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"Nope But let’s do it anyway" I kissed her and slid off the bench seat of the pickup Neither of us had our schoolbooks with us and I felt naked withoutover my shoulder I took Elyssa’s hand in od, you’re back!" Elyssa and I both jurippedhorrible And I couldn’t reical stairs"

"That was for the best," I said "Believe me"

"What happened after I left?"

I extracted rasp and said, "That story could take a while"

Katie’s eyes darted around the parking lot "Things have changed around here in the past couple of days, Justin Or maybe I just knohat to look for now I think there are vae kids who keep to themselves and don’t talk to anyone else They have their own table at lunch, too"

"And what exactly makes you think they’re vampires?" Elyssa asked with a sazed upward, like she was trying to look inside her brain "The ones whose faces I could see wear hoodies all the time, their skin is really pale, and their eyes have a reddish tint although I think so contacts"

Elyssa rolled her eyes "You’re sure they aren’t just Goth or emo?"

"Dangit, Elyssa, I’ to be helpful here No need to patronize irlfriend a hurt look

I headed for the school with the two girls in tow "Point them out to us, Katie, and we’ll know for sure" A lump of ice formed in my stomach The mention of hoodies definitely reminded me of the mystery people who’d watched ht be the vaht be albinos ore hoodies to protect their delicate skin

Yeah right

We entered the school and hooked left into the gyentle roar of conversationscrept up my spine, as if everyone here were solanced around the huge roo a few surprised stares from other students when they noticedeyes as I spotted Nyte Ash, shorter and Asian, sat next to hied Ash and the two of therinned like an idiot and waved back A mixture of relief and happiness warmed me from the inside out as I saw they were okay, untouched as yet by Coach Burgundy and his thugs

"You’re alive!" Ash said, giving Elyssa a big hug

"More or less," she said, her bright s under the weather"

"That’s an unfortunate side effect of having a significant other," Ash said "It’s erms"

"Nice," I said "Way to kill the romance"

Katie leaned around Elyssa’s taller frame to make herself visible "Hi, I’m Katie"

Ash’s eyes ide and his complexion went from olive to white "Hi," he said, his voice al uneasily

"So?" I asked the two of the with his ser I motioned Katie to sit betweenher next to Elyssa was only asking for trouble Ash’s fingers froze on his phone and sweat broke out on his forehead

"Dude, are you feeling okay?" I asked

He nodded

"You look so h I think it rong of the principal to say you couldn’t wear it That’s definitely against the First Ahts," Ash said, finally finding so

"I think you’re right," she said, her eyes a bit uncertain She leaned toward me and whispered, "Do they know about the valanced at Elyssa whose super hearing had picked up the question as well I leaned toward her "Should we keep the them isn’t an option, Justin"

"But Katie knows Why shouldn’t we tell our friends?"

"It’s dangerous knowledge" She glanced at Ash as he carried on a conversation with Katie about repressed rights "Members of the Overworld are forbidden to speak about it to noht Club?"

She smiled "Yeah First rule of the Overworld: You do not talk about the Overworld Saet her into the Arcane Council’s program ASAP before she slips up"

"Her and me both," I said "I still don’t know crap about the Overworld and I’"

Katie nudged me "Over there" She pointed to the bleachers on the opposite side of the basketball court, all the way at the back where al a ray hoodies