rst sound of the loudspeaker in the hallway, Luce jumped. The other kids looked at her like she was nuts, but Luce was still used to Sword & Cross's punishing PA pronouncements. Instead, Francesca's amber voice poured into the room: Sword & Cross's punishing PA pronouncements. Instead, Francesca's amber voice poured into the room:
"Good morning, Shoreline. If you're joining us on today's yachting trip, the bus to the marina leaves in ten minutes. Let's convene at the south entrance for a head count. And don't forget to dress warmly!"
Miles grabbed another pastry for the road. Shelby pulled on a pair of polka-dot galoshes. Jasmine tightened the band of her pink earmu s and shrugged at Luce. "So much for planning! We'll have to wing the welcome address."
"Sit by us on the bus," Dawn instructed. "We'll totally map it out on the way to Noyo Point."
Noyo Point. Luce had to force herself to swallow a mouthful of bran mu n. The Outcast girl's dead expression even when she was alive; the awful ride home with Cam--the memory brought goose bumps to Luce's skin. It didn't help that Cam had rubbed it in about saving her life. Right after he told her not to leave campus again.
Such a weird thing to say. Almost like he and Daniel were in cahoots.
Stalling, Luce sat on the edge of her bed. "So we're all going?"
She'd never broken a promise to Daniel before. Even though she'd never really promised not to go on the yacht. The restriction felt so harsh and out of line, her instinct was to blow it o . But if she agreed to play by Daniel's rules, maybe she wouldn't have to face someone else's getting killed. Though that was probably just her paranoia rearing up again. That note had deliberately lured her o campus. A school yacht trip was something else entirely. It wasn't as though the Outcasts were piloting the boat.
"Of course we're all going." Miles grabbed Luce's hand, pulling her to her feet and toward the door. "Why wouldn't we?"
This was the moment of choice: Luce could stay safely on campus the way Daniel (and Cam) had told her. Like a prisoner. Or she could walk out this door and prove to herself that her life was her own.
Half an hour later, Luce was staring, along with half of Shoreline's student body, at a shining white 130-foot Austal luxury yacht.
The air up at Shoreline had been clearer, but down on the water at the marina adjacent to the docks, there was still a thin felt of fog left over from the day before. When Francesca descended from the bus, she muttered, "Enough is enough," and raised her palms in the air.
Very casually, as if she were pushing aside curtains from a window, she literally parted the fog with her ngers, opening up a rich plane of clear sky directly over the gleaming boat.
It was done so subtly, none of the non-Nephilim students or teachers could tell that anything other than nature was at work. But Luce gaped, not sure she had just seen what she thought she had seen until Dawn started clapping very quietly.
Luce was beginning to notice all the small touches that could have been the work of an angel. The chartered coach ride had been so much smoother than the public bus she'd taken in the rain the day before. The storefronts seemed refreshed, as if the whole town had gotten a new coat of paint.
The students lined up to board the yacht, which was dazzling in the way very expensive things were. Its sleek pro le curved like a seashell, and each of its three levels had its own broad white deck. From where they entered on the foredeck, Luce could see through the enormous windows into three plushly furnished cabins. In the warm, still sunshine down at the marina, Luce's worries about Cam and the Outcasts seemed ridiculous. She was surprised to feel them melt away.
She followed Miles into the cabin on the second level of the yacht. The walls were a sedate taupe, with long black-and-white banquettes hugging the curved walls. A half dozen students had already thrown themselves down on the upholstered benches and were picking at the huge array of food that covered the co ee tables.
At the bar, Miles popped open a can of Coke, split it between two plastic glasses, and handed one to Luce. "So the demon says to