Oh. My. Gods. omg-1 Page 14

  I’m not sure what to do. Should I kick and scream, demanding he put me down right now? Leap out of his arms-and likely fall flat on my face again thanks to Nicole’s amazing disappearing ankle trick? Enjoy the sensation of being held while his head dips down, inching closer and closer to mine-

  “Ah-hem.”

  Startled, I look up to see Stella standing in our open doorway.

  She has her hands on her hips and looks like she caught us making out on the front steps.

  Griffin’s ears are red with embarrassment.

  Without saying a word he drops me on the steps, nods to Stella, and jogs off across the yard.

  “Just keep in mind,” Stella snaps, “that you are supposed to be stealing Griffin away for me, not from me.”

  I nod absently, not focused on her but on the spot where Griffin had just disappeared over the hill. Holding onto the doorjamb so I don’t fall over, I can’t waste energy worrying about her being mad at me.

  Griffin Blake had been about to kiss me!

  And stupid Stella had to interrupt.

  PrincessCesca: did he wet his lips?

  LostPhoebe: no

  PrincessCesca: did he close his eyes?

  LostPhoebe: no

  PrincessCesca: did he lay his palm on your cheek?

  LostPhoebe: no

  LostPhoebe: he was kinda busy holding me

  PrincessCesca: are you sure he was going to kiss you?

  LostPhoebe: for the millionth time… yes!

  PrincessCesca: you’re in trouble

  LostPhoebe: tell me about it

  PrincessCesca: ES will kill you if you catch him before she can ES is our shorthand for Evil Stepsister. AKA Stella.

  After Griffin dropped me-and I found out that Nicole’s ankle zap had worn off and I could walk just fine-I had endured Stella’s inquisition about the whole thing.

  As soon as she was satisfied, I ran to my room-to the new laptop and Internet connection that will be my salvation for these next few months-and called up Cesca on IM.

  LostPhoebe: she won’t find out

  PrincessCesca: it’s a small island

  LostPhoebe: Justinian never found out they’d moved the school

  PrincessCesca: what?

  Oops. Not supposed to let that cat out of the bag. Well, at least I didn’t say who had moved the school. That would be worse.

  LostPhoebe: just some junk about school history

  LostPhoebe: we had a pep assembly on Friday

  LostPhoebe: they’re big on tradition here

  The cursor blinks at me for a long time. I can practically hear Cesca thinking from thousands of miles away. Great. If anyone can uncover the big secret, Cesca can. She’s the one who knew Justin was cheating on me weeks before the rest of the school found out.

  PrincessCesca: yeah, Europeans are all serious about history

  LostPhoebe: you’re not kidding

  LostPhoebe: one of my teachers wears a toga to class

  PrincessCesca: talk about your fashion faux pas

  Another IM conversation pops up.

  NaughtyNic: how’s your ankle

  LostPhoebe: fine, no thanks to you

  NaughtyNic: you were going to back out

  LostPhoebe: that didn’t mean you had to

  PrincessCesca: you still there?

  LostPhoebe: yes

  LostPhoebe: zap my ankle

  NaughtyNic: what’s the harm?

  NaughtyNic: it didn’t hurt

  LostPhoebe: no, but

  PrincessCesca: you’re talking to someone else, aren’t you?

  LostPhoebe: of course not

  LostPhoebe: you’re not talking either

  LostPhoebe: I could have hurt myself falling

  NaughtyNic: but you didn’t

  NaughtyNic: it all worked out in the end

  LostPhoebe: how would you know?

  NaughtyNic: I saw him carry you home

  PrincessCesca: if you’re going to ignore me I’m leaving

  LostPhoebe: don’t go

  PrincessCesca: then tell me who you’re talking to

  LostPhoebe: a friend from school

  LostPhoebe: she has a question about homework

  I feel horrible lying to Cesca, but it’s easier than answering questions. Most of them aren’t even questions I’m allowed to answer.

  LostPhoebe: him carrying me home doesn’t mean anything

  NaughtyNic: what happened?

