by Cody Wagner
“You sure you’re OK?” Roze whispered.
I managed to nod, but I still had work to do. Glancing around, I noticed Janine sat rigidly at her desk. She wasn’t causing a commotion or leading a revolt, but she looked at her watch. A lot. It was unsettling, but I used the small break to gather myself and make a plan.
The second the bell rang, Janine was the first person out the door. I suspected her to bolt and went to take off after her when Roze grabbed my arm.
“What is wrong with you?”
Staring at the door, I blurted, “I have to pee!” and sprinted into the hall just in time to see Janine disappear into a crowd to my left.
I let a few students walk between us, but I made sure not to lose Janine as she jogged upstairs and to the end of the hall. After pacing back and forth, she turned and entered one of the English classrooms.
Rubbing my hands together, I leaned against a wall outside, knowing what I was about to do, and hating that I had to do it. Before I could stop myself, I tore a piece of paper out of my geometry notebook. Then, I slid to the floor, put the paper on my knee, and scribbled:
Janine is under control! Get her out of class!
Folding the paper, I hopped up and peeked around the corner into the classroom. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet, but a male and female Zealot sat in chairs at the front of the room. This was really bad. Whoever was teaching this class couldn’t miss my note. They just couldn’t. Frantic, I turned the paper over and wrote IMPORTANT! FROM THE SEEKER! on the front.
It was the first time I’d ever written the word Seeker, and I knew I’d freak out about it later. But this had to be done. We were at ground zero.
I spun around in a circle a few times, building myself up. Then, I walked into the classroom, past the Zealots, and set the note on the teacher’s desk. My hand started shaking again, but I pulled it back before anyone noticed. Turning, I smiled at the Zealots and said, “Hello.”
They ignored me—which is exactly what I’d hoped for—and I left.
The second I exited, I bolted next door into another classroom and peeked around the corner. What followed were the longest seven minutes of my life. Every apocalyptic scenario in the universe ran through my head as I waited.
Suddenly, the bell rang. I frantically started gnawing at a knuckle. Was the teacher not going to show up? If not, what was I going to do?
Then I saw Ms. Hawkins, an English teacher, trudging her way down the hall.
I leaned back into the classroom, panting.
“What are you doing?”
I looked over my shoulder to see an entire class staring at me. In my rush, I hadn’t realized I’d hidden in a room full of people. Awesome.
Normally, I would have tried to vanish into nothing. But what they thought of me meant nothing right now.
“Sorry, wrong room!” Without waiting for a response, I ran into the hall and made my way back to Janine’s classroom.
The door was closed.
Holding my breath, I tiptoed over and put my ear against the door. For a few seconds, I heard nothing. I folded my hands together and whispered, “Please, please, please.”
Suddenly, Ms. Hawkins’s voice rang out, just loud enough for me to hear.
“Janine. I was told to inform you that your parents are here. Please proceed to the Admissions Building.”
I pushed my ear harder against the door.
“Really?” Janine said. I could hear panic in her voice.
“Yes,” Ms. Hawkins said. “Please take your things and be on your way.”
An insanely long ten second pause spread across the room and through the door. I pictured Janine arguing with herself again. Would she attack Ms. Hawkins? Or say something to the Zealots?
A desk screeched as the legs scraped across the floor a few inches. Someone had stood. I heard footsteps. They got louder. Someone was heading to the door.
I forced myself back and took off running. The room a few doors down was empty, and I slid inside. Ms. Hawkins’s door open. I peeked out. Sure enough, Janine exited and made her way down the hall, still glowing purple.
I allowed myself one silent cheer before running to Chemistry, where no Zealots waited.
* * * * *
I trudged into the cafeteria at lunch, exhausted but happy. Janine had never reappeared, which was awesome. But I couldn’t assume she was the only one under control. I wanted to crawl into bed for days, but settled for allowing myself a few minutes to scarf down some food before heading back out to watch people.
Stumbling to the drink station, I saw a guy wearing a purple shirt. I chirped in surprise and tried to hide under the counter. He looked at me like I was covered in lice. Blushing, I pretended my shoelace had come untied. As soon as he walked away, I pushed myself up and stared at him. I’d really come to hate the color purple.
As I grabbed a tray and loaded up on food, the implications of what had happened today started sinking in. How would the Siren react to my foiling Janine? She would one hundred percent know a Seeker existed, and that couldn’t be good. At all.
A roll fell off my plate as I approached Roze and Cassie, and I didn’t even bother to pick it up. Grunting, I plopped my tray down.
Roze sat upright, her expression stoic. I glanced over at Cassie, whose hands trembled as she grabbed her glass of water. That’s when I heard a throat clear. Curious, I looked next to Cassie.
Mrs. Cooke sat there, primly judging me.
If she spoke, it didn’t register. I was immersed in shock like it was quicksand. For days, Mrs. Cooke had been flitting through my head with a giant arrow pointing at her. But I’d always managed to dismiss her as the Siren. This was strike three. First, she was around her husband, who was under control. Then, after a spat with Tracey, Tracey ended up under control. Now, Mrs. Cooke just happened to show up on the day Janine tried to wreck the school. This had to be more than coincidence, and I just stood there, stunned.
