to go to USC, or if they had made the decision and insisted I obey.
Even though I didn’t know what had happened in the past, I knew what I wanted to happen in my future. Emery had always been my first choice—my only choice—and if I could still go, then my decision was easy.
The door opened behind me. Principal Adams stood up, came around the desk, and held out his hand for the visitor. “Thank you for being here. I’m sorry for the wait.”
“It’s no problem,” a deep voice replied, the trace of an accent underscoring his words.
I knew that accent. I knew that voice.
It was—I twisted in my chair—no one I knew.
He was tall, dressed in a finely tailored suit with a dark red tie knotted at his throat. He carried a black leather briefcase in one hand. A mane of dark brown hair surrounded his face. Round, wire glasses framed a pair of faded blue eyes.
Those eyes flicked a glance at me so quick it felt like a whip-kiss against my face, a strange combination of warning and welcome.
I jolted back, startled and stunned.
It was Leo.
Memories crowded behind my eyes, each one vying for attention. Leo, behind the golden-railed bar at the Dungeon, a white towel slung over his shoulder, a story in his eyes. Leo, hunched over a table in the darkness, rubbing at the faded chains on his wrists, a confession on his lips. Leo, carrying me to safety while an inferno raged behind him.
What was he doing here in Principal Adams’s office? And when had he started working for Emery College?
“Mr. and Mrs. Edmunds, I’d like you to meet Mr. Casella. He’s made a special trip here to talk to you and Abby about Emery College. Mr. Casella, this is the Edmunds family. And this”—he gestured to me—“is Abby.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Leo said in his rumbly voice as he shook hands with my parents.
I stared at the scene in equal parts amazement, surprise, and fear. My parents smiled at Leo as though they’d never seen him before. But that was impossible. They knew Leo from the Dungeon; they knew him as Dante’s guardian. He had even come to my house once.
But perhaps they simply didn’t recognize him. I hadn’t at first, and I had seen him more often—and more recently—than my parents had.
Mom nudged me on the shoulder, breaking into my confused thoughts, and I stood up, automatically extending my hand to Leo.
“It’s nice to meet you, Abby,” he said, meeting my eyes directly for the first time. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Hi,” I managed, wondering if I was mistaken about who was really behind the disguise.
Leo’s faded blue eyes held mine for a moment. And then he smiled.
A shock of relief ran through me.
It was Leo. And he knew me. He remembered me—the real me.
Whatever Zo had changed in my life, it seemed to have bypassed my relationship with Leo. I wasn’t alone anymore. I had someone I could talk to who would understand, who knew the truth. More important, I had someone who could help me rescue Dante.
“Why don’t we sit down?” Principal Adams said. “I’m sure you all have a lot of questions.”
More than you know, I thought. I wanted to grab Leo’s arm and shake the answers out of him.
He caught my expression and a slight frown wrinkled his forehead. Not now. Wait. He sat in the chair across from me and set his briefcase on the floor by his feet.
“As I’m sure Principal Adams has told you, we at Emery are quite selective in our admissions.” He looked at me from across the desk and a small smile hovered around his mouth. “We don’t let just anyone in, you know.”
I couldn’t help it. I grinned; there was finally a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.
Leo extracted a folder from his briefcase and opened it for my parents. He spread out the pages and pictures I’d seen so many times before as I wandered through the Emery College Web site, dreaming of the day I’d be walking there in person.
Mom and Dad hummed and nodded their way through
Even though I didn’t know what had happened in the past, I knew what I wanted to happen in my future. Emery had always been my first choice—my only choice—and if I could still go, then my decision was easy.
The door opened behind me. Principal Adams stood up, came around the desk, and held out his hand for the visitor. “Thank you for being here. I’m sorry for the wait.”
“It’s no problem,” a deep voice replied, the trace of an accent underscoring his words.
I knew that accent. I knew that voice.
It was—I twisted in my chair—no one I knew.
He was tall, dressed in a finely tailored suit with a dark red tie knotted at his throat. He carried a black leather briefcase in one hand. A mane of dark brown hair surrounded his face. Round, wire glasses framed a pair of faded blue eyes.
Those eyes flicked a glance at me so quick it felt like a whip-kiss against my face, a strange combination of warning and welcome.
I jolted back, startled and stunned.
It was Leo.
Memories crowded behind my eyes, each one vying for attention. Leo, behind the golden-railed bar at the Dungeon, a white towel slung over his shoulder, a story in his eyes. Leo, hunched over a table in the darkness, rubbing at the faded chains on his wrists, a confession on his lips. Leo, carrying me to safety while an inferno raged behind him.
What was he doing here in Principal Adams’s office? And when had he started working for Emery College?
“Mr. and Mrs. Edmunds, I’d like you to meet Mr. Casella. He’s made a special trip here to talk to you and Abby about Emery College. Mr. Casella, this is the Edmunds family. And this”—he gestured to me—“is Abby.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Leo said in his rumbly voice as he shook hands with my parents.
I stared at the scene in equal parts amazement, surprise, and fear. My parents smiled at Leo as though they’d never seen him before. But that was impossible. They knew Leo from the Dungeon; they knew him as Dante’s guardian. He had even come to my house once.
But perhaps they simply didn’t recognize him. I hadn’t at first, and I had seen him more often—and more recently—than my parents had.
Mom nudged me on the shoulder, breaking into my confused thoughts, and I stood up, automatically extending my hand to Leo.
“It’s nice to meet you, Abby,” he said, meeting my eyes directly for the first time. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Hi,” I managed, wondering if I was mistaken about who was really behind the disguise.
Leo’s faded blue eyes held mine for a moment. And then he smiled.
A shock of relief ran through me.
It was Leo. And he knew me. He remembered me—the real me.
Whatever Zo had changed in my life, it seemed to have bypassed my relationship with Leo. I wasn’t alone anymore. I had someone I could talk to who would understand, who knew the truth. More important, I had someone who could help me rescue Dante.
“Why don’t we sit down?” Principal Adams said. “I’m sure you all have a lot of questions.”
More than you know, I thought. I wanted to grab Leo’s arm and shake the answers out of him.
He caught my expression and a slight frown wrinkled his forehead. Not now. Wait. He sat in the chair across from me and set his briefcase on the floor by his feet.
“As I’m sure Principal Adams has told you, we at Emery are quite selective in our admissions.” He looked at me from across the desk and a small smile hovered around his mouth. “We don’t let just anyone in, you know.”
I couldn’t help it. I grinned; there was finally a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.
Leo extracted a folder from his briefcase and opened it for my parents. He spread out the pages and pictures I’d seen so many times before as I wandered through the Emery College Web site, dreaming of the day I’d be walking there in person.
Mom and Dad hummed and nodded their way through
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