For three years they called me a freak—and I stayed silent—until they touched my little sister in front of everyone, and the truth I buried finally came out and changed everything.

from our car’s emergency kit. It was a crude tool, but the brilliant, blinding white light it generated would be more than enough to temporarily burn out the high-sensitivity night-vision optics the sniper was using on the roof.

I struck the chemical tip against the rough concrete of the driveway, and an explosive, blinding hiss of brilliant white fire continue reading …