Page 73 of Inception

It was as though Trace Macarthur had just jumped off my balcony and vanished into thin air.

21. CHEMISTRY

I had two missed calls from my sister when I walked into school the next morning, already frazzled. I had yet to take any of her calls since I left her that message over two weeks ago, and with good reason. I was angry with her for lying to me, for hiding the truth from me for all these years. And it didn’t matter that I knew I’d forgive her (eventually), right now I was still mad as hell and I wasn’t ready to let any of it go.

Not to mention, there were slightly more pressing matters to contend with, like training with vampires and ex-Keepers who appeared to vanish into thin air.

“Whoa!” cried Benjamin, grabbing my shoulders to steady me after he blew out of the main office, nearly running me over in the process. “I just saved you from a serious face-plant right there. You owe me big time.”

“I think you almost justcausedmy serious face-plant so I’m not sure that qualifies as an actual save.”

“You say tomato,” he laughed, walking backwards down the hall. “I say you owe me.”

“Hey, Ben, hang on a sec.” I took a few rushed steps to catch up with him and then lowered my voice. “Have you seen Trace this morning? I need him.” I paused to cringe at the playback. “I mean, I need tofindhim. Is he here today?”

His dark blond brows shot up. “Freudian slip?”

“No. Lack of sleep slip. I mean, it’s a lack of sleep—there’s no slip.” I broke eye contact and adjusted my schoolbag awkwardly. “So? Have you seen him?”

“Yeah he’s around here somewhere. Probably at his locker checking his pretty self out in the mirror again,” he grinned, running his palm over his buzzed hair.

“So he’s really here? Like, you’ve actually seen him?”

“Yes, I’ve actually seen him,” he repeated mockingly, though his smile quickly dissipated once he noticed my expression. “Are you feeling alright, Jem? You look a little pale.”

“What? No. Yeah, I’m totally fine.” I tried to laugh it off but it came out unnatural and pitchy. “I lent him my chemistry book yesterday. I’m just trying to get it back before class.”

That sounded completely legit. But then why didn’t he look convinced?Shoot. Did Trace even take chemistry?

“Jemma!” Saved by the freaking bell.

I turned around to see Taylor coming up behind us carrying a bucket of soapy water. I was happy to see her up until I caught wind of the troubled look on her face, and then not so much.

She shook her head. “Just don’t freak out, okay?”

“Wow, Tay. Way to stay calm. I think you missed your calling as a crisis counselor.”

“Shut up, Benjamin!”

“What’s going on?” I asked her, already worried.

“It’s not that bad.” She grabbed my wrist and started towing me down the hall, the bucket hanging rigidly from her other hand. “We can totally clean it. And hardly anyone saw it. It’ll be like it was never even there to begin with.”

Okay, now I was freaking out. “What are you talking about?”

She didn’t answer until we rounded the corner, only adding to the dramatics of it all. She stopped in the middle of the hall and pinned her eyes on the target.

I followed her gaze...to my locker.

The letters S-L-U-T were painted across it in big, black marker forallto see. Andallwere definitely seeing. Dozens of other students were walking by, pointing and snickering, obviously chomping at the bit for the chance to spread this newly acquired piece of intel all over the school.

Falseintel.

Not that it mattered though. The truth seldom ever did in the face of a juicy lie.

“It’s not that bad,” she said, her tone lacking conviction.

“Really? How can it be any worse?”

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