Revelations (4 page)

Rae sighed. “What do you want me to do?” she asked.

Yana’s lips lifted slightly to something in the family of a smile. “Thanks,” she said. “I figured you could just do your
fingerprint thing on something with my dad’s fingerprints and tell me that I’m wrong about what he has planned.

Or… or that I’m right.”

Rae nodded. “Fine. But this doesn’t mean anything,” she warned. “We’re not friends. And once I’m done, I’m done.

You can’t come back here again asking me for something else.”

“Understood,” Yana said, her blue eyes intenseon Rae’s face.

*

“Jesse!” Anthony called, waving him over to histable at the Chick Filet. Jesse veered toward him,and Anthony
could tell he was trying not to smile.

“Wow. Seeing Anthony Fascinelli in person. What a privilege.” Jesse sat down and started in on Anthony’s curly
fries.

Crap. Jesse was right. Anthony’d pretty much disappeared when he was hanging with Yana. Weren’t there even a
couple of times when Jesse’d left messages and Anthony’d blown them off? And now, just because he needed
Jesse’s help-again- he expected Jesse to come like a well-trained dog.

“I’m such a jerk,” Anthony said, using his fingers to rake his hair off his face. “Look, you’re right. I haven’t been
around much. And then just because I needed help with something. I-” He hesitated but then went on, figuring he
owed Jesse the truth. “Yana and I were sort of together for a while, and-”

“Yana, not Rae?” Jesse interrupted.

“Yeah, Yana. Rae, you know, Rae’s a friend,” Anthony answered. What was Jesse thinking? “Anyway, I guess I got
so into her that I forgot about everything else. So, sorry. Sorry I didn’t call back those times. I should have said that
before.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jesse said. “But what’s the deal?

You’re not with Yana anymore?”

A hot flush rose up the back of Anthony’s neck. “No, turns out Yana only wanted to be with me to piss Rae off.”

Anthony jammed his hands in his back pockets. “Anyway, I could use your help again, if you’ve got time.”

“I’m here, right?” Jesse said. He leaned in closer to Anthony. “I was thinking about what you told me on the
phone,” he said. “Unclean. I don’t even get what that’s supposed to mean.” He ran a curly fry around and around in
the pool of ketchup on Anthony’s plate until it was completely drenched. Anthony had to look away. The ketchup
reminded him too much of the dripping red letters on Rae’s locker.

“I don’t know what it means exactly, either,” Anthony admitted. “But somebody is still after Rae. She thinks she’s
safe now because that Steve Mercer guy is dead, but she’s not. We’ve gotta figure out what the deal is.”

Jesse took another fry off Anthony’s plate and started dragging it through the ketchup. “What about the
government guys? They were the ones who were behind the experiments. And they killed Mercer. Maybe they aren’t
happy that Rae knows about them.”

“Maybe,” Anthony answered. “But painting infake blood on a locker doesn’t seem like their style.” He gave a harsh
laugh. “Not that I know anything about them. But if you’re this high-tech government agency, painting on a locker
seems pretty lame.”

Jesse raised one eyebrow. “Unless they did it
because
it wouldn’t seem like their style. Maybe they’re trying to fake
Rae out. Make her think that somebody besides them is threatening her.”

He sounded so excited. Like this was some live action video game or something. Anthony started to point out to
Jesse that they were talking about Rae’s life but held back. Jesse knew the stakes. He’d been kidnapped because of
his connection to Rae, and even after that he’d never backed off from helping her whenever she needed it.

Anthony dug his knuckles into his forehead, as if that would help him think. “The government people who killed
Mercer could have killed Rae right then. But they didn’t. They wanted to, but that guy Aiden stopped them.”

“So maybe we should be talking to Aiden,” Jesse said.

“You’re right.” Anthony shoved himself to his feet. “Even if Aiden confirms that the government agency wasn’t
behind the locker thing, maybe he’ll have some idea who else would want to threaten Rae.”

“So let’s go to the Wilton Center. He could be there right now.” Jesse stood up, too. “I know the basic layout of the
place because Rae and I went in there. She found out that they’re still doing experiments on people. Down in the
basement.”

A jolt of acid entered Anthony’s stomach. Jesse had obviously been there for Rae. While Anthony had been
sticking his tongue down Yana’s throat. Very nice.
Not the time to be thinking about it,
he told himself.

“Jesse, asking a bunch of questions-it might not be exactly healthy, you know. You don’t have to come if-”

“Just shut up,” Jesse said. He led the way out to the parking lot and over to Anthony’s car. He got inside without
another word.

Anthony slid behind the wheel and slammed the door. “So I guess we need a cover story,” he told Jesse. They
talked plans until Anthony pulled into the parking lot of the center. “We’re here,” he said, like a freakin’ idiot. He got
out of the car fast and headed toward the center. Jesse fell into place beside him. Together they walked through the
double doors. There was a map posted on the wall, and Anthony found the administration office on it. He and Jesse
immediately headed for it.

“Can I help-” the woman behind the desk began as soon as they stepped through the door.

Jesse smiled. “Hey, my brother brought me here tosign me up for a woodworking class. I want to make a
skateboard. I came up with the design myself.”

Enough,
Anthony thought. But the woman seemed to be liking Jesse’s enthusiasm. “We’re supposed to talk to
Aiden Matthews,” Anthony added, trying to keep them on track.

The woman twined one long section of her dark hair around her finger, and Anthony noticed that the black had a
streak of deep purple in it. “I’m sure we have a class for you,” she told Jesse, then her eyes flicked to Anthony. “But
Aiden Matthews isn’t with the center anymore.”

