"You said the police think it was James."
Simon nodded.
"But they don't know for sure?"
"No."
"Then we don't know it was James yet. Maybe the police have decided on the wrong person."
Simon looked at me miserably. "Then why didn't he come home last night? We don't know where he is. The police don't know where he is. Katie, if he's innocent, where is he?"
"Just keep an open mind." I tried to sound reassuring. "Maybe he just happened to be near the liquor store at the wrong time and was afraid he'd be accused of being involved the crime when he really wasn't. With a record like his, you can understand why he might be nervous."
Simon nodded again, and I could see the taut lines of his face begin to relax.
I went on in the same soothing tone. "James has been trying hard lately to pull his life together. You and I have both seen how he's changed. Please wait till you hear his side of things before you make up your mind."
Simon took in a deep breath and let it out heavily. His expression relaxed even more until he looked almost like his usual, cheerful self. "You're right. James has been doing better lately. Maybe it is a misunderstanding."
"Simon!" A shrill voice suddenly sounded right in my ear, startling me.
A girl was wedging herself in between Simon and me, forcing both of us to step back to give her room.
I soon found myself facing a dark glossy ponytail.
"Hi, Simon! How are you?" the girl chattered happily. "Are we still on for lunch today?"
I sighed inwardly as I realized that I recognized the voice.
"Irina?" I asked. "Is that you?"
The girl spun around. It was, as I had suspected, Irina Neverov. Her dark eyes glinted maliciously before widening into a convincing approximation of innocent astonishment. A polite mask settled over her flawless features. "Oh, Katie! I didn't see you there. Simon and I have a few things to discuss. Would you mind giving us a minute?" Irina flashed a bewitching smile. "Thanks so much."
I wondered as I had before how things had gotten to this point. Irina and I had been good friends when we were little, but now that we were in high school, we had somehow become enemies – and as far as I could see, the animosity was all on her side. I hadn't changed much over the years, but Irina had.
Simon broke in firmly. "I'll see you at lunch like I said, Irina. Katie, would you walk inside with me?"
"Sure." Clearly, Simon still needed to talk.
Simon took my elbow lightly and steered me across the yard and into the school. He didn't say anything, and I could see that his earlier tension had returned.
The two of us walked in silence until we reached my locker. I glanced up at Simon's face. His expression had gone impassive.
"Simon?" I prompted. "I assumed you still wanted to talk, but you haven't said a word."
"There's nothing going on between Irina and me," Simon blurted out. "You have nothing to worry about. We were assigned as partners for a science project. We're going to be meeting at lunch today and then after school for most of the week. I didn't get to choose. You're all that matters to me. You have to know that by now."
I felt guilt settling on me heavily. Charisse was right. Simon really did like me – a lot more than I had realized. "Simon, you don't owe me an explanation. You have the right to be friends with anyone you want to be friends with."
Simon's face grew pained. "But we're not friends. That's what I'm trying to tell you. We're having lunch together because we're using the time to work on the project. That's all. I should have told you, but I know you and Irina don't get along very well. I don't want you to think there's anything in it. You believe me, don't you?"
The more Simon talked, the worse I felt. "Simon, of course I believe you."
Simon smiled and looked deeply relieved. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."
"Simon, you don't owe me anything. It's okay if you want to have lunch with other people sometimes."
"I insist on making it up to you," Simon said, smiling and backing into the crowd of students that were milling around in the hall. "I'll see you later, Katie."
I watched him go. He'd been afraid I'd be jealous, but even after I'd heard he was going to have lunch with another girl, I'd felt no stab of envy. I liked Simon. I really did. But it was definitely a friendship. I felt another tug on my heart as I thought about Simon. I realized what it meant this time. Deep down, I must have known that his feelings for me were growing – and that I wouldn't be able to return them. I got my books and shut my locker door. The weight of my guilt was crushing me.
Homeroom and first period passed quickly. As I walked into second-period English I saw Irina sitting on my assigned desk, holding court with her two best friends, Bryony and Annamaria.
"We're meeting practically every day after school this week. Simon says it's just for the project, but I think Simon has an ulterior motive. I think he's using the project as an excuse to get to know me better."
Bryony and Annamaria giggled.
Irina was clearly trying to provoke a reaction from me, and I had no desire to play out the scene with her. I walked up to my desk and waited patiently. I knew Irina and her friends would have to move as soon as Mr. Del Gatto came into the classroom. I had seen him in the hall nearby talking to another teacher. I didn't have too long to wait.
Irina darted a furtive glance at me. "You know, when we're together, Simon can't take his eyes off me. I would say he's working up the courage to ask me out."
I resisted an impulse to roll my eyes. I wasn't upset by Irina's little show, but as I glanced around, I realized that she was attracting the attention of the rest of the class. People were whispering and staring, and I got the uncomfortable feeling that everyone was eager to see if an argument would break out. Apparently everyone else thought that Simon and I were a couple too.
I decided it was wiser to end everything now, rather than wait for Mr. Del Gatto.
"Excuse me, Irina," I said in a clear, firm voice. "You're sitting on my desk. I wouldn't mind sitting somewhere else, but you know how Mr. Del Gatto feels about his seating chart."
