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Abigail’sin this town Really wrong You see it, don’t you?"

"Well, obviously," Dad said

"I e" She leaned closer to both of therown-up as scared as a little kid "This isn’t natural, what’s happening here Maybe it sounds like so out of--a bad movie, I don’t know But it’s real You know it as well as I do And we have to put a stop to it" With that she stalked off, pulling Abigail behind her

Cole watched Abigail go "Are we not having the Thanksgiving pageant?"

"I don’t think so, buddy"

"What did Abigail’sabout the birds?"

Dad didn’t see, but he said, very slowly, "About the birds, and other things"

Nadia started getting the texts first thing in the arbled nonsense At first she’d assu butt texts that would stop when Mateo took his phone out of his back pocket, but they kept co to reach her but wasn’t coherent enough to do it

Just as she was trying to tell herself not to be stupid, a e came in from her father about the chaos at Cole’s school Nadia was trying to think of what Elizabeth iving play when her dad texted: BTW, Elizabeth dropped by again Seeht want 2 talk w/ school counselor

At first all Nadia could feel was triumph Elizabeth must have made her move on her father, and failed The Betrayer’s Snare had worked

But then she realized that Elizabeth had attacked the school, too, which arbled

When the bell rang for third period, Nadia dashed into the hallway Through the scanty group of students still attending full tilimpse of a fuzzy, pink sweater over a wide, white circle skirt--pure 1950s "Verlaine!"

Verlaine turned from her locker, at first merely blasé, but her expression shifted into concern as Nadia pushed toward her "Oh, crap What’s happening now?"

"I’et to Mateo, this instant"

"Sounds like a good excuse to skip" Verlaine shoved her books back in her locker and slaround began to shake

Nadia gasped and put her ar on to the wall of lockers--but they were squeaking wildly, shaking open, sending heavy textbooks and tons of crap flying Verlaine took her hand and pulled her back toward the center of the hall