Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute(24)

We find the marker a little while later, buried between the forked trunks of a big, twisty tree that I am determined to learn the name of. It has thick, dark leaves and crumbly bark and it gives off winning vibes to me. I spot the rain-spattered plastic bag tied to a low-hanging branch, but it’s Allen who strides forward to open it and pull out…

A single, palm-sized little book, green and white, with SHERWOOD FOREST GUIDE stamped on the front and a silhouette logo of Robin Hood’s pointed cap.

Allen stares, horrified. “This is just one book.”

I hear Celine for the first time since we started searching. “Aurora said there’s something else in the bag,” she calls from the back of the group.

My eyes fly to her—her cheeks are wet with rain, her eyeliner slightly smudged, her chest rising and falling steadily. Then I turn back to the bag and notice the little square of paper tucked in the bottom corner.

Allen screws up his face. “Who’s Aurora?”

Okay, so I don’t know exactly who Aurora is either, but come on, man.

Celine’s big-eyed roommate—Aurora, clearly—blushes. Celine narrows her dark eyes in an expression that I know means explosion imminent, and says, “You must be hungry or tired or otherwise temporarily impaired. We should really hurry back.” Then she steps forward to grab the note, apparently before Allen can decide whether or not that was an insult.

(It was.)

She has to stand between us—between Allen and me—to get the piece of paper. I stare at him over her head and wonder suddenly if she thinks we’re the same.

He reminds me of Donno, which is a thought I do not enjoy.

Celine reads the note quickly and says, “Shit.”

I glance over her shoulder, but Allen takes the paper almost immediately. Doesn’t matter; I saw enough to get the gist.

“Shit,” I repeat.

Allen’s voice rings with disbelief. “?‘Step by step and line by line, places that hide each book, you’ll find. From every clue, take letter and number—to start, what’s small and strange and sweet, and in one bite appeases hunger?’?” His voice rises at the end as if no one has ever fucked with him like this.

A little silence falls.

Then Raj laughs. “We have to find nine more books.”





CHAPTER FIVE





CELINE


There’s a very interesting vein pulsing in Allen’s forehead. I catch Aurora’s eye and she bites her lip on a smile.

“All right, change of plans!” Sophie says, patting her ponytail as it slowly frizzes into a curly puff. “First things first: what’s the riddle mean? Is anyone good at that sort of thing?”

Aurora sidles over to me, leans in, and murmurs, “Petit fours.”

Uh…is she hungry? “Pardonnez moi?”

Unfortunately, Allen finally regains his voice. “This can’t be right,” he announces, and strides over to our supervisor Holly. “Excuse me,” he says all politely, which—it’s a bit late for that, pal, she’s already heard you mouthing off to everyone else, but okay. “Was there a misunderstanding earlier?”

Holly tilts her beautiful head to one side and says calmly, “No.”

Allen waits for more information.

Apparently, none is forthcoming.

“It’s just that we were told the books would all be together,” he tries again.

Holly presses her fluttery fake eyelashes together and apart, very, very slowly. Her glossy mouth remains closed.

Allen is turning a lovely shade of pink. “So are you saying we now have to find ten books individually? Clue by clue?”

“No.”

Allen starts to exhale in relief.

“You’ve already found one,” she continues. “There are only nine left.”

So Raj was right.

I should be annoyed that we have even more hiking to do, but I’m busy enjoying the barely restrained outrage on Allen’s face. I bite back a smile, and by some unexplainable accident, my eyes meet Bradley’s.

He’s smirking. I’m smirking. For one impossible second, we’re both smirking—at each other, but, like, not in the usual way. Then his smirk is replaced by a grimace of horrified realization, and he snatches his gaze away like I might give him fleas. God forbid someone like him make eye contact with someone like me, I suppose.

My jaw aches and I realize I’m grinding my teeth.

“But then…that’s not…” Allen might be in the midst of a cardiac arrest. “Well,” he manages, pulling himself together. “We’ve found one of the books. Shouldn’t one person get to go back? Or…do we really need all ten? We can photocopy them, can’t we? That would be smarter. We should work smarter, not harder.” His gaze drills into Holly. “Is that what we’re supposed to do?”

She looks incredibly bored. “I’m just your supervisor. I can’t help you.”

As entertaining as this is, I think the responsible thing to do is get on with our task now, so I reluctantly tear myself away and try to think.

Evidently, Sophie agrees, because she asks again—louder this time, “The riddle. Any ideas?”

“It talks about hunger,” someone says, “so it’s probably food, right?”