Avalon High - Мэг Кэбот 11 стр.

 I am ashamed to admit that I did, Mr. Morton said. Though I cant say that at the time,

I was altogether certain he believed me. The fact that he recognized, however, that you

are Elaine of Astolat seems to indicate that hes come around to the idea.

 I amnot , I said slowly and angrily, Elaine of Astolat.

 Mr. Morton smiled sadly. Funny. Thats exactly what Marco said. Only in his case, he

insisted he wasnt Mordred.

 Heisnt Mordred, I said. I was outraged. Really. This had all gone way too far. And

you should have your teachers license revoked for going around telling impressionable

young students that they are reincarnations of mythical characters!

 Mr. Morton shook a finger at me. Now, Elaine, he said. You know perfectly well they

arent mythical.

 I wanted to throw something. I couldnt believe I was even having this conversation.

 Fine, I said. So they were real. Once. And yeah, Arthur really did exist. And lets just

say, for the sake of argument, this whole reincarnation thing really could be possible. You

warned Marco about it. Have you said anything about it to Will?

 It wont do any good, Elaine, Mr. Morton said sadly. As I said before, its too late

now, anyway. And members of the Order have tried in the past to warn the Bear of what

was to befall himjust as I tried, unsuccessfully, to turn Marco to the Lightand it never

did any good, in all his various incarnations. Most of the time, he didnt even believe us.

And inevitably, the Dark rose up and defeated us

 I blinked at him. So if all this stuff is true, and what you and your order believe really is

happeningMarco is going to kill Will, and you dont think it would do any good to

maybe give Will a call and let him know?

 Its too late, Elaine, Mr. Morton said, shaking his head. Hes already lost Guinevere.

He hasnt the will to live anymore

 But thats what I was trying to tell you this morning, I all but shouted, fighting for

patience. Not that, even for a minute, I believed in any of this hogwash. But just for the

sake of argument

wasrelieved when he found out.

 Mr. Morton smiled down at me sadly.

 And if we did tell him, Elaine, do you think he would believe usmuch less take the

necessary steps to protect himself, which would, in any case, be a fruitless effort? Do you

think it would make the slightest difference? You have no idea what were up against. The

battle for Arthur between the Light and the Dark has gone on for centuries. Evil wont

stand for any interference from the Light. It will throw insurmountable obstacles in our

pathdeadly obstacles. Mordred, with the help of the dark side, will find a way to kill his

brother no matter what we

 Marco doesnt want to kill Will, I cried, still not believing I was even having this

conversation. Why would Marco possibly want to kill Will?

 Besides the fact that, through his own greed and selfish disregard for others, hes fallen

into the embrace of the powers of darkness? Mr. Morton frowned. Think about it,

Elaine.

and him.

. Will is fine with Jen leaving him for Lance! Really. He told me he

 I thought about Marco, his earrings and snide manner. Sure, he was mean, and with that

ice-cold skin of his, more than a little creepy.

 But a murderer? Sure, hed tried to kill Mr. Mortonbut the guy had been telling him he

was the reincarnation of one of the most detested historical figures of all time. Why

would he want to killWill ? I mean, he had even admitted himself that since hed come to

live with Will and Admiral Wagner, his life had improved dramatically. Hed even gotten

a boat. Or at least, the use of one. What was it hed said that day?

 Im not the lucky one. Will is.

 Couldthat be it?

 You think Marcos going to try to kill Will, I said to Mr. Morton, because hes jealous

of Will? And angry about what Wills father did to his? Is that it?

 This time? Mr. Morton nodded. Theres a great deal more to it than you can possibly

imagine, but I would think that might be part of it.

 Its different every time? This was the part that was making it so hard to believe it

really was paranoid delusions, as Id first tried to insist. The fact that, taken as a whole,

the story was so well thought-out, it actually sort of made sense.

 Variations, Mr. Morton said, on several themes. Mordred hated Arthur, you see,

because he wanted the throne. He turned his back on his own people, not caring an iota

for their concerns, seeking only to cater to his own self-gratification. Thats when the

Dark took him completely, and made him one of their own

 Stop it! I threw my hands up over my ears, beginning to feel overwhelmed. I dont

want to hear any more about the dark side, okay? What I want to know is howif youre

so sure this is whats going to happenyou think you can just run away and let Will get

murdered. I understand that youre afraid of

as he did, but I didnt care. But for Petes sake, wont you even go to thepolice ?

 And say what, Elaine? Mr. Mortons smile was rueful. That according to an ancient

prophecy that has been fulfilled time and time again, this young man is going to kill his

stepbrother some day, and then wreak havoc upon the world? I cant do that. You know

they wouldnt listen.

