Max’s mood lifted about thirteen quantum levels. “Whaaat? That’s amazing.”
“It doesn’t mean they know how to control it,” Dad said. “They’re still a long way from that. They have to do some lab tests, and some clinical tests with Mom. It may take years. But they think they’re on the right track.”
Behind him, Alex cranked up the music in the car. She left it on while he jumped out. Smriti started dancing with her. Mom and Dad were moving with Mom and Dad dance moves. They all linked arms and headed into the house.
Max laughed. It felt good to have music when you were walking into your own house. Especially when there was so much news.
As they stepped inside, Max’s heart slumped. Standing inside the front door was Mrs. Lopez, Evelyn’s mom. Max liked her, but he didn’t like seeing her without Evelyn. Ever since Evelyn got sick, she and her mom did everything together. They had to.
“Hello, Max,” she said.
“What’s wrong?” Max asked. “What happened to Evelyn? Why wasn’t she in robotics?”
“She . . . she had to prepare for something,” Mrs. Lopez said.
Max’s mom took him by the arm and led him into the living room. Streamers had been strewn over the walls, and a glittery disco ball hung from the ceiling. “What the—?” Max said.
From inside the house, Evelyn entered the room. She walked slowly. Her walker was gone, no wheelchair was in sight, and neither arm was balanced on crutches. As she entered the room, she spun around slowly. “Hey, Max, what’s up?”
Max felt his mouth dropping open. For the first time in a long time, he had no idea what to say.
Someone had activated the Sonos system—Alex probably. It was playing some boring rock music—Dad’s probably. Dad and Mom were off in one corner, doing some crazy jitterbug thing. Alex and Smriti were trading hip-hop moves. Mrs. Lopez was clapping hands and smiling at her daughter.
“Want to dance?” Evelyn said. “I mean, I know you hate to, but . . .”
As she moved to the rhythm, free and happy, Max just looked at everyone and smiled.
Then he closed his eyes and began to move too, and he didn’t care how he looked or what anyone thought.
“Just this one time,” he said. He had never, ever felt better.
And that was a fact.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Joseph Lerangis
PETER LERANGIS is the author of more than one hundred and seventy books, which have sold more than six million copies and been translated into thirty-three different languages. These include the five books in the New York Times bestselling Seven Wonders series, The Colossus Rises, Lost in Babylon, The Tomb of Shadows, The Curse of the King, and The Legend of the Rift, and two books in the 39 Clues series. Peter is a Harvard graduate with a degree in biochemistry. He has run a marathon and gone rock climbing during an earthquake—though not on the same day. He lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, where they raised their two sons, Nick and Joe. In his spare time, he likes to eat chocolate.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
BOOKS BY PETER LERANGIS
MAX TILT: FIRE THE DEPTHS
MAX TILT: 80 DAYS OR DIE
THE SEVEN WONDERS SERIES
THE LOST GIRLS TRILOGY
THE DRAMA CLUB SERIES
THE SPY X SERIES
THE ABRACADABRA SERIES
THE ANTARCTICA SERIES
THE WATCHERS SERIES
39 CLUES: THE SWORD THIEF
39 CLUES: THE VIPER’S NEST
39 CLUES: VESPERS RISING
(WITH RICK RIORDAN, GORDAN KORMAN, AND JUDE WATSON)
39 CLUES: CAHILLS VS. VESPERS: THE DEAD OF NIGHT
BACK ADS
COPYRIGHT
MAX TILT: ENTER THE CORE. Copyright © 2019 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Cover art © 2019 by Antonio Javier Caparo
Cover design by Andrea Vandergrift
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018964878
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-244106-5
1819202122CG/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5H 4E3
www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida
Uttar Pradesh 201 301
www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com