The war might have gone on until the tree had been divested of all its new acorns, but Marielle and Meagan emerged from the house with a pitcher of lemonade and tray of cups. That ended the conflict and brought those in the tree down to earth, though Alec had to make two trips. After he reached the ground the first time, Lizzy insisted she could not come down by herself and must be carried down on Alec’s back.
Once everyone settled, Marielle took on the role of hostess. She poured the lemonade with all the dignified sobriety of a fourteen-year-old and began a “proper” conversation. “Mother says to thank all of you very much for your hard work,” she said as she filled the last of the mismatched cups. “She wishes she could come out and thank you in person, but she isn’t feeling very well. She says to ask how things have been going ‘out there’ for all of you.”
The reference to the Hill as “out there” amused Reed, but he hid his smile behind his faded blue glass. The lemonade was making him feel better already.
“Well,” Sarah took a sip from her plastic yellow cup, “I guess you could say they’re fine. I’m not in the Dorms anymore, but it seems to have calmed down after that search thing a few weeks ago. I don’t know of anything else. Oh, except that concert coming up.”
Marielle’s prim hostess demeanor vanished, and she nearly dropped her glass in her lap. “Oh, I know! I’ve heard so much about that!”
“Yeah,” Reed agreed, finishing off his lemonade. “Everybody’s talking about it. They’re, like, the greatest group ever.”
“Group?” Marielle turned to him, puzzled. Then realization dawned on her face. “Oh, you mean that concert—the Hordes of Hell.”
“Marielle!”
“No, really! That’s the name of the band!”
“Heck, yeah, it is!” said Reed. He enthusiastically spit an ice cube back into his glass. “The whole Hill’s gone crazy over their latest single! Everybody’s going to hear them live.”
“Well,” Sarah hesitated, “I was actually talking about the lead from the Broadway Les Mis that’s coming through on tour. I really don’t want to go to the other one. Marielle, how did you know about it?”
“Like he said,” the other girl shrugged. “Everybody’s gone crazy over them. There’re posters and billboards plastered all over town, and the newspaper’s hardly talked about anything else. I hate it. They give me the creeps.”
Reed hardly noticed this last comment. He sat up and stared at Sarah.
“You don’t want to go to their concert? They’re the biggest thing right now!”
“I don’t really care how big they are,” said Sarah frankly, sliding her cup back onto the tray. “I just don’t like them. I mean, they’re not even mainstream! They are way out there.” She dried her hands on her lap. “Besides, their pictures give me nightmares. I probably couldn’t sleep for weeks if I saw them in person.”
“Oh, come on! It can’t be that bad.”
“Well, most of their stuff is censored on YouTube,” Lucy countered. She was brushing bark out of Lizzy’s hair across the circle. “But I think you’re missing Sarah’s point, Reed. What she meant is that whatever’s ‘in’ right now shouldn’t determine your standards of right and wrong. You’d be changing them every day if it did. There has to be something steadier to base your principles on.”
Reed opened his mouth to reply.
“But,” Sarah said suddenly, plucking the cup out of Meagan’s hand and plunking it inside her own, “all that’s to say, Marielle, that it’s been pretty slow around the Hill lately. Not much going on!”
“Yeah,” added Alec. “Except supper, and I’m starved.”
Everyone laughed, and the strained stillness broke and melted under the sound like a sandcastle dissolving under a wave. Everyone seemed to be talking at once. The girls split off into chatter among themselves, and all the boys began teasing Alec—almost all. Reed leaned back onto the grass moodily, feeling outnumbered.
Why’d Sarah have to cut in like that? He brooded up at the leaves. I was just about to let ’em have it. Of course, he realized, that was exactly why she had broken in, and Alec, too. One more second and Reed would have blown his top. Then they all would have been sorry, him more than anyone else. He wanted to pull the grass over his head. They’d all been watching, too.
The only one who hadn’t seemed to pay any attention was Elijah. Ethan, still in his lap, had soaked up the conversation, mouth slightly ajar, but the older boy had never even opened his eyes. Reed hoped he was asleep. He wasn’t.
