"The crest?" I asked.

"Yeah. With the Latin words on it."

"Hear, See, Be Silent," I whispered. "The motto of the Sisterhood." My mind worked frantically to connect the pieces.

"It meant something-I knew it. I drew the symbol and words as soon as I got home. I thought I could use it as proof that those girls were there that night, that they were involved. But when I showed it to Bethany, she laughed in my face. It was her word against mine."

"Okay, so Taylor, Bethany, and Maddie are involved in the Sisterhood." As I said the words, it explained so much. Maddie's betrayal, Taylor's and Bethany's bullying. "And Bethany is blackmailing you, so they're clearly hiding something." Why, thank you, Captain Obvious. "She sent the threats," I continued, more to myself than to him. "She was there and started the fire."

"I'm not sure it's that easy," Liam whispered. "I saw someone else there too." I held my breath while he paused. "Alistair Reynolds. He was running in the opposite direction, but I'm sure it was him."

Oh. My. G.o.d.

Chapter 40.

Last Fall Half-empty paint cans clattered to the floor in the garage as I yanked on the handlebars of my bike, attempting to release it from the jaws of junk. Instead of picking the cans up, I kicked them out of my way. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. I just needed to see Maddie. To be with someone who understood.

After finally freeing my bike, I swung my leg over the seat and pedaled furiously, tears streaming down my cheeks. I pushed up Maddie's steep driveway and jumped down from the bike without bothering to stop. It fell to the concrete in a heap. The entire ride there, I'd imagined the front door opening before I even had a chance to ring the bell. I pictured Maddie throwing her arms around me so I could cry with someone who had lost as much as I had.

I did not expect Taylor Wright to open the door. Her long hair was damp and twisted on top of her head, and she wore a pair of Maddie's pajama pants rolled at the waist and paired with one of her lower-school T-shirts. Taylor's eyes were wide and skittish, and she shook her head slowly back and forth when she saw me.

"I'm so sorry." She opened her arms to hug me, and I awkwardly wrapped my arms around her. But it was all wrong, forced, uncomfortable, tense. "Everyone's inside."

The word "everyone" made me want to stop, and yet my body continued to move. When I saw the crowd of people in Maddie's kitchen-Bethany, dressed impeccably with a full face of makeup; Maddie's younger sister and a few of her friends; and even Alistair-I knew it had been a mistake to come.

The news was muted on the TV, and Mr. Greene sat on the couch with his head in his hands. Maddie was distraught, seated at the kitchen table next to her mom, who gripped her hand, their knuckles so white I imagined it must have hurt. As soon as Mrs. Greene saw me, she jumped up from her seat and pulled me into a hug.

"Kate, sweetie, Maddie said you couldn't come." She rocked me back and forth, resurrecting that shard-of-gla.s.s feeling in my throat as I swallowed. Tears slipped out the corners of my eyes and soaked Mrs. Greene's shoulders. I didn't want to think about why Maddie had lied to her mom; this was about Grace. Mrs. Greene pulled away, grabbed my hand, and led me to Maddie. But Taylor had already taken the seat next to my best friend, her arms wrapped around her, pulling her close.

Just like that, I had been replaced.

I elbowed my way past the lower-school kids, Bethany, Taylor, and even Alistair, who put his hand on the small of my back.

"Kate, if you need to talk, I'm here," he said so softly that I could barely hear. "I lost my cousin when we were kids. We were like brothers."

Anger seethed through me. Even though he was trying to be understanding, trying to show that he cared, I resented his empathy. He had no idea what I was going through. No one had any idea. I had come because I thought maybe Maddie would, and now I wasn't even sure of that. His hand still rested on my lower back, and when I jerked away from him, his arm fell to his side. I elbowed my way in to face the only friend I had left.

"Do you want to get out of here for a while? Maybe go on a walk or something?" I asked, my voice edging on desperate.

Maddie continued to sob, more so when I tried to sit down near her. Worse, Taylor stood up, almost blocking Maddie from my view. I didn't care that Taylor Wright was the most popular girl in school; I wanted to claw her empty blue eyes right out of their sockets and talk to my friend.

I ignored Taylor and tried to reach Maddie. "I just really need to talk to you. I miss her so much." Maddie raised her bloodshot eyes and looked at Taylor, who offered an almost imperceptible shake of the head.

