The Indigo Spell Page 0,26

you'll change your mind, Sydney."

She disappeared through the service door, and I resisted the urge to beat my head against the wall. "She knows we're lying. She can tell." Spirit users were good at reading subtle cues from people, with Sonya being one of the best.

"Probably," agreed Adrian. "But I doubt she's going to guess we were out working magic in a field."

A terrible thought came to me. "Oh God. She probably thinks we were off doing - you know - romantic type, um, things - "

That amused Adrian far more than it should have. "See, there you go again. That's the first thought that comes to your mind." He shook his head melodramatically. "I can't believe you keep accusing me of being the obsessed one."

"I'm not obsessed!" I exclaimed. "I'm just pointing out the obvious conclusion."

"Maybe to you. But she's right about one thing: we need to get inside." He anxiously touched his hair. "I think my hair gel's frozen."

I handed him back the flask and opened the door. Just before stepping through, I hesitated and glanced back at him. "Adrian? Thanks for helping me."

"What are friends for?" He caught the door from me and motioned for me to go inside.

"Yeah, but you went above and beyond tonight for something that has nothing to do with you. I appreciate that. You didn't have to help. You don't have the same reasons I have for cracking open the Alchemists."

Not knowing what else to say, I gave him a small nod of thanks and went inside. As the warmth and noise of the crowd swallowed us, I thought I heard him say, "I have different reasons."

Chapter Five

I LEFT SHORTLY THEREAFTER with the Alchemists and didn't expect to see Adrian for a little while. He was staying on with the other Moroi a couple more days in Pennsylvania, so there was no chance of a repeat flight together. My trip back to California was quiet and uneventful, though my mind raced with all the developments of the last couple of days. Between Ms. Terwilliger's cryptic warning and my new lead on Marcus, I had plenty to occupy me.

A text message from Eddie greeted me when I hailed a cab at the Palm Springs airport: We're eating at Marquee's. Wanna join us? A follow-up message soon came: You can drive us back. I directed the driver to take me to a suburb on the far edge of the city rather than Amberwood's home in Vista Azul. I was hungry, seeing as there'd been no dinner served on the plane in coach, and besides, I wanted my car back in my own hands.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I found Eddie and Angeline sitting on one side of a booth with Jill on the other. Immediately, I knew why they'd chosen to eat so far from our school. Being away meant Eddie and Angeline could go out as a couple. Back at Amberwood, everyone thought we were related. Eddie, Jill, and I passed ourselves off as siblings, while Angeline was our cousin. Eddie and Angeline had recently started dating, so they'd had to hide their relationship from our classmates to avoid raising suspicions. We already seemed to attract enough attention as it was.

Angeline was cuddled up in Eddie's arm. Even he looked like he was having a good time, which was nice to see. He took his responsibilities so seriously and was often so tense that it seemed as though it wouldn't take much to make him snap in two. Angeline - though uncouth, unpredictable, and often inappropriate - had proven remarkably good for him. That didn't make him any less diligent in his guardian duties, of course.

Things were a little different on the opposite side of the table. Jill looked miserable, slumped into the seat with her arms crossed. Her light brown hair hung forward, covering part of her face. After ill-fated romances with a guy who wanted to become a Strigoi and with Eddie's human roommate, Jill had come to realize that Eddie might very well be the guy for her. It was fitting, too, because for a long time, he'd harbored a secret crush on her, fiercely dedicated to her in the way a knight served his liege lady. He'd never believed he was worthy of Jill, and without any signs of her affection, he'd turned to Angeline - just when Jill had come around and wanted him. At times, it seemed like some sort of Shakespearean comedy . .