Hi, Ben,
You’ll find that out in Book #3, but I can tell you that much right here: the other kids were told that Eli, Amber, Tori, and Malik were gravely ill and had to be hospitalized in Taos, N.M. As for Hector, ***SPOILER ALERT*** you find out it Book #2 that he had returned to Serenity, so they didn’t have to make up any stories about him.
OK? Only 6 months less 2 days until the release of MASTERMINDS: PAYBACK!
Regards,
—-Gordon Korman—-