The Divide Page 0,19
witch. But when Sally met Cassie's eyes and approached her with an outstretched hand, she recognized that Sally had come alone, with only good intentions.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, and for Melanie's loss," she said. She looked a little nervous to be there. She fidgeted with her dress and played with her rust-colored hair.
"Thank you," Cassie said hesitantly.
Sally continued, speaking almost directly to Cassie's hesitation. "I know I don't belong here," she said, "and that your friends don't even like me, but Constance always greeted me warmly when I'd see her in town, and she was a nice lady, and I guess I just wanted to stop by to pay my respects."
Sally took a breath and Cassie gently patted her on the back. It was true, the Circle didn't like Sally very much, and she and Cassie would probably never really be friends, but since last fall when they'd overlooked their differences and worked together to get through Black John's hurricane, they'd had an understanding. Sally was the closest thing the group had to an Outsider ally, and that was nothing to take lightly.
"It was good of you to come," Cassie said. "Really. This was a nice gesture, and I know Melanie appreciates it." That seemed to put Sally at ease. Her small, wiry body relaxed.
"Speaking of Melanie," Cassie's mother said. "We should probably go find her."
"Of course," Sally said, and Cassie and her mother elbowed through the crowd as politely as they could until they located Melanie.
The group had Melanie surrounded like an army of black-clad secret-service agents. Most days Cassie forgot how intimidating the Circle could appear to others, and how superior they looked compared to average kids their age. It wasn't only their genetics that set them apart; it was also their attitude. But, Cassie wondered, don't they ever grow weary of striving to appear so infinitely strong to the outside world? Sometimes vulnerability was appropriate, and this was one of those times.
Cassie locked eyes with Adam and dreamed for a moment that they could run away together, far away from all this. He didn't even know yet how bad all this actually was.
None of the Circle did. How would they react when she told them everything she'd learned from her mother about witch hunters?
Cassie went to Adam first, just to breathe in his scent and feel his strong arms around her body. Then she offered her condolences and the soothing herbs to Melanie.
Diana tapped Cassie on the shoulder and pulled her in for a tight squeeze. Hugging Diana was like hugging for a tight squeeze. Hugging Diana was like hugging daylight, and she was about as constant. Tall, magisterial Diana could always be relied upon. "How are you doing?" she whispered into Cassie's ear.
But before Cassie had the chance to answer, Diana got distracted. Her attention turned to someone else who'd just walked in. "Scarlett's here," she said.
It was a surprise to see Scarlett making her way through the crowd, dressed conservatively in all black with her wild hair tamed into a neat ponytail.
As she meandered through the crowd, Cassie noticed people stepping aside to let her pass. How weird, Cassie thought, but then it occurred to her the reason why: All these strangers must have thought Scarlett was one of the group.
She assumed the air of belonging right there with Melanie and the rest of the Circle, and so people believed she did.
But when she finally reached Cassie and the others, some of that confidence fell away. "I know I don't really know any of you," she said, looking down. "But I wanted to say I was sorry."
Diana scanned Scarlett up and down with her sharp green eyes and then said in a slightly artificial tone of voice,
"It was nice of you to come."
"Yes, thank you," Melanie said.
Like Sally, Scarlett didn't have to be there, but she'd gone out of her way to show her support to Melanie and the group. Maybe, Cassie thought, if any good could come from this crisis, it would be the start to better relations with Outsiders.
Adam stepped in to make small talk with Scarlett, giving Cassie the chance to grab Diana and lead her to a quiet corner. "Gather the others," Cassie said quietly. "Melanie, too. I know why the resuscitation spell didn't work." Diana's eyes grew wide. She took a step back to size up Cassie's expression and then immediately began rounding up the group.
Constance's garage was filled with ancient junk and knickknacks that may or may