From what little I could see, we were in a tiny bay, sheltered from the worst of the wind by the protruding cliffs and from above by the thick, bent trees and a rock overhang. Waves crashed against the rocks, soaking my jeans and sneakers. A few feet from Trey stood Quinn, holding a rope that tethered a small rowboat to a thick tree.
Ayaz jumped down beside me. “Are you okay?” he asked. “I heard you cry out.”
“I slipped. Trey caught me.” I stated those facts like they were nothing, like my body wasn’t on fire from being in Trey’s arms.
“Okay, good. Get in the boat.”
“Huh?”
Ayaz reached behind a rock and pulled out a backpack. He unzipped it and showed me inside. Some sandwiches and chicken from lunch and dinner, a few brownies, all wrapped in pages torn from his exercise books. “There’s water in here, as well as a flashlight and a first aid kit. And some money in a waterproof pouch. About five hundred in cash. I just hope it’ll be enough until we can get you more.”
“Enough for what? What’s going on?”
“Put your arms up,” Trey commanded. When I didn’t comply, he grabbed my wrists and jerked my arms in the air, pulling a wet, cold life jacket over my shoulders and buckling it at the waist.
“Seriously, why am I wearing this?” I growled.
“Because you’re getting in that boat and you’re rowing as far from Derleth Academy as you can get,” Trey said, like I was the one being difficult. “Now, get in.”
“Hell no.”
“Hazy—”
“Don’t ‘Hazy’ me like I’m being unreasonable,” I stepped back. “This is crazy. It’s downright ludicrous.”
“What’s ludicrous is you not following simple instructions.”
“Simple, is it? Just casually row my way to shore even though I’ve never even been on a boat? I come from Philly, not fucking Martha’s Vineyard. The water’s rough out there. I’ll be dashed against the cliffs in minutes. And you haven’t even told me what I’m escaping from.”
“From Courtney and the Queens—” Trey started.
“That’s bullshit and you know it. What could they possibly be planning that’s so bad I have to risk my life in order to avoid it? If it’s so awful, why don’t you just report it to a teacher? Why all this skullduggery cloak-and-dagger stuff—”
“Because the teachers are part of it,” Ayaz growled.
The air left my lungs with a whoosh. I staggered back against the steps.
“I don’t believe you,” I whispered.
The robes, the shadows, Headmistress West’s face as she checked the dormitories before their staff meeting. The glowing star in the gymnasium floor.
“Yes, you do.” Trey loomed over me. “Get in the boat, Hazel. It’s your only chance.”
“Trey will go with you,” Quinn added. “He’ll do most of the work. He’s captain of the rowing team.”
“Of course he is,” I muttered.
Trey bent down, rolling up the legs of his uniform trousers. He stepped into the water, wincing as the cold slammed into him. He steadied himself on the edge of the boat and swung his leg over. Water lapped against the sides as the boat rocked dangerously.
Turning to face me, Trey held out a hand to me. “I’ll help you,” he said.
Three faces looked at me in the gloom – desperate, frightened, expectant. And suddenly, the full force of what they were asking me to do slammed into me. Every rotten thing they had done to me slammed against my skull. All the times they’d tried to break me. My hand flew to my throat as I remembered the squeeze of Trey’s fingers as he held me out over the cliff.
They were asking me to trust them, but I couldn’t. They had already taken so much from me; I wasn’t about to let them take my one shot at a better life, too.
I lifted the lantern, spun around, and fled back up the stairs. Tears burned in the corners of my eyes, but I didn’t know why I was crying. I scrambled up, up, and away from them as fast as I could.
“No, Hazel. Come back!”
