Read Strike 2: Dawn of the Daybreaker for Free Online Page A

there, too.”
    Tobin’s mother slapped Bill and Chad on their arms. “Guys, stop! He looks great. You look so handsome, honey. You’re gonna have such an amazing time.”     
    “No, I’m not,” Tobin said. “‘Cuz I’m not going.”     
    Tobin’s mother turned her camera on and pushed Tobin near Chad and Olga.
    “Yes, you are going, and you are gonna create a memory that you will have forever. You would regret it the rest of your life if you didn’t go to your senior prom, Tobin—you’ve been looking forward to this for years! C’mon, now, all of you stand together and say, PROM!”
    Tobin stood next to Olga and Chad . He had a vicious sneer on.
    “Prom!” Chad said with a smile.
    “Prom!” Olga said cheerfully, in her thick accent.
    “I’m not going,” Tobin said, looking like a five-year-old who was just told to clean his room.
    But, Tobin’s mother ignored him; with a click of her camera, she saved the moment forever: Chad, looking strapping in his tux; Olga, the giant, beautiful, Polish prom date; and Tobin, in his ridiculous pants, looking like he was ready to play in an old-timey baseball game.
    ***
     
    Three hours later, at the Grand Wellemore Hotel in the center of Boston , the prom for the senior class of Bridgton High was in full swing. The 168 students were celebrating the end of their high school days and reveling in one last, grand party, happily dancing in the flashing lights to the bumping music from the town’s best DJ.
    Tobin, however, was standing by himself, leaning against the banquet hall bar, and sipping from a drink. He was miserable.
    A group of classmates walked by, led by one of the most popular students in Tobin’s class, Joey Stern. Joey and the others giggled and pointed at Tobin’s pants.
    “Yeah, laugh it up, Joey,” Tobin called out. “That’s great. Remember when you crapped your pants in first grade in Music class? ‘Cuz I do!”
    Chad approached the bar.
    “C’mon, Tobin. Get out there. You can’t stand here all night by yourself.”
    “Oh, you’d be surprised.”
    “So your pants are too small. Big deal. Don’t let it ruin your whole night. Jen keeps asking where you are.”
    “Sure she does.”
    Tobin looked to the dance floor; a circle of students had opened up, and Jennifer’s prom date—the dark-haired, handsome, incredibly charming Tommy Evans—was standing in the middle. After he performed an amazing break dance routine that could have won him first prize on any dancing reality show, the entire student body erupted into applause. Tommy—proud, but also a little embarrassed—walked out of the circle and toward Jennifer. She jumped on him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him and laughing, very impressed with his skills.
    Tobin and Chad watched Tommy from afar.
    “God,” Chad said, in all sincerity, “that guy’s cool.”
    Tobin turned to the bartender and pointed to his glass of Coke.
    “You sure there’s no way you can put some rum in this?”
    ***
     
    On the other side of the city, Keplar and Scatterbolt were sitting on the roof of the warehouse at Sullivan’s Wharf, bored. Keplar was looking over the horizon, mindlessly tossing some pebbles against a wall, while Scatterbolt had just finished telling Keplar the list of his favorite movies from Earth.
    “Hey,” the robot said, “remember this?” His face suddenly went blank; his eyes turned black, and each of his pupils turned into tiny red dots. “Hello, Keplar,” he said, in a soft, monotone voice that sounded very much like the creepy, murderous robot
HAL
from the classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey . “Don’t you want to talk to me, Keplar?”
    “No,” Keplar said, turning away. “I don’t. Knock it off.”
    “Why, Keplar?” Scatterbolt said, using his bizarre
HAL
voice. “I just want to have a conversation with you.”
    “Dude, stop,” Keplar replied, moving away from him. “You know that freaks me out.”
    “I don’t know why.”