The Initiation Page 0,40

see, around here people have a sort of silly superstition about photographs - they don't like them. So lots of us don't get pictures taken."

Cassie tried to pretend this wasn't as bizarre as she thought it was. Like aboriginals, she thought in amazement. Thinking the camera will steal their souls. How can anybody in the twentieth century think that?

"He's cute, though," Kori was saying fervently.

Suzan, who had been absorbed in eating, looked up from her lunch to proclaim in feeling tones: "That bod."

"Those eyes," Laurel said.

"You'd better go easy," Melanie said, smiling. "You're going to drive Diana crazy before he gets back."

"Crazy enough to give somebody else a chance, maybe?" Sean piped up. Looks of forbearance passed between the girls.

"Maybe, Sean - sometime in the next millennium," Laurel said. But being a kind girl, she didn't say it very loudly.

Looking amused, Melanie explained to Cassie, "Adam and Diana don't even see anyone of the opposite sex except each other. For years Adam thought the rest of us were boys."

"Which in Suzan's case took quite a lot of imagination," Laurel put in.

Suzan sniffed and glanced at Laurel's flat chest. "And in some people's case took no imagination at all."

"What about you, Cassie?" Diana interrupted before an argument could begin. "Did you leave a boyfriend back home?"

"Not really," Cassie said. "There was one guy, though, this summer. He was..." She stopped. She didn't want to tell the story in front of Suzan. "He was sort of... all right. So, anyway, how did Faye's date with Jeffrey go?" she asked Suzan abruptly.

Suzan's look said she wasn't fooled by the sudden change of subject, but she couldn't resist answering. "The fish got hooked," she said with a smirk. "Now all she has to do is reel him in."

The bell rang then, and there was no further conversation about boyfriends or dates. But Cassie noticed a look about Diana's eyes - a tender, wistful dreaminess - that lingered for the rest of the day.

After school, Diana and Cassie drove back to Crowhaven Road together. As they drove by the Henderson house - one of those in the worst repair - Cassie noticed Diana biting her lip. It was a sure sign the older girl was worried about something.

Cassie thought she knew what. "I don't mind about Kori's party," she offered quietly, and Diana looked at her, surprised. "I don't," Cassie insisted. "I don't even know Kori, really. The only time I saw her before was when she was out with Faye on the steps. What's wrong?" she added as Diana looked even more surprised.

"Kori was eating with Faye and the others that day you overheard them talking?"

"Yes - well, she came when they were almost finished eating. There was a whole group of kids, but she was the only one Faye would let stay. Faye said..."

"Faye said what?" Diana sounded resigned.

"She said, 'I thought you'd be eating in the cafeteria with the rest of the goody-goodies.'" Cassie left out the Princess of Purity part.

"Hm. And what did Kori say to that?"

Cassie felt uncomfortable. "She said something about too much goodness being boring. She didn't stay with them long, though. I think Faye and Suzan were trying to embarrass her."

"Mm," said Diana. She was biting her lip again.

"Anyway," Cassie went on, "I don't mind not being invited to her party, but do you think... well, do you think there's a chance that someday I could be in the Club too?"

Diana's green eyes had widened fractionally. "Oh, Cassie. But you don't want to," she said.

"I know I said things last week that sounded that way. But you told me not to judge the Club by Faye, and I'm not, now. And I like you and Melanie and Laurel and Kori - and Suzan's sort of okay. Even Chris Henderson is. So I thought, maybe..." She let her sentence trail off delicately. She could feel her heart beating faster.

"That's not what I meant," Diana replied. "I meant you don't want to because you want to go back home, to California, whenever you can. That's the truth, isn't it? You said you were planning to go to college there."

"Well, yes, eventually, but..." Cassie had said that, that first night at Diana's house. Now she was no longer so sure, but she didn't quite know how to explain this. "What has that got to do with it?" she said. "I mean, joining doesn't mean staying here the rest of your life, does it?"

Diana's eyes were on the road. "It's hard