The Gathering (Darkness Rising 1)

"Are you in trouble, Sam?"

"What?" She slid off the desk. "No. God, I can't even make an innocent comment without you jumping to conclusions. If you start telling people this chick is after me--"

"You don't need to threaten me, Sam, because you know I don't spread stories. Chief Carling has already been told about this woman, so you won't need to worry about her much longer anyway."

She looked alarmed. "Corey called his mom?"

"Um, yeah. Standard procedure for anyone poking around, which you'd know if you didn't sit through every assembly with your iPod blasting." The bell sounded, and I moved to my desk by the window. "I'm sure they'll call another assembly today, and tell us how to handle it ... again."

When Sam reached her desk at the back, she hesitated, then said, "About Rafe. I'm sure you're just being nice, but be careful."

"Did he do something?"

"Not yet, but he's trouble. Some girls go for that. You're not one of them. You're smart. Just ... stay smart, okay?"

I nodded. Then the door banged open, and kids streamed in.

NINE

I WAS RIGHT ABOUT the assembly. It came during last period. Really, you'd think by now, the town could trust us older kids enough to just say, "Hey, there's one of those fake reporters in town. Here's her picture. You know the drill." But apparently, under the age of eighteen, our memories have short expiration periods.

If there's anything worse than being confined to a small auditorium with everyone in the school, it's being confined there at the end of the day, when I'm desperate for fresh air and open skies. The crush of bodies, their stifling heat, the smell of them as deodorant began wearing off, even the sound of everyone breathing and coughing ...

"Go," Daniel whispered at the halfway mark. "Anything new, I'll fill you in."

As I passed Mrs. Morris, I motioned that I was going out to use the washroom. I'm sure she knew better, but she just smiled and waved me on. We aren't a school with a truancy problem. Let's be honest: Where would you go if you skipped class? No mall. No coffee shop. No hangout where the person running the place hasn't known you from childhood ... and knows you should be in class.

The school is on the edge of town. Hell, most of the town is on the edge of town--you can't walk far in any direction without ending up in the forest. That's where I went.

As I started along the path, I noticed a young, dark-haired woman. But not Mina Lee. This one was taller than me, with long black hair that curled over her faded denim jacket. Native or Latina. She was watching me and making no effort to hide it. Mina Lee's partner? If so, she needed lessons in subtlety even more than Mina did.

When I headed her way, she started grinning and rocking on her toes, like she was fighting an urge to run toward me. She looked about nineteen, but her grin belonged on the face of a five-year-old. She was bouncing like a five-year-old, too.

When I got a better look at her face--high cheekbones, sharp nose and chin, and slightly slanted amber eyes--I realized this had to be Rafe's older sister. I'd never seen her before. Few people in town had. She was supposed to be an artist. Shy and reclusive, Rafe had told everyone. One look at this girl, so eager to say hello she could barely stand still, and I knew that was a lie. Surprise, surprise.

"Hello," I said.

She launched herself at me so fast I didn't have time to get out of the way before she had her arms around my neck, hugging me like a long-lost sister.

"Um, hi ..." I said, giving her a quick hug back, then stepping away.

"I shouldn't do that, right? Sorry. I couldn't help it. I've been waiting so long." She resumed bouncing on her toes. "I'm so happy to meet you."

"I'm ... happy to meet you, too. I'm Maya."

"I know. I'm Annie." She bounced there, grinning and staring at me. Her eyes were wide and childlike, and as I looked in them, I had a pretty good idea why Rafe was keeping his sister a secret. She was ... I guess mentally challenged is the right term.

"Rafe's right. You are pretty. I like your hair." She reached out and stroked a lock hanging over my shoulder. "I wish mine was straight. I used to straighten it, but it never really worked. I don't think I was doing it right. Rafe tried to help, but--" She giggled. "He's not a good hairdresser."

I couldn't help smiling at that image.

"So you live in the Skylark cottage?" I said. "That must get lonely."

"Sometimes. But it's okay. There's so much forest to run in." She closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun, her smile rapturous. "It's wonderful."

"You like the forest?" I asked.

She opened her eyes and they shone with a light that made her beautiful. "I love the forest."