Bill continued. “You wanted to prove yourself am I right?

And I said watch Gabriel Merrick, and you ”

Hunter was out of his chair. “That’s exactly what I was doing!”

“What did you just say?” said Gabriel. A new feeling was coiling in his chest, something bitter and frightening.

But the room had fallen into a stricken silence.

Gabriel stared at Hunter. “That’s why you were following me that night.”

“Nice,” said Becca. She was glaring at Hunter, too. “So you misled everyone around you, huh?”

Hunter shook his head. “No, it’s not it wasn’t ”

But Gabriel was already storming back down the hallway, heading for the front door.

Michael caught him, grabbing him by the arm and shoving him up against the door before he could open it. “You are not leaving.”

Gabriel struggled against him. “Let me go, goddamn it.”

“No.” Michael shook him, hard. “You’re not leaving. Do you understand me? I will tie you up if I have to.”

Gabriel stared into his brother’s eyes, seeing the same exhaustion and fury he knew were reflected in his own.

He wanted to fight, but he was just too tired.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll go to my room.”

Michael let him go.

And Gabriel walked up the stairs.

Alone.

CHAPTER 38

Gabriel had thought people were talking about him when he couldn’t try out for basketball.

That had nothing on walking through school the Monday morning following an arrest.

People actually went silent when he passed. Kids he didn’t even know were staring at him.

“You want me to walk with you to first period?” said Nick.

“I’m not four,” said Gabriel. He slammed books into his locker, pulling out the ones he needed for morning classes.

Like it mattered. Like he’d be able to concentrate.

He hadn’t wanted to come to school, but he’d needed to get the hell out of the house. Michael had practically boarded his bedroom door shut. Trying to escape for a run had turned into a grand inquisition.

Probably for the best, really. He couldn’t run without thinking of Layne, of the last time he’d tackled the six-mile trek to the horse farm.

How he’d saved her life.

How he had no idea if she was okay.

Nick was still standing there, watching him the same way he’d been watching him since he’d gotten home from the hospital.

“Go,” said Gabriel. “You’ll be late, and I know you hate that.”

His twin didn’t move. Gabriel yanked the zipper closed on his backpack. “Go, Nicky. I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise. I even did all my homework.”

Because he’d had nothing else to do all weekend. He’d ridden the knife’s edge of tension since getting home, waiting for something to happen. For the police to arrest him again. For the Guides to show up. For more information on the pentagrams.

Nothing.

Nick gave him a look. “You’re not going to kill anyone in the hallways, are you?”

He meant Hunter. Gabriel hadn’t heard from him, either

not like he was waiting around for a call.

Gabriel shook his head.

“Really?”

“Jesus, Nick!” Gabriel gave him a shove. “Go. ”

All the students nearby went absolutely still. He could almost hear the collective gasp, like he was going to whip out a weapon. He wished he knew what stories were floating around. He could imagine, especially with the weekend to let people get really creative.

Gabriel slung the backpack on his shoulder and turned away from his brother. “Fine, then I’ll go. I’ll see you at lunch.”

People cleared a path.

In first period, the teacher looked surprised to see him and maybe a little afraid, too. Students left the seats surrounding him empty. No one spoke to him, but the focus of their attention fed his nerves like a shot of caffeine. It almost drove him to act, to live up to this violent criminal reputation he’d earned for himself. But he kept hearing Becca’s father’s voice in the kitchen.

People will die. Everyone in this room.

He slouched in his seat and pretended to be invisible.

People already had died or come close. The pentagrams pointed to Elementals, but he couldn’t reason it out in his head.

Layne’s farm had burned down then Quinn’s house. Were they being targeted somehow? But that didn’t make sense, either. The Elementals in town knew where the Merricks lived they’d marked the house with paint when Becca’s dad first came to town. If they wanted to attack the Merrick brothers, they could just burn their house down.

And what about all the innocent people whose houses had been destroyed?

He watched the clock tick toward second period. Then third.

When he’d see Layne.

He still had her note in his backpack, a little damp from his walk in the rain, but still legible.

Are you afraid of me?

A little.

She wasn’t in the math classroom when he got there, but he yanked his homework from his binder and flung it into the basket on his way past Ms. Anderson’s desk.

The teacher glanced up when he passed, and she was the first one who didn’t look like she expected him to douse her desk in kerosene and flick a match.

“Mr. Merrick?”

He stopped, his fingers tight on the strap of his book bag. He didn’t want to look at her, didn’t want anything to interfere with the cord of tension holding him together.