Irina blinked in surprise. This was clearly not the reaction she'd expected.
Several people in the class giggled.
Irina gave me a bright smile. "Oh, Katie. I didn't see you there. It's funny how you seem to be invisible today."
There were several more snickers.
Irina shot me a triumphant look.
I stood where I was, staring at Irina steadily.
At first, Irina returned my gaze defiantly. I think she still thought she could provoke me into having an outburst. But as our staring contest stretched on, Irina's gaze faltered, and I watched as a flush crept up under her olive coloring.
She slid off my desk and walked away with the eyes of the class upon her. I sat down at my desk. With the spectacle over, the class went back to talking about other things.
A few moments later, Mr. Del Gatto walked into the room. Just as he was turning to close the door, Branden and Charisse scurried into the room.
"Miss Graebel, Mr. McKenna, so good of you to grace us with your presence." Mr. Del Gatto was frequently sarcastic, but I knew that he really liked his students and his subject. He was actually one of my favorite teachers.
Branden and Charisse mumbled their apologies and went to their seats.
"All right, ladies and gentlemen, come to order, please."
The room quieted, and Mr. Del Gatto strode toward his desk at the front of the room. He pulled a key out of his pocket, unlocked a drawer, and pulled out a stack of papers. He set them on the desk with a slap.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to call roll, and then I'm going to pass out the quiz. None of this should be a surprise to you. The topic is Lydia Grace's play, The Maid and the Moon. We had a lecture on Friday, and of course, you should all have read the material – though I have my doubts about whether or not you all have done so."
There was a
collective groan from the room.
"There's no use in your complaining to me," Mr. Del Gatto said. "I gave you plenty of warning. Put away your books. You have a few moments to say your prayers while I take attendance."
While Mr. Del Gatto called roll, I took a quick mental inventory of what I knew about the play. We were doing a unit on local authors. In the 19th Century Lydia Grace had written a play dramatizing the founding of our town, Elspeth's Grove. Elspeth Quick had been born in the early 18th Century in a small community in New England. As a teenager, she had been falsely accused of witchcraft and had fled south to elude an angry mob bent on her destruction. Her true love, Christian Miller, followed her and eventually caught up with her. The two of them married in a small town, but were soon forced to flee into the untamed wilderness to escape detection by a search party. Following a thin thread of silver moonlight, Elspeth guided them through the forest to a fresh spring that ran through a grove of fruit trees. The two of them spent the summer in the grove and waited out their pursuers. Eventually, Elspeth and Christian found their way to a nearby town and established themselves there. They moved back to the forest once they were prosperous and a town sprang up around them.
How romantic, I thought, that they faced all those dangers together, and it was all true…
My reverie was broken when Mr. Del Gatto slapped a quiz down on my desk.
Before long, everyone had a copy of the quiz. Mr. Del Gatto moved back to the front of the room.
"In compensation for your great suffering today, after the quiz, we will watch a filmed version of the play. While watching, the quick amongst you will realize which questions you got wrong. Those less fortunate will watch in blissful ignorance, noticing nothing."
Mr. Del Gatto glanced up at the large round clock above the door. "Turn your quizzes over. You have twenty-five minutes."
I flipped the single sheet over and scanned the questions quickly. I was relieved to see that there were no questions I couldn't handle. I got to work.
Shortly before time was called, I set my pencil down and leaned back in my chair, glad to be finished.
I had a sudden strong urge to put my head down on the desk and go to sleep. Disturbingly, I also felt the strange calling that had heretofore only come to me at night.
"Time's up!" Mr. Del Gatto shouted.
I shook my head, trying to clear it.
Mr. Del Gatto walked around the room, collecting the quiz papers.
"I expect to give my red pen quite a workout tonight."
Mr. Del Gatto moved back to the front of the room and deposited the quizzes on his desk. Then he wheeled a TV and DVD player out of a corner to the front of the room. He switched on the movie.
"Mr. McKenna, would you do me the honor of switching off the lights?"
Branden extinguished the lights, and the room was plunged into semi-gloom.
I propped my chin on my hand and tried to ignore the unnatural feeling that was pulling at me. I forced myself to concentrate on the play.
As the minutes passed, I began to feel better. I watched the actors on the screen, and I felt myself drawn into the drama.
I spotted a dark shadow in one corner of the picture and frowned. I wondered if something was wrong with the TV. The shadow grew and began to move around the screen.
I looked around the room. All eyes were facing forward and appeared to be untroubled. No one else seemed to have noticed that anything was wrong with the picture.
I turned back to the movie. The shadow continued to move around the screen, growing darker and more distinct. I watched it, feeling a chill run through me. Suddenly the shadow coalesced into a clear shape. It was a man – the same man I had seen looking over my shoulder in the mirror that morning.
I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out and jumped to my feet.
I stumbled toward the door. "Mr. Del Gatto, I don't feel very well."
Mr. Del Gatto looked concerned. "Go to the bathroom or to the nurse – wherever you need to go. Just take the hall pass, so no one stops you."