  LostPhoebe: he almost kissed me

  NaughtyNic: oh my gods!

  NaughtyNic: why didn’t he?

  LostPhoebe: Stella interrupted

  PrincessCesca: Phoebe?

  NaughtyNic: did she freak out?

  LostPhoebe: hold on a sec

  PrincessCesca: fine

  NaughtyNic: see!!! it all worked out in the end

  NaughtyNic: I zapped you for a good cause

  LostPhoebe: I don’t care if he wound up groveling at my feet

  LostPhoebe: that’s no excuse to use your supernatural powers on me!

  Blink, blink, blink.

  NaughtyNic: are you there?

  Blink, blink, blink.

  NaughtyNic: Phoebe?

  I glance back and forth at the two IM windows. Back and forth.

  Cesca and Nicole. L.A. and Serfopoula.

  My heart starts racing.

  PrincessCesca: supernatural powers?

  Crap!

  LostPhoebe: have to go

  NaughtyNic: something wrong

  LostPhoebe: no, of course not

  LostPhoebe: just have to go

  LostPhoebe: now

  LostPhoebe: bye

  I quickly close the conversation with Nicole without waiting for her to reply. I am in so much crap it’s not even funny.

  PrincessCesca: Phoebe, what’s going on?

  Quick, think of a plausible explanation.

  LostPhoebe: we’re doing this fantasy role-playing game

  LostPhoebe: every character has special powers

  LostPhoebe: they can use them against other characters

  LostPhoebe: she used hers against me

  LostPhoebe: in the game

  Great, now I’m babbling in IM.

  Cesca’s going to know something’s up. In her wildest dreams she wouldn’t guess exactly what, but Cesca’s like a bulldog-she doesn’t let go of something until she’s ready.

  PrincessCesca: you hate computer games

  LostPhoebe: um, not anymore

  PrincessCesca: stop lying to me

  LostPhoebe: I’m not

  PrincessCesca: what’s really going on

  PrincessCesca: what aren’t you telling me?

  LostPhoebe: Cesca, I

  Tears fill my eyes as I tell my best friend since kindergarten-the girl I’ve shared every deep, dark secret I’ve ever had with-that I can’t tell her this.

  LostPhoebe: I can’t

  LostPhoebe: I’m sorry

  PrincessCesca: fine

  I wait for her to say something more, to ask why or to make me tell her. But the stupid cursor just blinks at me. After staring at the unmoving conversation for fifteen minutes I accept the fact that she’s gone.

  Add one more thing to the list of stuff moving to this stupid island has ruined for me.

  “To build a stronger team dynamic,” Coach Z says to everyone gathered in the weight room, “we are going to partner you across events for strength training today.”

  Oh no. This can only end in pain.

  Christopher, the big blond who volunteered to be my training partner, is the only person on the team who seems even inclined to be nice-Griffin hasn’t so much as spoken to me since Sunday-so pairing me with anyone else is going to be a nightmare.

  Coach Z starts going through the roster, pairing up throwers with hurdlers, jumpers with sprinters, mixing everything up.

  “Phoebe Castro,” he says, tracing his finger across the page on his clipboard, “and Adara Spencer.”

  My shoulde
rs slump. Of all the people I could be paired with, this is the worst. Even spending the hour-long session in silence with Griffin-who got paired with Vesna Gorgopoulo, a discus thrower who makes the Rock look like a weakling-would be infinitely better.

  I glance at Adara, standing in the center of her group of blondes.

  She is positively fuming. While she stalks over to Coach Z-presumably to demand a different partner-her blondes glare at me.

  The only one I know by name is Zoe. She’s in my World History class and spends all her time flirting with Mr. Sakola. I used to think she was harmless, but the look she’s giving me right now could sear a steak.

  Adara stomps back to her group, the angry look on her face a clear indication that Coach Z refused to bow down to her wishes.

  If they weren’t my wishes, too, at the moment, then I’d enjoy her defeat.

  “Everyone select a machine to start on,” Coach Z explains. “When you hear one whistle switch with your partner, when you hear two rotate stations.”

