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I couldn’t argue with the logic--it probably was a trap

But still It was Scout

I shook my head "I can’t believe you I can’t believe this All that talk, and you bail when someone needs you Trap or not, you make an effort You ht have been a hint of guilt in his eyes, but not enough to force hiher-ups and alert them," he said "But that’s all we can do We aren’t authorized to send out a rescue team It’s not done"

"It can’t be," Katie put in, this tirief--hung in the silence of Enclave Three

"You should probably go," Jason said He wouldn’t meet my eyes "You know your way back?"

It took ers at all of thehtened my throat, before I could speak "Yeah" I nodded "Yeah I can find ht into Foley’s office If the Adepts wouldn’t act, I’d go back to the principal She’d know souy with an attitude who could push through surly teenagers to rescueScout’s phone back into her bag, and putting the bag onback and arching an eyebrow at the blue-eyed olf in front of me "I take that back It actually wasn’t"

I walked out and sla with the effort

Ti--not because of the heat (the tunnels were rocking a pretty steady fifty degrees or so), but because emotionally, I was livid

Seven people had the power to help Scout--better yet, the ical power to help Scout What had she called them? Elemental witches? A reader? A warrior?

So far, I wasn’t impressed Granted, I didn’t know them very well, and their reticence to help her could have been the impact of poor, emo-inspired leadership, but still

I stopped in thebeneath uys ouldn’t put their butts on the line to save her--they were the best we could do for good and justice? For rebels, they were pretty picky about obeying the rules Even Smith’s first reaction had been to tell me that I wasn’t one of theht to talk to the out like this

I turned around

I went back

After I pushed open the door, I opened with a biggie "I can turn on lights"

Silence

"You can what?"

"I can"--I had to stop and clearnervously, and start over--"I can turn on lights Dim them, turn them on, turn them off I’m not sure if that’s it, or if there’sbefore his troops, crossed his hands behind his head "You can turn on lights" His voice could hardly have been drier--or hts," I confirmed "So you can pretend I’m an outsider, look at me like I’m crazy, but I’m not just soather up ht want to pack away the attitude"

"Whatever," hejust to win points with hi it, wouldn’t I have faked so?

The rest of these repressed Adepts ht have been intimidated by the floppy hair and attitude, but as they’d so recently reminded me, I wasn’t one of theer "Yeah, I may be an Adept, but I’m not a member of your enclave, so I’aze to Paul, then to Jamie and Jill, then to Michael, then Jason "My best friend--your fellow Adept--is h I’ you all knohat could happen to her out there if she’s with theht? So even if she’s only with the teenage Reapers, the ones that still have power, they could be stealing her energy--her soul--for the rest of them to use" I shook my head "Unacceptable"

They looked at one another, shared glances

"This is your chance to step forward," I said, , even if it’s the hard thing"

"The rules--," Katie began, but Jason (finally!) shook his head

"It’s too late for that," he said "For rules We’re losing this battle Today, we risk losing a spellbinder We can’t afford that" More softly, he added, "Not as Adepts, not as friends"

He walked to ers into mine A spark slid up my arm at the contact, and I squeezed his hand He squeezed back

"He’s right," Michael said, then glanced around froht, and you know it All of you know it It’s ti Who’s with me?"

Soft sounds filled the room as Adepts looked around, shuffled feet, made their decisions

"I’m in," Paul said, then s said it, it’s nice to lance, then stepped forward "We’re in," Jalanced back at Katie and Sether, eyes narrowed, fury in their expressions

"This is not hoe operate," she said "These are not the rules of the gae," Jason said, then looked over atto find you," Jason whispered, his fingers still laced through ry Varsity Adepts in our wake But instead of walking toward St Sophia’s along the Millie 23 path, we et away, I was going to find you so we could get Scout together But I couldn’t say that in front of everyone else"

"Mive hi my side the first tio of his hand

"Okay," he said, "then how about this--if you don’t believe me, then consider this my one screw-up" He looked down at me "I should have--we all should have--stuck up for her like you did in there So let me make it up to you now To both of you"

I squeezed his hand

When we reached a crossroads--a union of four tunnels, the ceiling arched above us--we stopped

"All right," Jason said, "we’re here, and we’ve got a goal Noe need a plan"