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plan a party. Cassie saw the looks and heard the whispers and knew that the plan was working. She concentrated on being as much like the old Cassie as possible - shy, tongue-tied, easily frightened or embarrassed. The role was uncomfortable, like some old skin she'd out-grown, and she itched to get rid of it. But for the time they were fooling Sean. They were even fooling Faye.

"I hear you and Nick have broken up," Faye said in the hall one day. The hooded golden eyes were warm and pleased.

Cassie flushed, looking away.

"And the Club isn't much of a club without me, from what I see these days," Faye went on, practically purring.

Cassie squirmed.

"I may join you sometime - maybe for the next full-moon celebration. If you're having one, that is."

Cassie shrugged.

Faye looked smug. "We could have a wicked time," she said. "Think about it."

As Faye walked away Cassie saw Sally Walt-man at her post as hall monitor. She edged up as inconspicuously as possible.

"We're ready for the ninth, like you told us," Cassie said softly. "But can you do one more thing for us?"

Sally looked uneasy. "He's got everybody watching everybody. Nobody's safe - "

"I know, but when the ninth comes, will you tell us if he does anything unusual? If it looks like he's moving? Please, Sally. Everything I told you about him is true."

"All right," Sally said, casting a hunted glance around. "Now just go, will you? I'll try to get a message to you if I hear anything."

Cassie nodded and hurried away.

The ninth dawned gray and windy, the sort of day that normally made Cassie want to curl up in front of a fire. Instead, she put on extra-warm clothes: a thick sweater, gloves, a parka. She had no idea what they might be facing today, but she wanted to be dressed for action. In her backpack, along with her school notebooks, she put her Book of Shadows.

She was walking out of French class when Sally intercepted her.

"Come with me, please," the rusty-haired girl said in crisp hall-monitor accents, and Cassie followed her into the empty nurse's office next door. Sally immediately dropped the officious tone.

"If I get caught with you, it's all over," she said rapidly in a harsh whisper, her eyes on the frosted-glass window in the door. "But here it is: I just overheard Brunswick talking with your friend Faye. Maybe you'll understand what it was about, because I sure don't. They were discussing something about arranging an accident on the bridge - it sounded like they were taking an empty school bus over there, and a car, or maybe it was a couple of cars. He said They only have to burn for an hour or so; by then the water will have risen far enough.' Does that mean anything to you?"

"An accident would block the bridge to the mainland," Cassie said slowly.

"Sure, but why?" Sally asked impatiently.

"I don't know. I'm going to find out. Sally, if I need to see you again, will you be in the cafeteria at lunch?"

"Yes, but you can't talk to me there. Portia's been looking at me strangely ever since that night in the clearing - I think she's suspicious. Her brothers went away mad, and she didn't believe a word you said about Brunswick. If she catches me with you, I'm dead."

"You may be dead if I don't talk with you," Cassie said. "Go on, get out of here, I'll leave in a minute."

Cassie reached the old science building at a run. Waiting on the second floor was the rest of the Club - minus Faye and Sean, who hadn't been informed of the meeting. The plan had been to nab Sean right after lunch, even if they hadn't learned anything about Black John's plans by then.

"But we do know something," Cassie said breathlessly, sitting down on a crate. "Listen." She told them what Sally had said.

"Well, that explains it," Deborah put in when Cassie finished. "I just saw him and Faye walk out of the building, and the secretary said they'd be gone all afternoon. So they're going out to wreck a school bus. Cool."

"But why?" Cassie said. "I mean, it looks like he wants to block the bridge, but what's the point?"

It was Adam who answered. He'd been sitting by Doug, with one of the earphones from Doug's Walkman pressed to his ear.

"The point," he said, "is to keep everybody on the island. There's just been an update on the news - anybody