The Stars Said Hello [1]

C H A P T E R - 3 1

The next morning Edaline must've conjured her breakfast, because the tray appeared on her desk—and Sophie was okay with that. The only way to survive her remaining time there was to avoid Grady and Edaline as much as possible.

Dex stood waiting by her locker when she got to Foxfire. He stared at the hole in her cape. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." She brushed past him to open her locker.

Dex cleared his throat. "Are you mad at me?"

"Of course not."

"Then why won't you tell me what's going on?"

"Because I don't want to talk about it yet."

"But I'm your best friend."

"I know, Dex. I'm just not ready. I'm sorry."

His shoulders sagged. "Maybe I could cheer you up then. We could practice alchemy after school—start getting ready for finals. You could come to my house if you want, and I won't even get mad if you burn down my room."

The idea of a smile twitched around her lips, but it wasn't strong enough to fully form. "Maybe another time."

He sighed. "If you change your mind . . ."

"Thanks."

She leaned against her locker after he left, trying to shove his stricken expression out of her mind. She hated hurting Dex's feelings, but she wasn't ready to be "poor, unwanted Sophie Foster." She yanked her last book from her locker with unnecessary force, knocking an envelope to the ground.

Inside she found a scrap of newspaper with the headline: FIRESTORM CLAIMS FIRST VICTIMS.

There was also a note written in a hasty black scrawl—"You have to stop this"—and a Prattles' pin. A silver moonlark.

She stared at the glowing metal bird, and somehow she knew it was made of lumenite.

Her hands shook as she folded up the note.

"You okay?" Marella asked. "You look really pale."

Sophie clutched her chest, taking deep breaths to calm her pounding heart. "Fine."

Marella laughed. "You might be the worst liar ever. Whoa—is that a moonlark? Do you have any idea how rare that pin is? There are less than a hundred of them!"

"Oh, really?" She shoved it back in the envelope and hid it in her bag. "Well . . . cool."

"Cool? You have the Prattles' moonlark! You should be dancing through the halls!"

Marella's loud announcement turned several heads. Sophie slammed her locker shut. "Sorry, I have to get to session. I'll talk to you later."

Marella mumbled something about "waste" as Sophie fled the atrium, trying to think clearly over the words pounding through her brain.

You have to stop this.

She stumbled through the halls, searching for somewhere isolated to call Alden. She finally found a deserted corridor with stark-white walls and dug out her Imparter.

Alden's face appeared before she could finish saying his name. "Sophie? What happened?"

She glanced over her shoulder to make sure she was alone. "I found another note in my locker."

His jaw set. "We'd better not talk about it now, but I want you to come to Everglen as soon as school is over."

She nodded.