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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When Principal Mann announced an all-school assembly without notice, rumors were bound to fly. Some theorized we were getting loud speakers that actually worked (the loud speakers crackled all the time), while others wondered if it had anything to do with Piper Marshall's disappearance.

Although everyone knew Piper, no one knew what happened to her. One day she was in school; the next: gone. She hadn't been in school since last Monday, a full week ago.

Piper was one of those girls you couldn't forget. She had bright red hair, even brighter blue eyes, and the brightest smile. She was one of the popular girls, but more importantly, she was nice.

"I bet it's about Piper. I haven't heard anything from her," someone next to me grumbled. They shouldered forward, heading past the general flow of student towards the auditorium.

"Do you think it's about Piper?" Susanne asked. I angled my head downwards—Susanne was short, after all—to look at her. Susanne's eyes were wide with apprehension.

"Maybe," I answered, sneaking a gaze at Susanne's hands. Her fingers drummed against her thighs—a nervous tic. "Don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing bad."

She didn’t say anything back, instead shoving her hands in her pockets.

We followed the slow trickle of students to the auditorium, a movie theatre style room with balcony seating—for the seniors, of course—and the rows of dusty velvet seats below. Everything in the room reminded me of abandonment and misuse. What once must have been a majestic room had, over time, rotted and been defiled until the auditorium itself seemed ancient.

Sunlight filtered through the dusty windows. Muttering a quick good-bye to Susanne, I settled in my assigned seat. Non-seniors were required to sit alphabetically by grade. On my left sat a varsity volleyball girl, and on my right, a computer science whiz. Seeing as I didn't fit either category, I sat silently, watching dust motes swirl through the sunlight.

Teachers pulled out clipboards and surveyed the room, making sure no one was skipping. If anyone skipped, they would be in detention. The teachers didn't have too much to watch for—everyone was just settling down.

At 514 students, Roosevelt Preparatory was a small high school. It was a private day school for kids with something special about them—academics, sports, rich parents, whatever. Everyone pretty much knew everyone, and cliques were a given.

"Hey." Something poked me in the back. Craning my head back, I saw Austin Dwyer. He had a small smile on his face.

"Hi," I responded, wondering why he talked to me. Austin was the kind of guy who sucked up to the popular crowd and scoffed at those less popular than him. People like Austin Dwyer—people who cared about popularity and that stuff—didn't associate with me

"Leroy here wanted to ask you something," he said, nudging the boy next to him. I turned to Leroy, noting the way he was fidgeting with the zipper on his jacket.

"I, uh, wanted to know if you knew about…What I mean to say is—" Leroy stuttered while looking at his shoes before looking straight into my eyes. "Do you know what this assembly is about?"

"No," I replied softly.  His green eyes looked bluer than normal because of his blue polo shirt. "But Cassidy probably does." I nodded at the volleyball girl next to me. She was watching our exchange with unabashed interest, probably wondering why Leroy asked me about the assembly rather than her.

"Right." Leroy turned to Cassidy, his eyes passing over me. "Cassidy, do you know?"

"I—" Cassidy would never finish that statement, because just then, a screech blasted through the auditorium.