by C. L. Stone
The phone rang and kept ringing. At first, I wasn’t sure he would answer.
Right before a voice mail message would have started up, the phone clicked. There was breathing on the other end amid other sounds, but no voice.
My heart stopped. Volto did that. I breathed out slowly. “Luke? Is that you?” I tried not to sound panicked, but my voice was soft.
“Sang?” Luke said through the phone. “Everything okay?” His voice was concerned now.
My heart crashed back into my chest at hearing his voice. I brightened a bit, looking at the other guys and nodding. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
North started waving at me, getting my attention, and signaling that I shouldn’t let on that we were looking for him. “I just...came by the diner. I thought you were here.”
“Oh,” he said. “I was going to, but...I don’t know. I got distracted.”
“Oh,” I said. I didn’t want to get after him about not going to work. Hadn’t he had this same discussion with North where he’d promised he’d relieve Nathan? How could he skip out and make it sound like it was akin to daydreaming during class? “I was going to see if you wanted to...maybe...do something tonight.”
“Tonight? Like what?”
I bit my lip and looked at Nathan and then North. I couldn’t think of what to say, feeling awkward that they were watching me while I was trying to ask Luke out and find out what was going on at the same time. “Oh, I thought we’d get a pizza and watch a movie? Or maybe something else? Whatever you want to do.”
“Are you asking me out? Sang, if you’re feeling threatened by that girl giving me her phone number, there’s nothing to worry about.”
I swallowed and continued, unable to turn back now. Nathan was looking at me, a frown on his face and it was more than the situation. I was worried about jealousy. It made it more awkward to be sweet to Luke and try to lure him to take me along wherever he was going. “Maybe it’s a little bit of that,” I said closing my eyes so I didn’t have to look at Nathan. “But to be honest, I...thought we should hang out. We never get to. I haven’t gotten a chance since...”
“Sang, listen, I want to, but I’m halfway across town right now and I might not be able to get back.”
I sent a puzzled look at North. He looked at his phone and was shaking his head. “Oh,” I said, unable to hide my disappointment. “Where are you going?”
“Academy stuff. You know how it is. Save some pizza for me? I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
I frowned. He’d said he was distracted. Now he was saying it was Academy stuff and he’s too busy? This didn’t seem like him. “What time will you be back, Luke?”
“Have to go. Bye!”
He disconnected. I pulled the phone from my ear, looking at it in disbelief. I’d never been brushed off by any of them like that before. I recalled what he’d just said, and it made me question the Luke who had been at the house earlier, friendly and funny. He didn’t even seem like the same person.
I turned to North. “At first he said he was distracted, like he was doing something else… and then he said he was doing something for the Academy. He said he was halfway across town.”
“According to the GPS on his phone, he’s...” North’s eyebrows moved together, and his lips twisted in confusion. “Back at our house.”
“We should go follow him,” I said. “He shouldn’t be alone. If he didn’t do the prank, then Volto...”
“Shouldn’t we warn him about Volto?” Nathan asked. “If we aren’t, then we need to keep an eye on him so he isn’t alone.”
North sighed and then went to the door, opening it. “Sang, you go with Nathan. I’ll stay here and cover the shift. Uncle will get the wrong idea if you and I leave together.”
“You shouldn’t be here alone,” I said.
“I’m not,” he smirked and then tapped me on the nose. “Uncle’s here. As are a couple other people...”
He meant there were plenty of Academy people here. Volto would have to get by all of them to get to North. Kota and Gabriel were still up the road, too. “Just be careful,” I said. “Don’t go home alone.”
North rolled his eyes and walked into the hallway. “Stick by her Nathan.”
Nathan grunted in agreement. He took me by the elbow and nearly carried me out to the hallway and toward the back door. “Let’s go find Luke.”
HIDE AND SEEK
Nathan had me keep the hood over my head while we were out, just in case anyone was following us or if anyone working for Mr. Hendricks spotted us.
