by W. J. May
“Just the one thing?” she asked teasingly. “That’s a lot better than me, Molls. Shoot.”
Molly crossed over to the dresser and tossed Rae a designer hoodie to zip over her t-shirt and bedraggled slip. Then she tossed her a pair of leggings. “I don’t understand what happened tonight. You said you guys were broken up. But you sure didn’t look very broken up to me when you were—”
“Okay, enough, I get the gist,” Rae interrupted her.
Molly grinned and plopped back down on the bed. “So what happened? You two get carried away in the excitement of looking gorgeous tonight, or what?”
Rae sat down beside her and frowned thoughtfully as she considered. “I…I don’t think so. It wasn’t like tonight triggered something new, it’s almost like…it pushed him over the edge? I think my being hurt might have unlocked something that was already there. Make sense?”
“Sure.” Molly nodded seriously. “He thought he was going to lose you, so his true colors finally came out. Beating out the Privy Council, the world of tatùs, and even his own father.” She flipped her hair casually. “It’s actually not so uncommon. It happens in movies all the time.”
Rae burst out laughing and pulled Molly into a tight hug. “I’m so glad I was finally able to tell you,” she said sincerely between chuckles. “You’re my best friend, Molls. You need to know.”
Molly rolled her eyes. “You sure are the pot calling the kettle red!”
“Huh?” Rae shook her head, unsure of what Molly was saying.
“I would never have guessed goody-two-shoes you would fall for goody-two-shoes Devon.”
“Ohhh…”
Molly, face completely serious, continued, “Leave it to you to fall in love with someone with a tatù, but at least you finally have someone you care about! I thought I was going to have to build you a sex-bot or something with MacGyver.”
“What’s a sex-bot?” Rae grimaced. “Gross!”
Just then, the door clicked and the two girls pulled away, still giggling, as Devon poked his head nervously into the room. “Knock, knock,” he said tentatively, his eyes darting between the two of them. “Did I give you two enough time or am I going to get shocked when I come in here?”
Rae chuckled and rubbed the fading bump on her head. “You’re safe. I took the shock that was meant for you about an hour ago.”
Devon grinned. “Glad to hear it,” he joked. Then he held up an oil-soaked paper bag. “I bought dinner. Hope you girls are hungry.”
Molly hopped up from her seat on the bed and walked over to him. She eyed him up and down before snatching the bag away, planting her feet in front of him and standing eye to eye. Or—given their height different—eye to chin. “Devon Wardell, in the last two years, I’ve come to love you like a brother.” She paused, editing. “I mean, a distant sort of brother with sometimes questionable fashion sense, but a brother nonetheless.”
Devon tried to keep his face straight as he placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “Thanks Molls…”
“That being said.” All at once Molly’s face changed from angel to demon. “If you hurt my best friend, you’re going to find out exactly what this tatù of mine can do.” She wiggled her fingers ominously. “And I can assure you, it’ll not be something you will easily forget. If you live.”
“Understood.” He tried to smile, but ended up taking a nervous step away. “Shall we eat in the kitchen?”
“Sounds great!” Just like that, Molly was all smiles again as she flounced off down the hall towards the dining room. “I’ll grab utensils.”
Devon watched her go with a baffled look in his eye before turning to Rae. “Does she always just…” He snapped his fingers. “Turn on a dime like that?”
Rae grinned and patted Devon’s shoulder before heading down the hall. “Don’t try to understand the complexities of the feminine mind,” she advised. “It’s beyond you mere mortals.”
By the time the two of them got to the living room, the food was already plated and Molly had poured three glasses of orange juice. “Don’t knock it,” she warned as Devon eyed the juice skeptically, “you need your vitamins. They’re good for the skin.”
He muffled a snort of laughter and took a big swig as Rae sat down beside them. The food hit the spot. Salty and delicious. She hadn’t even realized she was hungry, but before she knew it, she was kissing the last of the grease off her fingers and leaning back with a satisfied smile.