Ethan was quick to lose interest in the “big people” talk and, as the banter moved away from the central conversation, he laid his head against Elijah’s shoulder. The shift in his weight pulled the collar of Elijah’s t-shirt down his chest, showing skin and a large portion of silver chain. It caught the light that filtered through the leaves with a tiny sparkle. The glitter captured Ethan’s attention. He reached up wonderingly and ran one finger up and down the shiny links. Elijah offered no objection. The jewelry obviously fascinated Ethan. Wrapping it around his finger, he began to lift the chain out of Elijah’s shirt. Reed held his breath.
“Tan I see it?” the little boy whispered.
Nothing moved except Elijah’s hand. It shot up and gently untwined the chain from around Ethan’s little fingers. “No,” he whispered back without opening his eyes. “Not right now.”
“Otay.” Ethan blinked at the forbidden object. “Someday when I grows up,” he whispered, “I wants to wear one, too.”
Elijah said nothing for a moment. He seemed still, but Reed could see his throat move as he swallowed. Then, in the same soft whisper, Elijah replied, “I hope you never have to, Ethan. Never.”
The other teens, still busy ribbing Alec, hadn’t seen the incident. Only Reed heard the little exchange. He turned his head away and stared out over the rippling face of the pond. Here it was again, this thing, and this time not even Ethan could touch it.
“I hope you never have to, Ethan. Never.”
Reed’s curiosity roared up like a fire doused with oil, fed by returning doubts and suspicions. What in the world is that thing?
Chapter 21
That question still plagued him hours later. Moodily, he lay on his bed, watching Reagan iron. Dusk was falling outside. It was quiet except for the hiss and sputter of the iron as it slid over the smooth material. Reed lay with his chin on his folded arms and stared at the small puffs of steam that rose from Reagan’s work.
Reagan endured the silent observation patiently. He said nothing for a long while and kept on with his chore before he finally glanced up from the shirt he was working on. “You’re awfully quiet tonight,” he remarked. “Something wrong? Jilted maybe?”
Reed stirred slightly. “Nah, just thinking.”
“’Bout what?”
Reed was about to brush aside the question with a casual “nothing” when a thought struck him. The answer to his endless wondering lay right under his nose. Reagan.
He had lived with Elijah for months. If Lucy wouldn’t tell Elijah’s secret, perhaps Reagan would. Reed pushed up to his elbows. “Reagan, do you know anything about that chain-pendant thing Elijah wears?”
Reagan kept ironing, but his eyebrows nearly escalated off his forehead. He shot Reed a curious look. “You know ’Lijah? You never mentioned it before.”
“Well, you never told me he was your old roommate, either. Somebody else did.”
“He didn’t, eh?” Reagan held up the finished shirt and eyed it. “To answer your question, I don’t know anything about it. He never took it off; he even slept with it on. He always kept it inside his shirt, and I never saw it. That’s all I know.” He took a coat hanger in his mouth and buttoned the shirt onto it.
“You don’t have any idea what it’s for or why he wears it?”
“Not at all.” Reagan hung the shirt in his shelf space with a click and turned back. “He never volunteered, and I never asked. But I know it’s not just for looks.”
; Reed had surmised that much. A guy generally didn’t keep a pendant hidden inside his shirt if he wanted everybody to see it.
Reagan slung a pair of slacks over the ironing board and looked up. “But why do you want to know all of a sudden? And how did you meet my old roomie anyway?”
A convenient cough saved Reed from answering right away. He rolled to his back, mind groping for a reply. “Oh, you know, through a mutual friend.” He breezed on. “Have you seen him lately?”
“Nah. Not since he left. Still as hot as ever?”
“Yeah, I guess. He’s been working out a lot lately.”
Reagan shook his head and began pressing the slacks. “Sad. He was really something! It’s too bad he had…”
The door burst open, and a boy rushed in. “Guys!” he panted, “The Hordes are coming!”
Reagan almost dropped his iron. “What?”
