Pure (Book 1, Pure Series)

by Mesick, Catherine

  "That's probably a good thing," Simon replied. "I think you should stay away from the teachers. Talking to other students and their parents is one thing, but asking questions about men you don't know very well is probably not a good idea. What do we do after we're done asking all our questions?"

  "We meet up and share everything we've learned," I said, "and I do mean everything – no matter how disturbing or unimportant it may seem. Any little piece of information may turn out to be the key to the whole thing."

  "Okay," Simon said.

  "Simon, Katie, what are you two still doing here?"

  A new voice broke in on our conversation.

  I looked up to see Mr. Hodges, the gym teacher, standing beside our table. He was wearing sweats in the school colors of blue and white as he often did, and he was holding a carton of milk and a banana.

  "Hi, Mr. Hodges," Simon said.

  "Hi, yourself," Mr. Hodges replied, incredulous. "The bell ran a little while ago. The two of you are late for homeroom."

  I felt myself coloring. "Sorry, Mr. Hodges. We were talking, and I never even heard the bell ring."

  I glanced around. The cafeteria was empty except for the three of us.

  Mr. Hodges sighed in exasperation. "It's no big deal, Katie. I know you two are good kids. And everybody's distracted and on edge lately. If you give me a sheet of paper and a pen, I'll write passes for you both."

  I quickly furnished Mr. Hodges with pen and paper. He tore the sheet in half and wrote out a pass for each of us.

  He handed the passes to Simon and me. "Now get to class. You're going to miss all of the announcements if you don't hurry."

  "Yes, Mr. Hodges," Simon said.

  "Thanks, Mr. Hodges," I said.

  Simon and I quickly rose and pulled on our backpacks. Mr. Hodges followed us out into the hall, and then turned off, heading in the direction of the gym.

  Simon and I hurried on through the empty halls toward our respective homerooms.

  When we came to a parting of the ways, Simon stopped and smiled at me. He stood for a moment, not saying anything.

  I looked up and down the corridor. It was strange being in the halls when no one else was around.

  "Well, I'll see you at lunch," I said.

  "Thanks, Katie," Simon said.

  I was puzzled. "Thanks for having lunch with you?"

  "No. Thanks for wanting to help James."

  In one swift movement, he leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips, his hand under my chin.

  Simon turned and headed to his classroom.

  I was left staring after him in wonder, pressing my fingertips to my lips.

  Chapter 8.

  I had trouble concentrating during first-period Social Studies.

  Mr. Fehr stood at the front of the room behind a podium like he usually did, lecturing from his notes. I really liked his class, but I had too much to think over to be able to pay attention.

  Simon's kiss had chased everything else out of my mind. We'd known each other for a long time, and we'd always been friends. When I'd realized recently that his feelings for me ran deeper than that, and after the night calling that was clouding my mind had died away, I'd opened my mind to the possibility that we could be more than friends. Had my feelings for him changed? We'd certainly never kissed before.

  I let my pen trail down the sheet of notebook paper in front of me, watching but not really seeing, as the pen drew a long, blue line across the page. The kiss had been really nice, but somehow it made the two of us seem more like friends than ever. I didn't know what I was looking for in a kiss, but something was missing. If I realized now that I saw Simon as a friend, rather than as a boyfriend, didn't I owe it to him to tell him?

  Of course, James's disappearance made the discussion out of the question. Simon did not need to have any emotional issues to deal with on top of the ordeal he was already going through. So, I would have to wait until James was safe again. And who knew? Maybe I'd ultimately realize that I did want to be with Simon after all. I really liked him and cared about him. Maybe that was enough. And William always seemed to be in a rush to get away when he talked to me. The last time I'd seen him he hadn't said anything about seeing me again. Maybe he didn't want to.

  The idea that William might not want to see me again left me feeling miserable.

  When the bell rang to signal the end of the period, I was jolted out of my reverie. I swept my things into my backpack and rose from my desk.

