The missing mortals, p.13
The Missing Mortals, page 13
The girls found seats near the door so Clarice could watch for Preston. Emma was picturing someone like Reggie, short with black-rimmed spectacles and dark curly hair, so she was totally unprepared when Clarice said, “That’s him.”
Emma looked at the boy Clarice was pointing to in disbelief. Preston Danvers in no way resembled Reggie. He was as tall as Doug and just as handsome, only where Doug was dark, Preston was fair. He had a lean muscular build, blond hair, and brilliant blue eyes—the kind you’d notice from across the room. Emma heard Martha’s indrawn breath of surprise and wondered briefly if she’d involuntarily made that same sound at her first sight of Preston. He appeared totally at ease as he walked into the room. It was the kind of confidence often seen in the rich and that Emma had always envied. He looked around the room and spotted Clarice. She waved for him to come over. Emma couldn’t help the little shiver of excitement that coursed through her as he approached. He really was a sight to behold.
“Preston, I’d like you to meet my suitemates,” Clarice began cheerfully and then introduced them each in turn. Preston smiled and politely acknowledged each introduction, but when Clarice was finished, his gaze returned to Emma. He was just opening his mouth to speak when he was forestalled by the arrival of Reggie.
“Clarice, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Reggie exclaimed in a rush. It was almost as if he was afraid Clarice would be mad at him for not seeking her out sooner. Last year, Reggie had had quite a crush on Clarice, and if his current behavior was anything to go by, his feelings toward Clarice hadn’t changed. Reggie, although short in stature and nerdish in appearance, was the sole heir to a vast fortune. His father, Jonathon Reginald Wentworth, owned a very successful chain of high-priced department stores. Clarice had always seemed to tolerate Reggie’s presence better than anyone else’s. At first Emma had thought it was because Reggie’s family was nearly as rich as hers, but even if that had been true in the beginning, Emma was now convinced that Clarice was genuinely fond of Reggie. Although he could be a pain at times, he was also capable of being very sweet and considerate. In addition to these attributes, Reggie was extremely intelligent. Last year, he had unwittingly made the breakthrough that had enabled them to find the treasure.
“As you can see, I’m here,” Clarice responded with a roll of her eyes and then went on to introduce Reggie to her cousin.
“Nice to meet you,” Reggie said, vigorously shaking Preston’s hand. “What brings you to Dinswood Academy?”
“After everything Clarice told me over the summer, I wanted to see the place for myself,” Preston replied amicably as he tried to free his hand from Reggie’s enthusiastic grip.
“Exactly what did she tell you?” Martha asked, trying to hide her concern. At the end of last term, Lord Dinswood had instructed all of those involved in the treasure hunt not to tell anyone about the secret passages located beneath the castle. He’d made them all promise upon threat of expulsion. It was a matter of safety, he’d said. Of course, rumors of the treasure had soon spread throughout the student body, but that’s all they were, unsubstantiated rumors. Martha had kept her promise, and she knew that Emma, Sebastian, and Doug had too. Clarice, Susie, and Reggie were the only other students who knew what had really happened. Lord Dinswood would be extremely angry if any of them had broken their promises. Preston’s next words made her realize she needn’t have worried.
“She told me how great it is here! She said the teachers are top notch and the castle and grounds are beautiful. I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea of coming here until she mentioned that the academy is in the process of building a first-rate sports complex.”
“Oh, what sport do you play?” Sebastian asked from somewhere behind Preston. He must have arrived just in time to hear Preston’s last comment. Sebastian’s presence meant Doug was probably somewhere close by. Emma wondered what Doug would think of Preston Danvers.
Preston turned around to find the person who had asked the question, and as he did, Emma could see that Doug was standing next to Sebastian. Preston gave Doug a quick assessing glance before answering. “I play several sports, but my favorite is basketball,” he replied after a moment.
“Did you hear that, Doug? We’re going to have a great team next year when the gym is finished.”
