Simon Says [Paperback]

Aspiring young artist, Charles Weston has enrolled in a private arts high school soley to meet the famous Graeme Brandt, a student whose recently published novel touched a chord deep within Charles.

But Graeme is not at all what Charles expected, and soon the two teen prodigies are drawn into a clash of wills that threatens to destroy them both.

Charles Weston, an aspiring young artist attending a private arts high school, discovers that being true to one's self means opening the door to both pain and pleasure.

A significant book, layered, complex, and full of challenge for thoughtful readers. --Booklist

[Teens] will relate to the disconnected characters who feel painfully alone and will be encouraged by the acceptance of their uniqueness. --School Library Journal

ELAINE MARIE ALPHINis the author ofCounterfeit Son,which received the 2001 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. She lives in Indiana.

The mirror acts like a frame. But I would never paint on a shiny, reflective surface like that. Canvas draws the paint into it, draws the eye into it, draws the mind into its world. Mirrored glass shows too much, and too little. I came here to get away from games played with mirrors.

I always knew there had to be someone else who saw the games for what they were, someone else who hated them as much as I do. That's why I came to Whitman High School for the Arts-to meet this person. Only now I'm not so sure. Why should he care about meeting me?

Well, Charles, are you coming or not? Adrian demands. His voice fills our dorm room, easy and amused, blue-green tones flecked with golden highlights. This was your idea, remember.

I remember. In the mirror I see sweaty fingers wiping themselves on a T-shirt as if they were paint-smeared, then fumbling to smooth the stretched-out cotton. Above the fingers I see frowning eyes that might be mil“Y