“What is wrong with you today?” Roze said.
Normally, I would have told Roze I’d just fought with my parents or something. But this was too much. After Janine, I was already shaken. Seeing Mrs. Cooke here after that broke my inner dam. I couldn’t keep it in any longer. I needed help.
I threw down my silverware. “Roze, I need to talk to you. About our gym final.”
Without waiting for an answer, I went to the trash and dumped my tray. When I turned, Roze stood next to me, more confused than ever.
“What is going on?”
I didn’t move my lips as I said, “Just smile and follow me outside.”
Although my entire body felt like jelly, I maintained my composure as I walked past the Zealots and pushed the doors open. Roze followed, and when we got outside, I practically yanked her toward the Classroom Center. When I was sure no one was around, I stopped.
“What’s happening? Seriously.” Roze’s eyes were full of worry.
I looked at the sky for a second, knowing things were about to change forever. Clouds skittered across, revealing patches of brilliant blue. I wanted to think that meant something nice, like things were about to get pretty and sunny. But I didn’t believe that. At all.
Taking a huge breath, I looked at Roze and said, “I’m the Seeker.”
Twenty
Revelations
Roze stood there, blinking. “You’re what?”
I let out another breath and whispered, “I’m the Seeker.”
“I heard what you said. Just say more.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the locket I’d been hiding. “Jimmy gave me this when he died.”
Roze took the locket, looked at me, and held it up. The sun was shining now, and light reflected off the polished bronze. “What is it?”
“I don’t really know,” I said. “But when he gave it to me, I got his power.”
“You mean . . .” Her voice trailed off as my words sank in.
“Yes.”
She squinted at me. “This better not be a joke
.”
“Would I really joke about this right now?”
“OK, then tell me how it works?” Skepticism infused her voice.
I took the locket back from her and we started walking to the gymnasium. “When someone’s under control, they glow.”
“Glow?”
“Yeah. A purple aura surrounds them.”
Roze shook her head. “I swear you’d better not be messing with me.”
“I promise I’m not.”
After a second, she said, “Prove it.”
“Huh?”
Roze rounded on me. “This is wild, you have to admit. I need proof.”
I took the locket back and pocketed it. “Janine was under control today.”
“What?”
“In Geometry. She was glowing purple.”
Roze’s eyes got wide. “That’s why you freaked out?”
“Yeah.”
She didn’t say anything for what felt like hours. Then she blurted, “This is huge. Huge! What would Janine have done?”
“I’m sure the Siren commanded her to reveal the truth about Sanctuary. Like Tracey.”
Roze grabbed my arm, her shock melting into anger. “Wait! Tracey was under control? And you could see it?”
I nodded.
She clenched her jaw, and I could see the gears turning in her head. “If you’re telling the truth about this, why didn’t you stop her?”
“I tried! I mean, I stopped Janine!”
“How?”
“I got her sent to the Admissions Building.”
I tried to continue walking, to make the conversation seem more casual, but Roze wouldn’t budge. “And what about Tracey? How did you try to stop her?”
“I left a note.”
Roze took a step toward me, furious. “What?”
“I put a note on Wolcott’s car.”
She leaned in and hissed, “The school doesn’t know about you!?”
I shook my head, shame creeping in. She was bringing up the subject I’d berated myself for. Hearing Roze berate me made me feel even guiltier. It got worse when she went quiet. No explosion, nothing.
Suddenly, she took off walking. Her fists were clenched in anger. I fell in behind her, as if I didn’t deserve to be next to her.
When we crossed the road lasso, she finally rounded on me, words close to boiling out of her mouth. I could see tears in her eyes. “You could have prevented all this!”
I couldn’t respond. It took a lot to make Roze cry. I felt my insides ripping up.
My shame didn’t lessen Roze’s anger.
“Why?” she growled.
“Why what?”
“Why doesn’t the school know? Why didn’t you tell them the instant Jimmy died?”
I fumbled for a response, but nothing came out.
Her voice got quieter and meaner. “Why doesn’t the school know?” She spoke each word as if it were its own sentence.
I’d never seen Roze that mad, and I backed up a step. Her anger shook something inside me. I thought of trying to butter her up or come up with a good story. But my shoulders collapsed, and I said, “I was scared.”
“Of?”
I threw my hands up. “Of everything. I was scared I’d be singled out, like Jimmy. I was scared of looking like a weirdo. I was scared of what would happen to me and my freedom. Most of all, I was scared the Siren would find me, and I’d end up . . .” My voice went quiet as I said, “Like Jimmy.”
Roze studied me for what felt like hours. Her expression softened a bit. The first bell rang, but we remained there, staring at each other.
“Why did you tell me now?”
I went to speak, but stopped. Letting the words out felt like it might make them true. And if they were true, things were about to get very, very bad. A few students walked by, and I used that as an excuse to remain quiet for just a few more seconds. Then I whispered, “I think Mrs. Cooke is the Siren.”
If anything could have shaken the anger out of Roze, that was it. She took a few steps backward, like she was falling. Her mouth moved, but she didn’t speak. Then, without so much as a nod, she headed to the gym. I fell in behind her, silent. The news was so huge, she needed time to process.
