“No one showed up for your meeting?” he asks.
“No. How’d you know that?”
“I would have seen if someone went downstairs. This is the only door to the basement.”
I swipe perspiration from my forehead. “Did you notice who went down there earlier today?”
“No one. It’s been dead since I opened the building at seven. I’d have seen it if someone came in.”
“Someone must have come by. The lights were on in room 07.”
“Couldn’t have been.”
“Well, they were.”
“You probably flicked them on and forgot. No one’s been down there for months. I’m sure of it.”
I look back at the door, and a shiver grips my spine.
“Son?” The guard taps me on the shoulder. “You need to get back to class.”
The whole walk back to Calculus, I try to figure it out. Who would prank me? I don’t have any enemies except for Kollin, and he wouldn’t waste his precious time on something that could get him suspended. I suppose Marcus or Jake might have done it, but neither of them have access to Hadley Hall, or to passes for that matter. Only administrators could have pulled this off, and they wouldn’t do it. After what happened to Mr. Singer, secret societies are more than prohibited at Singer—they’re taboo.
The weirdness of everything starts to obsess me, and I can’t stop thinking about it all the way through detention with Headmaster Boyle. It’d take more than one person to pull this off. Who had the resources or a burning need to play me for an idiot?
Rinsing out the last garbage can that Boyle made me scrub as punishment, I look up just as Cameron Moore strolls by the cafeteria window in a tailored blue blazer, playing with his new cell phone.
The Pillars.
I charge out the side door and grab his arm. “Moore!”
He stares at my hand like I’m some grubby peasant who just got grime on his opera jacket.
“I know what you’re up to,” I say.
His head jerks back, his face crumpling like a used napkin. “Dude. Back off. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He shakes my arm off and walks away, his focus returning to his new phone.
I almost believe him. But two steps later, he stops cold. His back straightens and he slowly spins around. His eyebrows pull to the center and his squinty gaze looks me up and down. Suddenly, I’m worthy of his attention.
He walks toward me, his head tilting slightly. “Wait. What exactly are you saying?” he whispers.
“You know damn well what I mean. The Sevens are back? You might have screwed people with that Pillar thing, but this time you fucked with the wrong person.” I walk away and leave him standing there.
Back in the cafeteria, I put the last garbage can away and glance out the window. Moore stands frozen in the same spot where I left him, texting like mad. It’s a new look for his cocky face—a mix of confusion and fear.
Six
I should have known the goodwill would run dry. When I get home from detention, Mom Shanahan is pissed. “A detention on the first day of school? And right after regaining privileges? This is certainly not the way to start your senior year, Talan.”
I try to look innocent. “I swear I was whispering. I don’t know how Solomon could have heard me.”
She raises her eyebrows and brushes past me. “Finish your dinner and chores and get to your homework.”
I scarf down my enchiladas and scrub the kitchen counters in a hurry. I need to talk to Laney. She’s the smartest person I know. She can help me figure out what the Pillars are up to.
I catch her just as she bolts out her bedroom door. “Hold up. I need to talk to you.”
She grabs her backpack off the hook by the door and shoves something inside. “Later, Talan. I’ve got to be somewhere before it gets dark.”
Mom Shanahan strolls up behind her. “You going somewhere, Lane?”
“I have to get to the library for an assignment. For my Ethics and Virtues class.”
When Mom leaves, I shake my head at Laney. “Solomon said only the Pillars had homework. Remember?”
“Oh. Right. Well, I have tons of other homework I need to do.” She swings her backpack over her shoulder.
“On the first day of school?”
“Listen, I can’t talk right now. I’ve gotta hurry.”
Laney spins around and I notice something poking out of the top of her bag—a black envelope. It takes me a minute to place it, but when I do, it hits me like a slap.
She got an invitation to join the Sevens too.
“Wait, Laney. Hang on—”
She waves off my outstretched hand and calls goodbye to her mom.
“Laney, hold up!” I yell, but the back door slams in my face.
Mom Shanahan pops her head around the corner.
“I—I’m going with her.” I point to the back door. “To the library. We have Solomon’s class together.” I toss my dishrag in the sink and charge for the door.
“You don’t even have your backpack.”
“We’re using Laney’s book. I gotta go.”
I jog down the driveway, but Laney’s nowhere in sight. I remember the envelope in my back pocket. The mausoleum. She must be headed for the graveyard.
Damn it, Laney, don’t fall for it! They’re trying to make fools of us.
I run through the yards, past the playground and ball fields until I spot her in the distance. “Laney, wait!”
Thinking she can ditch me, she dashes through the woods. I race after her, but the best I can do is keep her in sight. I’m out of breath when I finally catch up. “Laney,” I gasp. “Stop already.”
“You can’t be here. Go away.”
“The invitation isn’t real. It’s a joke.”
Her legs fossilize, then she slowly turns. “How do you know about that?”
I pull the envelope from my back pocket and wave it at her. “I got one too.” I take a deep breath. “Do you think I’d get chosen for something like that? I think the Pillars are playing a joke on us. Don’t fall for it.”
Her face turns to stone. “It’s not the Pillars, Talan. This is for real.”
