Dawn wasn't at school, which was odd. She'd never missed a day of school in her life. She always got the perfect attendance award at the end-of-the-year ceremonies. All of her trophies and plaques were on a shelf in her room; she liked to show them off.
After first period I snuck away. I went into the girl's restroom and messaged Mason, and then I hustled through the crowd of people and climbed into his car, and we sped away.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "I didn't know you were up for ditching school."
"I'm not, but I think something's wrong with Dawn. She wasn't at school today, and she's never absent. She treats it like it's her job."
He shrugged. "I don't know what could be wrong with her. Though she is Dawn," he added sarcastically.
"She has a boyfriend. Hunter Morse. Do you recognize that name?"
He shifted in his seat. "I've heard of him."
"She thought he was cheating on her and ran out of class yesterday. I haven't heard from her since. You don't think he did something to her, do you?"
"I doubt it." He glanced at me. "How long have you known Dawn?"
"Since seventh grade. Why? What's wrong?"
"Just put your seatbelt on. I need to talk to Shane, and fast." He sped up.
"You're hiding something from me, aren't you? Is it about Dawn? Did something happen to her?" My voice rose an octave. I pulled the seatbelt over my shoulder, but my hands were trembling so much that Mason had to fasten it for me.
"Relax. I promise nothing's happened to her. Yet."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He groaned. "It's hard to explain. Remember when you found out what my family really was? Well, it's kind of like that, except this is a whole different concept."
"So, you're saying that Dawn's not human, either?"
"No."
"Is she like you?"
"Not even close. Saturday when you met Shelly, did you notice anything...off about her?"
"No."
"Of course not. I forgot that was the first time you met her. What about Dawn, then? Have you ever been to her house?"
"Yeah. Lots of times."
"Have you ever met her parents?"
"No. She always said they were at work."
I had always wondered what kind of work they did. I mean, what kind of parents left their daughter home alone all the time? And as long as we've known each other, I should have at least met one of them. But I haven't. It's like they didn't exist. Dawn once said it was because their bills were so expensive that her parents had to work double shifts. But that didn't make sense, either. If they were always working, when did they sleep?
Mason looked at me and grinned. "Can you be sneaky?"
A smile slowly formed on my face. I had always wondered what it would be like to be an undercover agent. A spy. Like James Bond, except I would have another one-of-a-kind name. I would be Avril Summers—always saving the day and getting in trouble as much as possible.
"I can be. What do you want me to do?"
"You'll see."
***
"Ol' Dawn is back." Chase rubbed his hands together. He smiled, but it wasn't genuine. It seemed like he had anticipated this moment. I wondered how many times it had happened before.