“Great call with the food,” she thanked Molly.
Molly chomped down on a chip. “Someone has to keep track of these things. Do you realize that you two haven’t eaten since breakfast? Rae—you’re becoming nothing but cheekbones.”
Rae laughed and slurped down the rest of her juice. It really had been a long day, and she was about to slip away and call it a night, when Molly suddenly leaned forward with a frown.
“So in all the excitement of catching you two in the act,” she gave them both a devilish wink, “I totally forgot to ask. What on earth were you talking about with your mom?”
Upon hearing her question, Devon leaned forward as well and stared at Rae. He wanted the information too.
The sated fish and chips smile faded from Rae’s face as she considered what to do. These days, it seemed impossible to know who to trust. Not only had she snuck off to Stoke on her own to find the key, she didn’t know existed, but she had found out about the evidence locker from a member of the Xavier Knights—not exactly the easiest story to tell. At least Jennifer, her teacher, had kept the key a secret.
As she stared between both Molly and Devon’s faces, she found herself reassured. They had both proven themselves, hadn’t they? Time and time again. Who could she trust if not them?
She took a deep breath and spun her thumbs on the table in front of her. “I figured out the secret code and headed to Stoke. When I got to the Wade factory I found a key my mother had hidden in the old factory there. A key that Luke says matches an evidence box he found while going through my mom’s file. Kraigan followed me, but I don’t think he knew about the key. He didn’t know my mom.”
Molly frowned. “Wait—Luke? Why on earth would Luke know anything about it?”
Rae closed her eyes in a grimace. “Because he works for the Xavier Knights?”
“What?!”
“Keep going,” Devon soothed Molly, urging Rae forward with his eyes.
“He’s going to come here,” Rae said. “He has the box, I have the key. And inside is the first ever concrete information I’ve been able to dig up on my mother. It could literally be the key to finding her.”
Her two friends were silent for a moment, before Devon dropped his gaze. “And I stood in your way.” He said it so softly he could have been speaking to himself.
Without thinking, Rea reached out and squeezed his hand. “You didn’t know.”
“Wait a minute,” Molly said loudly, oblivious to their exchange, “could this evidence box have anything to do with that note and the code we found? Was that the secret code?” She slammed her hand on the table in triumph. “I knew it went to a lock box!”
“Hold up,” Devon leaned forward again, “what note? What code?”
Molly shushed him excitedly. “If you intentionally remove yourself from Rae’s life for any amount of time, you’re going to miss big things. Enormous things always happen when she’s around. She found a hidden note from her mom, it had a secret code. And I’m a master spy. Keep up.”
Rae shook her head and grinned. “The note led me to the factory, but it burned up in the fire before I could decipher any more of it. All I know, is that it led me to the key.” All at once, she struck her forehead as she remembered. “The key…it’s back in my room at Guilder.” Great thinking Rae, you’d go to meet Luke and get the box, and then what? Smuggle it back to school?
“So what’s the plan?” Molly asked, grabbing the plates and stuffing them into the dishwasher.
“I guess I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” Rae’s b
rows pressed together. “I just found out there was a box when Luke called me, and with the soon-to-be princess getting attacked and everything…I forgot the key isn’t here.”
“But the box is.” Devon looked at her with sudden determination.
“And it’s not even midnight,” Molly took over, “and Guilder is only an hour’s drive away.”
“It’s more than an hour,” Rae said.
“Not if Devon’s driving.” Molly nodded her head in his direction.
Rae stared back and forth between her two friends, not understanding their abrupt shift in dynamic. Molly’s eyes shone as she rocked back and forth on the edge of her seat. Even Devon had set his jaw in that way he did when he made up his mind to do something.
“Whoa, what are you guys thinking?” Rae tried to temper them. “Carter told me point blank I couldn’t go. I can’t risk you guys getting in trouble by breaking rules.”
