Ellie Sandberg would love to reinvent herself. When she earns a spot at an elite boarding school for young inventors, it seems like the perfect opportunity: A summer away from home, away from her overprotective parents, and away from the hopeless cr...
A trail of red blinking hearts appears before me, stretching along the gravel pathway in a direction I've never gone before. I prop my hand above my eyes to block the sun's glare as I strain to see where the trail is leading.
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Maddox's dorm? No....
The hearts skirt past the entrance to Grier Hall and disappear into the open field behind. Where is he taking me? There are no more campus buildings back there. Nothing but thick trees, marking the Western edge of Winthrop's grounds.
If I'd know I was going on a nature hike, I would've worn better shoes. I pause for a moment and reach down to slip my finger into the space where my sandal strap rubs against my heel. There's a blister forming already. Maybe I should head back and switch to socks and sneakers before my skin is rubbed completely raw.
I glance over my shoulder, back toward the center of campus. A notification flares before my eyes as I turn my head.
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I'm standing still, but even so... the sight of those words sends my heart thumping. My head snaps forward, and I suck in a shaky breath as the angry red of the alert message fades slowly.
There's no going back. Not without removing my visor, and I have a feeling the trail of hearts will disappear without a trace if I do that.
I readjust my sandal strap as best I can, then resume my trek.
The path narrows, changing from gravel to hard-packed earth, with the grass on either side to level of my knees. Up ahead, the trees thicken into untamed forest, rising up the side of a steep hill. The sun beats down at my back, and I quicken my pace. Maybe my sandals will stop torturing me once I reach the shade.
I'm fifty yards into the trees, and I can feel the ground sloping steadily upward when I reach my first real obstacle. A chain link fence cuts across the path. There's a gate, locked by a heavy chain and padlock, labeled with a rusted sign:
