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When Roland had asked her to bring so in her sto security ca the students' every ht thatout of the dor a crowd that was a bigger challenge

Dawn and Jasmine seemed like the most likely candidates for a party on the beach, but when Luce went by their fth- oor room, the hallas dark and no one answered her knock Back in her own rooa pose that hurt Luce just to look at Luce hadn't wanted to break her roo her to some unknown party--but then a loud knock at their door had made Shelby fall crossly fro Luce if she wanted to get some ice cream

Luce looked back and forth between Miles and Shelby and sot a better idea"

Ten minutes later, bundled up in hooded sweatshirts, a backward Dodgers cap (Miles), and wool socks with inpidual toe shapes sewn in so she could still wear her ip- ops (Shelby), and with a nervous feeling in the gut aboutRoland with the Shoreline crew (Luce), the three of thee

"So who is this guy again?" Miles asked, pointing out a dip in the rocky path just before Luce would have gone ying

"He's justa guy from my last school" Luce searched for a better description as the three of them started down the rocky stairs Roland wasn't exactly her friend And even though kids at Shoreline seemed pretty open-minded, she wasn't sure she should tell theel pide Roland fell on "He was friends with Daniel," she said nally "It'll probably be a pretty small party I don't think he knows anyone here but me"

They could smell it before they could see it: the telltale hickory sood-sized bon re Then, when they were almost at the foot of the steep stairs, they wound around a bend in the rocks and froze as the sparks froe blaze nally came into view

There athered on the beach

The ild, like an untamed anioers At one end of the gathering, closest to where Luce stood, a crowd of hippie guys with long, thick beards and ratty woven shirts had formed a roup of kids with a constantly changing groove to dance to At the other end of the party was the bon re itself, and when Luce stood on her toes, she recognized a lot of Shoreline kids crowded around the re, hoping to beat out the cold Everyone was holding a stick in the

as and marshmallows, their cast-iron kettles full of beans It was iuess how they'd all found out about it, but it was clear that everyone was having a good time

And in the ed out of his pressed button-down shirt and expensive leather boots and was dressed, like everyone else there, in a hooded sweatshirt and shredded jeans He was standing on a boulder,a story Luce couldn't quite hear Dawn and Jas the captivated listeners; their re-lit faces looked pretty and alive

"This is your idea of a small party?" Miles asked "This is your idea of a s Roland, wondering what story he was telling Soe made Luce think back to Caone to at Sword & Cross, and it made her miss Arriane And, of course, Penn, who'd been nervous when she rst arrived at the party but ended up having a better time than anyone And Daniel, ould barely speak to Luce back then Things were so di erent now

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Shelby said, kicking o her ip- ops and padding onto the sand in her socks, "but I', then uys"

"Me too," Miles said "Except for the drum circle part, in case that wasn't obvious"

"Luce" Roland waved from his position on the boulder "You made it"

Miles and Shelby were already way ahead of her, heading toward the hot dog station, so Luce trekked over a dune of cool, damp sand toward Roland and the others

"You weren't kidding when you said you wanted to , Roland"

Roland nodded graciously "So bad?"

It seemed like a loaded question, and what Luce wanted to say was that she couldn't tell anyht about the heated conversation she'd overheard in the teacher's o ce How sharp Francesca's voice had sounded The line betas good and as bad felt incredibly blurry Roland and Steven were fallen angels who'd gone over Deht? Did she even knohat that meant? But then there was Cam, andwhat did Roland mean by that question? She squinted at hi fun?

A oers swirled around her, but Luce could feel the endless black waves nearby The air near the water hipping and cold, but the bon re was hot on her skin So ainst her at once

"Who are all these people, Roland?"