UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
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16
The first few minutes of the drive are silent. I feel nervous and tongue-tied in Caleb’s presence.
“So, Liv and Drew? I didn’t know she liked him until tonight,” I say in an attempt to cut through the awkwardness.
“Yeah,” Caleb says, his eyes glued to the road.
“I mean, Liv seems so tough sometimes, like she doesn’t need anyone,” I add when it’s clear he’s not going to say anything.
“Yeah.”
I take a deep breath. “But when you think about it, they’re kind of perfect for each other.”
“Yeah.”
This is getting ridiculous. “Okay, so the way that conversation works is that I say something, and then you say something back—preferably something other than ‘yeah.’”
This finally elicits a reaction from Caleb. He chuckles. “Yes, I know what a conversation is.” He hesitates and adds. “I’m sorry. I’m not making this very easy, am I?”
“I just don’t understand why you’re avoiding me.”
“I’m not,” he says instantly.
I continue to stare at him until he clears his throat and says, “All right. Maybe I’ve been avoiding you a little.”
The words hit me harder than I expect. “Why? Does it have something to do with zandara?” I ask after a moment of silence.
“It’s hard to explain. I think it’s better if we just don’t talk about this.”
“Look,” I say, “I didn’t even know anything about the Dolls or the sosyete or anything until two days ago. I wasn’t raised with any of this, so you can’t hate me because of it.”
“I don’t hate you,” Caleb says immediately. His voice is husky as he turns and repeats, “I don’t hate you.”
“Well, it sure feels like it,” I reply.
“It’s not that. It’s just...” His voice trails off. “It’s just that certain people in town have certain responsibilities. And feelings make those responsibilities that much harder.”
“Feelings?”
“Oh, that’s not what I meant.”
“Right,” I say, feeling foolish. “Me neither.”
“It’s just . . .” He hesitates and starts again. “There are some things in this town that you don’t understand.”
I grit my teeth. “You know, I’m getting pretty tired of everyone talking in mysteries and riddles over my head.”
“Eveny . . .” For a moment, I think he’s going to tell me what he means. But instead, what he says is, “It’s complicated.”
“Seriously, no explanation? Are you trying to drive me crazy?”
“No,” he says quickly. “I’m trying to warn you. This town, it sucks you in. It’s like all your choices start to disappear, and you realize your life’s been planned out for you long before you got here.”
“Well, that makes everything a lot clearer,” I say sarcastically. I realize that he actually looks upset, so I soften my tone and add, “That’s why you disappear to go surfing, isn’t it? You’re just trying to get out of here.”
He looks surprised. “You remembered.” When I nod, he continues, “I love that feeling of anonymity when I’m out there alone in the water.” He pauses. “But now that I’m not going as much anymore, it sometimes feels like this town is closing in on me.”
“Because of the Dolls?”
“I just have this feeling that there’s a storm coming, and they’re the ones bringing it here.” He hesitates. “They told me about the possession at Cristof’s. You should be worried too.”
“Gee, thanks for making me feel better.”
“This is life-and-death stuff, Eveny. I know Peregrine and Chloe think this is all fun and games, but I need to know that you know better. Tell me you know better.”
“Of course I do.”
He’s silent for a moment before changing the subject. “So Drew. Has he said anything to you about Glory?”
“Drew?” I repeat, surprised. “No. Why?”
“I think he was seeing her,” Caleb says. “I was just wondering if Liv knows.”
“Caleb, that’s crazy,” I say. “The Dolls act like Drew’s not even alive. Besides, Drew would have told me if there was something going on.”
He shrugs. “I saw them together. A week before she died.”
“Saw them doing what?”
He clears his throat. “It just seemed like they were together, okay? I thought it was great that something was going on between them, being that she was a Doll and he’s from the Périphérie. About time someone shook things up around here. But then she died, and he kept right on acting like he didn’t know her.”