Page 11 of Sweet Silver Bells

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“You’re such a rebel.” She rolled her eyes.

“No, but seriously, they are dense, and it’s too easy to get lost,” the tour guide continued. “If you go through the back door of the ballroom, it will lead you right back out to a large area of grass. Please bring your trash with you until you can find a dedicated dumpster.”

Hunter and Sadie helped push the students to the back and out through the door. The shining sun peeked out against graying clouds, and snow was going to fall by the end of the day. Small bursts of wind caressed his cheeks as he pulled his hood up and grabbed the gloves from his jacket pocket.

“I’m sorry if I was out of line,” Sadie said, stepping beside him. “I wouldn’t want anything to ruin the professional dynamic we have.”

Hunter laughed, which turned into a cough from the freezing air.

“Oh, Sadie, you’re the only thing keeping me at this school.”

Hunter gazed out at all the students standing on the grass, some nibbling on sad-looking almond butter and jelly sandwiches, but most just angrily staring around with their arms crossed.

That wasn't a lie. He was one bad day away from rotting in his house and never leaving it again. At least he still had a best friend, however crazy she might be, to remind him that he was human.

“I love this stage, don’t you?” Sadie asked. “Half of them are too cool to sit down, the other half too practical—‘that grass is wet.’ How have they not figured out a better place to stuff us for eating?”

“Mr. Gunnan?”

Hunter looked up. One of the boys from his class was angrily marching toward him, his earmuffs pressed tight against his puffed cheeks.

“What’s wrong, Killian?”

“Jake dared Levi to run into the forest, and Hudson and Wesley ran after him.”

Hunter looked up to the sky and let out a breath.

“This feels like your area of expertise.” Sadie laughed. “You know, that inner rebel you have.”

“Mr. Gunnan isn’t a rebel,” Killian interjected. “He’s a teacher.”

“Wow,” Sadie said, trying to suppress a laugh. “You are so right.”

“I’ll go. Which way?” Hunter sighed.

“Will they get a demerit? Don’t tell them I snitched!”

“I didn’t know your generation said the wordsnitch,” Sadie said.

“My mom’s been making me watch her favorite movies from when she was a kid.”

“Rad.”

“Yeah, that’s in them too,” Killian said, sighing and turning toward the woods. He pointed in a direction that was still too vague, but Hunter reluctantly walked forward anyway.

“Anyone want to help?” he asked over his shoulder. “No one?”

No one answered, but he did manage to get a couple of dirty looks from a group of girls shivering in the cold.

Hunter stepped out of the overcast light and under the first thick cluster of trees, where the sky disappeared entirely. The smell of cedar and fresh dirt was overwhelming, like walking into a real-life candle store.

“Guys,” Hunter yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. It was silent except for the faint voices drifting in from the manor grounds. These boys were absolutely going to get a demerit.

He wandered deeper, stepping on crunching branches and sticks, through leaves that had fallen and crumpled, brown and withered.

“Levi,” Hunter called again. “Hudson.”

No one came. No one jumped out to scare him. No one yelled for help from afar.