walking through the halls.â
âUgh, I know,â Darcy said. âItâs obnoxious. Did you hear the whole vampire thing?â
I shook my head. âDonât think I want to.â
âIt borders on hilarity, really. Classic tale of vampire preying on girl, girl changing, and voilà , needing the source of her violation.â Darcy pointed a finger in the air. âThe story, I believe, is an infantile attempt to make sense of Noelle waiting two years to escape when she seemed to have the opportunityââ
âNo one knows what really happened,â I said. Which killed me, because I was supposed to be Noelleâs best friend.
âSome jerk in my math class was saying that she wanted to be with the guy.â Maxâs voice quieted down to a near whisper. âI saw an interview with some people from the neighborhood where sheâd been staying. She was seen out in public all the time, and everyone thought he was her father.â
âI donât understand any of that,â I said, shaking my head, trying for the millionth time to flip the information around in my mind so it would make sense. âAll I know is that no matter how free she seemed, she couldnât have gotten away until now or she would have.â
âRight. Iâm sure.â Darcy widened her eyes at Max and nodded toward me. âTess and Noelle, the girl who was kidnapped, they were, like, BFFs.â
I could not think about Noelle now. Not here. I glanced at my desktop, at the words etched in the wood. Run, baby, run , it urged me.
âI didnât â¦,â Max sputtered. âI had no idea.â
âItâs fine,â I said. âI mean, itâs kind of like an accident, right? People want to know about it, see it up close. But only if it doesnât touch their lives.â
âHave you talked to her yet?â Darcy asked. Suddenly, the photography classroom seemed quiet. Too quiet, like everyone was waiting for my response. âItâs been three weeks, hasnât it?â
âFour. And no, I havenât talked to her yet,â I said. âAll I know is the same stuff you do from the news.â
âI canât imagine,â Max said, âhow awful it must have been when she went missing.â
âIâm just ready for people to stop talking about it.â I stabbed my notebook with my pen.
âUm, do I need to remind you that Noelleâs kidnapping practically stopped every form of life here in Centerville two years ago?â Darcy tapped her desk with a fingernail, punctuating her words.
âWhatâs that mean?â Max asked. âWhat was so different before?â
âOh, everything.â Darcy shrugged. âThis used to be your typical little Midwestern town. People didnât feel like they had to lock their doors or watch their kids when they went out to play. The kidnapping choked our entire town with sadness. And fear.â
I crossed one leg over the other, wishing Darcy would stop talking.
âHuh,â Max said with a nod. âI understand that the people who knew her and her family would be affected. But the whole town?â
âTrust me. Her experience has touched everyone. People all over the country, really. My cousin from Oregon called the other day to see if I know her. And now thereâs going to be some trial thatâll be covered by about a zillion reporters whoâll tromp in from all over. Iâm sorry to tell you, but people are going to be on this all freaking year, Tess.â Darcy gave an exaggerated shiver. âPlus, thereâs the whole creep factor. No one can imagine what it was like for her.â
I realized that my foot was shaking back and forth in a violent manner and tucked it behind the leg of my desk.
Max had been staring at me as Darcy spoke. âI bet youâre dying to talk to her,â he said softly.
âYeah. I canât wait.â I reached
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