did you run away from me again? I was chasing you.”
“And you almost got me. My God, the speed of you— you are unbelievably strong. It took all of my energy just to stay ahead of you. I was still unsure of your intentions or your identity. You surprised me by finding me in front of the Colonial building. I’m sorry I had to use that sleep spell on you.”
“Why do you choose to trust me now?” Schuyler asked.
“Because only Allegra’s daughter would know the correct Advoco Adiuvo , the invocation you used. Cordelia and I had agreed that if we ever went looking for each other, our emissaries would use those words from the Sacred Language. Without the Advoco , you would never have found me in a thousand years, regardless of your powers. But I had to put you to sleep to stall for time while I made sure you had not been corrupted. I had to take you somewhere safe, where we would not be observed.”
Schuyler nodded. She had guessed as much.
“So now you have found me, what do you want?” Lawrence asked, looking at Schuyler through a haze of smoke.
“I want to know about the Silver Bloods. I want to know everything.”
NINE
T he next day was the beginning of finals week at Duchesne. Unlike at other schools, students at the exclusive institution actively looked forward to examinations since it meant a flexible schedule and marked the advent of the coming school holidays. Bliss consulted her chart as she hurried through the school’s double-height, gold-brass and glass doors. That day she had English and AP American History. The next day, German and Biology. She had a Social Justice test on Wednesday, no exams on Thursday, and only a French recitation on Friday. As she ran up the grand staircase to the third floor, she noticed that all around her, girls were dressed down in yoga pants, T-shirts, and worn Ugg boots, while the boys wore faded sweatshirts, holey jeans, and sneakers. What was going on? She herself was wearing her usual attire: pressed stovepipe jeans tucked into knee-high buckled pirate boots, and a Stella McCartney sweater over a ruffled Derek Lam blouse. Why did everyone else look as if they had stumbled out of bed and had gotten dressed in the dark?
“Hey, Bliss!” Mimi yelled as she sped out of the second-floor library.
Bliss was surprised to find Mimi in an outfit she would never be caught dead in otherwise. Mimi had pulled back her long blond hair into a garish red-and-blue bandanna and was wearing hardly any makeup (in fact, Bliss noted a small pimple on Mimi’s chin). An oversize Duchesne lacrosse T-shirt borrowed from her brother, Jack, hung on her skinny frame, and she completed the look with low-slung flannel pajamas and comfortable shearling slippers.
“Hey!” Bliss called.
“Can’t talk—late for my Chem final,” Mimi explained, hurrying downstairs, her slippers flip-flopping on the marble.
“Did you just get here?” Soos Kemble asked, following Mimi. She was wearing an oversize Oxford sweatshirt and saggy jersey leggings, her thin blond hair a frizz. This was the girl who arrived in school every day with her hair perfectly blow-dried, wearing designer outfits that cost in the five-figure range.
“Yeah.” Bliss shrugged. “Why?”
“Everyone else has been here since dawn.” Soos yawned. “It’s the only way to get the best cubicles in the lib during finals.”
Interesting, Bliss thought. She would never quite understand the unspoken rules at Duchesne, but apparently looking like a “grind” or a “nerd” was the height of fashion during exams. You had to appear like you were slaving away and totally serious about tests. Even the Blue Bloods, with their hyperintelligence, still needed to cram.
Tomorrow, Bliss promised herself, she would arrive at school in her oldest pajamas. She hated sticking out like a sore thumb. It was just another way to broadcast the fact that, unlike her classmates, she hadn’t been a student at Duchense since pre-pre-kindergarten.
“And you almost got me. My God, the speed of you— you are unbelievably strong. It took all of my energy just to stay ahead of you. I was still unsure of your intentions or your identity. You surprised me by finding me in front of the Colonial building. I’m sorry I had to use that sleep spell on you.”
“Why do you choose to trust me now?” Schuyler asked.
“Because only Allegra’s daughter would know the correct Advoco Adiuvo , the invocation you used. Cordelia and I had agreed that if we ever went looking for each other, our emissaries would use those words from the Sacred Language. Without the Advoco , you would never have found me in a thousand years, regardless of your powers. But I had to put you to sleep to stall for time while I made sure you had not been corrupted. I had to take you somewhere safe, where we would not be observed.”
Schuyler nodded. She had guessed as much.
“So now you have found me, what do you want?” Lawrence asked, looking at Schuyler through a haze of smoke.
“I want to know about the Silver Bloods. I want to know everything.”
NINE
T he next day was the beginning of finals week at Duchesne. Unlike at other schools, students at the exclusive institution actively looked forward to examinations since it meant a flexible schedule and marked the advent of the coming school holidays. Bliss consulted her chart as she hurried through the school’s double-height, gold-brass and glass doors. That day she had English and AP American History. The next day, German and Biology. She had a Social Justice test on Wednesday, no exams on Thursday, and only a French recitation on Friday. As she ran up the grand staircase to the third floor, she noticed that all around her, girls were dressed down in yoga pants, T-shirts, and worn Ugg boots, while the boys wore faded sweatshirts, holey jeans, and sneakers. What was going on? She herself was wearing her usual attire: pressed stovepipe jeans tucked into knee-high buckled pirate boots, and a Stella McCartney sweater over a ruffled Derek Lam blouse. Why did everyone else look as if they had stumbled out of bed and had gotten dressed in the dark?
“Hey, Bliss!” Mimi yelled as she sped out of the second-floor library.
Bliss was surprised to find Mimi in an outfit she would never be caught dead in otherwise. Mimi had pulled back her long blond hair into a garish red-and-blue bandanna and was wearing hardly any makeup (in fact, Bliss noted a small pimple on Mimi’s chin). An oversize Duchesne lacrosse T-shirt borrowed from her brother, Jack, hung on her skinny frame, and she completed the look with low-slung flannel pajamas and comfortable shearling slippers.
“Hey!” Bliss called.
“Can’t talk—late for my Chem final,” Mimi explained, hurrying downstairs, her slippers flip-flopping on the marble.
“Did you just get here?” Soos Kemble asked, following Mimi. She was wearing an oversize Oxford sweatshirt and saggy jersey leggings, her thin blond hair a frizz. This was the girl who arrived in school every day with her hair perfectly blow-dried, wearing designer outfits that cost in the five-figure range.
“Yeah.” Bliss shrugged. “Why?”
“Everyone else has been here since dawn.” Soos yawned. “It’s the only way to get the best cubicles in the lib during finals.”
Interesting, Bliss thought. She would never quite understand the unspoken rules at Duchesne, but apparently looking like a “grind” or a “nerd” was the height of fashion during exams. You had to appear like you were slaving away and totally serious about tests. Even the Blue Bloods, with their hyperintelligence, still needed to cram.
Tomorrow, Bliss promised herself, she would arrive at school in her oldest pajamas. She hated sticking out like a sore thumb. It was just another way to broadcast the fact that, unlike her classmates, she hadn’t been a student at Duchense since pre-pre-kindergarten.
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