We made it all the way to the doors before she said, “Why?”
“Why do I think it’s her?”
She nodded, and I proceeded to tell her all about Mr. Cooke and Tracey and Janine. I expected some questions, but Roze went quiet again, entered the gym, and disappeared into her dressing room.
If it weren’t for Roze constantly staring at me, PE might have been enjoyable. Sadly, she looked at me differently than she ever had. It’s like she was trying to figure me out. And it made me really uncomfortable. This is exactly what I’d feared: I was now a freak people had to analyze.
I tried to pretend everything was OK, but deep down, it hurt. If my best friend looked at me like that, how would everyone else treat me? It’s another reason I didn’t want to come clean.
When PE ended, and we headed back to the Classroom Center, I rounded on Roze. “I’m sorry, but you have to say something. Right now. Please.”
Roze looked at me for a second then glanced over my shoulder. “I don’t see how it could be Mrs. Cooke. Sounds too circumstantial.”
I squinted at her. That wasn’t the direction I thought she was going to go.
She added, “But . . . ”
I didn’t look at her since she wasn’t looking at me and said, “But we have to look into it, right?”
She nodded, still avoiding eye contact.
A girl ran past me and I was suddenly envious of her innocence in all this. Ignorance really was bliss. Especially with this conversation—between me and my best friend—residing in the awkward zone.
As we walked up the sidewalk to the Classroom Center, I kept the conversation on Mrs. Cooke. “I’ve looked into Cassie’s mom a little. She’s not a big name. She’s a campaign manager’s housewife.”
“Senator Joseph’s campaign manager’s wife,” Roze countered. Then she held up a hand. “Wait. Senator Joseph. Is he—”
“Glowing? Yes.”
She grabbed my shoulders and finally looked me in the eyes. “You have to tell the school about him. Now.”
I did a double-take. I’d been so caught up in the immediate danger at Sanctuary, Senator Joseph himself had faded from my mind. But he was at the root of all this.
I think Roze expected me to protest because she went to speak again. But I nodded, pulled away, and said, “You’re right.” And with that, I took off to the Admissions Building and left the following note in Wolcott’s car door handle:
Senator Joseph is under control.
I honestly didn’t know if it would do any good. Wouldn’t Sanctuary and the Lighthouse Committee or whoever already have suspected him? That thought didn’t matter. I was doing the right thing. Finally.
* * * * *
The following morning, I rushed outside early again, determined to continue my Seeker duties. Exhaustion tore away at me. I’d barely slept. More than anything, I was worried about Cassie. Luckily, she’d slept in the room—not at a hotel with Mrs. Cooke—so I knew she was safe. But that also meant I had no idea where Mrs. Cooke was. For all I knew, she was walking around controlling more people.
As I approached the cafeteria, I saw Roze walking toward me. We’d talked a little last night, and she decided to come with me on my survey missions. I wasn’t sure what I thought of that. In any other situation, it would have been great. But things were still weird between us. Maybe spending time together would make things normal again.
“Seen anything?” she asked.
“Nope. Learn anything?”
“Nope. You’re right. Mrs. Cooke is a nobody. Just a worthless little committee thing here or there.”
“Yep.”
She stood for a few seconds then nodded. “So how do we do this? Where do you watch people?”
Inwardly, I sighed. Roze didn’t ask how I w
as doing or anything. This was pure business. Things weren’t going to return to normal that quickly.
Trying to push the thought away, I shrugged. “I try to walk through high traffic areas.”
“OK. Where do we start?”
“Let me look in the cafeteria real quick.”
Everything appeared to be normal, and we headed to the Classroom Center. It was still so early, hardly anyone was around. But we made circles around the building and the library just in case.
Fifteen minutes before the first bell rang, traffic picked up. Roze became frenetic, pacing around me and staring all over the place. I think she hated feeling useless. I tried reassuring her that her presence calmed me. But honestly, I didn’t mean it. Part of me wished I’d never told her. I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked at the front doors.
That’s when I saw it.
A girl walking in the middle of a pack of students glowed purple.
“Oh my god.”
Roze grabbed my arm. “What?”
“See the girl in the blue jacket? I think her name’s Rain.”
“Yes. What about her?”
I looked at Roze. “She’s glowing.”
Roze must have seen how scared I was, because she stopped pacing and said, “Hey, you fended off Janine by yourself. We’ve got this.”
I was about to agree, when I saw another purple glow. It was around a girl heading toward us from the library.
I gripped Roze’s shoulder. “Another one. There. Jackie from World History.”
Then, like a scene from my worst nightmare, I saw another girl glowing. Then another.
Three minutes later, I’d seen eight girls under control.
I’d never been more scared in my life. It was hopeless. There was no way I could stop that many people.
Roze’s voice cracked as she said, “Have you ever seen this many people glowing?”
“No! I’ve only ever seen one at a time.”
I was about to collapse on the front steps, when a massive sense of purpose hit. I’d promised myself I would do everything I could to save Sanctuary. Now it was time to put my money where my mouth was.
