[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

of it were covered with a blanket of fallen needles. There was a nice grassy patch with some picnic
tables, but the main attraction was the cabin itself: More than half of it looked like it was made of
glass, all wide, tinted windows and open sliding doors. Like something Frank Lloyd Wright could
have designed. Several students lounged on a huge second-story deck that faced the ocean, and sev-
eral more kids were mounting the twin staircases that wound up from the path.
 Welcome to the Nephi-lodge, Jasmine said.
 This is where you guys have class? Luce s mouth was agape. It looked more like a vacation home
than a school building.
Next to her, Dawn squealed and squeezed Luce s wrist.
 Good morning, Steven! Dawn called across the lawn, waving to an older man who was standing
at the foot of the stairs. He had a thin face, stylish rectangular glasses, and a thick head of wavy
salt-and-pepper hair.  I just absolutely love it when he wears the three-piece suit, she whispered.
 Morning, girls. The man smiled at them and waved. He looked at Luce long enough to make her
veer toward nervousness, but the smile stayed on his face.  See you in a few, he called, and started
up the stairs.
 Steven Filmore, Jasmine whispered, filling Luce in as they trailed behind him up the stairs.  Aka
S.F., aka the Silver Fox. He s one of our teachers, and yes, Dawn is truly, madly, deeply in love with
him. Even though he s spoken for. She is shameless.
 But I love Francesca, too. Dawn swatted Jasmine, then turned to Luce, her dark eyes smiling.  I
defy you not to develop a couples crush on them.
 Wait. Luce paused.  The Silver Fox and Francesca are our teachers? And you call them by their
first names? And they re together? Who teaches what?
 We call the whole morning block humanities, Jasmine said,  though angelics would be more ap-
propriate. Frankie and Steven teach it jointly. Part of the deal here, sort of yin and yang. You know,
so none of the students get & swayed.
Luce bit her lip. They d reached the top of the stairs and were standing in a crowd of students on the
deck. Everyone else was starting to amble through the sliding glass doors.  What do you mean,
 swayed ?
 They re both fallen, of course, but have picked different sides. She s an angel, and he s more of a
demon. Dawn spoke nonchalantly, as if she were talking about the difference between frozen yo-
gurt flavors. Seeing Luce s eyes bulge, she added,  It s not like they can get married or anything
though that would be the hottest wedding ever. They just sort of & live in sin.
 A demon is teaching our humanities class? Luce asked.  And that s okay?
Dawn and Jasmine looked at each other and chuckled.  Very okay, Dawn said.  You ll come
around to Steven. Come on, we gotta go.
Following the flow of other kids, Luce entered the classroom. It was broad and had three shallow
risers, with desks on them, that led down to a couple of long tables. Most of the light came in
through skylights. The natural lighting and high ceilings made the room seem even bigger than it
was. An ocean breeze blew in through the open doors and kept the air comfortable and fresh. It
could not have been more different from Sword & Cross. Luce thought she could almost have liked
Shoreline, if it hadn t been for the fact that her whole reason for being here the most important
person in her life was missing. She wondered if Daniel was thinking about her. Did he miss her
the way she missed him?
Luce chose a desk close to the windows, between Jasmine and a cute boy-next-door kind of guy
who was wearing cutoffs, a Dodgers cap, and a navy sweatshirt. A few girls stood clustered near the
door to the bathroom. One of them had curly hair and boxy purple glasses. When Luce saw the
girl s profile, she nearly bolted from her seat.
Penn.
But when the girl turned toward Luce, her face was a little squarer and her clothes were a little
tighter and her laugh was a little louder and Luce almost felt like her heart was wilting. Of course it [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]