The day before Halloween, I noticed that the bizarre events had slowed way down. They didn’t stop entirely, or I would’ve caught on faster; sometimes I glimpsed the thin man on the subway platform, but he didn’t approach me. Belatedly, Kian’s words echoed in my head: you don’t know the deals I’ve made—to keep me safe or stop the attacks? I was afraid to ask if he’d contacted somebody at Dwyer & Fell. God only knew what Wedderburn would do if he suspected Kian was a traitor. But maybe I had already gone off course, so the opposition had no reason to stalk me anymore. If so, I wouldn’t find out until graduation when Wedderburn informed me that I’d become a waste of time, and I could earn my keep by offering deals to people in extremis.
Sadly, that might be the best-case scenario.
With that possibility whirling in my head, I was glad when Davina distracted me by bounding up to my locker wearing a smile. I still caught a melancholy look now and then, but since the rumors were now centered on Nicole Johnson instead of Russ and Brittany, it was easier for her to pretend not to be heartbroken. I thought it best to go along.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Party at Cameron’s tomorrow. His parents are never around, but this has their stamp of approval, so it’s high end, big budget scary. I wasn’t even sure he’d do it this year.”
“No invites, not even online or whatever?” Since I had attended zero parties in my life, I was well aware that I might sound stupid.
Davina shook her head. “Pretty much everyone knows about it. If you know how to get to the house, you don’t get kicked out on Halloween.”
“Costumes?”
“Definitely. You’ll go, right?”
“Why not?” I could work out with my mom on Saturday afternoon, talk physics with my dad … and miss date night with Kian.
I don’t even know if he’ll mind. My heart ached.
“Sweet. My mom can drive us, if you want. I guarantee she won’t let me have the car, and she’ll want to make sure I’m going where I claim I am.”
“The party won’t be loud enough to make her change her mind?”
“Not if we get there early enough. I’ll pick you up at half past six.”
“Sounds good.”
After school, Kian picked me up at the normal time, but he was even more preoccupied than usual. I seized on that as an excuse not to say anything until he parked outside my apartment. I’d never broken a date with him before, so I had no idea how it would go. If he acted like he didn’t care, that’d be worse than hurting him. Well, for me.
“We still on for tomorrow night?” he asked.
At this point, we were regulars at the classic movie place in Harvard Square. A pang went through me as I shook my head. “Actually I’m going to a party with Davina.”
Maybe I should invite him? We did have plans first.
Before I spoke, he smiled. “I have a term paper due anyway.”
“For what class?”
“Magic, Science, and Religion.” The easy answer made me think that he was lying, but it wasn’t like I could demand proof. “Don’t worry about it. We can go out next weekend.”
“As long as you don’t mind,” I said.
“It’s fine,” he answered, smiling. “I want you to have friends. To have a life.”
That sounded so much like, good luck with everything, Edie. It felt like he was opening his hands, letting go of me. But I’d know if we were breaking up. Wouldn’t I? Somehow I smiled and nodded, kissed him and climbed out of the car. My chest was tight, but I had no explanation for it.
Upstairs, my dad was working in the living room. He mumbled something as I went by, but he was deep in concentration and just lifted a hand that said, I’m aware that you live here. In my room, I tried not to think about Kian; instead I poked through my stuff, trying to decide what would work as a quick DIY costume. Briefly, I considered Ophelia, but that was too macabre, even for me, since I’d have been a dead girl floating in the river for real, if not for Kian. Plus, I didn’t have any white flowing gowns.
“Dad!” I yelled.
“Hm?”
“Can I borrow one of your old lab coats?”
“Anything you find in my closet, you can have, if you don’t bother me for an hour.” Dad sounded vaguely impatient.
He and Mom had agreed they needed to be home more, or I might repeat my trip to New Hampshire. I didn’t mind the attention, but it made my dad cranky, especially when it was his turn to play warden. However, since I’d been letting myself in for five years, it made for a nice change to have someone in the house when I got home from school.
“Anything, huh?”
From various boxes, I dug out a white lab coat, left from my dad’s grad student days. He worked out when he remembered but even so, he wasn’t nearly as thin as he had been then; my mom called it science-geek svelte. That went into my pile of costume components, along with protective goggles and a plaid bow tie. I had some black pants and if I added those to this stuff, plus my school shirt, I could mess up my hair and go as a mad scientist. It wasn’t sexy or even cute, but it suited my personality more than devil’s horns and a red leotard. All things considered, that also seemed a little on the nose.
Three hours later, a Skype request popped up from Ryu. I checked the time—early in Japan, so it was probably before school on his end. I accepted, smiling when he appeared on my laptop. His room was messy in the background, but his expression demanded my attention; he looked serious, nervous, even.
“What’s wrong?”
“Tell your friend to be careful. She’s mixed up in some scary shit.”
“Huh?” Oh, right. I told him the picture I sent was a friend’s tattoo. Worry surged through me, mingling with anger that I had been rattled enough by the mirror girl to ask him about the mark.
Fortunately, he took that as a request for clarification. “It took me this long, but I was curious, so I didn’t stop digging.”
“Dammit, Ryu. I told you not to bother.” Now you might be on their radar if you weren’t already.
He made a rude gesture at his screen. “You’re welcome. Anyway, do you want to hear what I found or not?”
“I guess.”
“Good. I don’t have much time before I have to catch my train. It’s not a kanji per se, but a gang symbol, and it seems to be favored by men with ties to the Yakuza.”