Page 83 of Waysider
She was rewarded with a tremulous smile. “Thanks, Cass,” Finch whispered.
“My fellow voyants, may I have your attention?”
Everyone turned toward Headmistress Crane, who stood at the base of the sculpture now. Once she had their attention, the headmistress continued, “If this is your first time, welcome to Hissing Gardens, named in honor of our esteemed alumni, Nathanial Hissing. He is the one depicted in the statue behind me. To this day, Mr. Hissing still holds the record for untethering the most revenants. If you’d like to wander the hedges after the test, you may stumble upon a likeness of his wife, as well. Now, shall we begin?”
Crane made a gesture, and a student broke away from the crowd, holding a tray of vials. As the See made its rounds, soft conversations floated through the clearing. Cass listened to her classmates speculate about which houses they’d end up in, but she barely heard them—all her attention was fixed on those vials.
“What about you, Attic Whisperer? Where do you think you belong?”
Cass’s head swiveled toward the voice. It was a boy she didn’t recognize. He had blue hair and a silver hoop through his eyebrow. Others overheard his question and turned in Cass’s direction, too. She couldn’t tell if Blue Hair Guy’s curiosity was genuine or if he was just being an asshole, so Cass stayed silent.
“Oh, please. She’s Pennyseeker, and we all know it,” a dulcet voice said. Cass glanced toward the crowd of onlookers, and her gaze met Victoria Chen’s. Though she didn’t know for sure, Cass suspected she was the one who’d spoken. Victoria stared at her, as if she were silently daring Cass to respond. Cass looked away and tried to hide a rush of guilt.
Another girl spoke. “My bet is on Dreamwalker.”
“Wayside, through and through,” a third voice muttered back.
“That’s enough,” Headmistress Crane cut in, frowning. “If I hear any more remarks like that, I’ll begin docking points from your houses.”
She gave someone in the crowd a hard look, and it was the closest Cass had ever seen her get to a glare. Then Crane’s gaze shifted, and she smiled. “Oh, here we are. I have a surprise for you, everyone. One of our most esteemed educators will be assisting us on this evening’s aptitude test. Welcome back to Else & Bellows, Professor Clemens.”
Everyone turned in unison, following the direction of her hand. A man stood at the edge of the crowd. He was tall. Thin, like a scarecrow. Firelight flickered over his nondescript features as he replied, “Thank you, Headmistress.”
Cass froze. It felt like the world rocked on its axis.
That voice. She knew that voice. She’d heard it before, in the dark.
Right before he killed her.
CHAPTER THIRTY
The street seemed unusually still as Cal hurried toward Laura’s apartment.
It had started drizzling while he was on the bus, and now it gleamed on the pavement, lending the night shimmers and flashes as Cal made the short walk from the bus stop. The silence made him uneasy, he realized, hunching his shoulders as if he could feel the rain. When Laura’s apartment was within sight, Cal noted that the sign in the window was dark, and the smaller sign hanging off the door had been flipped to the CLOSED side. She was waiting for him.
The moment he entered Laura’s apartment, some of the tension in Cal’s shoulders eased. Maybe it wasn’t the silence that had gotten to him, Cal thought. Maybe it was Cass—she’d been a nervous wreck before he left. She’d tried to hide it, of course, but Cal knew her tells. There was the bangs thing, not to mention how Cass always tapped her heel when she was worried. She also chewed her nails until they were red and raw.
By the time the two of them left for the test, her fingers had been practically bleeding.
“Hi,” Laura said from the kitchen. She stood in front of the sink, her hands submerged in soapy water. Tonight she’d traded in her dramatic dressing gown for waist-high jeans and an oversized football jersey.
“Hey. The usual spot?” Cal asked, pointing his thumb toward the table. He started toward it without waiting for a response. As Cal claimed the same chair as last time, he immediately spotted the drawing Laura had done, resting there on the velvet tablecloth. The guy stared up from the paper with dark, guilty eyes.
Laura raised her eyebrows, taking her hands out of the water to reach for a small hand towel. “Whoa, where’s the fire?”
Oh. Shit. He was being an ass again. Cal released a breath and shook his head, making an effort to clear his mind. “Sorry. Cass has a big test tonight, and I was hoping to be at the house before she gets back. Just in case it doesn’t go well, you know? But I didn’t mean to rush you. Take your time.”
She regarded him with an expression Cal had never seen before. Not from Laura, at least. But then it was gone, too quickly for him to know for sure if he’d really seen it. Without a word, Laura crossed the room and slid onto the other chair, reaching back to braid her hair.
“Cass is lucky to have a brother like you,” she said quietly.
Cal met her gaze, hiding his surprise. It might have been the nicest thing Laura had ever said to him. His eyes flickered between hers, and Cal noticed her oversized pupils. “Thanks.”
She nodded and looked away like something had made her uncomfortable. Her voice became brisk as she said, “We should get started, then, so you’ll be home on time.”
“Okay.” Cal felt like he should say something else, but that strange uncertainty had struck him again. He reached across the table and gently took her hands. Cal felt Laura jump slightly, as if he’d surprised her, too. Then she closed her eyes, and the lines in her expression smoothed.
Cal knew this was his cue to focus. After glancing at the drawing one more time, he swallowed a sigh and closed his eyes, as well. For what felt like the millionth time, he pictured it—the boy, the bridge, the water. Cal remembered all the scents and the sounds. The cherry air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror of the car, a song playing on the radio. He thought of those words he’d heard right before the guy pulled Cass over the edge. I’m sorry.
