drunk?'
But Suzanne looked at her blankly.
'Answer me!' Ivy demanded. The faraway look in Suzanne's eyes scared her.
Her friend's mind had already been poisoned by what she saw.
'Nice blouse,' Suzanne remarked. 'Couldn't find the buttons?'
Ivy pulled it closed.
'I came up to see if she was all right,' Gregory continued, 'and she, you know-' He paused as if he were embarrassed. 'She came on to me. I guess that doesn't really surprise you.'
'It doesn't,' Suzanne replied in a cool, distant voice.
'Suzanne,' Ivy pleaded, 'listen to me. We've been friends all this time and you trusted me-' 'This time she came on strong,' Gregory said. He frowned. 'I guess it was the booze.'
This time? Ivy thought. 'I swear to you, Suzanne, he's lying!'
'Did you kiss him?' Suzanne asked, her voice shaking. 'Did you?' She looked again at the rumpled bed.
'He kissed me!'
'What kind of friend are you?' Suzanne cried. 'You and I both know that you've been after Gregory since Tristan died.'
'But he's been after me since-' Ivy saw Gregory glance at her out of the corner of his eye, and she broke off her sentence.
She knew she had lost the battle.
Suzanne was trembling so, she could hardly get the words out. 'Leave,' she said in a low, husky voice.
'Get out of here, Ivy. Don't ever come back.'
'I'll clean up-' 'Leave! Just leave!' Suzanne shouted.
There was nothing she could do. Ivy left her friend crying and clinging to Gregory.
Ivy didn't think about how she was getting home. She ducked into a bathroom farther down the hall and washed her mouth out with toothpaste.
After buttoning and tucking in the blouse, she raced downstairs, snatched up her purse, and hurried out of the house.
She struggled to hold back the tears. She didn't want Gregory to hear stories later on about how upset she was. Philip's words came back to her once more. 'He can smell it if you're afraid.'
Now Ivy was terrified-for both herself and her friends. At any point they could stumble upon one of Gregory's secrets. And his ego was big enough, he was crazy enough to assume that he could get away with silencing not just her, but Suzanne, Will, and Beth, too.
Ivy walked briskly along the side of Lantern Road. The houses in Suzanne's neighborhood were far apart, and there were no sidewalks. It was another dark mile to the intersection and two more miles into the town itself. The only light was a soft yellow moon.
'Angels, stay with me,' Ivy prayed.
She had walked about a third of a mile when the headlights of a car bore down on her. She stepped quickly off the road and ducked into some bushes. The car drove ten feet more, then screeched to a halt.
Ivy scrambled to get deeper into the brush. The driver suddenly extinguished his bright lights, and she could see the shape of the car in the moonlight: a Honda. Will's car.
He climbed out and looked around. 'Ivy?'
She wanted to rush out of the bushes and into his arms, but she held back.
'Ivy, if you're here, tell me. Tell me you're okay.'
Her mind raced, trying to think what she could tell him without spilling the whole and dangerous truth.
'Answer me. Are you okay? Lacey said you were in trouble. Tell me if there is some way I can help.'
Even in the pale light, the look of worry on his face was visible. She longed to reach out to him and tell him everything. She wanted to run to him and feel his arms wrap around her, keeping her safe for a moment. But for his sake she couldn't-she knew that. Her eyes burned. She blinked several times to clear them, then emerged onto the road.
'Ivy.' He breathed her name.
'I–I was going home,' she said.
His glance flicked to the bushes behind her. 'Taking a shortcut?'
'Maybe you could give me a ride,' she said softly.
He studied her face a moment, then silently opened the door for her. When he had locked and closed it again, Ivy leaned against the door, feeling safe. She would be safe till she got to the house on the ridge.
Will got in on the driver's side. 'Do you really want to go home?' he asked.
In the end, she'd have to. She nodded, but he didn't start the car.
'Ivy, who are you afraid of?'
She shrugged and looked down at her hands. 'I don't know.' Will reached over and laid his hand on top of hers. She turned it over and examined the small flecks of oil paint that the turpentine rag had missed. Ivy could picture Will's hands with her eyes closed. The way his fingers felt now entwined with hers made her feel strong.
'I want to help you,' he said, 'but I can't if I don't know what's going on.'
Ivy turned her face away from him.
'You have to tell me what's going on,' he insisted.
'I can't, Will.'
'What happened that night at the train station?' he asked.
She didn't answer him.
'You must remember something now. You must have some idea about what you saw. Was someone else there? What made you try to cross the tracks?'
She shook her head and said nothing.
'All right,' he said in a resigned voice. 'Then I've got just one more question for you. Are you in love with Gregory?'
Ivy was caught off guard, and her head spun toward him. Will looked into her eyes. He studied her whole face. 'That's what I needed to know,' he said quietly.
What had she given away? Ivy wondered. What had her eyes revealed? That she hated Gregory? Or that she was falling in love with Will?
She let go of his hand. 'Please take me home,' she said, and he did.
'And now,' said a voice quivering with emotion, 'we return to today's program…$ For Love of Ivy.' A soap opera tune was hummed loudly-and pretty badly, Tristan thought.
Will heard it, too. He glanced around the school darkroom, where he had been working alone, and saw Lacey's purple shimmer. 'You again,' he muttered.
As always, Tristan found it remarkably easy to match thoughts with Will.
He slipped quickly inside him, so he could communicate with both Will and Lacey.
Will blinked. 'Tristan?' he said aloud.
'Yeah,' he replied. The soap opera music continued in the background.
'You're off key, Lacey,' Tristan told her.
The humming stopped, and the purple shimmer moved closer to him and Will.
Will quickly put a roll of film behind him. 'Could you step back a little, Lacey? You might expose my film.'
'Well, excuse me!' she replied. 'I guess you two heroes don't need me around. I'll be on my way.' She paused to give them time to protest When neither of them did, she added, 'But before I go, let me ask you lover boys a few questions. Who got Rip van Winkle here out of the darkness before the next hundred years had passed? Who directed him to this darkroom?'
'I've been calling for you, Tristan,' Will explained. 'I need your help.'
'Who played guardian angel at Suzanne's party?' Lacey continued. 'Who told you when Ivy was in big