I clutched at the little block of wood that served as the hall pass, and I flung myself out of the room.
I ran till I reached the nearest girls' bathroom. I pushed the door open and hurried inside, sinking to the floor in a corner, out of sight of the mirrors.
I closed my eyes and the man's face rose again in my memory. There was no doubt in my mind that I had just seen him in the TV screen. I had now seen him in three different places.
I opened my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair. What could it possibly mean? I wanted to call GM and tell her everything, but I knew it would really upset her. Suddenly I thought of the mysterious visitors from the previous night, Galina and Aleksandr. I wondered if they would know something about what was happening to me. But I had no idea how to find them.
I leaned my head back against the wall. I would have to figure this out on my own.
Using the wall for support, I climbed to my feet. I eyed the row of mirrors and sinks in front of me warily.
I would have to look.
I took a few tentative steps toward the mirror, and then I forced myself to move. I rushed forward, gripping the edge of a sink for support, my head down.
I raised my head and looked into the mirror. Only my own eyes stared back at me. I was alone in the smooth sheet of glass.
I breathed in and out slowly. I looked down at my hands. I realized I was shaking.
I heard the door to the bathroom creak in protest as it was flung open. I spun around startled.
Irina stalked into the bathroom, her eyes sweeping over the area suspiciously, looking for me. "Katie? Mr. Del Gatto sent me to see if you were in here. He says you're ill." She sounded like she didn't entirely believe it.
She caught sight of me, and I saw her eyes widen in surprise. "You're so pale. Are you okay?"
My head was swimming, but I gave her a reassuring smile. "Yes, I think so."
Irina took a step closer, scrutinizing my face. "Are you sure? It looks like something's really wrong."
I was surprised to see genuine concern in Irina's dark eyes. "I'm not ill. I just had kind of a spell."
Irina frowned. "What do you mean by a 'spell'?"
"I don't know exactly," I admitted. "But it's been happening more often lately."
"Maybe you should see a doctor."
I ran a hand across my forehead unsteadily. "I think you may be right."
"Are you well enough to go back to class?" Irina asked. "Or I can walk you to the nurse if you're not up to it."
"I can go back to class," I replied.
The two of us walked out of the bathroom together.
As we made our way back to class, I felt weak and unsure of my footing. Irina kept a watchful eye on me, as if she feared I would collapse.
When we reached the door to Mr. Del Gatto's class, I stopped. "Thanks, Irina," I said.
Her eyes narrowed warily and her usual mask slipped down over her features again. She opened the door and swept into the classroom without a word. She did not look back at me.
I followed her rigid back into the room.
"How are you feeling, Katie?" Mr. Del Gatto asked.
"I'm okay now, Mr. Del Gatto," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure that was true. I did know that I wouldn't be able to watch any more of the movie. I didn't want to see that strange face again.
The room was dark, and I could hear the actors on the TV speaking their lines. I tripped over someone's backpack as I made my way back to my seat. At least in the dark no one could see the blush that rose to my cheeks.
I sank into my chair and covered my eyes with my hands. I had no idea what I was going to do.
Chapter 3.
At the end of class, someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I jumped.
I turned to see Charisse standing next to my desk. The lights were on now.
"It's okay, Katie. The movie has been turned off." Charisse was staring at me quizzically. "Why did you hav
e your eyes covered? Are you feeling all right? You don't look very good."
"I'm okay." I began gathering up my things quickly. "Let's just get out of here."
"I can take you home," Charisse said.
"No, I'm fine," I replied.
We walked out into the hall. Charisse was eyeing me just as Irina had – as if I were in imminent danger of collapsing.
I made an effort to smile. "I'm better, really." I decided I would make that be true. I still felt unsteady, but the strange night call had subsided. At the very least, I felt like I could think straight. As long as I avoided reflective surfaces and the face of the harsh-featured man, I would be fine.
"What happened in the middle of the movie? Why did you run out of class like that?"
I knew I couldn't tell Charisse that I was losing my mind. "I-I suddenly felt very ill. But luckily, it wore off."
I figured it would be a good idea to change the subject. I didn't want to discuss the weird things that were happening right now. Charisse would never understand. "So where were you and Branden? It's not like you guys to cut it so close. You were almost late, and you know that's an automatic detention."
Charisse smiled mysteriously. "Branden had a question to ask me – something very important."
"About the quiz?"
Charisse giggled. "No."
"Then what was it?"
"I'll tell you later. Right now, it's a secret."
"Charisse!"
"I'll tell you, I promise. I'm not trying to be mysterious. I just told Branden I wouldn't tell anybody until he gets everything ready."
"You know you're only making me want to know more."
Charisse laughed. "The news will be worth the wait, trust me." She paused in the busy hallway and looked at me closely. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Charisse continued to stare at me. "Really."
"All right," Charisse said. "I'll see you at lunch. If you still aren't looking good then, I am definitely taking you home."
I spent the next two classes avoiding glass or anything that could hold a reflection. I was still a little rattled, but I was feeling close to normal again as I made my way into the cafeteria for lunch.
Pure (Book 1, Pure Series) Page 3
