down to earlier entries and began reading. The style and content reminded me a little of the trashy magazines I loved to look at in the dentist’s waiting room, except that the blog wasn’t devoted to celebrities, actors, and the European aristocracy but was all about the students and teachers of Frognal Academy and their families. Secrecy apparently knew everything. She revealed clandestine relationships and knew who was splitting up from whom and why. Her articles were pitiless and malicious. And admittedly, also very entertaining.
It was just about miraculous that no one seemed to have found out who she was yet—half the people she had exposed in her blog must entertain murderous feelings about her, that was for sure. And the other half would want to pluck out all her hairs one by one, at the very least. But she also had any number of fans, judging by the comments.
“ Don’t even try to find out who I am, because so far no one has managed it ”—that read to me like a personal challenge. I just couldn’t resist puzzles and mysteries. In any case, someone who knew Florence or Grayson well must be hiding behind the name of Secrecy, because only they knew about Mom and Ernest’s plans. And only since yesterday evening at that. Or had Secrecy simply happened to eavesdrop on a conversation by chance? Did she have undercover informers? Did she have up-to-date bugging methods? Was she hacking into private e-mail accounts?
Someone put a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped. I’d been so deep in thought that I hadn’t paid any attention to the movements I’d seen out of the corner of my eye.
To my relief, however, it wasn’t Persephone who had tracked me down, but Grayson. Thanks to Secrecy, I now knew that Grayson was an outstandingly good basketball player, that he was deputy editor of the students’ magazine reflexx , and that he had broken the heart of a girl called Maisie Brown last year because he’d taken Florence’s best friend, Emily Clark, to the Autumn Ball instead of her. (Ah, that would almost certainly be Emily with the pimply brother—I was beginning to get an idea of the situation.)
“Hi,” whispered Grayson.
“Hi,” I whispered back.
Then I noticed that he wasn’t on his own. A little way off, Jasper was perched on the edge of a table, and Henry was leaning against some shelves beside him, with his arms crossed.
For a second I felt I’d gone back into my dream, and I saw myself dropping out of the cedar tree right in front of their feet again. I was a barn owl a moment ago, honest.
Luckily my arm was lying over my notebook, so Grayson couldn’t read what I had been writing, but he’d had a good chance to see what was on the screen.
“Don’t you like your paparazzi photo?” he asked, still in a whisper. “You got off lightly—she snapped me with an icicle on my nose.”
I giggled. I must definitely look for that photo later. Jasper and Henry were openly watching us, but at least they couldn’t hear what we were saying so long as we stuck to whispering. I closed my notebook and leaned my elbows on it.
“How do you know Secrecy is a she?” I asked.
Grayson shrugged his shoulders. “Well, a boy wouldn’t be able to write so knowledgeably about the lace and frills on ball dresses.”
“Unless he does it on purpose to be taken for a girl.”
“Hmm. I never thought of that.” He scratched his nose, and I noticed that the words had disappeared from his wrist. They really had been felt pen. “What are you doing here?”
“Hiding from Persephone Porter-Peregrin, my new best friend. How about you?”
“We, er … incidentally, these are my best friends. I think you’ve met Jasper and Henry.” He sighed. “And this is Arthur.”
Sure enough, Arthur had appeared behind Henry and Jasper. “You can talk out loud, Grayson,” he said. “Our dear Miss Cooper has gone for lunch and is leaving the library in good hands.” Smiling, he came toward us. Henry and Jasper left
It was just about miraculous that no one seemed to have found out who she was yet—half the people she had exposed in her blog must entertain murderous feelings about her, that was for sure. And the other half would want to pluck out all her hairs one by one, at the very least. But she also had any number of fans, judging by the comments.
“ Don’t even try to find out who I am, because so far no one has managed it ”—that read to me like a personal challenge. I just couldn’t resist puzzles and mysteries. In any case, someone who knew Florence or Grayson well must be hiding behind the name of Secrecy, because only they knew about Mom and Ernest’s plans. And only since yesterday evening at that. Or had Secrecy simply happened to eavesdrop on a conversation by chance? Did she have undercover informers? Did she have up-to-date bugging methods? Was she hacking into private e-mail accounts?
Someone put a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped. I’d been so deep in thought that I hadn’t paid any attention to the movements I’d seen out of the corner of my eye.
To my relief, however, it wasn’t Persephone who had tracked me down, but Grayson. Thanks to Secrecy, I now knew that Grayson was an outstandingly good basketball player, that he was deputy editor of the students’ magazine reflexx , and that he had broken the heart of a girl called Maisie Brown last year because he’d taken Florence’s best friend, Emily Clark, to the Autumn Ball instead of her. (Ah, that would almost certainly be Emily with the pimply brother—I was beginning to get an idea of the situation.)
“Hi,” whispered Grayson.
“Hi,” I whispered back.
Then I noticed that he wasn’t on his own. A little way off, Jasper was perched on the edge of a table, and Henry was leaning against some shelves beside him, with his arms crossed.
For a second I felt I’d gone back into my dream, and I saw myself dropping out of the cedar tree right in front of their feet again. I was a barn owl a moment ago, honest.
Luckily my arm was lying over my notebook, so Grayson couldn’t read what I had been writing, but he’d had a good chance to see what was on the screen.
“Don’t you like your paparazzi photo?” he asked, still in a whisper. “You got off lightly—she snapped me with an icicle on my nose.”
I giggled. I must definitely look for that photo later. Jasper and Henry were openly watching us, but at least they couldn’t hear what we were saying so long as we stuck to whispering. I closed my notebook and leaned my elbows on it.
“How do you know Secrecy is a she?” I asked.
Grayson shrugged his shoulders. “Well, a boy wouldn’t be able to write so knowledgeably about the lace and frills on ball dresses.”
“Unless he does it on purpose to be taken for a girl.”
“Hmm. I never thought of that.” He scratched his nose, and I noticed that the words had disappeared from his wrist. They really had been felt pen. “What are you doing here?”
“Hiding from Persephone Porter-Peregrin, my new best friend. How about you?”
“We, er … incidentally, these are my best friends. I think you’ve met Jasper and Henry.” He sighed. “And this is Arthur.”
Sure enough, Arthur had appeared behind Henry and Jasper. “You can talk out loud, Grayson,” he said. “Our dear Miss Cooper has gone for lunch and is leaving the library in good hands.” Smiling, he came toward us. Henry and Jasper left
Similar Books
