Oracle (7 page)

Gasps and chatter erupt from the group. Hannah Cho? Involved in a hoax?

“And this thing about it being fraud is ridiculous,” she says, fixing Kamryn with a glare. “I mean, yes, Owen put himself out there as the Oracle, but he also wrote a disclaimer on the About page.” She turns to Ms. Parhar. “It says very clearly that all of the Oracle's predictions are for entertainment purposes only.” She looks back at the student body. “And besides, I think the Oracle did a lot more to help people than it did to hurt them. The Oracle—or should I say, Owen—has done more than just tell people how to be in love. What about
Always Angry
? And
Deeply Depressed
? What about
Losing Hope
?”

People are nodding. Some students look around, craning their necks to see whether anyone might suddenly give away their identity as one of those writers. But nobody does.

I think of
Losing Hope
. I wonder if she's okay.

“The Oracle took those students' concerns seriously, didn't he?” Hannah continues.

More murmurs. Nods.

Hannah looks around. “The Oracle did so much more than just give people good pickup lines.”

This gets a few chuckles.

Jon throws me a thumbs-up, and I grin.
Rubber Duckie
, indeed.

“It's run by a guy who has proven that he can be trusted. Think about it, people. Owen Roberts is in possession of some of the biggest secrets among this school's population. But has he betrayed your trust on any of them?” Hannah has a way of speaking in public that's very much like a politician.

Several shouts. “No!”

“Has the Oracle ever led you astray?”

“NO!” More voices that time.

“Can you trust the Oracle? I ask you, can you place your trust in Owen Roberts?” As she speaks, Hannah extends her arm in my direction. She's whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

“YES!” Clapping. A whistle.

“I just want to add one more thing,” Hannah says when the noise dies down. “I know for a fact that a number of relationships have gotten started because of the Oracle's advice.”

Someone whistles again. Down near the front, a grade-eleven guy hoots and grabs the hand of the girl sitting next to him. He raises it into the air triumphantly. She blushes and smiles and tries to pull her hand away.

“See?” Hannah says. She crosses the stage and extends her other arm toward me. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she says. “I give you…Owen Roberts, LaMontagne's
very own Oracle
!”

I laugh and shake my head as the applause starts.

Soon the whole gym is filled with the sound of applause. I look to the side and see the teachers—dozens of teachers—clapping or nodding or smiling.

And then.

I can hardly believe my eyes.

In ones and twos, people start to stand. They're still clapping, and they're smiling. They look at me and look around at each other and cheer. A deep thrumming rises from the bleachers, and it takes me a few seconds to realize that people are stomping too.

While the ovation is still going strong—except for Kamryn and her friends, who are pretty much the only people left sitting in the whole gym—Hannah gives a brief bow.

Then she turns and gives me a smile that makes my stomach flip right over.

She puts the microphone back on its stand, nods to Ms. Parhar and returns to her seat.

The principal waits for the noise to die away. “Thank you, Hannah. Well spoken, as always.” She turns to me. “When the complaint was initially lodged against the Oracle, Owen,” she says, “I did take the time to read many of the questions and answers on the website. And I have to say, I was impressed with the quality of advice the Oracle was providing.”

I acknowledge her words with a nod.

Man,
dailyhoroscope.com
really saved my butt.

“Given the positive reaction we have witnessed today,” Ms. Parhar continues, nodding her head toward the bleachers, “it seems you have earned the general approval of your peers.” She looks toward the teachers. “And I, for one, have no intention of asking you to stop.”

More applause.

I lean on the lectern and speak into the mic. “Thanks, Ms. Parhar,” I say. “Thank you, too, Hannah. And thanks to everyone else.” A few people whistle.

“One last thing, Owen,” says the principal. “Since you're the only one who can predict the future, I'm going to ask you the question that's on everyone's mind right now.” She looks around at the crowd, then back at me. “Are you going to continue with the Oracle?”

I close my eyes as though I'm meditating. I raise my hands and press my palms against my temples for dramatic effect. There are a few snickers, then the gym grows quiet waiting for my response.

“As I see it,” I begin, and then I open my eyes, “I'm gonna start charging a hundred bucks a pop!”

The gym erupts into laughter.

I look for Hannah.

She's smiling.

Acknowledgments

My thanks, as always, to the wonderful people at Orca Book Publishers. You are an excellent team to work with. Special thanks to editor Melanie Jeffs for her suggestions and guidance in smoothing
Oracle
's rough edges.

Alex Van Tol taught middle school for eight years, then made the switch to writing for a living. She has published numerous titles with Orca Book Publishers.
Oracle
is her first Orca Currents novel. Alex lives in Victoria, British Columbia, with her two sons, who are still too little to figure out how to start and maintain fraudulent blogs.

Titles in the Series

o
rca
currents

121 Express
Monique Polak

Agent Angus
K.L. Denman

Bear Market
Michele Martin Bossley

Benched
Cristy Watson

Beyond Repair
Lois Peterson

The Big Dip
Melanie Jackson

Bio-pirate
Michele Martin Bossley

Blob
Frieda Wishinsky

Branded
Eric Walters

Camp Wild
Pam Withers

Chat Room
Kristin Butcher

Cheat
Kristin Butcher

Cracked
Michele Martin Bossley

Crossbow
Dayle Campbell Gaetz

Daredevil Club
Pam Withers

Disconnect
Lois Peterson

Dog Walker
Karen Spafford-Fitz

Explore
Christy Goerzen

Farmed Out
Christy Goerzen

Fast Slide
Melanie Jackson

Finding Elmo
Monique Polak

Flower Power
Ann Walsh

Fraud Squad
Michele Martin Bossley

High Wire
Melanie Jackson

Hold the Pickles
Vicki Grant

Horse Power
Ann Walsh

Hypnotized
Don Trembath

In a Flash
Eric Walters

Junkyard Dog
Monique Polak

Laggan Lard Butts
Eric Walters

Living Rough
Cristy Watson

Manga Touch
Jacqueline Pearce

Marked
Norah McClintock

Maxed Out
Daphne Greer

Mirror Image
K.L. Denman

Nine Doors
Vicki Grant

Oracle
Alex Van Tol

Out of Season
Kari Jones

Perfect Revenge
K.L. Denman

Pigboy
Vicki Grant

Power Chord
Ted Staunton

Pyro
Monique Polak

Queen of the Toilet Bowl
Frieda Wishinsky

Rebel's Tag
K.L. Denman

Reckless
Lesley Choyce

See No Evil
Diane Young

Sewer Rats
Sigmund Brouwer

The Shade
K.L. Denman

Skate Freak
Lesley Choyce

Slick
Sara Cassidy

The Snowball Effect
Deb Loughead

Special Edward
Eric Walters

Splat!
Eric Walters

Spoiled Rotten
Dayle Campbell Gaetz

Storm Tide
Kari Jones

Struck
Deb Loughead

Stuff We All Get
K.L. Denman

Sudden Impact
Lesley Choyce

Swiped
Michele Martin Bossley

Watch Me
Norah McClintock

Windfall
Sara Cassidy

Wired
Sigmund Brouwer

o
rca
currents

For more information on all the books
in the Orca Currents series, please visit
www.orcabook.com