  As I filed out into the hall to go to second-period English, I realized that there was one snag in my plan to investigate the disappearances – GM wasn't going to let me out of the house on my own. Maybe she would let me go out with Simon. We were planning to meet up for the movies on Saturday night after all, and GM knew about that. But Simon was supposed to be doing his own investigating. I sighed. It was too bad that asking Charisse was out of the question.

  For some reason, I was surprised when I reached English class to find that Mr. Hightower was indeed gone. Mrs. Swinburne, a sub I had had many times, sat behind the teacher's desk in a print dress, her fluffy hair standing out in a brown cloud around her face. Prim, proper Mrs. Swinburne was as different as it was possible to be from the flashy Mr. Hightower. Mrs. Swinburne glanced up at me as I set my backpack down and smiled. Then she went back to the papers she was looking through.

  As more people walked into the classroom, I kept glancing over my shoulder, hoping to see Charisse or Branden. I wondered how they were doing and whether they'd gone through with their marriage plans yet. I had a feeling that I would have heard if they had, but for all I knew, they could have done it and were now doing a good job of keeping it a secret.

  Soon, the class was full, except for the two of them and the missing Irina. I glanced anxiously at the clock. Charisse and Branden were seconds away from being late, and while Mr. Hightower might not have given out detentions, Mrs. Swinburne wasn't so lenient.

  The bell rang, and Mrs. Swinburne got up to close the door. Charisse and Branden were officially late.

  Just as Mrs. Swinburne was swinging the door shut, Charisse and Branden came running into the room. Charisse's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Mrs. Swinburne. She and Branden hurried toward their seats.

  "Not so fast, you two." Mrs. Swinburne's voice was sharp.

  All eyes in the class turned toward Mrs. Swinburne.

  Branden froze where he was. Charisse continued on to her seat.

  Mrs. Swinburne frowned. "Step this way, please, Mr. McKenna, Miss Graebel." Mrs. Swinburne had been a sub in the district for a long time, and she knew just about everybody in the class.

  She went to her desk and opened a drawer.

  Branden hung his head and followed her to the desk. Charisse remained seated where she was.

  Mrs. Swinburne pulled a pad of orange slips out of the drawer and began to write on the top slip.

  "I don't know what your previous substitute was like," she said stiffly, darting an angry glance first at Charisse and then at Branden, "but the rules of this school state that any student who is not inside his or her classroom before the bell will be considered tardy. The rules of this school also state that the penalty for tardiness is automatic detention. I intend to follow those rules."

  Branden groaned. "Aw, Mrs. Swinburne."

  "No arguments, Mr. McKenna." Mrs. Swinburne tore the top slip off the pad with a snap and handed it to Branden. She began writing on the next slip as he slouched to his chair and slumped in his seat.

  "Miss Graebel, approach my desk, please." Mrs. Swinburne's head was bent as she continued to write.

  The class waited breathlessly. Everyone seemed to sense that a confrontation was brewing. I hoped that Charisse wasn't going to do anything that would get her into any more trouble than she was already in.

  Mrs. Swinburne raised her head. "Miss Graebel, I have known you since I was the substitute for your second-grade class. Don't think you'll get around me."

  I glanced back
at Charisse. She was staring at Mrs. Swinburne defiantly.

  "Miss Graebel," Mrs. Swinburne said sharply. "My desk. Now. Or I might start thinking about extending your detention for several days."

  Charisse stood up sulkily and walked up to the teacher's desk.

  I breathed out, relieved.

  Mrs. Swinburne tore off another orange slip and held it out to Charisse.

  Charisse took it wordlessly and returned to her seat.

  "Now, class," Mrs. Swinburne said. "I am going to be your substitute for the foreseeable future. I am Mrs. Swinburne. I know most of you, and most of you know me. Please don't doubt me when I say I do things by the book. I will start by taking roll."