  While everyone moves to a machine, Adara and I stand glaring at each other.

  “Get moving, girls,” Coach Z shouts. “You start on the bench.”

  He points to the bench press in the far corner of the weight room, the only station not taken. Deciding that my training is more important than my animosity, I turn and head for the machine.

  I’m just settling in on the bench when Adara joins me.

  The first whistle blows and I reach up to take the bar.

  “Well, well,” Adara says, making no move to spot me. “If it isn’t the happy home-wrecker.”

  Ignoring her, I lift the bar off the brackets and start counting.

  One. Two.

  “Don’t think you can just steal my boyfriend without consequences, kako.”

  “I didn’t-” Six. “Steal-” Seven. “Anything.”

  “What?” She peers down at me. “Did you think I wouldn’t hear about what happened on Saturday?”

  “I don’t-” Twelve. “Really-” Thirteen. “Care.”

  “It was quite funny, actually,” she says, her voice mocking. “Griffin could hardly stop laughing long enough to tell me.”

  “What?” I let the bar clatter back into place on the brackets.

  Sitting up, I look around the room, finding Griffin and Vesna at the lateral pull station. He is watching Vesna pull like three hundred pounds. For a second he turns and glances at me, but then quickly looks away.

  Then again, he might have been looking at Adara.

  “Castro,” Coach Z shouts, “you’re still on the-”

  Coach Lenny blows the whistle, then winks at me, ignoring the scowl Coach Z throws his way.

  I climb off the bench and move behind the bar.

  “What exactly did he tell you?” I ask, furious.

  “Everything, of course.”

  We continue in silence, Adara doing bench presses and me thinking of how many ways I could destroy Griffin without getting caught, until Coach Lenny blows the whistle twice and we change stations. Up next on our circuit is the butterfly press. This allows Adara to stand facing me-and blocking my view-the whole time.

  “Back off from my boyfriend,” she snarls as I start my presses.

  “Don’t worry,” I reply, concentrating on the burn in my pecs so I don’t think about Griffin. The betrayer. “I want nothing to do with your boyfriend.”

  “Oh, I’m not worried.” She glances over her shoulder to where Griffin and Vesna are working on triceps curls. “I just want to save you the embarrassment of being the laughingstock of the school.”

  “Gee,” I say, just as the whistle blows. I release the weights with a thud. “Thanks for your concern.”

  Adara smoothly begins her presses as she talks. “If you don’t believe me, ask your friend Nutty Nic. She knows all about being the laughingstock.”

  “Watch what you say about my friends,” I warn. She is dangerously close to crossing a line.

  “And if I recall,” Adara snickers, “that was Griffin’s doing, as well.”

  My fury should be directed at Griffin, but Adara is right in front of me and all my rage focuses on her.

  I’m just about to tell her what she can do with her concern andfriendly advice when suddenly her arms snap back, the weights slamming down with an echoing crash. Adara looks stunned, her eyes wide open like they’re stuck that way.

  Everything in the weight room stops.

  “Castro!”

  Why is Coach Z yelling at me? “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Precisely,” he says. “As the spotter, when your partner is in trouble it is your job to assist her.”

  “But she wasn’t-”

  “I begged for help,” Adara coos, apparently recovering from her shock. “My arms were all quivery and shaky, like they were going to give out. But she refused. She said she wouldn’t lift a finger to help anyone on this team.”

  “That’s a lie,” I shout. “I never-”

  “In my office,” Coach Z says, his voice low and serious. “Now.”

  Great, there goes cross-country. I’m about to get kicked off the team, and lose any chance at getting that scholarship.

  “I saw it happen, Coach.”

  Everyone turns to look at Griffin. He’s looking right at Coach Z-not at me, not at Adara.

  “Adara didn’t ask for help,” he continues. “She just let the weight drop.”

  I dare a glance at Adara, who is turning an unflattering shade of red.

  “Right then,” Coach Z stammers. “Everyone back to work.”

