The Divide Page 0,34

surface of the group, cracking them apart into a fissured hysteria. This meeting was turning out to be much more volatile than anyone anticipated.

"He was at your house?" Melanie's gray eyes flared.

"So that makes two people who've been breaking the no-Outsider rule," Laurel said with a tinge of antagonism in her usually peaceful voice.

Suzan blurted out with her mouth half full of Twinkie, "But Max wanted nothing to do with Faye. He's been avoiding her for weeks."

Deborah shook her head, disbelieving, "Well, something changed. He's into her now. He dropped his whole I'm too good for everyone thing and was pawing after Faye like a needy puppy. He even ditched lacrosse practice to be with her. It was almost like he was under a spell . . ." her. It was almost like he was under a spell . . ." As soon as Deborah uttered the word spell it dawned on her and everyone.

Adam wielded his electric-blue eyes at Faye. "You didn't," he said. "Tell me you didn't."

But they all knew. That's what Faye had been up to all this time, making her late to meetings and secretive about plans. Faye did a love spell to get her crush.

"You swore," Adam said. "We all swore not to practice any magic."

Faye waved Adam off with her long red nails as if to wipe him away from her sight. "It was nothing. A simple love spell is hardly magic at all."

Melanie went to Adam's side. She was angrier than Cassie had ever seen her. "They'll find us now, you know.

The hunters."

"Relax." Faye laughed. "They're not cupid hunters. No one noticed. And no one will."

"But any slip could mean we're outed," Nick said. His hands were balled into fists, and his breathing was heavy.

"We can't afford to make mistakes."

Faye whipped around and rushed at Nick. "Why don't you tell that to Cassie?"

"Cassie hasn't done anything wrong. You have." Nick squeezed his fists tighter.

"Are you sure?" Faye shoved Nick forcefully in the chest.

"That's enough," Diana screamed out. "This discussion is getting us nowhere, and we all have to get back to class.

We'll pick this up later."

But how? Cassie thought. How could they possibly pick up all these broken pieces? Everyone gathered their trash slowly and began making their way back to the school building, but Faye stayed put. "Seriously? You're all leaving? The fun was just getting started." Melanie elbow checked her on her way back to the path, but Faye remained unfazed. She called out to Cassie, amused, "I like the new angry version of Melanie so much better than the boring old reasonable one, don't you?" Cassie ignored her, stuffing the remaining bread from her sandwich back into its paper bag.

"The new jealous version of Diana isn't bad, either," Faye continued. "And the lying version of Cassie, well, that's not so new."

It was what Faye wanted, to draw her into a fight, but Cassie couldn't ignore her any longer. She met Faye eye to eye. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "And I don't care, either."

Faye reached out and caught Cassie's chin with her strong fingers. "You should care."

Cassie resisted the urge to pull away. The red stone Faye wore around her throat reflected the sunlight into Cassie's eyes, burning them, but she held her gaze. "I'm not afraid of you," she said through Faye's grip.

"One more of your many stupid mistakes." Faye squeezed her fingers tighter around Cassie's chin.

"Hey! Let her go." It was Nick at the top of the path.

Laughing, Faye released her. "This one can take care of herself, Nicholas. She doesn't need you saving her. Isn't that right, Cassie?"

Cassie climbed up the path to Nick's side as Faye shouted, "You'll never be Adam, Nicholas. No matter how hard you try."

Cassie looked down the path at Faye, feeling the fire in her gut rise to her throat. "Faye, you're pathetic. And deep inside, you're weak, far weaker than me. Don't push me to prove it."

Faye licked her bloodred lips and then slid her tongue seductively across her teeth. "That's more like it," she said.

"Give me more of that dark side, Cassandra. That's what I want to see."

Chapter 15

It was a good ten-minute walk to the lighthouse, plenty of time for Cassie to work up her heart rate and fill her lungs with cold, fresh air. Some of the tension among the group from earlier had dissipated. Cassie thought Faye was being let off a little too easily after performing the love spell, but she