“I don’t know. Why don’t I talk to my friend and get back to you?” Shanda would die before she’d ever agree to a double date, especially in a city she knew like the layout of Tiffany’s.
“I’m gonna hold you to it, girl.” Kevin resorted to the he-man nod. Gag me.
“Fine then. See you around, I guess.” I flipped my hair behind my shoulder.
“Tonight.” Will said through gritted teeth. “We’ll see you tonight at the Nexis study session.”
“Right.” I waved goodbye to a grinning Kevin and a jaw-dangling Will. When I stole a backward glance, they both stared after me. So much for playing it safe. Hopefully Shanda wouldn’t kill me.
Chapter 4
A musty smell wafted to my nose as soon as I pushed open the library doors. I inhaled the familiar smell of books. A pleasant smell, one of possibilities. Libraries had always been a haven for me, a calm place to sift through the muddle of my thoughts. Except tonight, I was wary of this particular library. Or more precisely, the Nexis members we’d come to meet with. My insides swirled with a mix of dread and anticipation.
Tall wooden stacks beckoned to me, like they knew exactly how to comfort me. I reached out and rubbed the dimpled spine of a book near the aisle. Shanda’s elbow rammed into my back and prodded me forward. At least I had my new roomie at my side. She was turning out to be an amazing friend.
Shanda followed me past the stacks to an open table in the middle of the study area. “Where are all the guys? I thought at least there’d be someone cute to distract me or I never would’ve agreed to this.” Her annoyed pitch echoed off the coffered ceilings of the immense room. No wonder everyone whispered.
“Could you be any louder?” I hissed at her. Clumps of study groups and loners on laptops littered half of the creaky wooden tables. Back at Alton High, nobody would be caught dead in the library so early in the semester.
“This was your idea. It’s not like I care about that half-baked Nexis Society.” She clanged her bag on the table, but her tone hushed to a murmur.
“Don’t worry, we won’t be here long. I’ve got a night class in an hour.” I settled into a seat at the middle table with a perfect view to hide behind my book and hawk the main entrance.
“You really got the shaft there, didn’t you?” She followed my lead and pulled out a book, too. Except hers was upside down and she darted her eyes around the room like a drama queen. “Maybe when Will gets here, we can ask him about the telescope.”
“Yeah, right. Like they’d ever tell us before we join up.” Shaking my head, I turned her book right-side up. “I’m excited about my Ancient Writings class. I love old books, and it’s in the chapel library. What could be better?” My thoughts flew to the postcard and my brother’s strange words about stained glass. Tonight I’d figure out if James left a clue for me in the chapel library.
A guy with bleach blond hair flung open the glass doors. That had to be Kevin, but he wasn’t alone.
I elbowed Shanda in the ribs. “Quick, time to play it cool. Here comes your Nexis man candy.”
She twisted her neck in his direction and smacked my arm. “Quiet, girl, now who’s being loud?” Another glance at him and she turned back to me, eyes more alive than ever.
“Not exactly what I meant by playing it cool.” I stifled a chuckle as the guys approached.
Kevin cleared the aisle for his friend like a bodyguard. Lost behind surfer shoulders and that spiky hair, I strained for a glimpse of his mystery friend.
The Stanton boy breezed past the stacks to our table, silver-grays flashing. “Hello, ladies. Looks like you’re our only new recruits looking for extra credit.”
“It’s my girl here you need to talk to. I’m here as moral support.” Shanda pointed to me, then wrangled Kevin into the chair next to her. “So how have you been?”
“Thanks a lot,” I mumbled under my breath.
She just shrugged and kept talking to Kevin. Their conversation faded as I focused on the sculpted face of the guy towering over me. Will looked good in his dark jeans and navy t-shirt. His sandy hair held a hint of gold under the light, but all natural, unlike Kevin’s bleach job. Inked strokes of an arm-wrap tattoo peeked out under his right sleeve, drawing my eyes to his biceps. If I were bold like Shanda, I’d just ask about it.
He straddled the chair next to me. “Sorry about my slip up the other night. Are you still interested in what Nexis offers?”
I sucked in a breath. I didn’t even want to think about that horrible Nexis meeting and the revelations about my brother, but I still needed answers. All of my James questions hammered into my brain, but I held my tongue. As Dad would say, there was a time and a place for everything. “I’m definitely intrigued.”
“How about I teach you some actual history?” Will’s fingers brushed mine as he grabbed my Secret Society Origins book, opening to a picture of Noah’s ark. “For instance, you think you know this story, right?”
“The flood?” The question prickled my skin. Or maybe it was his proximity. I squinted at the book. “Everyone knows about Noah’s ark. They even made a dumb movie about it.”
He shook his head, then came close. My heart skittered. His cinnamony breath spiced the air between us. “Sure, but not everyone knows the authentic story. The Nexis story.”
His eyes narrowed into lines of steel, like his opinion of me hinged on my response. All the lights in the library dimmed, casting wicked shadows all around us.
Sweat droplets bubbled on my palms and I wiped them on my jeans. “What do you mean? Like there’s some