 No. They wouldnt listen.I didnt even want to listen. Because it was all completely

psycho.

 And even if they did, Mr. Morton went on, theres nothing the police could do about

it. Revolvers and nightsticks are useless against the wrath of the dark side. And I would

be guilty of risking innocent souls in a war they can never hope to win. The commonly

held beliefthough its yet to be provenis that only those in Arthurs closest circle can

of the darkness. Now I sounded as insane

put an end to the dark sides reign, in any case.

I pushed some of my hair away from my eyes. Who, then? Lance? Jennifer?

 So

 Certainly, he said. Either of them. Just not

 I gave him a dirty look. Because Elaine of Astolat never even met King Arthur

historically, is that it?

 I told you that you were better off not knowing, Mr. Morton reminded me in a sad

voice.

 Id be bummed, I assured him, if I actually believed any of this.

 Mr. Morton looked at me, concern softening his craggy features.

 Elaine, he said gently. Go home. Get your parents to take you somewhere far away

from here. Back to Minnesota, perhaps. It might be better for you if you

simply went back home.

 Something about the way he said the wordhome caused me to snap.

 Simply put, I lost it. Id tolerated all the rest. Talk of the powers of darkness and the

dangers of attempting to thwart it. Jennifer as Wills reason for living. Even Tahiti.

 But this I simply could not take.

 Home? I echoed. What do you know abouthome ? Home isnt just a place, you know.

Itspeople who make a home

would, if you didnt turn around and abandon them for Tahiti because you believe in

some dumb prophecy. I dont know if this Light and Dark thing is for real, Mr. Morton,

but I do know one thing: if you and this so-called Order really were on Wills side, you

wouldnt just leave him without even trying to help. He would never do that to you. He

would never say, Oh, well, this is the way its always happened, so I guess I better not

even try to change things, because I tried that once and it didnt work, and the dark side

always wins.

 My voice broke, but I didnt care. I just kept right on yelling.

 Because isnt that what made your precious Arthur so popular in the first place? He was

supposed to be this great innovative thinker who wouldnt do things the way people told

him they had to be done, because thats the way theyd always been done. If Will really is

Arthurand Im not saying he is, because I think this whole thing is wackwould he really

just sit back and say, Oh, well, I cant change this, because no ones ever done it before,

and just leave you to die? No, he wouldnt. And you know what, Mr. Morton? Im not

going to, either.

well. You.

well, if you

people you care about, and who care about you

 And without another word, I turned around and walked out of Mr. Mortons apartment

with my head held high and my shoulders thrown back as if I, and not Jennifer Gold, had

been a queen in a past life.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

 I knew from my brother Geoff, whod been a practiced class-ditcher, that it generally

took the administration a full workday to catch up with delinquents. So I knew I was safe

from any summonses to Vice Principal Pavartis office to explain my absence from fifth

through sixth periods for at least a day.

 Still, I thought it safer to hide in the ladies room until the next period bell rang, rather

than risk being discovered roaming through the halls.

 So I ducked into the nearest restroom.

 The first thing I was going to need to do, I realized, was find Will. I had no idea what

classes he had for seventh and eighth periods, but I was going to have to find out

somehow, then catch him and let him know that at least one member of the Avalon High

faculty suspected that he was the reincarnation of an ancient medieval king, and that he

was in grave and mortal danger from his stepbrother.

 Mr. Morton had been right about one thing: Will wouldnt believe it, of course. Who in

his right mind would?

 But that didnt mean he didnt have a right to know.

 I was busy redoing my ponytail in the mirror above the sinks when I realized I wasnt

alone in the restroom. I heard sniffling from behind the last stall door, which was closed.

Ducking down to look beneath the partition between the stall door and the floor, I saw a

pair of white aerobics shoes, onto which were tied a pair of Avalon Highs distinctive

blue and gold pom-poms.

 There was a cheerleader weeping in the ladies room with me.

 And, just given how my day had gone so far, I had a pretty good idea which cheerleader

it was.

 Jennifer? I said, tapping on the stall door. Its me, Ellie. Are you okay?

 I heard a particularly slurpy sniffle. Then Jennifers throaty voice said, Go away.

 Come on, Jennifer, I said. Open up and talk to me. It cant be that bad.

 There was a pause. And then I heard the lock slide back, and Jenniferstill exquisitely

lovely, even with red-rimmed eyesstepped out of the stall, wiping her eyes on the long

sleeves of her cheerleading sweater.

