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"Will you listen tohere being fatuous - "

"And she knows big words, too!"

" - while sooing to kill people That’s all he is, Faye, hatred and the desire to kill I know it; I can feel it in hi you for a ride"

Faye’s golden eyes narrowed She looked less amused

"I’ve known you for a while now, Faye, and there’ve been plenty of tiht I’d see you becorapher You used to s and you didn’t kiss up to anybody Do you remember how you once asked me if I wanted my epitaph to be ’Here lies Cassie She wasnice’? Well, do you want yours to be ’Here lies Faye She was a good secretary’?"

One of Faye’s hands, with its long fingernails - mauve these days, instead of scarlet - was clenched on the dresser Her jaas set, and she was staring hard into her own golden eyes in the mirror

Cassie’s pulse quickened "When I looked at you I used to see a lion - a sort of black and gold lion Now I see" - she glanced down at her feet - "a kitten Souy’s kitten"

She waited tensely Maybejustthe candle cereh pride, enough independence

Faye’s eyes met hers in the mirror Then Faye shook her head Her face was closed, her ht

"I think you know the way out," she said

The kittens tangled around Cassie’s feet as she turned, and she felt the razor-sharp nick of claws

No, she told them with her mind, and she felt the kittens freeze, ears back She picked them up, one in each hand, and tossed them onto Faye’s bed

Then she left

"We have to give her until the ninth," Diana said "Maybe she’ll change her mind"

"’Maybe later,’" Cassie quoted, but there wasn’t much hope in her voice

"We’ll wait until the ninth for Sean, too," Adah the next seven school days without trouble - except ah, the ue Laurel’s birthday on the first and Sean’s birthday on the third of Deceht Diana, none of theh to plan a party Cassie saw the looks and heard the whispers and knew that the plan orking She concentrated on being as ue-tied, easily frightened or embarrassed The role was uncorown, and she itched to get rid of it But for the ti Faye

"I hear you and Nick have broken up," Faye said in the hall one day The hooded golden eyes ar away

"And the Club isn’t much of a club without me, fro

Cassie squirmed

"I may join you sometime -one, that is"

Cassie shrugged

Faye looked s "We could have a wicked time," she said "Think about it"

As Faye walked away Cassie saw Sally Walt-ed up as inconspicuously as possible

"We’re ready for the ninth, like you told us," Cassie said softly "But can you do onefor us?"

Sally looked uneasy "He’s got everybody watching everybody Nobody’s safe - "

"I know, but when the ninth co unusual? If it looks like he’sI told you about hi a hunted glance around "Now just go, will you? I’ll try to get a "

Cassie nodded and hurried away

The ninth dawned gray and windy, the sort of day that normally made Cassie want to curl up in front of a fire Instead, she put on extra-warloves, a parka She had no idea what theytoday, but she wanted to be dressed for action In her backpack, along with her school notebooks, she put her Book of Shadows

She alking out of French class when Sally intercepted her

"Coirl said in crisp hall-monitor accents, and Cassie followed her into the empty nurse’s office next door Sally iet caught with you, it’s all over," she said rapidly in a harsh whisper, her eyes on the frosted-glassin the door "But here it is: I just overheard Brunswick talking with your friend Faye Maybe you’ll understand what it was about, because I sure don’t They were discussing soe - it sounded like they were taking an empty school bus over there, and a car, or maybe it was a couple of cars He said They only have to burn for an hour or so; by then the water will have risen far enough’ Does thatto you?"

"An accident would block the bridge to the mainland," Cassie said slowly

"Sure, but why?" Sally asked i to find out Sally, if I need to see you again, will you be in the cafeteria at lunch?"

"Yes, but you can’t talk to ely ever since that night in the clearing - I think she’s suspicious Her brothers went away mad, and she didn’t believe a word you said about Brunswick If she catches me with you, I’m dead"

"You may be dead if I don’t talk with you," Cassie said "Go on, get out of here, I’ll leave in aat a run Waiting on the second floor was the rest of the Club - minus Faye and Sean, who hadn’t been inforht after lunch, even if they hadn’t learned anything about Black John’s plans by then

"But we do know so down on a crate "Listen" She told them what Sally had said

"Well, that explains it," Deborah put in when Cassie finished "I just saw hi, and the secretary said they’d be gone all afternoon So they’re going out to wreck a school bus Cool"

"But why?" Cassie said "I e, but what’s the point?"

It was Ada, with one of the earphones fro’s Walkman pressed to his ear

"The point," he said, "is to keep everybody on the island There’s just been an update on the news - anybody re about the last couple days? The one that they were afraid was going to hit Florida, but then it turned north while it was still out in the Atlantic?"

There was head-shaking around the group - most of them hadn’t been too interested in the news lately - but Melanie said, "I thought they downgraded that to a tropical stor to dissipate out in the ocean Look, I know a little about hurricanes This one isn’t supposed to be a threat, because they’re assu to turn northeast at Cape Hatteras That’s what hurricanes usually do when they hit the low-pressure trough around there But we all knohat happens when they don’t" He looked around the group grimly, and this time there were nods from everyone but Cassie

"When they don’t turn at Cape Hatteras, they coht up here," Adam said to her, then "Like the one in 1938, and the one a few years agoand the one in 1976"

The silence was absolute Cassie glanced from side to side at the faces in the di dizzy

"Yes," said Adam "Winds a hundred and fifty h Now, they’re still saying this stor to turn - they just mentioned on the radio that it’s supposed to stay well off the Atlantic seaboard But" - he looked around again, deliberately - "anybody want to take bets?"

Laurel jue is blocked, everybody on the island is in danger"

"Too late," Deborah said briefly "He’s already gone Reo"

"And everybody’s not just in danger, everybody’s dead," Melanie said "That storo just nicked New Salem, but this one could wipe us out"

Cassie looked at Ada?"

"I don’t know Could be fifty miles an hour, could be seventy If it doesn’t turn at Cape Hatteras, they’ll issue a hurricane warning - but it’ll be too late by then, especially if the bridge is blocked It could get to us in ht hours More or less"

"Around the time of the eclipse?" Cassie asked

"Maybe Maybe a little later"

"But before it hits us, it’ll hit Cape Cod and Boston," Diana whispered "It will kill people there" She looked stunned and dazed at the idea

"Then there’s only one thing to do," Cassie said "We’ve got to stop it before it hits land at all We’ve got to make it dissipate, or turn back out to the ocean, or whatever Or we’ve got to ot to warn people on our own - tell them to do whatever you do in a hurricane - "

"Evacuate," Adam said dryly, "which may not be possible, even in boats Listen to that wind" He paused and Cassie heard not only the wind but a pattering on the boarded-up s Rain

"If they can’t get out, they’ll have to dig in," Chris said "Anybody up for a hurricane party?"

"It’s not funny," Nick said sharply, and Cassie said, "All right, then - tell people to do that Do whatever they can And we’d better get back to Crowhaven Road - "

"With Sean," Adaet him and meet everybody at my house Let’s do it, people"

They left their uneaten lunches - except Suzan, who snagged hers and ran after the others - and headed for the school