If you want .
I nod.
We enter the Tower. Lindsay’s in her room, clutching a stuffed animal. Stealth is standing at the window, her back facing us.
“What happened?” I ask.
She turns around and bites her lip. “Nothing good.”
Chapter Seventeen
I stare at her, waiting for her to talk. My heart pounds in my ears. Was she discovered?
Kale’s eyes are huge as he plops down on Lindsay’s bed. “Oh , man,” he breathes.
“What’s going on?” I ask. Lindsay looks as clueless as me.
“You’d better tell them, Stealth,” Kale says.
She faces the window again. I walk over to her and rest my hand on her arm. She turns to me, her eyes filled with sadness. She’s still wearing her mask. I place my thumbs on either side of her cheeks and slowly lift it up to her forehead. “What happened?” I ask softly.
She swallows. “I check my phone every so often. When I checked an hour ago, I saw I had a text from the Nightmares, telling me to come over. I rushed back here, threw on my uniform, told Lindsay and Kale where I was going, and went to them.” She swallows again. Hard this time. “A ShadowBlade was there.”
My stomach muscles twist.
“He came a day early. To surprise them, I guess.”
I nod, waiting for her to continue. Kale and Lindsay stare at her, their hands intertwined.
“They showed me off,” she says. “The Blade seemed impressed enough.”
Good. That’s good. I’m not sure why Stealth’s forehead is furrowed.
“He told us there’s a test we need to pass before we can be initiated into the ShadowBlades.”
“What kind of test ?” Lindsay asks.
Stealth lowers her gaze to the floor before moving it to Lindsay, Kale, and me. “There’s going to be a huge picnic in a park in Manhattan on the Fourth of July. Lots of people.” She hesitates. “The Blades want us to kill as many people as possible. The more we kill, the higher we score, the greater our chance is of joining them.”
The room grows silent. A chill runs down my body. Something catches in my lungs and it’s difficult to breathe.
The Blades want to kill hundreds of people. They want the Nightmares to carry it out. They want Stealth to murder innocent men, women, and children.
I go over to the wall and ram my fist against it. Haven’t they killed enough? What do they gain by destroying the lives of these people? They did nothing wrong to them. Nothing .
Stealth grabs my hand, stopping my fist from going for round two. She rubs her fingers over my knuckles. “It’s okay,” she murmurs.
“No,” I say. “ I’m not letting those people die.”
“Then what do we do?” Lindsay asks.
Taking in a deep breath, I stare at the floor. I’ve got no clue. None whatsoever. By the look of the three of them, they have no ideas, either.
I lower myself onto the floor, grab a notebook and poise my pen to write. It’s impossible to save lives without revealing Stealth’s true identity. If only there was a way to…
I sit up sharply. “I’ve got it.”
They look at me . “Stealth,” I say and begin writing in my notebook. “I need you to pretend to kill people, when in reality you’re saving their lives.”
All three li ft their eyebrows. I scribble some more before closing my notebook and getting to my feet. I walk to the window, to my dresser, to the door, and back to the window. I’m running the idea through my head, thinking of different possibilities. The others don’t say a word as they watch me.
Finally, after everything clear s in my mind, I look at them. Kale must have not read me or he doesn’t understand, because his eyebrows are scrunched.
I sit on the floor and push my legs to my chest. I turn to Stealth, who’s sitting near me. “You’ll be misting all over the place, killing people—or so the Nightmares think. Instead of killing them, you’ll bring them to safety.”
They all start talking at once. Lindsay ’s complaining this won’t save all lives. Kale’s repeating my words,
I nod.
We enter the Tower. Lindsay’s in her room, clutching a stuffed animal. Stealth is standing at the window, her back facing us.
“What happened?” I ask.
She turns around and bites her lip. “Nothing good.”
Chapter Seventeen
I stare at her, waiting for her to talk. My heart pounds in my ears. Was she discovered?
Kale’s eyes are huge as he plops down on Lindsay’s bed. “Oh , man,” he breathes.
“What’s going on?” I ask. Lindsay looks as clueless as me.
“You’d better tell them, Stealth,” Kale says.
She faces the window again. I walk over to her and rest my hand on her arm. She turns to me, her eyes filled with sadness. She’s still wearing her mask. I place my thumbs on either side of her cheeks and slowly lift it up to her forehead. “What happened?” I ask softly.
She swallows. “I check my phone every so often. When I checked an hour ago, I saw I had a text from the Nightmares, telling me to come over. I rushed back here, threw on my uniform, told Lindsay and Kale where I was going, and went to them.” She swallows again. Hard this time. “A ShadowBlade was there.”
My stomach muscles twist.
“He came a day early. To surprise them, I guess.”
I nod, waiting for her to continue. Kale and Lindsay stare at her, their hands intertwined.
“They showed me off,” she says. “The Blade seemed impressed enough.”
Good. That’s good. I’m not sure why Stealth’s forehead is furrowed.
“He told us there’s a test we need to pass before we can be initiated into the ShadowBlades.”
“What kind of test ?” Lindsay asks.
Stealth lowers her gaze to the floor before moving it to Lindsay, Kale, and me. “There’s going to be a huge picnic in a park in Manhattan on the Fourth of July. Lots of people.” She hesitates. “The Blades want us to kill as many people as possible. The more we kill, the higher we score, the greater our chance is of joining them.”
The room grows silent. A chill runs down my body. Something catches in my lungs and it’s difficult to breathe.
The Blades want to kill hundreds of people. They want the Nightmares to carry it out. They want Stealth to murder innocent men, women, and children.
I go over to the wall and ram my fist against it. Haven’t they killed enough? What do they gain by destroying the lives of these people? They did nothing wrong to them. Nothing .
Stealth grabs my hand, stopping my fist from going for round two. She rubs her fingers over my knuckles. “It’s okay,” she murmurs.
“No,” I say. “ I’m not letting those people die.”
“Then what do we do?” Lindsay asks.
Taking in a deep breath, I stare at the floor. I’ve got no clue. None whatsoever. By the look of the three of them, they have no ideas, either.
I lower myself onto the floor, grab a notebook and poise my pen to write. It’s impossible to save lives without revealing Stealth’s true identity. If only there was a way to…
I sit up sharply. “I’ve got it.”
They look at me . “Stealth,” I say and begin writing in my notebook. “I need you to pretend to kill people, when in reality you’re saving their lives.”
All three li ft their eyebrows. I scribble some more before closing my notebook and getting to my feet. I walk to the window, to my dresser, to the door, and back to the window. I’m running the idea through my head, thinking of different possibilities. The others don’t say a word as they watch me.
Finally, after everything clear s in my mind, I look at them. Kale must have not read me or he doesn’t understand, because his eyebrows are scrunched.
I sit on the floor and push my legs to my chest. I turn to Stealth, who’s sitting near me. “You’ll be misting all over the place, killing people—or so the Nightmares think. Instead of killing them, you’ll bring them to safety.”
They all start talking at once. Lindsay ’s complaining this won’t save all lives. Kale’s repeating my words,
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