 D-dont tell anyone, she said, looking up at me with huge, worried blue eyes, that you

caught me in here crying. Like those gossipy girls from the track team you hang out

with? Okay? Because they hate me enough, and thatll just make things worse.

 I wont mention it, I said, grabbing a handful of paper towels from the dispenser on the

wall and wetting them a little from the sink before handing them to her. But they dont

hate you.

 Are you kidding? Jennifer dabbed at her red eyes with the paper towels. Everybody

hates me. On account of what I did to Will.

 Not everybody hates you, I said. Idont hate you. And Will doesnt hate you, either.

 To my dismay, this only made Jennifer start crying again, just when I thought shed

stopped.

 Iknow ! she burst out tearfully. Thats the worst part! Will came up to me this

morning and was so totally sweet! He said he knew Lance and I hadnt meant to hurt him,

and that he was completely fine with us b-being together. He even said he th-thought we

made a good couple. Lance and me! Oh my God. I wanted to die!

 Why? I asked, patting her on the armto comfort her, I guess. Dont you believe him?

 Of course I believe him! Jennifer said, with an incredulous laugh. I mean, thats the

one thing about Willhe never lies. Not even to make someone feel better. Well, maybe,

you know, if you were sick hed say you looked great or whatever. But not aboutnot

about big stuff. So I know he was telling the truth. Thats the thing. He really doesnt

mind about me and Lance. Hes just so

 Something cold gripped my heart, but I told myself I was being silly. And selfish.

 So you want to get back together with him? I asked her, way more lightly than I felt.

Because of course I suddenly realized how much Id been hoping that now that Will was

free, he might possibly stop thinking of us asjust friends , and more of

 But if he and Jennifer got back together, that would never, ever happen.

nice.

well, whatever.

 I dont know, she said miserably. A part of me will always love him. But the rest of

. Do you think its possible to love two boys at the same time?

me

 I shrugged helplessly. I dont know, I said. I mean, Ive only ever loved one

 Will, right? Jennifer asked, as she wiped her eyes.

 I stared at her in total shock. Wh-what? No! Of course not! I meant this other guy. Um,

this guy named Tommy

 Its okay, Jennifer said. Shed stopped crying, and now whipped her makeup bag from

her purse, and was trying to make repairs. I mean, I dont blame you. And you two

would look cute together. Youre both so dark. And so tall.

 I felt as if I were choking. I dontI dont feel that way about him.

 No? She pursed her lips, then dotted lip gloss onto them. Well, he likes you. I mean,

from the first moment he saw you, that day at the park, remember? Its like he knew you

from another life, or something.

 I smiled ruefully. Because, of course, if what Mr. Morton believed about me was

truewhich it wasntIwasnt the one Will had known in his past life. That honor was

entirely Jennifers.

 He just likes me as a friend, I said, for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

 I wouldnt be so sure, Jennifer said a little darkly. I mean, he invited you to go sailing

with us. He doesnt invite just anybody onto that boat of his. And he says that stupid dog

of his likes you. Plus, he says he cantalk to you. Wills gotten very into talking lately.

changed, you know. She glanced at me meaningfully.

Hes

 But I was clueless.

 Changed how?

 Since we started dating, she said, with a shrug. It used to be, all he cared about was

sailing and football. Then he got into student council. Sometimesshe threw me a

horrified lookhe even wants to talk about politics. Politics! Over the summer, he was

talking about not going out for the football team, so hed have more time for the debate

team, or something. Can you imagine? Lance talked him out of that one, thank God. But

the truth was, I felt like he was turning into somebody I didnt even know

 Thats the one thing I like best about Lance, she went on, snapping her makeup bag

closed. Hes not intotalking all the time, the way Wills been, lately. I swear, sometimes

it was like hed rather talk thanwell, you know.

.

 Idid know. And the thought made me blush.

 It would be so cool if you and Will started going out, Jennifer said, her eyes lighting

up. Because then people would get off my back about the whole Lance thing. Because,

you know, even though Wills turning into a bit of a weirdo, with this quitting-football-

and-going-and-sitting-in-the-woods thing, hes still as popular as ever. Think about it,

will you?

 She gave her bouncy blond curls a toss, then turned to face me instead of the mirror.

Well, what do you think? Can you tell I was bawling my brains out a minute ago?

 I looked at her. And my heart sank.

 Because she was gorgeous. Even after, as she put it, bawling her brains out. I could never

in a million years compete with that, no matter what she said.

 And it wasnt just that she was so pretty. If it had just been that, Id have been able to

hate her, and without guilt.

