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She closed her eyes and laughed bitterly She'd known nothing then compared to what she kne And yet she'd felt surer of herself and her eain

"What the hell is this place?" Shelby asked

"My last school," Luce said, glancing at Miles He seeainst the wall Luce reh she'd never talked much about her time here, the Nephilih vivid details to paint one scary night at Sword & Cross

"Ahe at Shelby and Miles "And when Luce's parents ask, you guys go here too"

"Explain to me how this is a school," Shelby said "What, do you swim and pray at the same time? That's a level of freakish e ciency you'd never see on the West Coast I think I just got homesick"

"You think this is bad," Luce said, "you should see the rest of campus"

Shelby scrunched up her face, and Luce couldn't blaruesoatory At least, unlike the rest of the kids here, they'd be gone after tonight

"You guys look drained," Arriane said "Which is good, because I pro against the ping board, rubbing his te at his feet Now he stood up and began to take charge "Miles, you're going to bunk up with me in my old room And Luce, your room's still es and meet back at my room I'll use the old black-market network to order a pizza"

The h to shake Miles and Shelby out of their coer to adjust It wasn't that weird for her rooers, she realized she'd been gone froer, like every day had been a ine Sword & Cross without any of the people--or angels, or demons--who had made up her life here

"Don't worry" Arriane stood next to Luce "This place is like a reject revolving door People coo all the time because of soht No one else gives a daive 'em a third one Or send theet out of here?" She pointed at the others already following Roland out the door

"I'll catch up with you guys," Luce said "There's so I need to do rst"

In the far east corner of the cerave was modest but neat

The last time Luce had seen this cemetery, it had been coated in a thick felt of dust The afterel battle, Daniel had told her Luce didn't knohether the wind had carried the dust away by now, or whether angel dust just disappeared over tilected old self Still ringed by an ever-advancing forest of kudzu-strangled live oaks Still barren and depleted under the no- color sky Only, there was soer on, but that still reen grass had grown up and around Penn's grave, so it didn't look so jarringly new, co it A bouquet of fresh lilies lay in front of the siray tombstone, which Luce stooped down to read:

PENNYWEATHER VAN SYCKLE-LOCKWOOD

A DEAR FRIEND

1991-2009

Luce inhaled a jagged breath, and tears sprang to her eyes She'd left Sword & Cross before there'd been ti It was the rst time in several days that her heart ached for him Because he had known, better than she would have known herself, exactly how Penn's torass, her tears owing freely now, her hands corass uselessly

"I'm here, Penn," she whispered "I'ot mixed up with me in the rst place You deserved better than this A better friend than me" this A better friend than me"

She wished her friend were still here She wished she could talk to her She knew Penn's death was her fault, and it al anymore, and I'm scared"

She wanted to say she missed Penn all the time, but what she really missed was the idea of a friend she could have known better if death hadn't taken her away too soon None of it was right

"Hello, Luce"

She had to wipe away the tears before she could see Mr Cole standing on the other side of Penn's grave She'd gotten so used to her crisply elegant teachers at Shoreline that Mr Cole looked almost frumpy in his bunched-up tawny suit, with his ht as a ruler just above his left ear

Luce scraainst herwrist "Hi, Mr Cole"

He s well over there, I hear Everyone says you're doing very well"

"Ohn-no ," she stammered "I don't know about that"

"Well, I do I also know your parents are very happy to get to see you It's good when these things can work out"

"Thank you," she said, hoping he understood how grateful she was

"I won't keep you but for just one question"