Swallowing hard, I begin walking again, keeping the disheveled man in my sights while searching wildly for my family. There! Archie, the present-day Archie, scribbles on a napkin he must have grabbed from a passing waitperson, his brows drawn so closely together, they almost touch. Dad has a champagne flute, and he’s chugging the contents, oblivious to the bushy-haired man. Thank goodness. Half a crowded lobby separates them, but I rush up to Dad anyway so that he’ll focus on me and not the rest of the room.

It’s Zeke, however, who watches me with an intensity that creates all sorts of lines on his smooth skin.

The creases disappear the instant our gazes connect. Are you okay? he mouths. Three simple words, and yet they’re the best antidote for my nerves this entire night.

I nod gratefully, and we enter the ballroom. I grab Dad’s arm and start chattering about the size of the room, the menu planned for tonight—anything to keep him from looking around. For a moment, I lose track of Charlie. Still talking, I dart my eyes from the round tables covered with heavy linens to the partitioned stations set up along the side of the room. Where is he?

When I finally find the mass of dark hair again, my heart stops. Because Charlie is no longer alone. Now a younger guy is removing the leaf from Charlie’s hair and trying to smooth the wrinkles in his shirt.

A guy who has been flirting at the edge of my consciousness this entire day. One with brilliant blue hair.

Bandit Sakda.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I cut off mid-sentence. Luckily, Dad just tips back his champagne. He’s probably grateful for the reprieve.

My head’s spinning, but it shouldn’t be. Bandit is the Archie Sherman of the junior class. He’s as brilliant as my brother; I’ve heard talk that he might even be more innovative. It makes perfect sense that he’s also a finalist in the Newhouse science fair.

Especially since he teased me about what I was wearing.

I groan as the pieces click together. So that’s why he guessed that I was wearing a dress, even though black leggings and a tank top are my uniform during the weekend. He knew Archie—and, by extension, I—would be at the banquet tonight.

Always one step ahead of me.

Bandit is a lot of things. Stern and cocky, athletic, and maybe even a tiny bit sweet. But at this moment, what I care most about is: he’s here. At this ceremony.

Was this the clarification I was supposed to find? I was already worried that Bandit is Lalana’s secret admirer. But seeing him with Charlie, a man I feel certain is connected to my mission… I can no longer deny the possibility.

Bandit could be the Maker. He could be the one I’m supposed to kill.