The Black Coats(65)
Signed,
Julie Westing
The words twisted through her, but all Thea could focus on was the giant watermark of a black monarch butterfly, stretched over the entire page, beautiful and menacing. It was the same symbol that she had seen on the weathervane at Mademoiselle Corday. She had seen it on the door to the house, on books and in pictures, and on the pin that Robin Peterson was wearing when Thea had last seen her alive. The symbol of the Monarchs was everywhere, and as the ground spun underneath Thea, she wondered if she had known the truth the whole time.
Twenty-Four
Thea skipped school the next day and spent the morning with her parents going through the motions, knowing that spending time with them was crucial right now. They were both suspicious, and she needed to pour water on that situation before it crackled into a wildfire. They ate breakfast at the Magnolia Café and then caught an afternoon movie that Thea barely paid attention to. As the plot played out on the screen, all she could see was Drew’s face from the night before, his words echoing in her mind: The Black Coats don’t kill people. But the Monarchs do. She desperately wanted it to be a lie, and yet as soon as she had heard the name—the Monarchs—so many answers had fallen into place.
That’s what Nixon had been doing at Drew’s house.
Thea shuddered at the thought. If Nixon hadn’t run into her, Drew’s father would be dead. And if Drew would have woken up during the assault, would he also be dead? Thea closed her eyes just thinking about it. I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t.
The lights came up, and the three of them headed home. Mirabelle was picking her up for the Balancing at six. After hanging with her parents for another hour or so, Thea politely excused herself to her room to take a nap, something she actually intended to do. Instead, she found herself staring at the black monarch stretched across Adam Porter’s Balancing sheet. After a few seconds, she picked up her phone and texted Drew. He didn’t know that his dad was a target, but he did know that they had a file on him. Whatever happened between them in the future, she wasn’t about to let the Porters be in danger. She bit her lip, wondering what to write, settling on the most basic command.
Drew. I think you and your dad should leave town.
He texted back immediately.
My dad is already out of town. He flew to Dallas this morning to meet with his old boss. He’ll be back for graduation.
Thea let out a breath of relief. Adam Porter was safe for now, which meant Drew was as well. Her fingers traced over the keypad. There was so much she wanted to tell him, and yet the common ground for them was rapidly shrinking. Where could they go from here?
Finally, she shook her head. “Buck up, Thea Soloman.” She took a deep breath as she typed exactly what she felt.
We have a lot to talk about. I’m not sure where to start.
The message popped back up immediately.
I don’t know what to do, either; but I know when I looked at you last night, all I could think about was how much I still want you.
Thea leaned back against her pillows with relief, her apparently unreliable heart pulsing joyfully at his words. She started to type but then deleted it; satisfied to leave it there for now. Mirabelle’s horn honked outside her window, and Thea gritted her teeth. Kicking some ass tonight would feel great. Thea hoped that this Balancing would help restore a little of her faith in what she was doing, but more than that, she couldn’t let on to the Black Coats that anything had changed. She looked at herself in the mirror as she straightened the collar of her black coat, her eyes reflecting the ugly storm that was raging inside of her. I’ll get this done, and then I’ll figure out what to do with Drew. Thea jogged into the living room and yelled through an open window. “I’m leaving! Mirabelle is here!”
“Okay, honey!” Her parents were in the backyard, pretending that they weren’t finishing off a bottle of pinot grigio as her dad gardened and her mom read quietly on the porch swing.
Casey leaned out the window as Thea approached. “Hey, girl!”
Thea had sunk into the leather seats before she noticed someone missing.
“Where’s Bea?” she asked.
“Aw, poor Bea. She has the flu,” answered Louise.
Thea sat up. “Wait—can we do that? I thought it had to be all five of us or not at all. Nixon was adamant about that.”
Casey adjusted the rearview mirror, her voice hard. “Yeah, well, Nixon’s not in charge anymore. Besides, this is a chance for us to prove to Kennedy that we are a team worth keeping. Let’s rub it in her smug freaking face when she sees how easily we can tackle a Code Evening.”
Louise nervously blew out her freckled cheeks. “Okay, but without Bea, it just doesn’t seem right. It feels off.” She looked at Thea. “That’s what I was telling them on the way over.”
Three sets of eyes turned and rested on Thea. Her thoughts felt fragmented, torn between the matter at hand and Drew, the Black Coats, and the Monarchs.
“Let’s just do it,” she finally snapped. “I’m with Casey. Let’s show Kennedy what we can do.”
At her command, Casey pulled away from Thea’s house and made her way out of her tranquil neighborhood. Thea reached forward and grabbed the Balancing sheet.
TEAM BANNER, CODE EVENING
TARGET NAME: Chris McCray
DATE OF BALANCING: May 15, 7:00 p.m.