"Why don't you sit down, and we can all talk," Taylor said, loud enough for Mrs. Greene to hear. "We're all missing Grace."

"Maddie." My eyes pleaded as I said her name. I heard the desperation in my voice, the tears lurking just beneath the words. "Please?"

But Maddie just kept crying, unwilling or unable to respond.

Mrs. Greene pulled me aside. "She's having a really hard time with this, Kate. Don't give up on her, okay? She needs you, and sooner or later she'll be ready to talk."

I nodded my head. There was no way any words would be able to make it past the huge lump in my throat.

I took one last look at Maddie and her newly formed entourage of grievers and walked back out the Greenes' front door.

Another best friend lost without even a good-bye.

Chapter 41.

Present Day The next morning, I walked through Seth's garage door without knocking. Mrs. Allen insisted I come through the garage as opposed to the front door, which was for her "formal guests."

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Allen." I awkwardly glanced from person to person. "Seth."

They were seated at the kitchen table eating a fairly extensive-looking breakfast together-eggs Benedict, potatoes, some pancakes. I didn't think families ate breakfast together anymore-well, maybe the occasional bowl of cereal, but nothing like this. It looked like they were filming an orange-juice commercial or something.

"Oh, Kate, you're just in time," Mrs. Allen sang. "Come eat. I'll get you a plate."

Mr. Allen beamed at me as I pulled out a chair to sit down. His appearance offered a very accurate window into Seth's future. His hair was flaming-red despite his age, and he barely pushed five feet, seven inches. I looked back and forth between Seth and his dad as his mom placed a heaping plate in front of me.

I hadn't realized how hungry I was. I never did get to eat any of that pizza the night before, and an Allen breakfast was just what the doctor ordered. It was kind of nice to spend some time with a normal family.

"Now, Kate, Cindy Woodrow down the street says you've taken a break from tennis," Mrs. Allen said. "What about States, dear?"

I take that back. Maybe normal wasn't always nice.

"I was having a hard time deciding between tennis and the Concilium," I lied. "My coach is holding my spot if I change my mind."

"Taylor Wright heads up the Concilium, is that right?" Mrs. Allen asked. I rolled my eyes in Seth's direction. "I've always encouraged Seth to join, but he insists on helping in the office." She frowned toward Seth.

"That's enough, Rebecca," Mr. Allen stepped in. "Kate, how are your parents?"

"They're fine, Mr. Allen. Thanks," I said.

"Here, Kate, have a few more pancakes. You're too skinny!" Mrs. Allen heaped three more pancakes on my plate.

I think Seth's mom secretly kept tabs on the Lowry household, which probably included counting the number of times she saw the pizza-delivery guy at our house each week. As a result, she was constantly trying to shovel home-cooked food down my throat on account of my deprived upbringing.

Seth mopped up extra hollandaise sauce with his toast. He was heaving food into his mouth at an incredible speed. It was obvious he couldn't wait to talk privately-and not for the usual reasons a guy wanted to get a girl alone. At least I didn't think so. He cleared his plate and lifted mine before I even had a chance to tuck into the additional pancakes.

"Oh, um...thanks." I almost choked on a hash brown. "Breakfast was delicious!"

"Seth, honey, she wasn't even finished. Kate, I'll make you a to-go container," Mrs. Allen said, jumping up from her chair. She threw some pancakes into a plastic container and even added a little side of syrup.

I grabbed them and followed Seth up to his room. I mean, who was I to turn down homemade pancakes? As soon as I entered the room, Seth slammed the door behind me.

"I know something you don't know," he taunted. "Check this out."

Seth practically shoved me onto his neatly made bottom bunk. When I was little, I used to be really jealous that Seth had bunk beds. Come to think of it, I was really jealous Seth had a tree house as well. Funny how quickly jealousy turned into cringing embarra.s.sment.

Seth sat next to me with his laptop and brought up an email from his good buddy, ConspiracyLuvR. He turned the computer so I could read it.

Over the years, the definition of the term "secret society" has been debated. Some believe that to be a true secret society, members must deny any involvement and knowledge of the society. While others believe the integration of rites and rituals forbidden to outsiders grants a society the label "secret." Whatever the definition, secret societies are very much a reality, and some may even be linked to your own community-although finding them is the true challenge.

