Page 19 of They're Watching You

“I’m fine. What’s going on?”

He clears his throat, his go-to stalling tactic. “Well, I’m hoping it’s nothing, but I wanted to prepare you, just in case.”

I sit up, my free hand grasping a section of the beanbag so tightly I can feel the individual beans through the fabric. Is he sick? Is it my mom? “Just say it, Dad.”

“Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to worry you. It’s not life or death. I’ve just had a bit of trouble at the plant this year. Things never picked up after Christmas, and now one of your lenders is backing out.”

The knot of panic in my chest loosens. “What does that mean?”

“Without the loan, we won’t be able to cover your tuition for the term. I’ll try to call around, figure something out. But you’ve got to make sure you keep up your end of the deal, okay? Don’t let your GPA drop even a hundredth of a point.”

“What happens if you can’t find a new lender?” But I know the answer. If we can’t get a new loan, the academy will kick me out. I’ll have to finish the rest of high school at East Derry High, which is fine in theory. Except at Torrey-Wells, soccer starters have nearly a 70 percent chance at a college scholarship. East Derry’s soccer team—their entire division—is ranked so low, I’ll end up smaller than a blip on any university’s radar.

It also means my days in the society may be numbered. If I’m going to find out what really happened to Polly, I’ll have to hurry up.

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that,” my dad says.

***

When I reach the garden at my dormitory’s entrance, dressed in Polly’s sparkling silver V-neck dress, Polly’s glittery mask from last year’s ball tucked into my clutch, I think Gavin has stood me up. But I spot him ambling up the pathway, lampposts illuminating his lean figure.

“Miss Montgomery.” His eyes widen and he staggers in exaggerated fashion, grasping the handrail that borders the garden. “You look simply stunning.”

He doesn’t look too bad either in his black tux, with his hair combed for once. “It’s nice to see you changed out of your pajamas for the occasion.” He tries to link an arm with mine, and I swat it away. “All right, spill. Tell me everything you know about Polly.”

“I tried to tell you last night.” Gavin shrugs, kicking a rock off the pathway. “Polly was doing great in the fall tournament. Moved up a couple ranks, and then one night, she missed a round of the games. We figured she was sick or something, only she never turned up.”

“So there’s nothing else? You people didn’t bury her in a sarcophagus and forget about her?”

Gavin rolls his eyes.

“I just—I can’t believe there isn’t a connection between her leaving and the society. Polly seemed perfectly happy last year, and this year she befriends Annabelle, joins your twisted society, and then she’s suddenly too distraught to continue on at the academy? I don’t buy it.”

We turn in front of Mills Pond, avoiding the aggressive geese that stand guard on its banks, and head up the slope leading to the old cathedral. The wind kicks at an oak tree off the path, flapping its leaves. “Well, if there’s more to the story, you’re in the right place to find it.”

“Then you do think there’s more to the story.”

“No, that’s not—” Gavin, apparently forgetting he actually styled his hair, drags his fingers through it, causing a brown tuft to stand on end. “I’m just sayingif.I don’t think there’s more. Butifyour suspicions should prove founded, there’s no better place to do some digging than from the inside.”

“Which is the reason I put myself through that freaky initiation last night, if you’ll remember.”

“You just can’t get caught. If Annabelle ever knew your heart wasn’t really in the society…”

“What?” I say, hiking up my dress to avoid drenching it in a swampy section of path. “What would that Victorian Barbie do if she knew?”

“I don’t know. But it wouldn’t be good.”

A sensation like a phantom breath rolls over my skin. For the first time since I’ve known him, Gavin sounds serious.

Several minutes of silence pass before I ask, “What station are you, Gavin?”

“Medi Supreme.”

“So what happens when you become a Major?”

“IfI become a Major—and it’s a bigif—I mean, you saw Gianna Guardiola. You can be anything. Have anything.” I glance up from the mud to find his face lit with excitement. “The society makes dreams come true.” His eyes glimmer with amusement now, and he starts humming thePinocchiotheme song.

But I don’t laugh when I ask, “And what is it you want so much?”

---