When we got into the Jeep, I told Nathan quickly about finding the masks, and how we weren’t sure who had hung them. Then, I reluctantly told him about Luke acting strangely and how we wondered if he’d had something to do with the masks.
I kept the part about Uncle being weird about North to myself for now. I wanted to talk to North about that first.
As I was talking, I got a buzz on my phone: texts from North.
North: I got word back from Kota. Told him about the masks and he got the one off of his window. He said there were eight. Wasn’t sure if there was anything significant to the number.
I read this to Nathan. He was quiet for a moment and then counted on his fingers. “That’s just how many windows Kota has on the front of his house.”
I wrote this to North and got a quick response.
North: He wonders why it was the front of the house and not the side or any of the back windows.
“He’s overthinking the numbers,” Nathan said to me. “You know him. He assumes there might be answers in them sometimes. It might just be Volto only had eight masks, or he just wanted to do the front and didn’t worry about the back.”
“I guess he’s looking at all the information, and not dismissing anything,” I said.
Nathan nodded and glanced at all his mirrors and then out the front. He combed his reddish hair, shorter since Gabriel had cut it not too long ago. Now it stood up in the back at times, but was soft. He continued to brush his head, still not used to it being so short. “I just don’t like over-thinking the details instead of looking at the obvious. I don’t like knowing he’s out there and we haven’t been able to figure out who he is yet. He’s already done a lot of damage.”
“Has he, really?” I asked.
“You’re not telling me you like what he does, are you?”
“No,” I said. “But what has he done? Informed us about where Mr. McCoy was?”
“He set up that dangerous stunt on the football field. Someone could have gotten seriously hurt. Then there’s the photos he took of you. And he kidnapped you.”
“Just to talk to me,” I said. I didn’t have an excuse about the football field. “He said Muriel did the photos.”
“He could say that, but it might not be true. We can’t trust him.”
“I’m hoping this recent thing is Luke,” I said. “I’m hoping he just did a trick because he was mad at North. He might know we’re on to him about it and is just trying to avoid getting into trouble.”
“I’m not so sure he’d do something like that,” he said. He stopped at a red light and continued his constant looking toward all mirrors. “Besides, the problem is, Volto is still out there. Whether or not Luke played another prank, and is laying low now to not get in trouble for it, it doesn’t change the fact that there’s a potential danger. Not knowing who Volto is and not being able to stop him is making what seems like a stupid prank into something we have to take seriously.”
I agreed with that. “It still doesn’t explain what Luke has been up to, and why he’s skipping out on work when he promised to be there.” I really wanted to talk to him.
But would he talk to me about it if he knew I wanted to? He dismissed me earlier, even though he might be at home just thinking. Maybe this was more serious than I thought.
The light turned green, and Nathan rolled the car forward. The afternoon light was bright and I shielded my eyes from it.
“So, were you go
ing to take him out for pizza tonight?” Nathan asked in a quieter tone.
My fingers shifted, until they covered my view of his face. There was drop of jealousy in his question. I remembered the promises he made to me in one desperate moment when he’d confessed his feelings. From what I’d learned since, it wasn’t clear if he knew about the plan or not. I didn’t want to be the one to tell him if he didn’t—I had a feeling he wouldn’t like it.
I tried to talk vaguely, just in case. “Kota asked me to find out why Luke keeps running off,” I said in a quiet tone similar to his. “North couldn’t do it; he’s been harsh on him lately and he’s not so sure Luke would open up to him right now.”
“And Kota can’t do it?”
“He wanted me to try first, before he goes to Mr. Blackbourne and asks him to talk to Luke. Even Gabriel tried talking to him, but Luke’s been eluding him for a week or so.”
“It’s not a bad thing if he does need time to think,” Nathan said. “And Mr. Blackbourne’s not a last resort. He’s not going to kill him or punish him if he’s really having a hard time with something. Has anyone told Mr. Blackbourne about any of this?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I assume Kota has or will. Or North.”
