The Similars (The Similars #1)(37)

“I’ll give you one guess, and she looks just like one of your friends,” I say grimly. “Madison’s had it out for you guys since you got here. But this is totally unacceptable.” I grab the flyer from Pippa and rip it to shreds. “Speaking of Madison, did I ever tell you she missed an appointment?” I ask Pippa under my breath. “The same day Pru was attacked.”

Pippa stares at me, incredulous. “You think Madison had something to do with what happened to her?”

“I don’t know. But I wouldn’t be surprised,” I mutter as Madison walks past us, shoving a flyer at a couple of ninth-grade boys and, from the look of it, winning them over with her charm. “Would you?”

“It’s okay,” Madison tells the boys. “Most of us have been uncomfortable since the day they arrived, what with having our values so blatantly attacked, and in such a public way. DAAM is here for you.”

Sarah Baxter appears at Madison’s right side. “We’ll be holding office hours and organizing rallies,” Sarah says. “Stay tuned.”

“Sarah’s only doing this because she’s bitter she didn’t make the Ten, and she blames your friends,” I tell Pippa. I sit at a table nearby, and Pippa follows me.

“There’s a lot we can do, individually and as a group,” Madison continues loudly, the first-year boys hanging on to her every word. “My mother’s already apportioning millions to the cause. All legally, of course.” She laughs, and the boys laugh too. Sarah snickers.

That’s when the other Similars walk in.

Levi and I have barely had reason to speak to each other these last few weeks. We haven’t spoken since our last day of duty in the library, where we didn’t talk. We used the mountain of books to shelve as an excuse to ignore each other. My pulse quickens as I watch him sit down and open another paperback book. For a reason I can’t possibly understand, I want to know what he’s reading.

One table over, Madison starts into her DAAM pitch again.

“Excuse me,” I say to Pippa, getting up from my seat.

“Emma? What are you—?”

I don’t really know myself, but before I can talk myself out of it, I walk up to Madison and grab a flyer out of her perfectly manicured fingers. I scan the paper, then hand it back. “Interesting concept. Have you registered this club with Headmaster Ransom? Last I heard, he has to sign off before organizations are allowed to meet on this campus.”

Madison narrows her eyes. “That’s none of your business.”

I shrug. “It’s everyone’s business if you don’t have a charter and you’re meeting in school common areas. But I’m sure you’ll have no trouble getting Ransom’s approval, since he personally invited the Similars to attend Darkwood and all.”

“I’m sure I’ll have no trouble at all,” she says, a smile playing on her lips. “But thanks for your concern.”

“When’s the next midnight session?” I ask casually. “We’ve only had one since the school year started.” I lean in and whisper, “I’m sure everyone would understand if you canceled the meetings altogether. It can’t be easy to accept that Maude scored better on the stratum test than you did last year when you were a junior.”

“What are you talking about?” Madison demands.

“Maude’s score was higher than any recorded in Darkwood’s history.”

Sarah’s jaw drops. She turns to Madison, mouthing her next words: “Even higher than yours?”

Madison crumples the flyer in her hand. “Emma’s making that up. It’s not true. It can’t be. And anyway, that information is never revealed to the student body.”

I shrug. “I’m only reporting what I heard.”

“Midnight session tonight,” Madison growls. “Tell your friends.” I know she means Maude, Theodora, Pippa, and Levi.

“Happily,” I respond as Madison grabs Sarah by the arm and storms off.

*

“Oliver’s mom sent me his key,” I tell Pippa. I’ve kept Jane’s letter to myself these past few weeks, but now I feel the need to tell Pippa about it. We’ve arrived early for the Ten meeting at the Tower Room. Neither of us could sleep or wait in our rooms. “Jane, I mean.” I finger the key, along with my own. The twin gold objects never leave my neck. “There was a note from Ollie. I haven’t let myself read it yet.”

“She was one of the Ten, you know,” Pippa says, indicating the wall of portraits of past Darkwood Ten members. The last time I was here, after initiation, I was too wet and disturbed to get a good look at them. I walk over to look closer.

“Jaeger was one of them too,” Pippa says. “See?” She points to a group portrait that was taken about two decades ago. It hangs eye level on the wall, near the right side. Like the others, it features both the junior and senior members of that year’s Ten. I lean in. She’s right. It’s Pru’s father.

I skim over the other names on the frame’s plaque. Colin Chance. My father was a Ten member too?

“I had no idea. He’s never mentioned it,” I tell Pippa.

Even more curious now, I scan the other names to see if I recognize any of them. I can’t quite believe it when I see a few more that I know. Bianca Kravitz—Madison’s mom. Luis de Leon—Archer’s dad.