 But it was impossible to hate her, because it wasnt as if she were a phony. She

cheerfully volunteered that she thought that the boy she was still partly in love with was

actually more interested in me

conscienceurged me to date him, because it would make things easier for her socially.

How could you not like someone like that?

 You look great, I said, meaning it.

 Thanks. Jennifer tilted her chin to look up at me.

 You really wont tell anyone, will you? she asked.

 No, I said. I really wont.

 Its so weird, she said, moving to the ladies room door. But I totally believe you. And

I hardly know you. You must just be one of those people. You know, the kind you feel

like youve met before, even if you havent. Kind of, she added brightly, as we moved

out into the hallway, like Will.

 Well, I was going to say. Not exactly.

 But my voice died in my throat. Because I could have sworn, at that moment, that I

heard Mr. Morton, of all people, behind us.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

 I spun around just in time to see Mr. Morton turning the corner toward the guidance

counselors office, one hand protectively hovering over the center of a slender womans

back. It was hard to tell from behind, but it looked just like Wills mom.

 When I heard Mr. Mortons clipped, British tones saying, This way, Mrs. Wagner, I

knew itwas Wills stepmom.

 What on earth was Mr. Morton doing back at school? Shouldnt he have been on a plane

to Tahiti?

 And why was he with Mrs. Wagner, of all people?

 This, I knew, could only mean trouble.

 Ill see you later, I said to Jennifer, whod continued down the hallway, oblivious to

what was going on behind us.

 Oh, she said, glancing back at me over her shoulder. Uh, sure.

 I whirled around and ran after Mr. Morton, who was holding open the clear glass door to

the counseling office for Mrs. Wagner.

 This way, he was saying. Ill just see if the conference room is free

 Mr. Morton, I said, barging in behind them.

 Mrs. Wagner turned and blinked at me. Oh, she said. Amazingly, in spite of the dozens

of people she had to have met the night of Wills party, she seemed to recognize me.

Hello, again. Im afraid I forgot your name.

 Ellie Harrison, I said quickly. Mr. Morton, can I just have a quick word with you out

in the hallway here?

 No, Miss Harrison, Mr. Morton said firmly. Im afraid you may not. As you can see, I

am quite busy with Mrs. Wagner, here. Mrs. Wagner, if youll just come in here and have

a seat, Im sure Mrs. Klopperthe guidance office receptionist rose from behind her desk

obedientlywill find you some coffee while we wait for your stepson to arrive.

 Wait. I stared at Mr. Morton, who was making not very subtlego-away gestures at me

behind Mrs. Wagners back. Youre meeting with Willand Mrs. Wagner?

 Yes, I am, Miss Harrison, if thats quite all right with you. We have some important

things to make clear to Will. Dont you have a class you need to be getting to right now?

 Important things to make clear to Will? No way was I going to miss this. I sank down

onto one of the blue couches in the outer office, picked up a copy ofNational Geographic

, and said, Actually, I have a meeting right now with my counselor.

 Mrs. Klopper, returning from the coffeemaker with two cups, looked at me curiously. I

dont have you on the schedule, she said. And Ms. Enright stepped out.

 I need some guidance, I said, trying to look upset. About something personal. Its an

emergency.

 Mrs. Kloppers expression turned into one of concern. Well, Ill see if I can find

someone to speak with you, dear. She handed Mr. Morton the cups of coffee and hurried

back to her desk to see if there was a counselor on duty who could speak to me.

 While she was on the phone, Mr. Morton whispered to me, I wouldnt be doing this at

all if you hadnt guilted me into it. The least you could do is not make it harder for

everyone.

 How am I making it harder for everyone? I started to whisper back.

 But at that moment, Will himself appeared in the doorway, holding an office pass and

looking quizzical.

 Someone wanted to see me? he asked, his voice trailing off as he noticed his

stepmother through the glass walls of the conference room. Jean? Mr. Morton? Whats

this all about?

 Nothing to be overly concerned about, young man, Mr. Morton said, in what had to be

the biggest understatement of the year. Come in here, will you? I just wanted to clear a

few things up between you and your, um, Mrs. Wagner.

 Will moved slowly past my couch, toward the open conference room door. The eyebrow

he lifted at me as he walked by said it all:What is going on?

 I dont know, I mouthed at him, from behind the pages of the magazine I held up to

shield my face from Mr. Mortons view. Because I really didnt know. At least, not what

Wills stepmom could have to do with any of it.

