When we sat down in the plane, Clare took something out of her pocket and handed it to me. It looked like a tube of lipstick.

I frowned at her. 'Is this really the time to swap make-up?' I asked.

She grinned. 'It's a hand taser. My parents make me carry one.' She took the cap off and pointed to the metal edge. 'If someone attacks you, you press the tip against their skin and it shoots out a charge.'

I looked down at it. 'Does it last long?'

She shook her head. 'It's pretty harmless. Noah and Pat used to play taser tag around the house when I was growing up.

Autor: Katie Kacvinsky