“Don’t be so gullible. They’re trying to play us.”
“Don’t be so cynical. I’m telling you, this is real. They know something about me that the Pillars wouldn’t.” She stands directly in front of me, her brown eyes penetrating my skeptical stare. “The Sevens are real,” she says quietly. “I’m sure of it. They’re back. And they want us.”
It never even crossed my mind that this could be legit. A secret society that’s willing to grant my greatest desire like a fairy godmother? No way.
“Laney, think about it. Why would they want me?”
“Oh geez, Talan, a million reasons that I don’t have time to give you. Are you coming?” She nods toward the mausoleum. “We need to do this before Security makes its rounds. Are you in or not?”
“I don’t … I don’t … We need to think about this.”
She puts her hands on her waist. “Please. Since when do you take time and think things through, Mr. ADD?”
I shift my weight from one foot to the other, struggling for words to convince her. “It doesn’t make any sense. The Sevens have been dead for almost twenty years.”
Laney shakes her head and moves closer. “Only five students died in that fire. Remember? Two were never found. They kept the secrets. They know what happened. They know a lot of things.”
“Come on, Laney, we could get hurt. Even if someone is resurrecting the Sevens, it can’t be good. They were murderers! They stole William Singer’s money and then they killed him.”
“I told you before, that was just a theory. There was a large amount of money missing, so the detectives considered it a possible motive. They never had any proof the Sevens took it.”
I grab her arm and tug her toward the road. “It’s a joke, Laney. C’mon. Let’s go home.”
“No. It’s real! I’m positive about
this.” She pushes off me, stepping backward. “You don’t have to believe or go through with this, but I do. Go home if you want. But please, don’t tell. You owe me one, remember?”
Before I can say another word, she turns and sprints to the mausoleum behind the chapel ruins. Light seeps from a small stained-glass window at the top of the tomb. God, what’s she thinking? Someone could be waiting in there to hurt her. I take off after her, weaving between the headstones.
Circling the outside of the mausoleum, I check the graveyard for anyone who might be lurking, but there’s no one in sight. When I get back to the front steps, Laney’s already gone in.
My heart pounds a drum solo as I jerk the door open and stumble inside.
Laney stands facing the rear wall, inspecting seven candles on a marble shelf there.
The flickering flames illuminate two brass plates on the wall to my left: William Singer. Mary Singer. I look down at the smooth marble drawers below them with the morbid realization that they contain the corpses of our school’s murdered founder and his wife. Suddenly I picture William, standing where I am now, kissing that same nameplate every night for five years. My body chills like I plunged into an icy lake.
The candles throw Laney’s shadow around the room as she spins to take it all in. I glance around too, alert for signs of danger, although I have no idea what I’m looking for.
Laney gravitates to the center of the room, hypnotized by a life-size marble sculpture of an angel bending over a coffin. It’s an eerie monument, especially at night. The angel rests her grief-stricken face on the lid. Her body collapses over the top of an intricately carved casket with her arms stretched in despair. The candlelight flickers and all I can think is how we need to get out of here.
Laney’s fingers skim the wings and glide down the angel’s arm to her hand. “It’s beautiful, don’t you think?” she whispers.
“It’s creepy. Come on, Lane. Can we please go before we get in trouble?”
She reads over the invitation. “It says to slide this card under the palm of the weeping angel. I don’t get it.” She moves closer. “Her hand is lying flat on the coffin.”
The two of us crouch together and examine the hand close up.
“Wait,” she says, “look at the fingertips. They’re raised slightly off the surface.” She slips the card beneath the pads of the angel’s fingers. Suddenly, the card is sucked into the marble coffin and disappears.
Laney jumps back. “Oh my God. It’s gone!”
Startled by her voice, a bird squawks and flies across the rafters. Laney shrieks and presses her hand to her chest. “Okay. We need to get out of here. Now!” She grabs my wrist and jerks me toward the door.
My heart’s still racing as I shake her hand off mine. I yank the card from my back pocket and slide it under the angel’s fingertips.
“If you’re going for it, then I am too.”
Seven
Laney slinks out the mausoleum door and starts running. I rush out and sprint alongside her like we’re in some kind of race.
When we finally reach the woods, I check over my shoulder and feel a rush of relief that no one is following us. “Okay, Laney, slow down. We can talk now.”
My brain is buzzing from everything that’s happened, whirling with images of secret handshakes, crazy dares, and wild parties. What’d that invite say again? Something about money?
Suddenly, I’m smiling.
Laney stops and says, “What do you think happens next? What do you suppose they want from us?”
Yeah, right. She’s asking me? I shrug. “While this sounds cool, we can’t be certain it’s real. I mean, it could still be a prank. Right?”
Her gaze traps mine. “Trust me on this, it isn’t. For one thing, it’s too involved. Who would go to the trouble of getting invitations and wax seals? How would they know about the slit under the angel’s fingers? And how does a kid get the school secretary to authorize a pass and open the science labs on the first day of class?”
“Is that where you got your invitation? Mine was in Hadley Hall.”
“Whatever. The point is, a normal student couldn’t pull this off.”
