It was raining the next day when Marie arrived at school. Her friends stood just inside the front door, no doubt waiting for her, though they hadn't spotted her yet. She paused before sneaking through a side door. She cared deeply about her friends, but she needed to talk to Mr. Edison.

Marie walked into Mr. Edison's classroom. He stood at the whiteboard, drawing a diagram of photosynthesis when he noticed her. She didn't even bother pausing as she headed straight for his office. The shuffle of quiet feet told her Mr. Edison followed right behind her. He took out the bug cancelling device, now connected to a thin headband. He turned it on and gave her the band. After a moment of admiring it, Marie placed it on her head. The device hung right over her ear.

"Figured this is easier than holding it. I am so relieved to see-"

"It was you," Marie said. "You invented the chip, not President Arnold."

Mr. Edison did nothing, then she watched as a cold wall formed behind his eyes, stone by stone. It reminded her of the time right after she was picked up by the S.E.A.

"I have no idea what you mean." His voice was as unreadable as his face.

Marie felt a dangerous spike of anger. "No, Mr. Edison. Not this. Not again."

He stayed standing a few feet away, the smile gone.

"Murphy's law, Mr. Edison! Don't do this to me!"

Still, Mr. Edison remained unemotional.

"I know it was you! I saw President Arnold, I was forced to sing a song. I spilled everything to him, and he was convinced I didn't know anything, but then I saw the newspaper article framed outside his office and saw you in the picture. President Arnold must have stolen the idea from you. He doesn't know anything about science!"

Macbeth, Mr. Edison had an insane amount of control over his emotions.

"You know what? Your silence is enough of an answer. You did invent it. It's why you were able to invent the device to shut it off for a half hour." Marie felt the anger bubbling inside her as Mr. Edison refused to react. "Sometimes I really hate you."

Mr. Edison winced. The smallest, imperceptible twitch in his line of defense.

"I hate that you took this stupid job!" she continued. "I never would have found out any of this! I've had to push my dad away! I've had to push everyone away! And now you're pushing me away. I have no one to talk to because of you!"

Music filled the room and Marie paled. She didn't realize she was on the brink of tears until the music came on and she felt the first tears roll down her cheeks. She clamped her mouth shut and steadied her breathing. The stone wall melted from Mr. Edison's face. His eyes widened in fear and he reached out, touching her arm. There was little he could do. The small device he invented was a one-time thing, and Marie doubted he built another one already.

Marie closed her eyes. Her fingers dug into the wood of Mr. Edison's desk as she continued to take deep, calming breaths. Her chip hadn't activated yet. She was still okay. She wouldn't be so lucky with a reprise today. The music needed to stop. She needed happy memories to counteract the angry music, then mundane thoughts to make the music go away. She ignored the fear of what would happen if she had to sing what she felt right now. Her mind sifted through her friends, trying to linger on happy moments. She tried to think of her dad but felt panic at their crumbling relationship. She moved on to Sophie, trying to remember good times instead of the anger she felt at her messed up relation with her parents.

Mr. Edison stood next to her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She tried to ignore him. She had no happy thoughts with him. She was infuriated with him.

The music didn't sound as angry, so Marie switched to going through the periodic table. By the time she got to hafnium, the music finally faded away. She stared at the desk, still not at Mr. Edison. She felt a muted anger toward him.

"Macbeth, Marie. You were never supposed to find this out," Mr. Edison said. "No one does, except those involved." His hand dropped from her shoulder. "President Arnold has killed people who know less than you."

As Marie stifled the panic inside her, she felt a growing dread in the pit of her stomach. "What do I do?"

Mr. Edison mulled something over in his mind. "President Arnold has no idea you know, right?"

She nodded, too exhausted to fight him.

"Good. You have amazing control over your emotions. How long do you last between singing?"

She stared ahead, still afraid of the spike of anger she might feel if she looked at him. "If I push myself, a few weeks. But my life has been crazy. I don't know how long I can control the chip."

A far-off look entered Mr. Edison's eyes. "Midterms. President Arnold will think it strange if you don't sing during midterms."

"What are you saying?" Marie asked.