“Really?” Anthony asked. “I just talked to him a few days ago.”

“It was a sudden decision,” the woman answered, unrolling her hair from her finger. “He, um, he found a job
elsewhere.” She began rerolling the hair as soon as she had it completely loose.
Nervous much?
Anthony thought.

“Can we get his number?” Jesse asked. “He seemed to really get the skateboard idea I had. Maybe he could, like,
do private classes with me. It wouldn’t take that many, I don’t think.”

“Sorry,” the woman said. “I can’t give out employee-or ex-employee-personal information. But I’m sure that you’ll
like the wood shop teacher we have. I know he could-”

“I need some juice,” Jesse interrupted.

Anthony unzipped his backpack and pretended to search through it. “Crap. I forgot to put more in.” He gave the
woman an apologetic smile. “Sorry. It’s just, my brother has diabetes. Sometimes he needs juice when his sugar
drops too far.”

“I passed out one time,” Jesse added.

“I’m sure we have some in the kitchen,” the woman said.

“That’d be great,” Anthony told her, impressed by Jesse’s quick thinking. “Could he just sit down and wait? I don’t
want him standing up until I know he’s okay.”

“Of course. I’ll be back in one minute.” The woman rushed out of the room.

“You hear that? One minute.” Jesse was already sliding into the seat behind the computer. Anthony headed for the
row of gray metal filing cabinets. “Matthews, Matthews,” he muttered.

“Already got it,” Jesse called out. “Even has a picture of the guy.” As soon as the printer spit out the info they
needed, they bolted. “So should we find a pay phone?” Jesse asked as soon as they were back in the car.

“I want to go there in person,” Anthony answered as he backed out of the parking slot. “I don’t want to give him
the chance to hang up or something.”

“It’s at 5002 Carlton,” Jesse said. “Do you know how to get there?”

“Yeah, I did some work on a car for a guy who lived pretty near that address,” Anthony said. He cranked up the
radio and drove as fast as he legally could, his mind filled with images of what he could do to Aiden if he was stupid
enough to refuse to talk to them.

Remember that he’s the guy who saved Rae,
Anthony told himself as he swung onto Aiden’s street.
Don’t get all

crazy on him. Unless you have to.

“Doesn’t look like he’s home,” Jesse commented as Anthony parked a few houses away.

“Let’s check it out,” Anthony said, although he was pretty sure Jesse was right. The house was completely dark,
and there was no car in the driveway.

Anthony headed up the front walkway, trying to look like he had a very good and proper reason to be there. His gut
clenched when he reached the porch. The door stood slightly ajar. Somehow he didn’t picture this Aiden guy
leaving his door open.

Gently Anthony nudged the door all the way open and stepped inside. His footsteps echoed on the tile hallway.

But it didn’t matter. The place was empty. Not even a stick of furniture.

“Guess we’re not going to be talking to the guy tonight,” Jesse said.

Rae stepped into the gym, her arm looped through Marcus’s, and her breath caught in her chest. She knew that
she hadn’t really walked right into the middle of a moonbeam. She knew all she was really seeing was glitter and
lighting effects and phosphorescent paint. But for that one moment, it was like magic did exist in the world.

“Hey, Marcus, Rae! Over here,” Vince called. His voice broke the spell. Rae was back in the gym, the red lines of
the basketball court not completely hidden by the sparkling white confetti and silver balloons strewn across the
polished wood floor.

But it’s still magic,
Rae thought as they headed over to the waiting group of Marcus’s friends.
Marcus’s and
my
friends,
she corrected herself.
I’m here with the most popular guy in the entire school, a gorgeous guy, a guy who

pretty much begged me to be with him. And all the creamy crиme de la crиme of the school are right there, expecting

us to join them. ’Cause we belong. ’Cause
I
belong. God, if the geeky sixth-grade Rachel could see the high school

junior Rae right now, she’d probably scream before she fainted dead away.

“You guys are late. Did you get, uh, distracted on the way here?” Lea asked. She smiled like she was just being
friendly, but there was something underneath the smile, something jealous and ugly.
And we were best friends for

four years,
Rae thought. Maybe she and Yana should-no. Rae wasn’t going to ruin the night obsessing about Yana
or Lea or anything else in the slightest bit unpleasant.

Marcus pulled Rae tight against his side. “I’m always distracted around Rae,” he told Lea.

“Where’s Jackie tonight?” Rae asked, going for a subject change.

“Her family is jetting off to Tahoe for some skiing,” Chris answered. “Maybe I should try downing a bottle of
aspirin. A lame suicide attempt and I could be-”

Marcus whacked Chris on the head. “McHugh, what did I tell you about trying to think?”

“That when I feel like attempting it, I should-”

The squeal of a microphone being turned on interrupted him. “Okay, everyone, it’s that time,” the principal’s voice
boomed out. “Time to find out who’s this year’s Moonbeam King and Queen.”

“Kill me now,” someone behind Rae muttered. A guy, of course. Guys had no appreciation for the fact that electing
a Moonbeam King and Queen was a tradition that went back to the very first year Sanderson Prep was founded.

And that was back before the Civil War.

“We had to count the votes twice,” the principal continued. “It was very close this year. But I’m happy to announce
that your king and queen arrrrrre…” He paused, grinning at the groans of anticipation that filled the gym. “Arrrre
Marcus Salkow and Rae Voight.”

“No way!” Rae squealed, sounding exactly like the sixth-grade Rachel.