I looked up at Seth.

"So? Can you believe it?" he asked, excitedly.

"Which part? That you're still talking to ConspiracyLuvR or that secret societies exist?"

"Geez, you're a slow reader!"

He pointed at a paragraph in the middle of the next page, so I read it aloud.

My recent research on the Sisterhood leads me to believe that they might be made up exclusively of females...

"Um...duh. It's called the Sisterhood, jacka.s.s."

"Keep reading!"

There is another secret society active within the area known as the Brotherhood. In the early '50s, many of the area's most elite private schools went coed, and I think this might have forced small, militant sections of the faculty and student body of many area schools underground. These two societies have been warring since their inception in the early '50s...

"B is for Brotherhood," I said, putting the pieces together. "So clearly the invitation was for some kind of initiation at the chapel." I didn't even stop to think about the fact that I had been invited to join on the night of Spiritus. "But why was Alistair there? Doesn't sound like the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood get along too well."

Seth wrinkled his forehead. "What're you talking about?"

I held my hand up in front of Seth's face. I couldn't focus on his question right now; I was trying to work through some of my own. "This makes perfect sense. Taylor, Bethany, Maddie, Grace, Alistair-they are all involved. Sisterhood, Brotherhood, whatever. They were there. They had a hand in this. I still don't get why they all would have been there together, though."

"Wait. How do you know Taylor, Bethany, Maddie, and Alistair are involved?"

I told him the entire story about Liam. Seth's mouth hung open as the words tumbled out of my mouth.

"Are you sure we can trust him? If he's telling us the truth, that means he was there the night of Grace's death too."

"That's exactly what Bethany said. It was her word against his, and who would believe the guy who had charges of arson on his permanent record? Plus they all saw him smoking. But I trust him, and I think he can help us."

Seth looked like a child forced to share his favorite toy.

"He's telling the truth," I continued. "And he actually has some good ideas. He thinks that Taylor and Alistair are at war. And your friend ConspiracyLuvR just backed him up. Whatever happened to Grace, she was caught in the crossfire somehow. All we need is proof, and Liam says he can help us find it..." I let my voice trail off and gave Seth my most pleading look.

"Oh, no. Not again. We are not going back to those abandoned buildings. We'll get caught for sure."

"Come on, you know we'll be fine as long as we go at night. And he didn't go into much detail over the phone. He was worried about the line being tapped."

The expression on Seth's face was priceless. He looked half scared s.h.i.tless and half excited out of his mind at the prospect of tapped phone lines.

"I was kidding about the tapped-line thing." His face fell and I felt bad for bursting his bubble, but it was just so easy. "But serious about the break-in. Maybe tomorrow night?"

"Okay," Seth finally agreed. I guess the potential for discovering the truth about the secret societies of Pemberly Brown was too much for him to resist.

When I got home, I had a full belly, my to-go container of pancakes, and what appeared to be a flawless plan. I slept the afternoon away. A perfect, dreamless sleep. When I woke up, I needed a second to place how I was feeling, and it finally occurred to me that I was excited. I was one step closer to justice, and it felt good.

Chapter 42.

I woke up early on Monday morning and splashed cold water over my face, pushing the sleep away. When I heard the door creak, I opened my eyes and tried to focus as droplets of water hung from my lashes.

She stood behind me, staring at me, still wearing her school uniform, inky hair spilling over her shoulders. A scream stuck in my throat as I rubbed at my tired eyes. But when I opened them again, she was gone. I looked at myself in the mirror, wondering if I was crazy, and noticed my computer was no longer idle.

I swiped my face with a towel and rushed to my desk, clicking on the message before I even sat down.

To: [email protected] Sent: Mon 5:33 AM From: Subject: (no subject) Time is almost up.

Go back to the beginning.

The truth is underground.

Talk about a case of the Mondays.

And it didn't get much better from there.

"Kate, do you have anything to add?" Mr. Erikson, my Physics teacher, stared me down while tapping his wing-tipped foot.

My page of notes consisted of my random thoughts about tombs and their connection to an underground truth. Not much to add there.

"Um, no...I was gonna say what Anthony said." Across the room, Anthony nodded at me and licked his lips. Eww.