Before Doug could reply, Clarice was once again making introductions. “Sebastian, Doug, I’d like you to meet my cousin Preston Danvers. Preston, this is Sebastian Conners and Doug Harwood. Doug’s father is the dean.” As she spoke, her pride in her cousin was unmistakable.
Ignoring Sebastian, Preston focused his attention on Doug. “So you’re the dean’s son,” Preston said in a way that suggested he’d heard about Doug before coming to Dinswood.
Doug merely nodded. Because she knew him so well, it was obvious to Emma that Doug did not like Preston, although she had no idea why. Thankfully, Preston didn’t seem to notice Doug’s unfriendliness. “I hear you’re pretty good at basketball yourself.”
“I do okay,” Doug replied quietly. “Who told you I could play?”
“Clarice, of course,” Preston replied with a smile. “She’s told me so much about all of you that I feel like I already know you.” His gaze took in the entire group before coming to settle on Emma once again.
Emma probably would have been embarrassed if she had noticed, but she was too busy watching Clarice and trying to make sense out of what Preston was saying. She couldn’t imagine Clarice talking about Dinswood Academy in such a positive light. Clarice had spent the majority of last year complaining to anyone who would listen about anything and everything associated with the academy. She hadn’t been that friendly with Emma and Martha either. The only people she’d really spent time with were Susie and Reggie. It seemed very unlikely that she would waste any of her valuable time telling Preston all about her suitemates. Last year it had seemed that Clarice loathed Dinswood Academy, and now here was her cousin going on about how much she loved it here. Something was definitely fishy, but Emma couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Emma looked over at Doug and found that he was watching her with a curious expression. She was in the process of trying to figure out the meaning of that look when a loud voice called out to Preston.
“Preston, come sit with us.”
A chill went through Emma as she recognized the owner of that voice. It was Bobby Wilcox. Another chill struck her at Preston’s next words. “Well, it was nice to meet all of you. I guess I’ll go sit with some of the other freshman. I just met Bobby this morning. I’m in the same dorm room with him, Dave, and Brandon. I’ll see you all later.” Preston gave Emma another appreciative glance before turning to leave.
Flattered in spite of herself, Emma risked a look at Doug to see his reaction. As before, his expression was hard to decipher, but one thing was coming through loud and clear. Doug had absolutely no use for Preston Danvers. The fact that Preston was rooming with Bobby didn’t help matters. They would all have to be very careful whenever Preston was around.
Emma assumed that after Preston’s departure, Doug and Sebastian would sit with them, but instead they went over to where Phil and Tom were sitting. Emma tried not to read too much into Doug’s hasty departure. After all, he hadn’t seen Phil and Tom for three months, and the boys probably had some catching up to do. Clarice, Susie, and Reggie kept the conversation going during the meal. Emma was content to sit and listen as they told stories about their summer travels. Emma noticed that Martha was unusually quiet, and once or twice when she happened to look at Martha, it seemed almost as if Martha was mad at her. Emma figured she must be imagining it because she could think of no earthly reason why Martha would be upset with her.
After supper, all the students were supposed to meet with their dorm advisors to go over the school rules again and also to get their schedules. This year their dorm advisor was an energetic girl named Penny Parnell. As Penny bounced enthusiastically into their suite shortly after supper, Emma was immediately reminded of a cheerleader. Penny stood a little over five feet and had the athletic build of a gymnast. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. It was a shame that Dinswood Academy didn’t have a basketball team, because Emma had no doubt that Penny would have been selected captain of the cheerleading squad. Emma would have shared what she was thinking with Martha, but Martha was still behaving strangely. After Penny left, Emma asked Martha about her class schedule. Last year, their schedules had matched up exactly, and Emma was hoping that would be the case again this year. Martha handed her schedule over wordlessly when Emma asked to see it, and Emma was left in no doubt that there was something seriously wrong. She would have asked Martha about it then and there, but she didn’t want Clarice and Susie to overhear their conversation. As the time for bed drew near, Emma realized she’d have to wait until tomorrow to find out what was bothering Martha. At least one good thing had come of the evening. Martha’s schedule was the same as hers. As Emma climbed into bed, she wondered whether Doug or Sebastian would be in any of her classes.
