Dreaming Dangerous by Lauren DeStefano

Author:Lauren DeStefano
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

CHAPTER 10

They all agreed that it was important to act normal. That was key. Dr. Abarrane would be watching them. And maybe the professors would as well. Acting normal did not mean pretending that everything was fine, as Vien had pointed out. Acting normal meant asking their professors about Artem, even though they knew they would not be given an answer. It meant being attentive in class, even though their minds were filled with images of the burning house and the woman’s body and the baby crying through the broken window.

It meant staying calm. It meant questioning everything.

Their first chance to talk to Melinda came after lunch, during physical training.

It was a cold autumn day, and each gust of wind shook more bright and dying leaves from the bare, scrawny fingers of their branches.

The triplets were engaged in a sparring match, each of them wielding a slender silver sword. Blood was frequently drawn during these, and several of the younger students sat on the grass watching with morbid fascination. It wasn’t the swordsmanship so much as the concept of siblings that intrigued them. The triplets all had matching black hair cut at various lengths, and matching dark eyes that all bore different expressions.

Melinda, like most students, was usually interested in watching these sparring matches. Today, though, she was scaling the rock wall. She moved quickly, fluidly, like a creature trying to claw its way up to the sun.

After brief deliberation, Plum, Vien, and Gwendle agreed that Plum should be the one to go up and talk to her, in no small part because Plum was an excellent climber with flawless equilibrium.

They agreed it would raise less suspicion if they didn’t approach Melinda together. Dr. Abarrane wasn’t here to oversee the training activities, but after Artem’s warning, they no longer trusted any of their professors, or even the nurses who stood on the sidelines, prepared for any emergency.

All day they had done an impressive job of acting normal, and Plum was quite proud of herself for this.

Still, as Plum scaled the rocks, she wished Gwendle could come along with her. Gwendle was friendly, and good at putting people at ease. Plum was not. Professor Nayamor had a saying that Plum was “all business, no fluff.”

The rock wall was a quarter-mile high, and Melinda was already at the top. As Plum made her trek, she thought about how best to approach her. What would Gwendle do? Gwendle would ask questions, Plum thought, be interested, be friendly.

There were other students climbing the rock mountain, but they wouldn’t make it to the top. Few ever did, especially now in the autumn when the wind was like a cold slap every time it blew.

There was a small ledge at the top of the mountain, and that’s where Melinda sat when Plum reached her. Her legs were hugged to her chest, and her chin was rested on her knee. When Plum climbed up beside her, Melinda’s eyes moved toward her but then returned to the horizon. From up here, they could see over the spiked iron gate that surrounded Brassmere.

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