 Will grinned, a little lopsidedly, at me, then went into the conference room. Mr. Morton,

with a final warning glance in my direction, shut the door. He didnt bother lowering the

blinds in the room, so I saw him pull out a chair for Will to sit in, and then take a seat

himself. Then, his hands folded on the tabletop, Mr. Morton began to speak.

 I couldnt hear a word. I could only see the look on Mrs. Wagners face (I couldnt see

Wills, since he was sitting with his back to me). She went from looking politely alert to

genuinely puzzled to defensive in the space of two minutes.

 What on earth could he be saying to her?

 Um, Mrs. Klopper said, dragging my attention away from the scene unfolding behind

the glass. Ellie, is it? Im afraid no one can see you at the moment, but Ms. Enright is on

her way back and should be here in fifteen minutes. You can wait that long, cant you?

 Sure, I said, holding up the magazine and pretending to be engrossed in it. But really I

was trying to read Mr. Mortons lips. Why had I taken all those useless classes like bio

and German when I should have been taking lipreading?

 I didnt need to have taken lipreading to interpret what I saw next. And that was Mrs.

Wagner suddenly throw a hand up to her mouth in shock over something Mr. Morton

said. Then she promptly burst into tears. The next thing I knew, she was nodding and

stretching out a hand toward Will.

 Will, for his part, had leaped away from his stepmothers hand, getting up from his chair

and backing away from the table. I still couldnt see his face, but I could see that he was

shaking his head.

 What was happening? Had Mr. Morton just told Will he was the reincarnation of King

Arthur? But that shouldnt have made Will jump up, shaking his head. It should have

made him laugh, because it was so ridiculous. What had Mr. Morton told him that could

have made Will so upset and his stepmother cry?

 Youre not supposed to be here!

 Mrs. Kloppers panicked tone was the only thing that caused me to drag my gaze away

from the scene unfolding behind the glass walls. And only because I thought she was

talking to me.

 She wasnt. She was talking to the guy who, without my having heard him, had entered

the guidance office, and was standing there staring at the trio in the conference room, as

if no one else in the building existed.

 Marco, I said, jumping up from the couch.

 But he didnt hear me. He was breathing hard, his car keys dangling from one hand, as

he stared at his mother and stepbrother, his dark eyes filled with something I didnt like. I

didnt know what it was, exactly. But I knew it wasnt good.

 You know youre not supposed to set foot on school grounds, Marco, Mrs. Klopper

was saying, in a voice that shook with fear as she lifted the receiver on her office phone

and started punching buttons. Not after what happened last time. Im calling the police.

You had better leave now.

 But Marco didnt leave. Instead, he started toward the door to the conference room.

 I dont know what made me do it. I am not, ordinarily, a very brave sort of person

except maybe with snakes. There was nothing remotely snakelike about Marco at that

particular moment. Or rather, he was like a snake, but not the half-drowned kind you find

curled up in the pool filter; more like the very much alive kind you find coiled at your

feet, ready to strike, with poisonous fangs.

 But that didnt stop me from insinuating myself between Marco and the conference room

door

just as Mr. Morton looked up and noticed Marcos presence for the first time.

 Marco, I said, finding that, oddly, I was breathing as hard as he was. Hey. Hows it

going?

 He didnt even look down at me. His gaze was riveted on Will. Ellie. Get out of my

way.

 I dont think youre supposed to be here, I said, throwing an anxious glance over my

shoulder. Mrs. Wagner, noticing Marco through her tears, was attempting to dry them.

Will just looked stunned. Mrs. Klopper called the police. You better go.

 Not, he said, his gaze still on his mother, until I know what theyre talking about.

 I think whatever theyre talking about is private, I said. Between Will and your mom.

 And Morton? Now Marco finally looked at me. And when he did, one side of his

mouth twisted in a sarcastic grin. Whatshe got to say to my mother?

 Whatever it is, I said, fervently hoping it wasnt what I was pretty sure we were both

thinking it might beMr. Mortons belief that Will was the reincarnation of King Arthur,

its clearly none of our business, so

 Wrong, Marco said. Move. Now. Or Ill move you.

 If you lay one hand on that girl, Marco Campbell, Mrs. Klopper said shrilly, youll

regret it. You know youre not even supposed to be here

 Which was when Marco, obviously tired of hearing this, reached out and flung me aside,

as if I were a shower curtain that had been in his way.

 I fell to the sofa. I wasnt hurt.

 But that didnt stop Mrs. Klopper from screaming and rushing to my side. Nor did it stop

Will, whod apparently seen the whole thing, from tearing open the conference room

door, and shouting, Marco! What do you think youre doing?