“I’m not suggesting we break any rules,” Molly said innocently. “You two are the rule-breakers here, not me. I’m only repeating what you already told him.”
Rae grinned as a warm hum began coursing through her veins. “Yeah? And what’s that?”
“You said you’d be back by breakfast…”
Chapter 4
“You have got to be kidding me.”
Molly, Devon, and Rae crouched in the bushes across the sweeping lawns of Guilder. The moon hung high above them, bathing the ground in silvers and violets, and all around them, the sounds of night snapped and fluttered in the breeze. After the clamor of London and the attack at the ball, it was refreshingly peaceful. The kind of night Rae had learned to treasure at her school.
Except that tonight…she and her friends had other plans.
Rae stared up at the high, stone walls, above which her little window sat darkened against the sky. What had once seemed like a majestic, almost castle-like tower, now looked insurmountable.
“Why can’t I just go in through the door again?”
Molly fidgeted excitedly in the tall grass and stuffed more of her vibrant hair up into her beanie. “Because it’s locked and it’s not like Devon could just go and ask Carter for the key. Plus, if you broke in, everyone would hear.”
“Maybe not,” Rae said hopefully, eyeing the three story drop. “Maybe I could do it really, really quietly…”
Molly raised her eyebrows doubtfully. “Quiet enough not to wake Madame Elpis? I don’t think so. Now go, you big baby, it’s not that far.”
“Not that far?” Rae hissed under her breath. “If I fall it’s going to take more than Charles’ healing tatù to save me.”
“Well, short of you just popping into a bird and flying on up there, it’s the only way. Hang on,” Molly’s eyes grew suddenly wide, “you can’t do that, can you?!”
“No.” Rae bristled defensively. “Not anymore,” she added under her breath.
“Well, I don’t see why I can’t go,” Devon countered through his teeth. “There’s no reason why Rae has to be the one to take the risk.”
Molly shook her head. “Devon, it’s adorable you feel so protective, but I hate to say it—and this is in no way an attack on your manliness—but with Jennifer’s tatù, Rae’s stronger than you. You might be able to cross the lawn in a blur, but when it comes to climbing, Rae’s our best bet.”
“I’m sure I’d be fine,” he muttered. “Increased agility and all.”
Molly rolled her eyes and nudged Rae. “Come on girlie, you’re up.”
Rae took a deep breath and got to her feet, brushing leaves and grass from her pants as she eyed the distance between where they were hiding and the Aumbry House wall. “Okay,” she breathed to herself, “you can do this.” She was about to take off when Molly suddenly grabbed her arm.
“Wait! Remember your spy gear!”
Rae threw up her hands as Devon rolled his eyes in the background. “Molly, I know that you’re new to the Privy Council and everything, but it’s not really about the—”
“How would you know?” Molly asked importantly. “Are you the PC’s official stylist?” She stared her friends down with a smug smile. “Yep—that’s what I thought. Now,” she snapped her fingers and gestured for Rae to take the black beanie she was offering, “spy gear.”
Deciding it was easier not to fight her, Rae snatched the hat out of her hand and clamped it down over her head. Upon Molly’s extreme insistence, the three of them were already decked out head to toe in black. The same sort of fitted jumpsuits she had worn with Julian when breaking into the museum. And while they might look right at home in some black ops espionage film, Rae could not have felt more ridiculous wearing it to break into her own dorm room.
“Fine,” she caved, pulling out her long dark ponytail and letting it spill down her back. “But if this thing catches on a rock or something, it’s on your head, stylist. Not mine.”
“Technically, it would be on the rock.” Molly pushed her forward. “Now go!”
Without pausing to think about the ramifications of what she was doing, Rae took off into the dark night. The wide, sweeping lawns she’d walked a million times were suddenly a ticking time bomb. Sure it was dark, and she was fast as the wind and—yes Molly—wearing black, but none of the people at Guilder were to be underestimated. There were people who could hear things from miles away, spot things at ten thousand yards, even some who could camouflage into the trees.