“Maybe you should text him.” He turned his head to look at me briefly before refocusing on the road.
I picked up my phone, hesitating. “I don’t know. I’d hate to bug him now since he’s being chased all over the city. I don’t know who might be listening on his phone... Is it a good idea to do that now?”
Nathan tilted his head. “I don’t know. I don’t feel like dealing with Luke should be your sole responsibility.”
My fingers traced the outside of the phone, debating. Did he think I couldn’t handle it? I didn’t feel like I was doing it alone, but I would be the only one to go talk to Luke. It wasn’t that I minded telling Mr. Blackbourne about it, but I didn’t want to worry him about both Volto and Luke before we even know exactly what’s going on. I also didn’t want to get Luke in trouble if it was one of his pranks. “I’m going to tell him about the Volto masks,” I said. “But I don’t know what to say about Luke.”
“He’ll want to know why Luke needs time to himself.”
I sighed, putting the phone in my lap and pushing my head back against the headrest. “What should I do?”
“Text Kota,” he said. “See if he’s mentioned any of this to Mr. Blackbourne. And let him know what we’re up to.”
That sounded like a reasonable idea. If anything was important, Kota would know what to tell Mr. Blackbourne.
I picked up the phone again, eager to reach out to him so he could help me figure this puzzle out.
Sang: Nathan and I are on our way to check on Luke at his house. He ditched work. Should I tell Mr. Blackbourne, or can you tell him about the masks and Luke? I don’t want Luke to get into trouble.
Kota: Already letting him know. I’ll check the cameras.
It took me a minute before I realized he meant Luke’s cameras at his house. I touched my forehead. “Oh yeah, we could have just checked the cameras,” I said.
“I thought you wanted to take him out,” Nathan said, glancing over at me. “And talk to him?”
“If he says he’s busy, but wants to be alone, then we probably need to give him some space, right? Maybe we can just get a visual, and stay nearby in case it was Volto. He shouldn’t be alone.”
“Yeah,” Nathan said and then sighed heavily, shifting his body in the seat. “Looks like you and I might need to babysit. What do you think is wrong with him, anyway? He hasn’t done this in a while.”
I didn’t want to tell him what I was really thinking, but instead of lying, I shrugged.
My phone vibrated in my hands. I touched the button to light up the screen.
Kota: I used the GPS to track him in the house, but he’s not with his phone. You’re on your way to his house?
Sang: Yes, with Nathan.
Kota: Pick up Silas and head there with him. One of you should stay nearby, even if he wants to be alone. I want a visual on him as soon as possible.
I agreed even if I just talked to Luke for a minute to make sure he was okay. “Kota said to pick up Silas,” I said. “He wants us to take him with us.”
Nathan sighed and then looked over his shoulder before changing lanes. “Good thing I hadn’t gotten too far,” he said, waiting in line to make a U-turn. He looked over at me. “So he’s updated Mr. Blackbourne?”
“Yeah, and he checked cameras for Luke, but he doesn’t see him at the house, even though his phone is there. He wants a visual and at least one of us to stay near Luke.”
“Should we warn Luke about Volto?” Nathan asked. “Maybe we should text him.”
I pressed my lips together, as I thought about it. There were a hundred little decisions to be made, and my brain was getting tired trying to anticipate possible outcomes. I didn’t know the right answer.
“Let’s check in with him first,” I said. “Don’t you think? Let Kota figure out about Volto. Let’s just make sure Luke’s safe for now. We can only figure out so much, right?”
Nathan nodded slowly and then a small smile turned up the edge of his lips. He reached out, pulling my hand toward him, and brought my fingers to his mouth, gently biting a knuckle. He lowered my hand and put it in his lap to hold.
I smiled. “I’m sorry,” I said. “We kind of got roped into this. They wanted to give you some time off before school tomorrow.”