The boy was out of breath and could hardly speak. “They’re coming! There’s a carnival… and a concert… and… and…” he handed Reagan a flyer and bent double, heaving for air. Reagan scanned it and looked suddenly relieved. “Oh, those Hordes.”
Reed sat up. “What is it?”
“Apparently,” Reagan said, still reading for himself, “somebody’s bringing in a street fair… carnival… thingy for the Hill the day after the Hordes of Hell concert. Oh, sweet! The band’s gonna be there all day for us to meet, and they’re giving another concert on the grounds that night! Dude!” He whirled to the dark-haired messenger. “Where’d you get this, Will?”
“Michael gave it to me,” the boy puffed, dropping into a chair. He was a rather thick person that could take a while to catch his breath once he lost it. “Said it’s kind of a promo before the rec center opens.”
“Freakin’ awesome!” Reagan was moonwalking circles around the desks. “So the rec center’s opening, I get to meet the Hordes of Hell, and I get out of my tight spot!”
“Tight spot?” Reed paused in his own jubilation, much to the bed springs’ relief.
Reagan didn’t hesitate. “I couldn’t decide on just one girl to take to the concert, but now I get one for each night!” He stopped. “But that means double tickets. Ouch.”
“No tickets,” Will piped up. “Hill people get into the first one on their ID cards, and the one after the carnival’s free.”
“This just keeps getting better!” laughed Reagan. “I knew I liked this place! But there’s still the rec center to get ready for. Man, I gotta get my tan going again and start doing supersets at the gym.”
“What does that have to do with…?” Will looked puzzled.
“Pool,” said Reed, winking at him.
“Ohhh.” Sudden understanding swept the other boy’s face.
“You got it!” Reagan said, calming down enough to slip on a shirt from the pile on his bed, taking time to make sure it looked all right with his shorts. “Now I’ve gotta go see if this has gotten around yet. Oh, dude, this is… this is… sweet!”
Chapter 22
It didn’t take long for the news to travel through the Dorms. It spread like wildfire, leaving in its wake a trail of ecstatic teenagers. It also left behind a jumble of drama, crushed dreams, and scandals as the teens immediately began pairing up for the big event. It was enough to keep Dorm society busy until “The Day” arrived.
The night of the first concert began with a crowd that completely packed the Square, grass, and sidewalks of the Hill. It was an early Friday evening after a clear and perfect day. The late afternoon sun shot through the fluttering leaves above the teeming sidewalks and cast dancing shadows on the grass. The air was vibrant with anticipation. The throng of teens laughed and jostled each other, filling the spring evening with their happy babble. Expectation—it flavored the atmosphere like a spice.
Reed sucked in a deep breath and gave his hair a final sweep off his forehead. This was the life: not a care in the world or a cloud in the sky. He reveled in the joy of being young as he shouldered his way through the crowd toward the corner where he was supposed to meet Allie.
They usually met at this corner whenever they were going out, “whenever” meaning perhaps half a dozen other dates. It had been almost two weeks since Reed had decided to follow up on Hunter’s tip. Allie, never one to turn down masculine interest of any kind, had been more than receptive to Reed’s advances. He was now ranked as one of the top figures on the Hill in both social status and looks. In fact, it was whispered that she’d had her sights set in his direction long before he paid any attention to her.
He arrived at the corner by Dorm Eight. It was empty. Unperturbed, he settled under a nearby fir tree for what could be a long wait.
“She’s always late,” he told himself. “The makeup never goes on as quick as they think.” While he waited, the constant stream of traffic down the sidewalk in front of him carried past a number of familiar faces. Several of the guys looked at him sympathetically and made brushing motions on their cheeks. Riley went by with another boy and flipped him a thumbs up. Reed hadn’t seen much of him lately; he hung with several boys from Dorm Fourteen constantly and was never in the room. Reagan passed not far behind, a girl on each arm. Reed chuckled. The free tickets had freed him up more than he’d imagined.
“Umm… Reed?”
He jerked around in surprise. Lucy and Katy had come up next to him quietly and stood on his left, eyeing him.
