The next day went much the same. No one had to work, but the lockdown was still in place. The Hill residents were forced to amuse themselves among the Dorms. Reed stuck with Reagan most of the day, enjoying his new popularity and adding to his collection of acquaintances. He ran into a few old faces as well, like Hunter. They had a brief conversation, more relaxed and less awkward than their previous two. Reed decided he and Hunter might actually get along well in the future.
The day progressed and the partying continued. That night, sitting at supper in the Mushroom, Reed had to marvel at how they had managed to keep so busy all day. The usual clamor of suppertime filled the Mushroom: loud talk, laughter, clattering plates, and grating chairs. Reed sat with his roommates, listening to the jovial hubbub and enjoying his macaroni and cheese.
Suddenly, a deathly hush fell over the cafeteria. Reed glanced up from his plate. All eyes were fixed on the main door behind him. He turned around. A man in a dark uniform and long black overcoat blocked the steps. He was tall, feet set apart and hands held behind him, and the whole room went cold beneath his stretching shadow. Director Connors stood behind him, flanked by several men in uniform.
“Who’s that?” Reed breathed to Riley.
“Vonhauser, the Council’s head of police.”
Reed’s mouth went dry, and he eyed the man in a kind of fearful awe. The silence thickened for several awful moments as the man ran his eyes over the tables. At last, he spoke, each clipped word cutting through the heavy atmosphere like a blade cleaving an apple. “This building has been completely surrounded. All exits are closed.”
Everyone turned to the back of the room where an emergency exit opened to the outside. Several policemen had entered and now barred the way out.
The man continued. “Remain where you are. The Council wishes to apprehend a fugitive.” He flipped out a leather binder from under his arm. The silence was agonizing. Slowly, he read out a name.
“Joseph Desrok-Mosler.”
There was a gasp from across the room. Half a dozen teenagers leapt out of their chairs and scattered like frightened rabbits. One staring boy was left alone. Pools of terror filled his wide eyes with the look of a trapped animal. His fork shook as he laid it on the table and stood up. Two officers from the back wall swooped down on him and marched him to the front of the room.
The towering man frowned down on him from the top of the steps. “On charges of robbery, assault and battery, and attempted murder, you are under arrest by order of the Council.”
He stepped aside. The two officers pushed the prisoner up the stairs toward the front door. The rest followed in a single line. Vonhauser, ignoring the remaining teens, snapped the folder shut and stalked out. The door swung shut. They were gone.
The silence hung in the air for a moment more. Then commotion broke out as everyone began talking at once and shoving back their chairs. In record time, the dining hall emptied. As soon as he was outside, Reed let out a long breath. “So they caught their thug. That’s a relief.”
“Yeah, they caught him,” said Reagan, his lips pressed into a thin line. “But that was really quick. Too quick. It can only mean one thing.”
“What?”
“It means they had some inside help. Boys, I think we’ve got ourselves a ringer.”
Riley’s brows met in a troubled frown. “Who?”
“That’s the scary part.” Reagan knotted his scarf with a jerk. “I don’t have the slightest hunch. Whoever it is, they’re good. Really good. We’ve always been able to pick out ringers before. But this time…” He shook his head. “We’ll just have to keep our ears open. If anybody knows, we’ll be the first to find out. My social web will tell me.”
Reed laughed suddenly. “You sound like a spider!”
“He is,” Riley assured him. “Trust me.”
“Of course! I catch all the shocking and juicy tidbits that wander into my domain.”
Reed grimaced. “Okay, never say that again.”
At the dorm, they found a notice taped on the door announcing that the lockdown was lifted.
“Finally!” Reagan whacked the paper. “But it doesn’t do much good now. The weekend’s over.”
Riley yawned. “Oh, well. I’m going to bed early. There’s work in the morning.”
“Ugh,” moaned Reed, “At least there’ll be something interesting to talk about.”
* * *
When he entered Packing Room Two the next morning, Reed’s eyes fell immediately on Nathan. Friday flooded back into his mind. He’d completely forgotten about his request.
He shut his eyes for half a second. What was I thinking? At least they’ll say no with this whole ringer theory now.
He slipped into his station with a nod to Nathan. The other boy shot him a significant look and arched his eyebrows; he had something to tell him. Reed nodded and tuned in to the buzz of conversation flying around the belt. Everyone was talking about the arrest. No one was surprised that Desrok-Mosler was from the infamous Dorm Eleven, but they marveled at how quickly he had been caught. Reagan’s ringer theory was already circulating, and everyone agreed it had to be true. Nobody knew who it could be or even dared to venture a guess.
The group conversation slacked off when the belts turned on and work began. It was only then that Nathan spoke. He kept his eyes fixed on his hands.
“Before I say anything else, I have a confession to make. I didn’t actually do it, but I set it up.” He paused and blew out his breath. “You’ve been followed for the last two days.”
The piece in Reed’s hand nearly slipped out of his fingers. He blinked. Followed?
Nathan hurried on. “See, when you asked to come to our meetings, I knew we had to know more about you. We’ve been suspecting a ringer. So I got the others’ opinions, and we all agreed to set our best man on following you—just to be safe. Our guy followed you over the weekend and reported what you’d been up to. There, now I’ve told you.”
