I knew Kenneth was hardly a stellar student, but I hadn’t given his elder brother much thought. Several years older than us, he graduated from senior classes before we moved out of junior. I did hear that his parents had already started giving him some prominent responsibilities in their various business dealings.
But how would secretly murdering Elodie Devine have helped Kenneth prove himself, to his family or anyone else? Did this mysterious woman convince him it was somehow Elodie’s fault that he wasn’t showing more potential?
The other guys have already moved on in their conversation. One of Grady’s classmates pats his jacket pocket. “I’ve got the good stuff if you all want to have some extra fun.”
The others make eager noises—except Grady, who gives an imperious shrug. “I’m just stopping by. Gotta get on with the moving and shaking.”
He’s just finished speaking when his phone chimes. He shoots his friends a smug smile and heads for the club’s front door.
I toss out a hasty excuse to my conversation partner andtrail after Grady several steps behind. It’ll be too obvious if I go right out after him, so instead I stroll to the picture windows at the front of the building.
At the thud of the door closing behind Grady, I nudge the heavy curtain to the side. No one will object if it’s just for a moment.
Grady is making a beeline for a beige sedan. As he opens the back door, I get a glimpse of a figure perched at the opposite end of that seat: dark hair flecked with silver, a pale face, a blue dress.
Grady yanks the door shut behind him, hiding them both from view behind tinted windows. The car peels away from the sidewalk.
I let the curtain fall.
It was probably a relative of his, picking him up to include him in family business or a social venture. He hasn’t said or done anything I can reasonably call suspicious.
So why is my skin creeping?
Seven
Elodie
I’m halfway through changing into my sparring clothes when Stella walks into the locker room. I pause with my stirrup leggings balled in my hands. “Did you forget something?”
Normally Mia is the only one of my friends in the same combat class as me. Like most of our other subjects, we’re divided into multiple sections to make sure every student can get enough attention.
As Stella waves her phone in the air, Cadance and Madison appear behind her. “The administration sent around a text asking all the 15thyears to show up for this session—we got excused from our regular class.”
Grimacing, Cadance drops her purse on a nearby bench. “Getting punched around—just how I want to end my day.”
Well, this is definitely strange.
I tug on my leggings and athletic shoes, my nervesbuzzing with apprehension. The five of us walk together into the gymnasium.
It’s crowded, dozens of students bunched into clusters amid flurry of confused murmurs. I’m not sure exactly how many 15thyears there are in the academy, but it’s definitely over fifty. Professor Kwong usually keeps his classes to twenty or fewer.
Wouldn’t want to overload the school nurses with dislocated joints and broken bones.
My friends and I settle into a spot by the wall where we can watch all the other students. Salvatore is already sauntering around with his usual swagger, not remotely intimidated by the larger crowd. Byron stands off to the side with his arms folded over his chest and a bored expression.
My gaze lands on Asher’s face, and my pulse stutters. I yank my eyes away before he notices me looking.
If this class is still a sparring session… any injuries I take, my glim is going to radiate out to someone around me. If I hurt him by accident, even a little…
I won’t let that happen. I’ll stay as far away as I can.
Professor Kwong emerges from his office at the far end of the gymnasium. His mouth is set in a tight, slanted line.
What’s he so unhappy about that he called this mass meeting?
A moment later, it becomes clear he didn’t at all. Professor Jovak ambles out of the office after our usual instructor, followed by a man I’ve never seen before.
If Jovak could pass for a gnome, then this other guy could be an action movie star. His chiseled face has that striking but hard-edged look of a man you’d expect to see on a screen hurtling through a burning building or leaping from a plane. He’s got a body to match, bulky with muscle. A gray-sheened blond crew-cut rounds out the All-American Hero vibe.