view of wooded hills in the distance. Julian had told her his school was surrounded by forest, that it was miles from the nearest village. Only now did she see how isolated Evensong truly was.
“Nothing can reach us here.” The voice, so soft, startled her by its nearness. Lily stood half hidden in the shadow of the archway. “We grow our own food. Raise chickens for eggs, cows for milk. Heat with our own wood. We don’t need the outside world at all. This is the first place I’ve truly felt safe.”
“Here in the forest, with bears and wolves?”
“We both know there’s a lot of things more dangerous than bears and wolves beyond the gate.”
“Hasn’t it gotten any easier for you, Lily?”
“I still think about what happened, every single day. What he did to my family, to me. But being here, it’s helped me a great deal.”
“Has it? Or does this isolation just reinforce your fears?”
Lily looked straight at her. “A healthy fear of the world is what keeps some of us alive. That’s the lesson I learned two years ago.” She continued up the steps, past a shadowy painting of three men in medieval robes, no doubt another contribution from Anthony Sansone’sfamily collection. Maura thought of unruly students stampeding past this masterpiece every day, and she wondered how many milliseconds this art would survive intact in any other school. She thought, too, of the library with its priceless volumes bound in gold-stamped leather. The students of Evensong must be an unusual group indeed to be entrusted with such treasures.
They reached the second floor and Lily pointed upstairs, toward the third floor. “Living quarters are on the next level. Student dormitories in the east wing, faculty and guests in the west. You’ll be staying in the older part of the west wing, where the rooms have lovely stone fireplaces. In the summer, it’s the choicest spot in the whole building.”
“And in winter?”
“It’s not habitable. Unless you want to stay up all night throwing logs on the fire. We close it off when the weather turns cold.” Lily led the way down the second-floor hallway. “Let’s see if old Pasky’s finished yet.”
“Who?”
“Professor David Pasquantonio. He teaches botany, cell biology, and organic chemistry.”
“Rather advanced subjects for high school students.”
“High school?” Lily laughed. “We start those subjects in middle school. Twelve-year-olds are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for.”
They walked past open doorways, past deserted classrooms. She glimpsed a human skeleton dangling on a stand, a lab bench and test tube racks, a wraparound wall chart with a time line of world history.
“Since it’s summer break, I’m surprised you still have classes in session,” said Maura.
“The alternative is two dozen students going stir-crazy with boredom. No, we try to keep those gray cells humming.”
They turned the corner and confronted an enormous black dog stretched out in front of a closed door. At the sight of Maura, his headinstantly perked up, and he bounded toward her, his tail wagging furiously.
“Whoa! Bear!” Maura laughed as he rose up on hind legs. Two giant paws landed on her shoulders, and a wet tongue slathered her face. “I see your manners haven’t improved.”
“He’s obviously happy to see you again.”
“And I’m glad to see you, too,” Maura whispered as she gave the dog a hug. He dropped back to all fours, and she could swear he was smiling at her.
“I’ll leave you here then,” said Lily. “Julian’s been anxiously awaiting your arrival, so why don’t you go on in?”
Maura waved goodbye, then slipped so quietly into the classroom that no one noticed her entrance. She stood in the corner and watched the bald and bespectacled teacher write the week’s schedule on the chalkboard in a thin and skittery hand.
“Eight A.M. sharp, we will gather at the lake,” he said. “If you’re late, you
will
be left
“Nothing can reach us here.” The voice, so soft, startled her by its nearness. Lily stood half hidden in the shadow of the archway. “We grow our own food. Raise chickens for eggs, cows for milk. Heat with our own wood. We don’t need the outside world at all. This is the first place I’ve truly felt safe.”
“Here in the forest, with bears and wolves?”
“We both know there’s a lot of things more dangerous than bears and wolves beyond the gate.”
“Hasn’t it gotten any easier for you, Lily?”
“I still think about what happened, every single day. What he did to my family, to me. But being here, it’s helped me a great deal.”
“Has it? Or does this isolation just reinforce your fears?”
Lily looked straight at her. “A healthy fear of the world is what keeps some of us alive. That’s the lesson I learned two years ago.” She continued up the steps, past a shadowy painting of three men in medieval robes, no doubt another contribution from Anthony Sansone’sfamily collection. Maura thought of unruly students stampeding past this masterpiece every day, and she wondered how many milliseconds this art would survive intact in any other school. She thought, too, of the library with its priceless volumes bound in gold-stamped leather. The students of Evensong must be an unusual group indeed to be entrusted with such treasures.
They reached the second floor and Lily pointed upstairs, toward the third floor. “Living quarters are on the next level. Student dormitories in the east wing, faculty and guests in the west. You’ll be staying in the older part of the west wing, where the rooms have lovely stone fireplaces. In the summer, it’s the choicest spot in the whole building.”
“And in winter?”
“It’s not habitable. Unless you want to stay up all night throwing logs on the fire. We close it off when the weather turns cold.” Lily led the way down the second-floor hallway. “Let’s see if old Pasky’s finished yet.”
“Who?”
“Professor David Pasquantonio. He teaches botany, cell biology, and organic chemistry.”
“Rather advanced subjects for high school students.”
“High school?” Lily laughed. “We start those subjects in middle school. Twelve-year-olds are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for.”
They walked past open doorways, past deserted classrooms. She glimpsed a human skeleton dangling on a stand, a lab bench and test tube racks, a wraparound wall chart with a time line of world history.
“Since it’s summer break, I’m surprised you still have classes in session,” said Maura.
“The alternative is two dozen students going stir-crazy with boredom. No, we try to keep those gray cells humming.”
They turned the corner and confronted an enormous black dog stretched out in front of a closed door. At the sight of Maura, his headinstantly perked up, and he bounded toward her, his tail wagging furiously.
“Whoa! Bear!” Maura laughed as he rose up on hind legs. Two giant paws landed on her shoulders, and a wet tongue slathered her face. “I see your manners haven’t improved.”
“He’s obviously happy to see you again.”
“And I’m glad to see you, too,” Maura whispered as she gave the dog a hug. He dropped back to all fours, and she could swear he was smiling at her.
“I’ll leave you here then,” said Lily. “Julian’s been anxiously awaiting your arrival, so why don’t you go on in?”
Maura waved goodbye, then slipped so quietly into the classroom that no one noticed her entrance. She stood in the corner and watched the bald and bespectacled teacher write the week’s schedule on the chalkboard in a thin and skittery hand.
“Eight A.M. sharp, we will gather at the lake,” he said. “If you’re late, you
will
be left
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