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All those noran to echo fro down her forkful of chips and chili, she half turned to pull thefrom the back of her chair, then reached for her phone

I arched an eyebrow at the choice of songs, as lyrics about saving the universe ruh our part of the cafeteria

"I love Queen," Scout covered, her voice a little louder than the phone, the explanation for the folks around us The song apparently signaling a text

"Flash Gordon?" I whispered, when the girls had returned to their lunches "A little obvious, isn’t it?"

Pink rose on her cheeks "I’ keys She frowned, her lips pursed at the corner "Weird," she finally said

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Scout said "We’re supposed toso--but they want one doith one of our targets A kid from one of the publics That ed up her eyebrows so I’d understand her not-so-tricky secret code

Around us, girls began to put up their trays in preparation for afternoon classes Scout had never been interrupted during classes, as far as I are "Right now?"

"Yeah" There wasas she closed the phone and slipped it back into her bag She turned around again, hands in her lap, shoulders slumped forward, face pinched as she stared down at the table

"Are you sure you’re okay?" I asked her

She started to speak, then shook her head as if she’d changed herher gaze to eschool hours It’s part of the whole, ‘You need an education to be the best’ "--she looked around, then lowered her voice--" ‘Adept you can be’ "

I frowned "That is weird"

"Well, regardless, I need to go back to the roo, and settled it diagonally over her shoulder, the skull and crossbones grinning back atto be okay?"

I nodded "I’ll be fine Go"

She frowned, but stuffed her phone and books into her bag, stood up, and slung it over her shoulder Then she was off, plaid skirt bobbing as she hustled through the cafeteria

She didn’t co fourth period Or fifth Or sixth Not that I blamed her--European history wasn’t et worried

When I got back to the suite, I du on the couch and headed for her door

The door was cracked partially open

"Scout?" I called out I rapped knuckles against the wood, but got no answer Maybe she was in the shower, or maybe she’d run an errand and didn’t want to bother with the lock But given her collections and the stash of ic books, she wasn’t the kind to leave the door unlocked, much less open

I put a hand on the door and pushed it open the rest of the way

My breath left me

The room was in shambles

Drawers had been upended, the bed stripped, her collections tossed on the floor

"Oh,around piles of clothes and books Had this been waiting for her when she’d co?

"What happened in here?"

I glanced back and found Lesley in the doorway, her cheeks even paler than usual She was actually in uniforot here"

She stepped into the roooes at night, doesn’t it?"

"Yeah I think so"

My gaze fell upon the bed, the sheets and coe, was the black strap of Scout’s

I picked over detritus, then reached out an arle of blankets, the white skull on the front grinning evilly back at one anywhere without that bag She carried it everywhere, even on missions, the strap across her shoulder every time she left the roo was still here, and she was gone, did not bode well

"Oh, Scout," I whispered, fear blossoht of ht flickered

I stood up again, decided noas as good a time as any to learn control, and closed h my mouth, and after a few h the fear--the rip

"Ms Parker Ms Barnaby"

Ju at the sound of my name, I opened my eyes and looked behind me Foley stood in the doorway, one hand on the door, her wide-eyed gaze on Scout’s roo of oversized pearls around her neck

"What happened here?"

"I found it like this," I told her, working to keep some of my newfound animosity toward Foley--who knew more about my parents than I did--at bay