Reed’s mind raced back over the past two days. It was strange, looking back on things with the knowledge he’d been watched while he did them. He wasn’t sure he liked the feeling at all.
Nathan added a sealed box to his stack and looked Reed full in the face. “Please understand it was only for safety’s sake. I didn’t like the idea, but we had to do it. And our shadow only told us things that might be a concern.”
That was a relief. Sort of. Reed found his voice. “Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Well. That’s okay… I guess.” Though he had his voice, he couldn’t get all of his thoughts back together. He realized he had just wrapped the same part twice.
“So that’s the confession,” said Nathan. “Now for the news. We all prayed about it and talked for a while, and we decided you can come to our next meeting.”
Reed’s few collected thoughts scattered in every direction. He wrapped the same part in a third layer.
“Of course,” Nathan went on, “you have to promise absolute secrecy. You can’t tell anyone anything—where you’re going or names or anything like that—but we’ve decided to trust you. I mean, we didn’t have a whole lot of choice since you were on to us, but still…”
Reed managed to stammer out some sort of thanks and assurance of his silence.
Nathan gave him a final look and seemed satisfied. “Okay. I’ll be waiting at the East Stairs around eight o’clock tonight. You’ll have to figure out how to get away without being noticed if you decide to come. I’d totally understand if you changed your mind after last night, seeing what the Council can do.”
The rest of the day was a blur for Reed. Why did I ask such a dumb thing? He jammed a part into its box. What was I thinking? This isn’t a TV show; it’s a Bible study. What’s happened to me? I don’t even want to go… do I?
He wrestled the question around in his mind, getting no answers and no relief. Perhaps he shouldn’t go. Or maybe he could go just this once, for civility’s sake. There had to be some way to get out of this. What was it Nathan had said? Something about Reed changing his mind. Yeah, he’d said he would understand if Reed changed his mind because of the Council.
Reed’s independence flared, and his mind steeled into a firm resolve. He didn’t care what the Council said; he wasn’t going to back out now. Besides, he might still get an adrenaline rush out of the whole thing. It was settled. He was going.
* * *
Back at the Dorms that night, the roommates idled away the evening in their room. Reed kept an eye on Riley’s alarm clock, blinking away the minutes on the nightstand. When eight o’clock neared, Reed jumped off his bed and grabbed his jacket from its hook.
Reagan looked up from his computer, surprised. “Goin’ somewhere?”
“Yeah,” Reed replied, pulling on his coat. “I’m off to meet a friend from work. I probably won’t be back till late. See ya.” He slipped out the door and shut it behind him. In the hall, he let out his breath. That had come off well. He hadn’t even had to lie. He turned down the hall toward the dorm’s back exit.
He left the hall and clattered down the empty, echoing stairwell, his thoughts churning. What was he getting himself into? This deal hadn’t come with a security guarantee. The Council could easily catch him, couldn’t they? But would they?
He reached the ground floor and pushed out into the cold night. Zipping up his jacket, he glanced briefly upward and paused. The sky had been overcast all day with a low, gray blanket that darkened into boiling black as night fell. But now, a small fissure in the billowing clouds had split open overhead. There was no moon and, through the gap, a few stars shone in the velvety blue-black depths beyond. Reed never paid much attention to stars before. They were beautiful tonight, untouched by the clouds that tried blot them out. Their pure, silvery radiance was enthralling, softly enchanting. It held him spellbound for a moment.
A gust of cold wind tossed the hair off his forehead, bringing his mind back to earth. The clouds rolled over the gap again. He shook himself.
“Quit being stupid,” he muttered. “You’ve got places to be. Besides, I think it’s going to rain soon.”
He turned up his collar and hurried down the sidewalk toward the East Stairs. Hadn’t Reagan said these were scarcely used? Good—less chance of being seen. But then a realization struck him. This was that side of the Hill, the side where the two “shady” dorms were situated. Reed’s confidence came to a screeching halt. How “shady” were they? Desrok-Mosler had been from Dorm Eleven. Were there more like him?
The night shapes and noises around him were suddenly ominous. Every tree had a human-shaped silhouette lurking around its base. The hedges were walls of blackness that hid dark forms. Sighing wind in the bare branches became evil whispers; groans from tree trunks were slow hinges turning in the darkness.
Reed felt cold sweat begin to roll down his back. His shivering doubled, his teeth clenched to keep from knocking together. “Maybe I should go back,” he said aloud. It was supposed to make him feel better, but it didn’t. The wind threw the words back in his face for the choked whisper they were.
Yes, he should go back. This was too dangerous, and his senses were giving him a final warning. Every hair on the back of his neck was on end. It wasn’t too late…
One thought alone kept him from turning and running back to the safety of his room: he had to stay in control. If he gave in now, the Council won. He had to go on if only for that reason. He had to.
The head of the East Stairs appeared before him, the trees that overshadowed it looming black against the clouds. He hurried toward them, anxious to make it to the bottom where Nathan waited.
A dark shape stepped from the trees. Reed’s heart leaped into his throat, a stab of terror shooting through his body. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. No one would hear if he cried for help anyway. He was alone. The black figure stepped toward him.
“You’re a little earlier than I expected.”