Chapter One

THERE ARE TWO MEMBERS IN THE CHAT ROOM:

Jess and Avril

AVRIL: So have the Enemy calmed down yet?

JESS: Mom and Dad? Are you kidding? You'd think I'd had tattoos done. It was only a tiny nose ring, for crying out loud! And it was over a week ago, before we even moved here!

AVRIL: Hayley's mom grounded her, for a whole week!

JESS: Poor Hayley!

AVRIL: It ended yesterday. She'll be here any minute -- we're off to a party.

JESS: Lucky things! Say hi to her from me. Tell them I miss them all.

AVRIL: So did they make you take the nose ring out?

JESS: No way! That's why Dad isn't talking to me.

AVRIL: So what's the new house like?

JESS: Gross. Falling apart. Old. Full of crummy old stuff. My room's okay though -- it's the whole attic. Massive. Half carpeted, half bare boards -- Dad's put a barre up, and a mirror.

AVRIL: Cool! Your own personal dance studio!

JESS: Well, there's not much else to do in this godforsaken dump. This will be my summer of hell. There are no kids here my age -- just toddlers. If I didn't have Domino, I'd die of boredom.

AVRIL: I miss taking him for walks. Mom still won't let me get a dog. How's he settling down?

JESS: Oh, he loves it. Lots of rabbits and seagulls to chase. That's all he cares about.

AVRIL: By the way, you left your purple leotard in my room, and your Swat CD.

V HAS NOW ENTERED THE CHAT ROOM

JESS: I've been looking for that CD everywhere! Send it to me?

AVRIL: Oops -- doorbell. Hayley's here, gotta go. Talk tomorrow? XXX

AVRIL HAS NOW LEFT THE CHAT ROOM

V: Greetings.

JESS: Hey! Didn't know you could just butt in like that. This is a private room!

V: So you think Lume is a godforsaken place, huh?

JESS: What?

V: For an island, it is a bit remote. But you are wrong. There's a lot going on here.

JESS: I never said I was on Lume. Who are you?

V: V

JESS: V? What does the V stand for?

V: V

V HAS NOW LEFT THE CHAT ROOM

Excerpted from THE RIDDLES OF EPSILON © Copyright 2005 by Christine Morton-Shaw. Reprinted with permission by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.