School of Secrets (The Perkins School for Self Improvement #1)

Chapter 9

The next couple days go by in an uneventful blur. Amber's impending fate is still on our minds, but she's been watched so closely that no one could kill her if they tried.

Creighton returns my alarm clock at dinner on Wednesday, and I can't help admitting that I'm a bit surprised she wasn't lying when she said she could fix it.

By Thursday night, I've realized out of nowhere that I've almost been here a week, and I've almost gotten through my first full week of classes. This nearly gives me reason to pause in the middle of eating dinner.

I'd expected that it would be awful, like some form of torture to be shipped off to Maine, but I'm miraculously fitting in here. That is, if you don't count the fact that my friends have powers while I'm boringly below average.

I'm still thinking about how strikingly ordinary I am when Marco, Yumi, and Lauren walk up to our table. Marco has his arm wrapped, snake-like, around Yumi, and Lauren's trailing behind the two of them. She keeps blinking slowly, her gaze almost completely devoid of emotion.

I shiver. This is almost worse than the dazed look she wore the day I sat at Marco's table.

Marco drags Yumi over to me, the two of them standing next to my chair while Lauren waits a few paces behind them.

"Hey Tim." Marco acknowledges, completely ignoring Amber and Derek as he meets Creighton's gaze a moment later, "Hey C."

"It's Creighton to you." she snaps, and Marco smirks.

Still looking highly amused, Marco turns his attention back to me.

"We're doing something this weekend, Saturday night. Normally we'd go out on a Friday, but the guy who usually drives is busy that night. It's just going to be a few of us. You know ... me, Lauren, Yumi, and a couple of upperclassmen. You want to come, Tim?"

Next to me, Amber drops her fork on the table, and the utensil makes a clanging sound.

Marco ignores her.

"No," I tell Marco, "Maybe some other time, but I don't think-"

Yumi cuts me off, smiling brilliantly as she lets herself meet my gaze.

"I get it," she says softly, "you're afraid. Your parents or relatives have set some high expectation, and you think that by leaving campus you'll get in trouble and they'll find out. It's cool. We won't get in any trouble. We'll be back before curfew, though it's not like anyone would miss us anyway. People go into the town all the time. Besides, wouldn't you like to actually go somewhere with friends instead of staying here all the time?"

I want to object. Derek, Creighton, and Amber don't trust her. Yumi and Marco aren't my friends, are they?

But all I can see are Yumi's entrancing brown eyes and her perfect, straight teeth as she smiles.

I'd do anything she asked me too right now.

"Hell no!" Amber spits from next to me, "Tim is not going to one of your crazy rituals. He's new here, in case you've forgotten. He's still trying to get a grip and understand the more common abilities. He doesn't need to watch Marco's necromancy routines or fall victim to whatever dark magic you've got going on.""

I snap my gaze away from Yumi to glare at Amber. I almost feel like I'm in a fog, as though something in the back of my mind is out of sorts. I ignore the feeling, skewering Amber with a look that makes her flinch.

There's a headache forming at my temple, and I'm suddenly furious with Amber for interrupting my conversation with Yumi. Of course I want to go, why wouldn't I? Yumi says it's safe. She's convincing enough for me.