Out of the corner of my eye, I see the Similars on the shore of the lake, laughing as they dive back into the water. I’m sure they’re making a concerted effort not to stay under the water for too long; they wouldn’t want anyone else to see what they’re capable of, how long they can hold their breath. The water’s cold, but not so cold it would raise too many eyebrows if anyone saw them. This is their last chance to do this. Any later in the year, and they’d call too much attention to themselves.

As Ollie and I walk back up the grassy lawn, I feel a pang deep in my gut. We’ve all enjoyed a beautiful afternoon—picnicking, chatting, laughing. Levi should be there on that shore, swimming with the others. I feel so much guilt at the thought of any of us having fun, without him.

As we round the bend, approaching main campus, I notice there’s an unusual grouping of kids at the entrance to the main house. They’re standing in a line that stretches all the way around the building. Probably fifty teens or more stand in a queue, waiting—for what?

I squint to get a good look at what’s happening at the front of the line, and I see that Archer is sitting behind a table, with groupies swarming around him. The kids in line are waiting to get Archer’s autograph and take a photo with him.

“Okay, this has seriously gotten out of hand,” I say to Ollie. Why are the teachers letting this go on? I’d give this five minutes before Principal Fleischer arrives to break it up. As we approach the line, I hear a couple of kids saying they just got off the train from New York. When they heard Archer was going to be signing autographs, they skipped school to be here.

“I don’t think all these kids even go to Darkwood,” Ollie says. “And some look really old.” He’s right; a couple of them look like they could be in their twenties.

I approach a girl at the back of the line. “Do you go here?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. “No, why?”

“Where’d you hear about this, anyway?” I press.

“The feeds. Where else?” She looks at me like I’m an idiot.

There’s a commotion in the line, and Ollie and I turn to see two kids fighting each other. One is saying that the other one cut him off. The accused kid gets up in the other one’s face and threatens to punch him.

“So this is what happens when the headmaster is rushed off to the ER,” I muse. “But where’s Principal Fleischer?” There’s no way she’d allow this.