  The weight room returns to the bustle of the workout. Except for Adara, who is glaring at me, me, staring at Griffin, and Griffin, staring at the floor.

  “Oh, and Blake,” Coach Z says. “Switch places with Spencer.”

  Stomping across the weight room, Adara takes her place with Vesna-who is now bench-pressing a small car. I walk slowly to the biceps curls station and pick up a pair of dumbbells. Without saying a word, Griffin takes his place at my side, holding his hand beneath mine to spot my movement.

  He doesn’t say a single word to me the entire workout, and by the time practice is over I’m more confused than ever.

  “This Plato is kicking my ass,” I grumble, staring blankly at the pages full of philosophical words.

  Mr. Dorcas wants us to read The Republic and write a ten-page response paper when I don’t even understand what the book is about. Like I don’t have enough going on in my life.

  “You’ll get through it,” Nicole promises.

  “I’m not so sure.” I flip the book over to the back cover-something I can actually understand-and read the two sentence bio on Plato. “Too bad he died twenty-three hundred years ago.”

  She laughs, then goes back to reading.

  “You’ve got powers, Nic.” I sigh, slamming the book down on our table. “Can’t you summon him back to life so I can ask him to clarify?”

  “We can’t bring people back from the dead,” she says. “Big no-no.

  In the sixties someone tried to bring back Clytemnestra to star in the school’s production of Agamemnon. Everyone in the cast agedfifty years in a day.” Then, pursing her lips and looking thoughtful, adds, “But hey, Hades is my great-uncle. We could take a field trip to the underworld to find Plato.”

  “Really?” I ask, brightening.

  Maybe there are benefits to going to school with the relatives of Greek gods. Something to offset all the unfortunate zapping.

  “Sure.” She frowns. “Of course, there’s always the chance we won’t come back. People get lost down there all the time. And it smells like rotten eggs.”

  “Great.” I flop back in my chair. “My options are: fail the class or spend eternity in the stinky underworld. I’m not sure which one is worse.”

  Nicole leans across the table and places a hand on my arm. “Don’t worry,” she says. “You won’t fail.”

  I am just about to let her know what I think of her reassurance by snort
ing when Mr. Dorcas walks up to our table.

  “Miss Castro,” he says. “Headmaster Petrolas wants to see you in his office.”

  Everyone in the class starts oohing like I’m in big trouble.

  Considering recent history, maybe I am.

  “He asked you to bring your things.”

  Maybe I’ve been expelled?

  Hey, a girl can dream.

  I quickly gather my stuff and head for the big dog’s office.

  Damian is pacing behind his massive desk when I get there.

  “What’s u-”

  “Who have you told?” he roars.

  I jerk back a little at his harsh tone. “Told about what?”

  “The school. Who have you told about the school?”

  He’s speaking quickly, with an urgency he hasn’t shown before.

  “If you mean the Big Secret, I haven’t told anybody.”

  I may have let half a detail slip to Cesca the other night, but that in no way constitutes telling the secret.

  Damian runs a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair as he sinks into his chair. “Phoebe, please. This is no time for playing games.

  The safety of the school and everyone on the island is at stake.”

  If he sounded even a little melodramatic I might have dismissed this line of questioning as paranoid. But he doesn’t. So I don’t.

  “All right.” I take a seat across from him. “In an IM chat on Sunday night I accidentally sent my best friend a line about using supernatural powers. I meant to send it to Nicole-I got the windows confused is all. But Cesca won’t tell anyone. I’m one hundred percent certain.”

  Except for maybe Nola-but she wouldn’t tell anyone, either.

  Only, if Cesca didn’t tell anyone, how did Damian find out? “What happened?” I ask, afraid of the answer.

  Rubbing his eyes with one hand, Damian sighs. Loudly.

  “The island itself is safe, protected by the gods. The shield, however, only prevents nothos from accidentally witnessing something supernatural. If they know what they’re looking for the gods cannot stop them.” He runs his hand through his hair, messing it up. “If even one untrustworthy nothos knows the truth, we are vulnerable to discovery.”