2. The Redwood Forest

2 The Redwood Forest Stanley sat up. The back of the van was bare, except for a complicated-looking set of instruments and television screens on one wall. There were no windows—just a slit at the front, through which Stanley could make out the back of the driver's head. "My name is Lily Fox," said the girl in the wheelchair. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Lambchop. You're a hero of mine."

"What? Oh, uh, thank you," stammered Stanley's father. "Actually, I was talking to Stanley," said Lily. All at once, Stanley realized what was happening. "You're kidnapping me!" he blurted. "Just like my friend Oda Nobu's fans kidnapped him when I was in Japan!" Mr. Lambchop pointed a finger at Lily Fox. "How dare you! Don't you know it's impolite to

kidnap people?" "We're not kidnapping you," Lily answered calmly. "You don't have to come with us if you don't want to." For the first time, Stanley noticed the wheels on the girl's wheelchair. They were big, studded, and rugged, like a mountain bike's tires. Stanley got to his feet. "What do you want?" Lily Fox wheeled over to the console and pushed some buttons. A grainy black-and-white video flickered to life on one of the screens: It was a street scene with a crowd of people. A boy walked up to a cardboard cutout and shook it roughly. Wait a minute, thought Stanley. That's me and that boy at Fisherman's Wharf earlier today! Stanley's stomach turned as he remembered the kid's face. The boy had recognized Stanley as "the famous flat kid." Without even asking, he had pulled Stanley's head back and put his chin on Stanley's shoulders so it looked as though his head was perched atop a flat body. "Quick! Take a picture!" He'd cackled to a friend. Stanley had been too embarrassed to speak. He might as well

have been a painted wooden character at a carnival. "Stanley, do you ever get tired of people looking at you funny?" asked Lily, bringing him back to the present. Stanley sucked in his breath. "Sometimes," he said. On the screen, his head was tucked out of sight as people crowded around and started lining up to

have their pictures taken. "Do you ever feel as if you're invisible? Like all that most people can see is that you're different, and they can't see anything else?" On the screen, Mr. Lambchop shooed everyone away with an angry wag of his finger. In the van, he gently squeezed Stanley's shoulder. Stanley looked at his feet. "Yeah. I guess." The girl pushed a button, and the screen went black. "Then imagine what it's like being in a wheelchair."

Stanley looked at Lily for what felt like the first time. She was a few years older than he was. Her hair was pulled back in a dark ponytail. She looked athletic, and there was something strong about her face. She looked... determined. With a slight jolt, the van came to a stop. A moment later the driver opened the cargo doors. He was a tall man wearing a tank top, Bermuda shorts, and flip-flops.