The Rising (Darkness Rising 3)

"Uh-huh." I smiled and pulled him down into a kiss.

We were still down there, a few minutes later, when a voice over our heads said, "Jesus. I know you guys have been separated for an entire forty-eight hours. But really?"

I looked up to see Sam--Samantha Russo--standing there, arms crossed, looking remarkably like the teacher who'd caught Rafe and me making out behind the school. A crutch was propped under one arm.

"Yes," said another voice. "Get a room. Please."

When I looked at Hayley, Sam said, "Don't suggest that or he will. And Maya's too gaga to resist."

Rafe shot her the finger, but it was a cheerful gesture, as if even she couldn't spoil his mood. I got up and gave Hayley a hug. It was awkward--we've never been friends--and she seemed surprised, but not displeased. Sam just scowled, arms crossing tighter, as if I might try the same thing on her. I didn't.

"So you're both okay?" I said. "You look okay."

Sam shrugged. "We're good."

"I wouldn't say 'good,'" Hayley said. "We're lab rats in a secured facility under twenty-four-hour surveillance."

Sam shrugged again. "They haven't hurt us. They've helped Annie. They've fixed up my leg. It's not so bad, really."

"Not so bad?" I said. "We--"

Rafe caught my hand and squeezed. "We're having a difference of opinion that I'm sure we'll get into later. For now, let's just take a breather and get caught up."

Hayley nodded. "What's happening with Corey and Daniel? They're okay, right? Still running? Still safe?"

The room seemed to freeze. My breath jammed in my throat and I could hear my blood pounding.

Rafe led me back to the sofa. "They're okay,

but that's something Maya needs to talk about. If everyone can just--"

"Maya?" Sam said. "I know you can be insufferably bossy, and I never thought I'd say this, but can you please take back the reins of leadership here? Your loser boyfriend--"

"Sam!" Hayley hissed.

Rafe only rolled his eyes. "As you can tell, Sam and I have not miraculously become BFFs in the last couple of days. I'm sure Maya will have lots of ideas and plans, Samantha. But she just got here and--"

"Hey," said a quiet voice from the doorway.

I turned. There stood Nicole. For a moment I thought I was seeing things. Hoped I was seeing things.

"Hey, Nic," Rafe said. "Look who's here."

He pulled me up and smiled at us, and I had to stare at him for a moment before remembering. He didn't know. No one knew except . . .

I glanced at Sam.

She flushed and mouthed, "Sorry," then whispered under her breath, "I didn't know what to do."

"Do about what?" Hayley asked.

Nicole stood there, looking confused. Looking like the same Nicole I'd known for ten years. Sweet and shy and uncertain. The girl Serena took under her wing, trying to boost her confidence. The girl I'd pushed Daniel toward after Serena's death, thinking she was just the thing to help him get over her. The girl I'd struggled to befriend, even if we didn't have much in common, feeling guilty that we couldn't get closer when she seemed to need a friend so much after Serena died.

Now I looked at Nicole and I saw that girl, and I started wondering if I'd misjudged. If Sam and I had drawn the wrong conclusion. There was no way this girl could have done what we thought.

Except I'd seen another girl in Nicole a few days ago. The one who'd lashed out at the campsite when I'd refused to rescue her. The one who'd tried to get me captured, too. Who'd shouted at Moreno to shoot me. To kill me.

What mattered more to me was who we thought Nicole had killed. Serena.