Unmarked by Kami García Page A

down the middle of the case, from the spot where the tail was still sticking out of the glass.
    “Nice.” Jared shook his head at Alara. “I could be blind right now.”
    “Except you’re not.” She kicked the rest of the glass out from under what was left of the mer-goat. The poem fell off the wall and crashed to the floor, along with the animal.
    “Feeling a little aggressive today?” Lukas picked up the broken frame and handed it to me, trying to keep it from falling apart.
    Without the glass to hold it in place, the page slid out. Another piece of paper was folded in thirds behind the poem.
    “What is it?” Elle asked as I unfolded it.
    Black ink covered the crinkled white sheet of paper. Roads twisted through stick-figure trees and hand-drawn houses that reminded me of scavenger hunts at summer camp.
    “A map.”

I recognized the gray weather-beaten house the moment I saw it. It was the one in the background of the photo I’d found tucked in my mirror the day Elle and I were packing up my bedroom, after my mom died. The details of the picture crystallized in my mind—my dad carrying me on his shoulders, the goofy kid smile plastered across my face.
    Faith’s house was nestled in the woods about a mile down an unmarked gravel road, like the one that led to the museum. We had passed a few other homes, but none of them were this deep in the woods.
    Lukas parked the Jeep on the shoulder of the road.
    On one side, there was nothing but a sea of snow-covered trees, and on the other, the forest sloped down, disappearing over the edges of jagged ridges.
    I stood at the edge of a wide ridge with Alara and Elle. Faith’s house was shrouded by towering pine trees. Without the map, it would’ve been difficult if not impossible to find.
    “I’ve been there before,” I said.
    Elle sighed. “Please tell me we didn’t hang out in that disgusting museum full of dead animals to find a map we didn’t need. Those were two hours of my life I’ll never get back.”
    Alara pushed past her. “And I bet you’ve wasted more time doing worse things.”
    “Ow.” Elle rubbed her elbow. “Would it kill you to be a little nicer?”
    “Yes.” Alara headed toward the guys, who were busy drawing routes to Faith’s house in the snow.
    “Kennedy,” Elle whispered. “I have to pee.”
    I gestured around us. “Choose a spot.”
    “Just make sure no one comes over here.” She stepped away from the edge and trudged through the trees that ran parallel to the slope.
    As I stared down at the house through the branches, I wondered what Faith Waters was like. How long had she been living out here? Did she have a family? And the unavoidable question: Did my father live here, too?
    “Hey,” Elle said, waving from between the trees. “I found a crop circle like the ones on
Ancient Aliens
.”
    Priest, Jared, and Lukas exchanged amused looks. Alara shook her head as if she couldn’t imagine what Elle was going to come up with next.
    Jared brushed the snow off his jeans and walked toward me. “There are no crops out here, Elle.”
    She put a hand on her hip and gave him her you’re-about-to-get-dumped-after-two-dates look. “Thanks for enlightening me.”
    Lukas caught up to her first. His hands were jammed in his pockets and he nudged her playfully with his elbow. “Come on. Let’s see it.”
    Lukas followed Elle to a small stretch of rock that formed a platform overlooking the trees below. When he reached the edge, he froze.
    “Anything down there?” Alara asked.
    “I told you.” Elle stood next to him, smiling triumphantly.
    When we caught up to them, Lukas pointed at the house. It was in the center of what looked like a dark gray crop circle. But instead of flattened grass, this circle was made by something else. “Check it out.”
    Alara squinted. “What is it?”
    Lukas looked over at Jared and Priest, who hadn’t taken their eyes off the house and the strange ring encircling it. “I don’t know.”

    Jared