  Mrs. Swinburne was strict, but I was glad that someone who would pay attention to the class was in charge. Mrs. Swinburne, at least, would know who was in her class and who wasn't. That was definitely reassuring when people were disappearing.

  Mrs. Swinburne ran through the roll, and then rose from her seat. "Class, your last substitute left no notes, so I’m going to go back to Mr. Del Gatto's lesson plan and follow it exactly."

  She went to the corner of the room and pulled out the stand with the TV and DVD player. "According to the lesson plan, you were watching a movie on the date when Mr. Del Gatto became indisposed. So we will go back to the movie, and then continue on with the lesson plan from there."

  The class protested.

  "It's no use your complaining," Mrs. Swinburne said firmly. "I don't care if you have seen this before or not. I have been getting the impression that things have been getting lax over the last few days. The best way to get back on track is to go back to the lesson plan and proceed in an orderly fashion from there."

  The class continued to grumble as Mrs. Swinburne switched the movie on and went to the back of the room to turn off the lights. She remained standing at the back of the room to keep an eye on the class.

  I was happy that we were going to watch the movie again. I hadn't seen William in a mirror or a screen in several days, and I knew it wasn't likely that I would see him there again, but I hoped I might see him anyway. As the familiar music of The Maid and the Moon filled the room, I scanned the screen eagerly, watching for any trace of his face.

  But minute after minute went by, and there was no sign of William. I tried to will him to appear, but it didn't help. So, I gave up and concentrated on the movie.

  Suddenly, an image flashed in front of my eyes, blotting out the TV screen. I was standing in the dark. In front of me was a glowing sphere of red and gold. Next to me was William. He was staring at me with a look of shock on his face.

  The image vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and I felt a shudder run through me. I blinked and looked around. Everything was normal as before.

  I found that I was breathing hard, and I worked to calm myself. What had just happened? The image that had flashed before me was more vivid than any of the brief visions I had seen in glass. Were things going to get worse? And what did the image I'd seen mean? I tried to get the image to return, but no matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn't bring it back.

  Before I knew it, the bell was ringing, and Mrs. Swinburne was switching on the lights. I quickly packed up and left the room. This time I didn't bother to look for Charisse and Branden. I knew they wouldn't wait for me.

  As I walked to my next class, I wondered if my visions had entered a new stage – it felt like something was speeding up. But ultimately I had no answers. Once again, I wished I could talk to my mother.

  By lunch time, I was still having trouble concentrating. I hoped that eating something would make me sharper. I would have a lot to do soon with my investigations, and I needed to have a clear mind.

  As I made my way through the hall, I had a feeling that I was being watched again. I looked around, half-expecting to see the floating eyes that I had seen a couple of times now, but nothing was there. I was happy about that. I didn't need any more visions or hallucinations at the moment.

  As I walked into the cafeteria, I was met by the welcome aroma of pizza. I spotted Simon, already seated, and waved to him. Then I went to join the line.

  I thought back to the kiss again. I wondered if Simon would mention it. I didn't feel much like discussing it – I hoped his mind would be on other things.

  Simon smiled at me as I sat down by him, and I realized that I still didn't know how I was going to get to see Irina's parents, since I wasn't allowed to go anywhere alone and Simon would be busy with his own investigations. I decided I would take my chances with GM herself. Since she was planning to pick me up after school anyway, maybe she wouldn't mind taking a little detour.

  Then I realized that I didn't actually know where Irina lived. Maybe I could look Irina up online. There couldn't be too many Neverovs in Elspeth's Grove.

  "You're awfully quiet," Simon said. "And you haven't touched your food yet."

  I looked up at Simon. "Sorry. I was just thinking ahead to tonight. I want to go see Irina's parents, and I realized that I don't know where she lives."

  Simon took a bite of his pizza. "I think her parents are divorced. I don't know where they live, though."

  I took a bite of my pizza, too. "I think you're right about the divorce. I remember now that William told me she was taken from her father's house. I guess that means her parents live separately. I should probably go see both parents."