“Peanut, we do what we have to do. I’ll happily sit in a car for a few hours with you watching over Luke.”
I squeezed his hand gently as a quiet thank you. He squeezed back and drove on, my hand still in his.
The way to Silas’s building was becoming familiar. The apartment complex seemed quiet at the moment: mid-afternoon on a Sunday. The pool was covered over in a blue tarp, done for the season. There were clear bags of leaves left near the dumpsters. Some of the doors had jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins left over from Halloween.
When we made a turn toward the last apartment building, Silas was already waiting at the foot of the steps and came out when Nathan stopped the car in the middle of the drive.
Silas was wearing dark blue jeans that were a little tight around his thighs. I did a second glance when I realized that what I thought was a jacket, was actually a workman’s shirt. There was a patch over his chest, something in a script I couldn’t read, and below, it said ‘plumbing company’.
I hopped out quickly, leaving the door open, and opened the back passenger door, about to get in.
Silas walked up, and grabbed the frame of the back door, getting my attention. His black hair was longer now, dipping across his eyes, darkening the olive complexion around his face.
“Aggele mou,” he said. “Where are you going?”
“Giving you the front seat,” I said, pointing. “There’s more room up there. The back is small.”
He moved his thick lips, like he wanted to protest, but before he could, I got into the back. He couldn’t argue if I was already settled.
Even for me, the back was crowded; I sat upright with my knees nearly touching the back of the front seat. He would have been completely uncomfortable.
Silas got in, stretched a bit and closed the door, looking over at Nathan.
Nathan glanced down at Silas’s shirt before he raised his eyebrows and smirked at him. “He had you working?”
“I mentioned I had a day off, and he drags me on an emergency job with him,” Silas said. “I’d take off the shirt, but I didn’t bring a T-shirt to wear underneath.”
“Yeah, keep it on,” Nathan said, turning the Jeep around. “Can’t let Sang go crazy seeing you shirtless.”
I held my lips together so I wouldn’t giggle. Was this a clue? Was Nathan okay with the plan? Plus, once he mentioned it, I couldn’t help but think of Silas shirtless.
Silas gave Nathan a small punch in the arm. Nathan laughed, turning the car back onto th
e main road.
Silas peered over the back of his seat at me. I reached forward, touching his shoulder to let him know he had my attention. “So you were working?”
“My dad’s still on my case about going into plumbing.” He shook his head, and combed his thick fingers through his hair, pushing the strands aside. “He thinks college is expensive and a waste of time.”
“Are you going to college?” I asked, suddenly very interested. The only time I ever really heard any of them talk about the future was that they couldn’t wait until after they were out of Ashley Waters and back to whatever was ‘normal’ for them. “You said you’d already taken some college courses.”
“Just for fun,” Silas said. “But he thinks the reason I’m in the Academy is into get into a better college later. He’s telling me unless it’s scholarships the whole way, I wouldn’t be able to afford it, so what’s the point in trying? Plumbing school to get a license is much less expensive.” He let out a heavy sigh and tilted his head back onto the head rest. “Maybe on my days off, I should tell him I’m working at the diner and hang out at your place.”
“I just can’t wait until we’re all eighteen and can tell people we’re off at college,” Nathan said.
A little alarm went through me. “College?” I asked quietly. “Were you planning on going?”
Nathan shrugged. “It’s what we’ll tell people if they ask what we’ve been doing all day. It’s easy to blend into a college if you really needed to.”
I wanted to ask why we would need to blend into college, but was he talking about me, or them? Before I could think of how to ask, Silas started talking to him about the plumbing job he’d been working at.
I lifted my feet onto the seat, resting my knees against the door. I stared blankly at the scenery as we drove back toward Luke’s. It bothered me that I hadn’t thought of much about what would happen after high school, whether I would stay through senior year, which was what I’d assumed would happen before I met the boys.