The Initiation Page 0,43

to get a can of juice out of the machine. "That bitch said she was going to do it, and she did it. So what are we waiting for?"

"For the truth," Melanie said quietly and coldly.

"From them? Outsiders? You can't be serious. They'll never admit Sally did it. The police are saying it was an accident. An accident! No sign of a struggle, they're saying. She slipped on a wet step. And you know what the kids are saying? They're saying it was one of us!"

Laurel looked up from the hot water she was pouring over some dried leaves in a mug. The end of her nose was pink. "Maybe it was one of us," she said.

"Like who?" Deborah blazed back.

"Like somebody who didn't want her in the Club. Somebody who was afraid she'd come in on the wrong side," said Laurel.

"And we all know which side would be afraid," said a new voice, and Cassie jerked around, nearly dropping her juice.

It was Faye. Cassie had never seen her in the back room before, but she was here now, her honey-colored eyes hooded and smoldering.

"Well, Diana's side certainly had nothing to be afraid of," Laurel said. "Kori idolized Diana."

"Did she? Then why did she spend the last week having lunch with me?" Faye said in her slow, husky voice.

Laurel stared, looking uncertain. Then her face cleared and she shook her head. "I don't care what you say; you're never going to make me believe Diana would hurt Kori."

"She's right," Suzan put in, to Cassie's surprise. "Diana wouldn't."

"Besides, we already know who would," Deborah said sharply. "It was Sally - or maybe that moron boyfriend of hers. I say we get them - now!"

"She's right," said Sean.

Laurel looked at him, then at Deborah, then at Faye. "What do you think, Melanie?" she said finally.

Melanie's voice was still quiet, detached. "I think we need to have a meeting," she said.

Sean bobbed his head. "She's right," he said.

Just then Diana came in. The Henderson brothers were behind her. They both looked ravaged - and bewildered. As if they couldn't understand how this could happen to them. Chris's eyes were red-rimmed.

Everyone sobered at the sight of the brothers. There was silence as they sat down at the table.

Then Faye turned to Diana. Her golden eyes were like two golden flames. "Sit down," she said flatly. "We need to talk."

"Yes," said Diana.

She sat down, and so did Faye. Laurel, after putting two cups of hot liquid in front of the Henderson brothers, did the same. Deborah jerked out a chair and threw herself into it. Suzan and Melanie had already been seated.

Everyone turned to look at Cassie.

Their faces were strange. Alien. Laurel's normally elfin face was closed. Melanie's cool gray eyes were more remote than ever; Suzan's pouting lips were compressed tightly; Deborah's fierceness was barely kept in check. Even Sean's usually furtive expression had an unprecedented dignity. Diana was pale and stern.

The glass door swung open and Nick came in. His face was like a cold and handsome stone, revealing nothing, but he sat down at the table beside Doug.

Cassie was the only one in the room left standing. She looked at them, the members of the Club, and they looked at her. No one needed to say anything. She turned around and left the room.

Chapter Eleven

Cassie didn't know where she was going. The school was trying to hold classes, even though there were probably more kids outside the classrooms than inside. They were in the halls, on the stairs, hanging around the main entrance. Cassie looked dazedly at a clock and then went to her science class, conceptual physics. She could probably call her mom and just go home if she liked, but she didn't want to face her mother right now. She just wanted to try and pretend to be normal.

As she sat taking meaningless notes, she could feel eyes on her. She had the odd feeling that she'd been transported back in time and that it was two weeks ago, when Faye had blackballed her. But after class she saw the difference. People kept coming up to her and murmuring, "Are you okay?" and "How're you doing?" They looked ill at ease - as if they didn't want to be talking to her but felt they'd better. After her last class there were more little visits: people coming in groups of two or three to say, "Sorry" or "Just want you to know we'll miss her too."

The truth of it