be shoved around and didn’t have friends.
But she wasn’t in that horrible place anymore. Instead, Olive was enrolled in RASCH, the prestigious Reforming Arts School for the artistically adventurous. She was a Misfit and a part of NOCK, home to an elite group of agents who were tasked with preventing chaos, assisting in catching lawbreakers, and protecting the citizenry.
Olive kept her eyes locked on Palmolive’s, which happened to be the exact same shade of brown as her own. “Don’t. Mess. With. Me,” she snarled, trying to sound menacing. Olive would ask Iggy for some voice lessons, she decided. Assuming she got out of this alive.
Palmolive merely snorted. “Who’s going to stop me?”
When Olive cracked a smile, she thought she detected a flicker of something cross Palmolive’s face. Was it fear? Or getting ready for flight or fight? Olive didn’t have to wait long because soon the chase was on!
Only this time, Olive was the one chasing her doppelgänger. That is, until she rounded the corner and found that Palmolive had disappeared.
Copyright © 2027 by Lisa Yee. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
