a whole chapter excerpt from Shadows Like Ivy
Days passed, leaving Tessa feeling akin to seasick the longer they went without any sort of information. Each time she saw Dale, she'd try to ask her about her source of information, but Dale would simply let the requests roll off her back effortlessly. To say the least, it was driving Tessa insane.
Until finally, one stormy afternoon, Dale burst into Tessa's bedroom and said, "She's ready."
Tessa frowned, trying to wonder who 'she' was, but knew it was best not to ask questions she undoubtedly would be receiving answers to. So, she gave Dale a nod and got to her feet, following her out of their dorm altogether.
"Where is she?" Tessa asked as they navigated their way to the elevator.
"Waiting," Dale said simply, "in her room in Venus Hall."
Tessa nodded. She didn't care much for where this girl was staying, but if it was the only information Dale was going to give her, she'd take it. The elevator doors slid open with a resounding chime, halting her opportunities to seize more answers. She and Dale stepped inside and descended into the foyer of the Pantheon in silence.
"Do the boys know?" Tessa asked.
Dale nodded, and as they emerged into the foyer, she lifted an arm to point. Tessa followed her direction to see Kaden, Reese, and Mark waiting for them in the lobby. When they spotted Tessa and Dale, they got to their feet, faces strewn with varying degrees of concern.
"Hey," Kaden greeted, his voice low. Judging from the rain covering his coat, he'd just come in from the storm. The drops had lodged into his chestnut hair, curling it at the ends. Tessa had to resist the urge to run her hand through the locks, clenching her fists at her side. "I came as soon as I heard. Any updates?"
Tessa turned as if to let Dale answer his question but found that she hadn't stopped to wait for the boys. In fact, Dale was marching across the jovial lobby, right for the glass doors emblazoned with the words VENUS HALL. Mark was hurrying after her, and with a cautious look, Reese followed.
Tessa nodded after them. "We'll surely find out, won't we?"
Kaden didn't miss a beat and fell into step with Tessa as they two of them scurried after their friends. It was hard not to look inconspicuous, Tessa noticed, when everyone looked as if someone had died. People gave them sideways glances as they hurried through the glass doors into Venus Hall, but Tessa tried to let them go. After all, they had business to attend to.
As fate would have it, they wouldn't have much further to go. Tessa and Kaden found Reese and Mark flanking Dale outside the last door on the first floor of Venus. As they approached, Tessa saw that Dale was staring up at the number on the door—a rose-gold number 9—with feverish intensity. It wasn't until Tessa and Kaden slowed to a stop beside her, Mark, and Reese, that Dale snapped out of whatever fearful trance she'd been in and lifted a hand as if to knock.
The door swung open before she could, making everyone—except Dale—jump. The next thing they knew, they were staring at the doorwoman, a girl with long black hair, copper skin, and luminous violet eyes—the girl from the bonfire, Tessa recollected with a start. She'd seemed so ethereal then, and Tessa found that the image was maintained.
The girl's burgundy-tinted lips curled into a slow, feline smirk. "I see you got my summons."
"We need your help, Adhara" Dale said, meeting the girl's eyes. "Are you in or are you out?"
