Footsteps pounded the pavement behind us, high pitches and low tones flitting above the din.
Brooke reached us first, gasping for breath. “What was that? You guys just took off.”
“Like the place was on fire or something,” Lenny chimed in, the only half-smiling face in the bunch.
Bryan reached for my hand, but my arm was limp in his grip. “Are you okay, what happened?”
“I, uh ...” I whipped my head toward Tony. His pale face stared back at me, contorted in an odd expression. “We had to see something for ourselves.”
He zipped up his leather jacket, his tough guy persona roaring back in a flash. He inched his way in front of me, protective, almost like James. “Lucy saw something strange, said it had something to do with the Seer, so I had to see it for myself.”
“Hush.” I drew my finger to my lips. “Not here.”
“But that doesn’t explain anything.” Brooke’s lips furrowed into a frown. “Like why you went running out of the gallery.”
I couldn’t look at her. She wouldn’t understand, none of them would. “I don’t know if I can explain. It sounds impossible.”
“But Tony saw it too, right? You have to tell us.” She crossed her arms in front of her tiny frame.
I exhaled a breath at Tony and he nodded. We both stared at the subway entrance, hoping she’d pop up and explain herself.
“I saw Felicia with ...” The words, the truth, stuck to my tongue, unwilling to move.
Tony scratched his chin as he stared at the group. “She saw Felicia leave with a strange guy, probably her dad. He had on a really weird necklace. It looked like the mark of the Seer.”
Pushing up my jacket sleeve, I held up my wrist, the singed skin red against my pale skin.
Slowly, each of their faces fell like dominoes, one by one.
Bryan dropped my hand. It thudded to my side. “What are you saying, she’s a traitor? That can’t be true—no way. She’s been my best friend since middle school. It just can’t be true.”
“No one’s saying that.” Tony put a hand on his shoulder, staring him straight in the eye. “It’s just shady. She saw the symbol necklace. I saw it, too. It’s true.”
“Fine, you both saw some symbol on a necklace.” Bryan shrugged off Tony’s hand, edging away from me with a face full of too many emotions to name. “Maybe it doesn’t mean what you think it does. Maybe it’s a mistake. We’ll have to investigate.”
With a nod, he punctuated the end of his sentence like it was some kind of final word. And it burned me up inside. This guy really thought he knew everything, didn’t he? Obviously, he didn’t trust me even after all we’d been through.
“Great, investigate all you want. I’d start at the gallery. The symbol is right there on her painting. Figure it out for yourself.” The burning inside washed away as a flood of unshed tears beat against my eyes like river rocks ready to overflow. I couldn’t stand him or that sick expression all over his face anymore. I huffed and whirled down the subway steps in front of me.
Tony clutched my bicep, halting me on the second step. “Lucy’s right. Not here. We have to get out of here, find someplace secluded. We’ll hold a special meeting without Felicia, okay?”
“Since when are you allowed to call special meetings?” Bryan’s eyes exploded like fireballs aimed at Tony, even me.
“You guys do whatever you want, but I’m going to find out what that symbol means. With or without you.” I didn’t wait for a reply. I snapped my head around and marched down the dark subway stairs by myself. I’d figure this out on my own. I didn’t need their approval. I had resources of my own.
~
Darkness covered my dorm room, but I couldn’t sleep. Shanda’s breathing rose and fell in a hushed rhythm. I stared at the ceiling, transfixed by the glowing stars above my head, drawing my own constellations. The questions whirred among the plastic stars like a celestial carnival ride, counting down until midnight. Was Felicia really a Watcher? Did that make her some kind of spy? But what really irked me was that Bryan didn’t believe me. Nothing made sense anymore. That’s why I was going to sneak out at midnight … to find the answers on my own.
Gingerly I rolled over, the green numbers of my alarm clock glaring 11:45. I tapped my fingers on the comforter. I couldn’t wait any longer. Slipping out from under the covers, I padded across the fuzzy white rug to my closet and shimmied into the first pair of flats I found. Then I lifted my Montrose hoodie from its hook and slid Harlixton’s keys from their hiding place into the front pocket. Finally, my chance for some real chapel study time without any distractions.
Slowly, I closed the door behind me until it clicked. This late at night the hallway was dark, with creepy shadows. I shivered and zipped up my hoodie.
I tiptoed down the hall and crept back stairs straight into the kitchen. Making a beeline for the sink, I slid the window open. I hopped up onto the counter, swung my legs out the window, and shimmied down the siding until my flats found the dewy grass. Shutting the window behind me, I raced across the empty lawn. Dew soaked into my flats, squishing between my toes.
As the night chill whipped around me, I huddled into my hoodie. Skirting buildings, I slinked through the shadows until I reached the back side of the chapel. Now what? Mr. Harlixton hadn’t exactly given me detailed instructions when he handed me the giant old key.
Leaves rustled behind me, and I turned to see Laura and Brooke creeping toward me.
“Hey!” I whisper-screamed, waving them over. “What did you guys follow me?”
“It wasn’t hard to do in that crazy outfit of yours.” Laura pointed at my pajama pants.
“Nice PJs. Purple stripes go great
