“I mean,” Alex continued, emphasizing various words as if he were just realizing his passion for the thought, “after all, I said I would help you and Ms. Morning. I think it’ll be fine if you go.”

Mr. Today scratched his chin again and then sighed. “We’ll see. But there’s no great urgency. Is there?”

Lani’s Plan

There was something about the strange visitors that made Lani uneasy. And after the talk with Mr. Today and Alex, something about “no great urgency” just didn’t sit right with her. She couldn’t stop thinking about them. And she was quite certain that those two had been trying to escape.

That would virtually rule out the nearest island to the west, where Mr. Today had come from. Mr. Today had said that island was like paradise. Who would want to escape from a place like that? It only made Lani more and more curious to see it for herself.

The thought simmered inside of her for days, and at one point she even found herself back in the lagoon, staring at the gleaming white boat again, with dreams of an adventure dancing in her head. But she was smart enough to never do anything so adventurous alone.

Finally, one day at lunch, she brought it up. “Wouldn’t it be fun to go on holiday like Mr. Today is going to do?”

Samheed raised an eyebrow. “I fink it could,” he said, mouth full.

Meghan, who had been practically listless for days, said, “I guess I never thought about it.”

“Oh, come on you guys! What about you, Alex?”

Alex shook his head. “I have enough to worry about just preparing for Mr. Today to leave. I think he’s getting more eager to do it. Could be any day now.” He shoved a forkful of sweet rice into his mouth and chewed, wiped his lips, then pushed his chair back and stood. After he had swallowed, he checked his pockets to see if Mr. Today had given him any new spells to try, and then he shrugged apologetically. “And now I’ve got to go,” he said.

“Boo,” Lani said, slumping in her chair. “You’re always running off these days. We hardly ever see you.”

“Yeah,” Samheed said. “We haven’t had a good adventure in months.”

Meghan was silent, staring at her hands as if she hadn’t even heard the conversation.

Alex blew out a disappointed breath. “I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. It’s just . . . there’s really a ton of stuff to learn. It took Mr. Today years to do all this’there are some spells he’s totally forgotten, so sometimes I spend hours looking through his journals. . . .” He trailed off, realizing he was telling secrets.

He scrambled to change the subject. “Meg, what’s going on with you? You don’t look so great. Are you all right? Did Cole Wickett and the Necessaries finally wear you out?” He laughed. “Cole Wickett and the Necessaries’hey, that would be a good name for one of Ms. Morning’s student bands.” He made a note to mention that to her the next time he saw her.

Meghan looked up at Alex and gave him a wan smile. “Sorry’I’m just distracted. Sean is acting really weird and I don’t know what to do.”

Alex hesitated. He knew he had to go, but decided Mr. Today would certainly excuse his lateness for the sake of a friend. He sat back down. Lani and Samheed turned their attention to Meghan too.

“What’s going on?” Lani asked her.

Meghan’s face was pale; she had dark circles under her eyes. Alex realized he hadn’t really looked his friend in the eye in weeks. “What is it?”

Samheed just watched her and waited.

“It’s Sean. . . . He’s been going into Quill now and then. I think he’s going back to see our parents.”

Alex thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged. “Okay,” he said. “Lots of others are doing that too. Why does it seem weird to you?”

Meghan shoved her plate aside, brought both elbows to the table, and propped her chin in her hands. “I guess what’s wrong is that he hasn’t actually told me he’s doing it. When I asked him the other day where he’d been . . . he lied and said the jungle. But I know he was in Quill, and I watched him head toward our family’s sector.”

“So you think he’s been visiting your parents without you? Why wouldn’t he want you to know that?” Lani shook her head lightly, puzzled.

“That’s what I’d like to know,” said Meghan miserably. “I think maybe they really like him now.” Her bottom lip quivered and she looked like she was about to cry. She slumped forward on the table and hid her face in her arms.

“Oh, Meg,” Lani said. She got up and went over to Meghan, giving her shoulders a hug. “I’m sorry you’re feeling bad. Maybe he’s trying to patch things up for the both of you, and he’s protecting you from their stupid way of thinking.”

“Yeah,” Samheed said. “I can see him doing that.”

Alex frowned. He wasn’t so sure. Not after the disagreement they’d had at the assembly. In fact, he hadn’t seen Sean much at all since then, except sneaking around on the blackboards. “Are you sure he’s visiting your parents and not doing something . . . else?” he asked, and then immediately regretted it when Samheed glared at him. Lani kicked him in the shin under the table. He struggled not to say, “Ow!”

Meghan shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. All I know is that my parents will never forgive me for ruining their lives. ‘Why didn’t you try harder to be Wanted?’ my mother kept asking me. She didn’t see anything my way. It’s like she gave Sean a free pass for his Purge, but blames me for being the second mark against them. Quill logic is so stupid!” She sucked in a shuddering sigh and let it out, laughing a little. “Good grief,” she said, wiping a tear. “I’m fine, really. I’m just tired.”