  Simon frowned at the mention of William's name. "I really think you should stop talking to that guy."

  "I haven't seen him at all today," I said. At least not in person, I thought to myself, remembering the very clear image that had come to me in English class.

  Simon seemed mollified by that. "You could ask Annamaria or Bryony where Irina's parents live."

  "That's true," I said. I scanned the cafeteria. I didn't see either one of them.

  While I was looking around, Simon looked up and glanced at someone behind me. He sent a friendly nod over my shoulder.

  I turned to see who it was. Branden had a hand raised in a wave, and Charisse was pointedly not looking at us.

  I turned back to Simon. I couldn't help feeling wistful. "Does Branden still talk to you?"

  "Yeah, of course," Simon said. He suddenly became very interested in his pizza.

  "He does?" I asked.

  "Yeah. It's no big deal."

  It was a big deal to me. "Has Branden told you anything?"

  "Like what?"

  "Like what? What have they been up to? Have they gotten married yet? When is Charisse going to talk to me again?"

  "Everything's fine," Simon said. "Don't worry about it."

  "What does that mean?" I asked.

  "It means 'don't worry.' Things will work out."

  I sighed and bit into my pizza. I didn't understand why Simon was being so calm about it all.

  We finished lunch and went our separate ways to our next classes. As I walked through the halls, I kept an eye out for Annamaria and Bryony. I didn't have any more classes with them, and I didn't know where their lockers were. To my disappointment, I didn't spot either one of them.

  The rest of the day passed without my seeing Annamaria or Bryony. As the final bell rang, and the halls flooded with students, I waded out amongst them, craning my neck, frantically trying to spot someone who could tell me about Irina.

  After a quick trip to my locker, I ran outside. I figured I could watch the yard as people left for the day – that way I might be able to spot one of my targets.

  I found a good place to stand – on a little hill with a tree – and the minutes ticked by as I watched students streaming out of the school. There were a lot more people being picked up by their parents today.

  A guy in a plain white T-shirt paused and stared at me. I wondered if maybe this spot under the tree was his usual spot to meet his friends.

  I turned around to scan the rest of the schoolyard. Maybe I'd missed Annamaria and Bryony when they'd come out. I didn't spot them in that direction either.


  "Come on. Where are you guys?" I whispered to myself.

  I turned back to face the school. The guy in the white T-shirt was gone.

  I had that strange feeling again that I was being watched. I glanced around quickly. As I did so, a piece of paper fluttered down and hit me on the nose. Then it floated gently to the ground.

  I picked it up. Scrawled on a piece of notebook paper were two names: 'Dolores Silver' and 'Ivan Neverov.' Beneath each of the names was an address. Next to 'Ivan Neverov' there was a note: out of town.

  I looked around again and up into the branches of the tree I was standing next to. No one was around. The information I needed had literally fallen out of the sky.

  I stood for several moments, stunned. I looked around one last time just to be sure. There really was no one near me. Since I had what I needed, I decided to go with it. I got out my phone and called GM.

  She answered immediately. "Katie, are you ready to come home from school now?"

  "Uh, yes," I said. I was a bit startled by how quickly she had answered.

  "Stay in the schoolyard," GM said firmly. "Stay inside the fence until you see me."

  GM hung up.

  I sighed and put my phone away. I'd wanted to ask GM about going to see Irina's parents, but she hadn't given me a chance. I knew there would be no use in calling her back. GM wouldn't answer – she would be entirely focused on getting to the school. At least that would give me a few minutes to think.

  If the mysterious note could be trusted, Mr. Neverov was out of town. So even though Irina had been taken from her father's house, I figured I should go to see her mother first. Irina's mother surely would have been told everything that had happened the night Irina disappeared, and she would also know about any recent developments. Maybe she would even know when Mr. Neverov was coming back. All I had to do was make the visit sound reasonable to GM.

  I glanced up at the road beyond the fence just in time to see GM gliding to a graceful stop in front of the school.