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whined. That’s usually the ultimate weapon—homework. But she wasn’t buying it.
    “How about a short walk? Breathe in a little fresh air. Take your sweater.” She snatched up a green sweater I’d dropped on the floor a few days earlier. “Come on, Ben. It will do you good.”
    She pushed me out the door. I heard Will and Sophie giggle as I walked past Will’s room.
    I stopped in the kitchen for another apple. “Come on, Biscuit!” I called. “We’re going for a walk—whether we like it or not.”
    Biscuit scampered to the back door. I opened it and she burst outside, running and jumping happily.
    Once we left the backyard and got deeper into the woods, I began to relax. I hated to admit it, but Mom was right. It felt kind of good to get outside for a little while.
    Biscuit ran ahead of me, yapping like an excitedpuppy. I realized we probably didn’t take her on walks as much as we should have. We usually just let her out into the yard.
    Biscuit kept trotting along, and I followed her, not paying much attention to where I was going. I walked and walked, deeper into the woods than I’d ever gone before. I wasn’t just following Biscuit anymore. Something seemed to be pulling me along.
    I kept thinking about the trick Will and Sophie had played on me. For a few minutes I’d really thought aliens were contacting me. It had been so exciting.
    Just because Will played a trick on me doesn’t mean I’m wrong, I thought. There are still aliens out there somewhere. I know it for sure.
    Biscuit stopped a few yards ahead of me and started barking like crazy.
    “What is it, girl?” I asked, running a little to catch up with her. Maybe she’s spotted a rabbit or something , I thought. But Biscuit wasn’t exactly a hunting dog. She usually didn’t even get excited about cats.
    Biscuit ran a little farther ahead, still barking. I chased after her. I found myself in a big clearing. I stopped dead in my tracks. And stared in amazement.
    In the clearing, a huge, perfect figure eight was burned into the grass. Biscuit ran along the edge of it, sniffing every inch of it.
    The figure was big enough to fit a small house inside it. And it was absolutely, perfectly shaped.
    A human could never make such a perfect figure eight in the grass, I thought.
    I’d never seen anything like it before.
    I walked up to the figure eight and stepped inside one of its loops.
    Zap! A shock jolted through my body. I stared at my hands.
    They were glowing!
    The electricity surged through my body. My arms and legs shook. My whole body shuddered.
    “Ohhhhhhh.”
    Pain shot up and down my body as jolt after jolt crackled through me.
    Make it stop! I begged. Make it stop!

8
    With a struggle I heaved myself outside the loop, Gasping for breath, I collapsed on the grass.
    The electric jolts had stopped. But my body still shook and my skin tingled.
    I held my hands in front of my face and stared at them. I wasn’t glowing anymore.
    But when I’d stepped inside the figure eight…
    What does it mean? I wondered.
    I was sure of only one thing. This was more proof that aliens had been there. There was some kind of weird force inside that figure eight—an unearthly, inhuman force.
    I’ve got to get a picture of it, I decided.
    “Come on, Biscuit!” I called. I began to run backhome. Biscuit scurried after me. We raced all the way through the woods until we reached my backyard.
    I paused outside the back door, panting. I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to tell someone about the figure eight.
    I was tempted to tell Mom. But I was afraid to because I knew she’d only worry. And I couldn’t tell Will. He was too…Willish.
    No, I thought. I’ll have to keep it a secret until Summer and Jeff come over tonight.
    In the meantime, I had to get my camera.
    I passed through the kitchen on my way to my room. “Dinner’s almost ready,” Mom said. Dad was setting the kitchen table.
    “I’ve just got to run back into the woods for a minute,” I