“Oh,” he said, scrambling to his feet. “Hi!”
“Hi.”
They continued to eye him in awkward silence. Reed coughed, dropping his eyes, and noticed for the first time that both girls were dressed for a formal event. Katy wore a knee-length dress of deep blue and had curled her hair. Lucy’s fell smooth and straight over the shoulders of her lacy white top. He decided he liked her hair that way.
“Gee, you’re all dressed up.”
The girls looked at each other, and Lucy smiled. “Well, yeah,” she admitted. “It might be a little overkill for a concert, but we decided to have some fun with it.”
“So you changed your minds? You’re coming after all?”
“No,” they both said quickly and again looked at each other.
“We’re going to see the tenor from Les Mis Sarah was talking about.” Katy pushed her hair behind her shoulder. “That’s tonight.”
“We’re supposed to pick up Marielle on the way and meet some of the others there,” Lucy added. “Have you changed your mind?”
“Nope.” Reed stuck his hands in his pockets. “But are you sure? Everybody else is going.”
“I don’t care what everybody else does,” Lucy laughed. “I’d rather be free to do my own thing than what everybody else tells me to.”
Reed had never thought of it that way before. He wished he hadn’t.
Lucy grew serious again. “Umm… Reed, not to pry or anything, but are you waiting for somebody?”
“Err… yes, actually.”
As if on cue, Allie emerged from the dorm, mincing over to where Reed waited.
“Hey, babe!” she said, tossing her bleached bangs off her forehead. Judging by the way she batted her eyes at him, she was pleased to find him waiting. Her pleasure was short-lived, however, as she caught sight of the other girls. Her coy smile melted like a snow cone dropped on a radiator.
“Oh. Lucy.” She eyed them. “I certainly didn’t expect to see you tonight.”
“Uh… same here,” replied Lucy, her voice almost matching Allie’s pointed tone. But her eyes were fixed on Reed in an astonished stare. He looked away and studied the crowd.
Allie went on. “Oh! And what a… quaint top. It doesn’t look like anything I saw where I shop.”
“No, it wouldn’t.” Lucy finally took her gaze from Reed and looked at Allie for the first time. “It… hmm… never mind. Oh, those are quite the jeans! Did they come like that or did you sit in something… unfortunate?”
“Oh, yeah! All the fashion people are wearing them. The girls are crazy about them.”
&nbs
p; “I’m sure they are.” Lucy smiled sweetly. “Well, we don’t want to keep you. It was nice to talk to you again, Reed. Perhaps we’ll see you around sometime.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. See ya.”
The two girls disappeared into the crowd. Reed and Allie turned in the opposite direction and fell in with the flow of teens. Reed decided to speak before Allie had a chance to say anything. “I didn’t know you knew Lucy.”
“Yeah, sorta. We never really clicked. Some people liked her an awful lot, but I never cared for the old-fashioned style. I try to keep more with the times.”
Reed could have guessed. Allie, with her halter top, flat-ironed hair, and profuse mascara made quite a contrast to Lucy, despite their similar height and figures. He wondered if Allie would ever consider letting her hair fall over her shoulders the way Lucy’s did.
She slipped her hand into his and pressed up against his shoulder. “Oh, come one! We are going to have the best time. How am I supposed to have fun if you keep your face like that? Smile, handsome!”
Reed looked down at her and grinned. “Better, gorgeous?”
“SO much better. You are freakin’ adorable.” She squeezed his arm and then gasped. “You’ve been hitting the gym again, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, Reagan and I have been going a lot lately.” He grinned at her again. “You like it? I’ve gotta keep it up or I might lose you to the competition.”
“Oh, shut up.” She leaned up and kissed him, right there in the middle of the sidewalk.
The rest of the night went better than Reed could have hoped. The concert was everything the billboards had set it up to be, from the rainbow of searing lights to the second largest smoke machine in the country. The crowd was ecstatic. Crawling into bed much later that night, Reed—hoarse, exhausted, and a little hard of hearing—was prepared to do it all over again.
When Stars Go Out Page 14