My heart flips. This isn’t Ollie. This is a stand-in who thinks he’s my best friend. And I’m going to have to spend the foreseeable future pretending he’s not an imposter. Pippa, Ansel, Jago, and Levi rescue me from having to respond. They jump in to say they were accepted, though they make it clear they haven’t committed to going. Ansel’s exploring NYU, where Archer goes. Levi sounds like the whole idea of college doesn’t appeal to him, though I can’t pinpoint why. I don’t look at him, but I secretly agree; without Ollie, what’s the point of thinking about the future at all? But this isn’t about me. It’s about Harlowe, and her vindictive scheme against us.

“She keeps trying to one-up us,” I mutter. “But we can make sure her rally’s dead in the water, can’t we? Jane will cancel it when she returns to campus. She’s already said she’s dismantling DAAM. Revoking their charter.”

“Why do I feel like Harlowe will find a way to throw the rally anyway?” Pippa says.

“Let’s make sure she doesn’t,” Maude responds neatly as she digs into her breakfast. “But just in case, I have something else in the works. Something Harlowe is really not going to like.”

We all stare at Maude as she chews. “What?” Theodora finally yells, then lowers her voice. “That’s all you’re going to tell us?”

“For now? Yes,” Maude answers.

• • •

The next few weeks pass uneventfully—in the worst way. With each new day, I’m increasingly disturbed that Jane hasn’t returned to campus yet. Why? What’s happening in California that’s pressing enough for her to abandon her post at Darkwood? And worse—what if I’ve made a huge mistake by not telling her about Ollie?

On top of that, we all feel awful that we’re attending classes and choir concerts and school assemblies while Ollie is likely trapped on Castor Island. But we know that trying to rescue him there, without a plan, without knowing what Gravelle wants, could prove deadly for all of us. I have to admit, I feel very alone, more so than ever. I know my friends care that Ollie’s missing. But apart from Pru, who loves Ollie nearly as much as I do, I can’t help but feel resentful that Maude, Theodora, and the others don’t really understand my loss. They want to. They know intellectually how terrifying this is for me. But Ollie isn’t one of their own. They simply can’t know how devastated I am over this—with the exception of Levi, who, in his own way, may understand me more than I’m willing to admit.

The only problem is, he and I still aren’t speaking. Not about anything real.