Emma didn’t sleep well that night. She was a little nervous about the start of school, and she spent most of the night trying to figure out what she had done to make Martha mad. She finally fell asleep around three o’clock only to dream that she had missed a whole semester of classes and now had to take all of her final exams.
Emma awakened the next morning determined to find out what was bothering Martha. She decided she’d wait until Clarice and Susie left for breakfast so she could talk to Martha in private. However, as the four girls got ready for school, Martha appeared to have returned to her usual self. She talked with everyone, including Emma, as if last night had never happened. Emma was glad to see that Martha was back to normal and thought it best to leave well enough alone. Obviously, whatever had upset Martha last night was no longer an issue. Maybe Martha just hadn’t been feeling well, Emma reasoned.
Later, when they entered the dining hall, they found that Doug and Sebastian were already seated and eating their breakfast. After hurriedly filling their trays with pancakes and bacon, Emma and Martha took the vacant seats opposite the boys. Emma was eager to see the boys’ schedules. Both girls were disappointed to learn that neither of the boys had any classes with them. Last year, Sebastian had had the same schedule as the girls. Emma was going to miss Sebastian’s shocked expressions and funny comments whenever the teachers assigned homework. It seemed that this year Sebastian’s schedule lined up exactly with Doug’s. Emma was glad that at least the two boys would be together.
It didn’t really matter whether or not they had the same schedules, because they would all have the same subjects with the same teachers, only at different times. The benefit was that they would still be able to study together. Because the teachers they’d had last year taught both the seventh and eighth grades, they would be having Mr. Godfrey for math, Mrs. Perkins for English, Miss Grimstock for history, and Miss Jennings for science again this year. Emma didn’t mind because at least with the same teachers, she knew what to expect.
“Hey, I just had a thought,” Sebastian said suddenly as he finished his last bite of toast. “This is the last year we’ll have to have PE in the ballroom.”
It was then that Emma noticed the sounds of construction coming from somewhere behind the castle. Emma had grown so accustomed to the noise that she didn’t register it until it was brought to her attention as Sebastian had just done.
“Won’t that be nice,” Martha agreed.
“Dad says everything is going according to schedule,” Doug said. “The sports complex should be done by the end of next summer. Once the walls are up, they’re going to start bringing up everything they need to finish the inside, so when winter gets here, they won’t have to worry about trying to transport stuff up the mountain roads.”
“That’s a good idea,” Martha replied.
Emma was only half listening to the conversation, because just as Doug had begun to talk, Preston Danvers had entered the dining hall. Emma’s eyes had been drawn to him like a magnet. She watched as he walked over to where Bobby was sitting. Before taking his seat, he looked around the room and waved when he spotted Emma. Self-consciously, Emma waved back.
Wondering whom Emma was waving to, Doug turned around in his seat to take a look. Upon seeing Preston, his expression turned grim. A moment later, he was gathering up his tray to leave. “Come on, Sebastian. We’d better get going.”
“Sure, okay,” Sebastian replied, a little surprised by Doug’s sudden desire to leave. With an apologetic look at the girls, he added, “I guess we’ll see you guys later.”
Martha watched Doug and Sebastian’s departure without comment, but once they were gone, she turned to Emma. “What do you think you’re doing?” There was no mistaking the anger in her voice.
“What do you mean?” Emma had the feeling she was about to find out what Martha had been upset about last night.
“Two words—Preston Danvers.”
“What about him?” Emma still had no idea what Martha was talking about.