“Yeah, but one of the Pillars—”
“None of the Pillars are smart enough.” Her fingers thrum the strap of her backpack. “Plus, they’d never risk everything they have now on a joke. Remember what happened when Headmaster Boyle overheard those lacrosse players talking about starting a secret society? They got suspended for a week, and they didn’t even do anything.”
“I know.” I study the little vertical lines between her eyes. “Which is why I’m shocked you’re going along with this. You’re usually such a rule-follower.”
“Yeah? Well look where that got me.” There’s an anger in her eyes I haven’t seen since I put her training bra on the statue of George Washington in the quad.
“Is that why you’re doing this? ’Cause you’re pissed about the Pillar thing?”
“There’s a lot of reasons. You know, maybe I’m sick of being a goody-goody. Maybe I want a little adventure.”
“Delaney Shanahan, a badass? I don’t buy it.” I laugh and her spine stiffens. “You’re too much of a good girl.”
“Good girls can be badasp, too.”
“Oh please. You can’t make a move without checking in the Perfect Handbook.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You play everything so safe. Perfect daughter, perfect student, perfect grades, perfect behavior. Even your boyfriend is perfect. Perfectly boring, too.”
She crosses her arms. “So I’m playing it safe with a ‘perfectly boring’ boyfriend, huh? Look who’s talking. What’s so brave about bouncing from girl to girl? It’s disgusting how you use them. I think you’re scared—you can’t handle getting serious.”
“I’ve never used a girl in my life. I never lie and I never lead them on. I always tell them the truth up front: I’m not interested in a relationship. Unlike you and that yawn you call a boyfriend.”
“I’m done.” Laney whips around and stomps away. “Just because we joined the Sevens together doesn’t mean I have to put up with your crap.”
“No, wait.” I tug her back. “I’m sorry. Really. This whole thing happened so fast, I’m still trying to process everything. Please? I need to ask you something.”
She turns slowly, her fists clenched against her hips.
“What did the invitation say about a ‘great reward’ again? Something about using the Society’s resources to fulfill our greatest desire?”
She looks like she drank lemon juice. “It figures that’s all you care about. Always looking out for number one.”
“If I don’t, who will?”
Laney rolls her eyes. “I’m tired, and I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m going home.”
I hold her still. “Just answer me. Do you think they could mean money? I know that Singer shared his fortune and secrets with the Sevens, at least until they got greedy and killed him. And you said yourself that the police thought the Sevens stole the missing money.”
Laney shoves me aside. “I told you that was just a theory,” she snaps. “Nothing was ever proven.”
She storms off, and I jog to catch up. “So why are you doing this, then? Why would you risk getting expelled? You think it’ll make you rich and famous or something?”
“God Talan, we’ve been housemates half our lives and that’s how little you know me? Right … rich and famous, that’s me. I’m all into the superficial.”
“Then what is it?”
She hurries on, avoiding my eyes. “Let’s just say I’m curious.” The minute I open my mouth, she interrupts. “So why are you doing it, Tal? You owe someone a lot of money or something? I thought you were convinced this was some kind of joke.”
I rub the back of my neck. “I have no idea what this is about. But I have a feeling it’s gonna be trouble.”
“Then why’d you return your invitation?”
“I don’t mind trouble. And I definitely wouldn’t mind a little cash.”
Delaney sulks and walks on. She gets so quiet I can hear the twigs crunching beneath our steps.
“So … have you told Kollin?” I ask.
She glances sideways at me. “Of course not. I’m sworn to secrecy.”
“You told me.” I give her a crooked smile.
“I didn’t tell you. You told me. I ran away from you.”
“Oh yeah.”
She sighs, stops, and turns to me. “But I’m glad you did,” she confesses. “I’ve been a wreck since I got that invitation. I feel better going through this with someone.” There’s a glint in her eyes when she adds, “Even if it’s you.”
She drops her chin, chews her thumbnail for a few seconds, then lifts her wide eyes to mine. “What do you suppose they want from us, Talan?”
“Nothing much,” I tease. “Just our souls.”
Eight
A few weeks pass and we don’t hear anything. The intensity of it all begins to fade and I’m starting to wonder if it was some sort of weird prank after all. Maybe that’s a good thing. It’s not like I don’t have enough problems in my life already without a secret society with all-campus access stalking me.
It’s five minutes before curfew on Wednesday night when Laney storms into the family room. Juan, Marcus, Jake, and I are huddled around the TV in the middle of a heated game of Cyber Combat Zone.
“Talan,” she calls from the doorway. When I don’t answer, she yells louder. “Talan!”
My eyes stay focused on the TV. “What?”
“You need to go to the computer room now.”
“Talan, look out,” Marcus says. “Jake’s on the roof. Oooooooh. Nice shot.”
“Talan,” she shouts, “the computer room!”
“What?”
“You need to go on the computer. Now. So you can check your email.”
My eyes are riveted to the screen. “I don’t need to check my email,” I say. There’s a guy on the stairwell about to blow Marcus apart. My hand jerks the control. “Look out, look out!”
Secret of the Sevens Page 4