He returned to the present and touched her arm. "You're right. You wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for me, so I'm giving you the protection you deserve. Do you have a notebook?"

Marie pulled out her biology notebook. True she wasn't taking the class anymore, but she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it. Mr. Edison scribbled a note and signed his name. She met his gaze, and the dread grew in her stomach.

Despite the device at her ear, Mr. Edison's voice dropped. "The underground uses a store as a decoy a few streets from the S.E.A. building. It's a bagel shop. Go there and give them this note. They will give you protection. Don't go now. If you disappear, Ben will tear this city apart looking for you, and anyone close to you will be interrogated. Or worse. Spend a week not doing anything suspicious, then disappear. This way the underground will have a day or two to hide you before Ben starts looking. Take your dad with you. Just in case."

"In case of what?"

Mr. Edison gave her a long, sorry look. "Ben's paranoia is not something to mess with."

The notebook felt heavy in her hands as she placed it back in her bag. Leave before midterms. Leave her old life. Her friends. Sophie. Marie stuck her chin out, trying to be brave. It was better this way. She'd have to hold on to this rocky relationship with her dad for another week, then she could explain everything to him in a safe place. She could do this. It was possible. The idea of telling her dad everything made her feel marginally lighter.

"This is good bye, Marie. It's not safe to be near me anymore," Mr. Edison said, extending his hand out to her.

Marie was surprised to feel a lump in her throat. Mr. Edison had given her a place of protection, and a simple handshake didn't feel like it wasn't enough. She wrapped her arms around him. Despite finding herself in more danger than she could imagine, she did care about her teacher. He was up there with her dad. Mr. Edison hesitated before hugging her back.

"You're a genius in your own way, Marie, and the world deserves to know you," Mr. Edison said.

Marie closed her eyes before forcing herself to pull away. "Thank you. I'm sorry I said I hate you. I don't really."

Mr. Edison gave a small nod. "I know. Now go."

Marie nodded. "Okay. Good bye, Mr. Edison."

"Please be safe."

She turned off the device and handed it back to him. They gave each other silent nods before Marie got up and left his office.

The halls rang with chatter, with friends talking about school and things, and Marie felt like her mind was going a mile a minute. This knowledge made her uncomfortable, and she felt a great responsibility for having it. President Arnold professed to be their saviors, but it was a lie. Mr. Edison was the one who invented the chip. Marie was filled with so many questions. She didn't know why he invented it, or how he was still alive if President Arnold was as crazy paranoid as he was. She knew Mr. Edison wouldn't tell her, because it would be safer if she didn't know details. She knew the core information, but there was so much about it she didn't understand.

"Ah, there you are!"

Marie turned and saw Adolf next to her. She did not want to see Adolf. She couldn't put herself in a position where she might sing. It was too dangerous.

She took a few steps back, but Adolf grabbed her wrist. "Albert's bruises are all healed. Should we go find him and see if we can add a few more?"

"Leave him alone!" Marie tried to stay calm yet forceful.

Adolf laughed. "And who's going to stop me? You?"

Marie's fists tightened. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Adolf to hide the hopelessness she felt. President Arnold was terrifying enough as a bully. She didn't want to deal with Adolf too. A dull anger bubbled under her skin.

"Yes," she said. "Yes I will stop you."

Adolf about laughed again, but Marie tapped her shoes until she got to the salsa dancing shoes. She then rammed the thin heel into Adolf's foot. He gave a shriek and bent in half from the pain. Marie threw her fist toward his face with all her might. Adolf landed on the ground right as the bell rang. Marie glared at him, giving a look both challenging and a warning. Adolf glared are her before sniffing and checking his nose for blood.

"It's always the short ones who are the craziest," he said before getting up and walking away. "You'll pay for this, Marie!"

Marie's face softened and she rubbed her knuckles, trying not to process the emotions in case it made her sing. Strangely, the punch she threw left her feeling empty. This wouldn't make Adolf leave her alone. He'd only come back with more of his friends, and if it came to a fight, she'd be in serious trouble. Marie folded her arms, kept her eyes to the ground, and hoped Adolf would wait until after midterms before getting his revenge. She'd be long gone by then.