Page 120 of The Glittering Edge

“I’m not sure what you’ve heard about me, Miss Emberly. But I promise you, I want to help. That’s the only thing that’s ever brought me true fulfillment. That’s why I was so glad to know you were here.”

Again, that recoil. “You… you want to do the interview?”

“No. I want to give you a word of advice.” The smile disappears off his face. His watery brown eyes grow bright and sharp. “If you know what’s good for you,” Mr. Barrion says, “you’ll stay far away from the De Luca boy and the rest of his family. They’re dangerous people.”

Penny digs her nails into the skin of her legs. “Do you really think that?”

“Of course I do.”

“They never did anything for you? To… to help you?”

Mr. Barrion’s lips part, and for a moment, he is caught off guard. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“They can’t be all bad, right?”

“They are,” Mr. Barrion says. “Through and through.”

Except Alonso signed the blood oath. His aunts gave Penny pasta. She doesn’t know Alonso’s mom, but if she raised Alonso, she must be a good person—because Alonso is good. The bike polo, the way hejumped to Penny’s defense after what Dylan did to her, even setting the frogs free—none of that fits with the image Penny used to have of who Alonso was. Or the picture Mr. Barrion is trying to paint of him now.

“I appreciate the advice,” Penny says.

Mr. Barrion gives her a sad smile. “You don’t have to listen to me. It may not be my place to tell you how to live, but—”

“You’re right,” Penny says, standing up. “Thank you for your time.”

“I see. Certainly.”

The conversation is over, or so Penny thinks. When she’s only gone a few steps, Mr. Barrion says, “Penny?”

Penny looks over her shoulder. “Yes?”

“I’d appreciate it if you kept your distance from Corey, too. He doesn’t need silly little girls distracting him from what’s really important.”

Anger travels white-hot all through Penny’s body. She can’t keep the smile on her face anymore, but she manages to ask one last question: “Which is?”

Mr. Barrion smiles with too-white teeth. “His family, of course.”

Penny

AS SOON AS SHE GETS HOME, PENNY COCOONS HERSELF IN BED UNTILshe stops shaking. As the adrenaline rush fades, anxiety returns, making her eyes water.

Mr. Barrion is on to them.

They haven’t been careful enough. Penny should’ve known people in Idlewood would talk. What would she have thought if Corey and Alonso suddenly started appearing in public together? Of course this news would get back to the Barrions.

Maybe if they explain the whole situation, Corey’s family won’t report Alonso to the Council of Witches. They all want to break the curse. But it feels like the wrong decision—because of Mr. Barrion. He’s the victim here, just like Corey. So why does he make Penny feel like she’s a small animal and he’s the much larger predator?

Maybe Penny can’t trust her gut.

She’s suddenly sweating. She sits up, pushing back her comforter and reaching over to turn on the small fan on her desk. She bumps a stack of books, and one falls to the floor.

It’s her yearbook.

Penny hasn’t touched it since before her mom’s accident. Actually, she hasn’t touched it since before Alonso told her about the message he’d written in its pages.

Penny grabs the yearbook and scans the end pages. As she searches for messy, jagged handwriting, she asks herself what she wants to find.Maybe she’s sick of questions. Sick of wondering if her instincts are wrong.

Part of her is still in that gas station parking lot, watching Alonso lean in and wondering if she’s imagining the whole thing.

---