“First of all, Preston is Clarice’s cousin. That alone ought to be enough to make you think twice about having anything to do with him. Second, he’s rooming with Bobby Wilcox. Bobby hates Doug, and for all we know, he could have Preston spying on us for him. Third, have you forgotten we have a mission to complete? Doug is counting on us to help him find the rest of the sculptures. We can’t have Preston following us around like a lost puppy all year long because he’s infatuated with you.” This last statement was said with particular emphasis on the last two words.
Emma sat for a moment in stunned silence, so shocked by Martha’s tirade that for a minute she didn’t know how to respond. Then she began to get angry. She barely knew Preston Danvers. All she’d done was return his greeting, and here was Martha accusing her of being disloyal to Doug. She was just opening her mouth to defend herself when Martha held up a hand to stop her.
“Don’t bother denying it. I see the way you look at him, and I’m telling you right now I won’t stand for it.”
With that Martha got up and, after emptying her tray, left the dining room. Emma remained where she was for several long moments trying to sort out what had just happened. One thing was certain—Preston Danvers must be related to Clarice because he’d only been at the school for one day, and already he was causing problems. He was too handsome for his own good, Emma thought with a sigh. It was probably all a moot point anyway. Preston was a freshman, and it was unlikely that he would have anything to do with Emma. Besides, just because she thought he was cute didn’t mean she wanted to go out with him. Emma liked Doug and had no intention of letting him down. Martha had been out of line. The more Emma thought about it, the madder she got. She was still sitting there fuming when the first bell rang. Emma now had only five minutes to get her books and get to class. With another long drawn out sigh, Emma hurriedly left the dining room.
Emma and Martha didn’t speak to each other all morning long. This was made easier by the fact that every teacher insisted on seating their students alphabetically, and as it happened, there were several students whose names fit between Higsby and Merriweather. Emma would have liked to see Martha’s reaction when Mr. Godfrey gave them their very first math assignment. This year all the eighth graders were required to take algebra. In most other schools, algebra was a freshman course, but Dinswood Academy set higher standards for its students. Martha had always struggled with math, and therefore, it wasn’t one of her favorite subjects. Emma was on the verge of mouthing words of encouragement to Martha, who was seated a few seats back on her left, when she remembered that she wasn’t speaking to her.
When it was time for lunch, Emma was the first to enter the dining hall. She didn’t waste any time but quickly filled her tray and found a seat where she could see the door. Now it’s up to Martha, Emma thought, curious to see if Martha would sit with her or not. When she saw Martha come through the door, she hastily averted her eyes and pretended to be totally engrossed in her lunch. In truth, Emma was hardly aware of the chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes she was cramming into her mouth like a starving prisoner. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that the clack of a tray being set on the table right next to her startled her. After giving a little jump, she looked up to see that it was Martha. Martha took a moment to get settled and then turned sideways so she could look at Emma.
“Look, Emma, I’m sorry about this morning, but it seemed like Doug was hurt, and he’s going through so much now I just couldn’t bear it—especially not over the likes of Preston Danvers.” There was a lot more she would have liked to say, but knowing that it would serve no useful purpose, she kept her tongue. Last year, Martha had been the first to notice how cute Doug was. For a time, she had liked him, but when it became obvious that he liked Emma, Martha had accepted it and not acted out of jealousy, as most girls her age would have done. She still cared about Doug as a good friend and didn’t want to see him get hurt. “He needs his friends now more than ever,” Martha continued when Emma didn’t immediately respond. When Emma still didn’t say anything, Martha added quietly, “Emma, he needs to know you’re still behind him.”
The reason Emma hadn’t responded was because of the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. At Martha’s last words, tears welled up in her eyes. Emma swallowed hard and finally managed to say just as quietly, “I am.”
It was a simple statement, but Martha could hear the sincerity in it. Satisfied, Martha turned around and began to eat her lunch. Emma wiped away the tears that had spilled onto her cheeks and put her fork down. She wasn’t hungry anymore. A moment later, Clarice, Susie, and Reggie joined them. Emma was glad to see them. Maybe they could help lighten the somber mood that had fallen.
