I nod without reading it. “ ‘To leave nothing behind and no trace.’ ”
“No, no, on this side. Look.”
I lean closer and squint at the words, certain there was nothing on the back of the coin that Josh left at the convenience store. So maybe this one is different.
“You can read that, Kenzie.”
Secreta sodalitas sicariorum. My brain starts to translate … and a fine chill crawls up my spine and settles at the base of my neck, weighing me down.
A secret society of assassins.
“Assassins?” I can barely get the word out.
“In other words, the test is a killer even if you just take it online, and I wouldn’t put myself through it if the only thing you’re trying to prove is that you can walk in the shoes of your brother.”
Assassins?
I take a step backward, my head spinning and light. “Then I probably won’t take it,” I say. And it’s not online, but that seems to be what Mr. Irving thinks.
He gives me a smile and returns the coin to his desk. “Thank you for letting me keep it. Conner was one of my favorite students.”
“He was everyone’s favorite,” I say, more out of rote than emotion.
“But you’re actually a better student,” he adds quickly. “You go deeper into the language and the culture. He just wanted to get his A and move on. This test really shook him up.”
“How, exactly?” I ask.
“He didn’t give me a lot of detail, but he did say not to let any of my students go for it. He said it damn near killed him.” He cringes instantly. “God, that was … I’m sorry.”
I shake my head and gesture for him not to worry about it. But something did kill Conner … and maybe I had nothing to do with that death.
I just had to stay alive long enough to prove that to myself.
CHAPTER XXVIII
By evening, I’m freaked that I haven’t heard a word from Levi in hours. He texted in the middle of the day just to see if I was okay but didn’t reply to my urgent message that I had news.
Frustrated, I hole up in my room and consider my options. I don’t want to be specific about what Irving told me in a text to Levi, and I’m actually scared to Google anything. Maybe someone has my Internet access tracked, too.
I get a few texts from Dena reminding me that there’s a meeting tonight, but I’m not sure if I should go. I could put an end to that curse business with my assassins news … except I don’t know enough to do anything but get them all worked up.
To pass the time, I’ve completely translated the Latin paper, but the translations mean virtually nothing. They’re just a set of unrelated statements that are like puzzle pieces with no picture to follow. I don’t know where to begin with sentences like A strong shield is the safety of leaders and There remains a shadow of a great name.
I hear a car in the driveway and sit up, willing it to be Levi, even though I know he’d be on a motorcycle. But when I hear Molly’s voice after Mom opens the door, a different kind of happiness rolls through me. I need her almost as much as I need Levi.
We meet halfway on the stairs and hug again.
“C’mon, let’s go,” she whispers.
“Where?”
“To the meeting.”
I inch back and shake my head, immediately taking her up to my room so my mom doesn’t hear us.
“I’m not going there with you,” I say, pulling her in and closing the door. “And not because you don’t belong there.”
“I don’t,” she says quickly, with no bitterness in her voice. “But I belong with you. Come on, Kenzie, you know something bad could happen to you. You know you’re next on that list. What if they’re right? What if there is a curse? I’ll go with you and be your bodyguard.”
A surge of affection swells but I refuse the offer. “There is no curse, Molly. But …” I glance at my bed, where I’ve left the translations and all my questions. I have to share with someone. “But there might be …” An assassin. “A killer.”
“What?”
“Shhh.” I pull her closer, barely fighting the need to pour all this out on her. But is that fair? Is that safe? “There’s stuff … going on.”
She glares at me. “No shit.”
“It might involve …” I close my eyes and say it. “Conner’s death.”