Masterminds

The 12-year-old son of Serenity’s school principal and mayor, Eli is unknowingly Osiris 1, the first clone in Dr. Hammerstrom’s experiment. Generally, Eli is friendly and cooperative. He’s less of a troublemaker than either his best friend, Randy, or Malik. However, Eli discovers that something’s different about him after his bout of sickness when he tries to move past the city limits. More than any of the other clones, Eli exhibits strong curiosity about who he really is.

Eli is the first to discover that the internet used by the town fabricates false information. He’s also the first to find a way to access the real internet by tapping into the factory’s Wi-Fi signal. Throughout the novel, Eli shows an affinity for technology that allows him to strategize solutions to the problems that the kids trapped in Serenity face. In addition, he exhibits a strong independent streak and wants freedom more than security. By the end of the first novel in the trilogy, Eli succeeds in getting himself and his friends safely out of town and leading them to shelter with his friend Randy in Colorado.