She cast a suspicious look at an elm as she flew by, finally reaching the base of the wall beneath her window. Even from this distance, she could clearly see the trees where her two friends were hiding with the help of her tatù. Molly was speed-talking a mile a minute, but Devon was staring straight back at her, seeing her as clearly as she could see him. She flashed him a quick smile and a thumbs up before turning back to the wall.
Now for the tricky part. She squinted up into the night sky. The climb.
Switching back into Jennifer’s tatù for strength, she searched around until she found a good grip for both her hands. Then she started, ever-so-slowly, working her way up the wall.
It didn’t take long for her to realize she was in trouble.
While she had no problem lifting up her body, the stones of Guilder had worn smooth over the decades of rain, wind, and snow. The higher she climbed, the harder it was to find a workable grip, and once or twice, she had to pull herself up using just her fingers. Devon was right. I should have let him do this. He’s probably done it a million times.
And so it continued. One foot after another. One trembling hand above the one before. But despite the difficulty of the climb, it seemed like luck was on her side. The moon had thankfully slipped behind some clouds, shrouding her in darkness, and she had yet to hear a single thing besides shallow, sleeping breathing from inside. After what felt like an eternity, she was within sight of the window.
That was where her luck ran out.
There were no cracks in the stone. No little grooves to put her hands. Nothing.
Panicked, she glanced above her and tried to get her bearings. She was in a straight line below her window; she could almost see the cracking paint on the ledge. However, the stone between them wasn’t cobbled like the rest. It was a sheer slab of gray granite. Completely smoothed over without a single imperfection for her to use to get up.
Okay Rae, just think.
She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, trying to calm herself down. There had to be something she could do. Some useful tatù she could use. She browsed quickly through her roster but came up flat. Damn Kraigan! If he hadn’t drained her of some of her favorite abilities, she could have just turned into an eagle and flown in through the open glass. In and out in five minutes. Plus, she wouldn’t have had to put up with Molly’s silly spy gear.
She made a mental note to gather more tatùs as quickly as possible and focused once more on the ledge. What could she use…? Ice? Wind? Maybe if she made a big enough gust, she could literally blow herself inside. Granted, she had ne
ver used the power in such a directed way and was pretty sure it didn’t work like that.
Think Rae, think!
But inside, she knew the truth. These days her body picked the tatù before she did, selecting whatever would be most helpful in her current situation. It was staying with Jennifer’s—relying on its strength to make sure she didn’t fall.
Jennifer’s it would have to be then.
Using every ounce of determination she had, she tried a tentative jump for the window. Big mistake! She only leapt up about a foot or two, before she fell back down the wall, hands flailing frantically for a hold. She caught herself with one hand and quickly made up the distance she had lost, but her original problem remained. There was simply no way to make it to the ledge.
“Whatchya doing?”
Rae almost slipped off the wall, stifling a shriek in her arm before staring up into the darkness. Julian was leaning out of her window frame, casually munching on a bag of crisps. She had never been so happy to see him. Or so ready to kill him.
“You having fun? Sightseeing?” he asked in the same teasing manner. “It’s a long way down, be a shame if you fell…”
A wide grin spread over Rae’s face even as she tried to make it look serious. “Could you stop messing around and pull me in? And wipe your hands off,” she commanded, eyeing the crisps. “I don’t want to fall to my death because you had greasy fingers.”
Julian grinned and wiped his hands on his pants before leaning as far out of the window as he could and reaching for her hand. She stretched up into the night and grasped onto his fingers, hoisting herself even higher to get a good grip.
Julian didn’t have a strength tatù like she did, but he was naturally fit and strong. With what seemed like very little effort, he pulled her in through the open window and set her down gently on the floor. The second she was grounded, she leapt upon him in a huge hug.
“Okay,” he laughed, “it’s good to see you too Rae.” She held on tight and felt a tremor run through his body. “Okay,” he sounded slightly strained, “too hard—a little too hard.”