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"Beg pardon?" Raquel asked.

"Jack. My school. The girls' locker room. Ring any bells? If Carlee hadn't sworn to my ogre of a gym teacher that Jack was neither my boyfriend nor my brother, I probably would have been suspended!"

"Your gym teacher is an ogre?"

"Focus! If I get suspended, my grades take a hit. If my grades take a hit, I might not get into Georgetown. And I will get into Georgetown. "

"I'm pleased to see you finally taking ownership of your education. And I'm sorry about Jack; I asked him to contact you discreetly. "

"That boy wouldn't know discreet if it tap-danced on his stupid blond head. "

"Still, if this discreet were tap dancing, it wouldn't be very discreet, now, would it?"

"Shut up," I said, trying not to smile. I was annoyed. No smiling. "When did you get funny?"

"I'll talk to Jack and tell him not to contact you at school anymore. "

"What's his deal, anyway? He's the weirdest person I know, and that's saying something. "

"Jack has had a very . . . unconventional upbringing. You two have more in common than you think. His life was disrupted by the fey, too. He's a remarkable boy, though, and a great asset. We're lucky he found us. "

I frowned. It made sense that Jack had some connection to faeries with his abilities. "Fine. No more school visits, though. And tell him not to come into my room unannounced. "

"So you're certain that you want to help us?"

I hesitated, biting my lip. It felt like I was balancing on a fence. Tip to one side-say no-and I knew exactly what I would find when I fell.

More of the same.

Say yes and tip to the other side, and . . . I had no idea. But the fence would still be there, and I could always find my way back over. Right?

"Two conditions," I said, practically feeling her relief and excitement seeping through the connection. "One: I am not Level Seven or anything in any system. I am not IPCA. If I don't like a mission, I don't do it. It's totally my call. "

"Done. And the second?"

"I want my credit card back. " Clearly the unknown I was about to venture into would require a new wardrobe.

"Very well. As long as you reserve it for emergencies. "

"Seriously, Raquel, when did you get so funny?"

She paused. "Evie, I'm-I'm very pleased you'll be helping us again. "

"I missed you, too. " I meant to be lighthearted, but was surprised by an uncomfortable itch in my throat and pricking in my eyes. Good heavens, I was not about to cry on a call with Raquel. After all, my seventeenth birthday was coming up, I was living on my own, independent, strong. I was doing this because I wanted to-not because I missed her. That would be stupid.

After a very suspicious throat clearing, Raquel's voice resumed its brisk, business tone. "Excellent. I'll send Jack for you tonight around eight. "

"Whoa, tonight? So soon?"

"I wasn't joking when I said we needed help. Lately, it seems as though everything that can go wrong does. And there have been strange shifts in the paranormal world-nothing compared to April, but enough that we're forced to use manpower we don't have to try and track it. "

"I guess I can swing it, then. " A night free from cow print and grease? Bleep yes I could swing it. "So where to? Italy? Iceland? Ooh, I could go for Japan. "

"Actually, it's a little less exotic than that. The Center. "

And just like that my excitement was replaced by an icy dread.

I couldn't go back there. The Center was a tomb. In my mind it hadn't changed since my last night there. Lifeless vamps lined the halls, eerily illuminated by warning strobe lights that failed to save the mermaid I loved most. I couldn't handle the thought of revisiting what had been our home.