The Divide Page 0,54
all right?" she managed to ask.
But the phone clicked. Deborah had already hung up. It struck Cassie as strange that of all the Circle members who could have called her with this news, it was Deborah who did it. Not Adam or Diana.
Careful not to wake her mother, Cassie got out of bed, slipped on her sneakers, and wrapped her jacket around her shoulders. Then she unlatched the front door and slinked out to the edge of their property. From high up on the bluff she had a long view of the whole block, every old house on crooked Crowhaven Road - the ones in good repair as well as the ones that looked as if they might tip over into splintering timbers in a strong wind.
Cassie strained her eyes to see far out. First, she saw that the fire had been extinguished, but she could still smell the remnants of smoke and burnt grass in the air. And then she noticed two bodies moving around in the dark, along she noticed two bodies moving around in the dark, along the outskirts of the lawn. It was difficult to make out who it was through the lingering smoke. Cassie squinted her eyes, but it was no use. She considered taking the walk down. It had to be someone in the Circle. But then the bodies began moving closer, and Cassie recognized who it was. It was Adam and Diana.
Diana's long blonde hair shined beneath the streetlights as she walked, closely and carefully with Adam, toward her house.
Cassie felt a pang of resentment. They were both up and out, together. And neither of them took the time to call Cassie themselves.
How had she drifted so far from the two most important people in her life?
Cassie turned around and went home with an emptiness in her stomach. She tiptoed across the living room floor, back to her bedroom, and gently closed the door. Then she kicked off her shoes and climbed into bed, sorry she'd ever left it in the first place.
She could guess what they were doing. They were planning, strategizing, and plotting the meeting that would happen in a few hours. That was just who they were and how they would always be. The brave knight and the high priestess, ever vigilant. They were the real influence behind the group, no matter who was called leader or who wore the Tools.
Adam may have been Cassie's soul mate, but there would always be the Circle. And the Circle, if represented by one person, would be Diana. Not for one second did Cassie suspect that Adam was cheating on her with Diana.
He didn't have to. What he shared with Diana was something above and beyond cheating.
Cassie stared up at her ceiling, sleepless. Let them strategize. Cassie was done waiting on the sidelines. She would go to rescue Scarlett herself and destroy the hunters before they marked anyone else - and before they had the opportunity to kill Laurel.
But Cassie knew she'd need two things if she was going to fight the hunters by herself: the diadem and garter from Diana and Faye.
Chapter 24
The next morning, Cassie arrived at Diana's house with coffee and fresh muffins. Diana looked a little unsteady accepting the bag of baked goods from Cassie, unsure of what to make of her kind gesture. Since they'd last disagreed and Cassie stormed out of their Circle meeting, they'd avoided each other. So it was only fair for Diana to be a little suspicious of such an abrupt and dramatic change of heart.
"Will you join me for a moment at the kitchen table before the others arrive?" Diana asked Cassie.
Cassie sat, pulled one of the coffees closer to her, and listened.
Diana nibbled on the end of a corn muffin. "I was up all night researching spells to reverse a mark," she said. "To save Laurel."
"And?"
"Nothing has been perfect yet, but it's promising. I'm hoping to figure out a way of combining an uncrossing spell with a healing spell."
All Cassie could think about was the diadem, but she forced herself to nod encouragingly at Diana.
"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Cassie said. She knew she needed to give Diana more to regain her trust.
"I know I've been acting a bit heated lately," Cassie
"I know I've been acting a bit heated lately," Cassie continued. "And I shouldn't have walked out of the last meeting that way, when it's so important for us to stick together."
Diana's eyebrows lifted,