Read Online Moby Clique by Cara Lockwood - Free Book Online Page A

kind of information are they looking for? I could tell them that this guy needs a haircut. You think that’s good for cash?”
    It’s true that the Bard student in the poster has a shaggy mane of blond hair, like a skater.
    I make a move toward the board, but my forward momentum is stopped by a hand on my wrist. I glance back and see Heathcliff standing there in the dusk.
    “Where the heck did you come from?” Samir asks him, as he and Hana both look startled to find themselves standing next to Heathcliff, who does seem to be able to materialize just about anywhere he wants to. It doesn’t hurt that he seems to know all the secret passageways on campus.
    Heathcliff doesn’t answer them, he just shrugs.
    I always forget how tall he is, and how broad his shoulders are. And his eyes are so dark they’re almost black.
    “Heathcliff! I’ve been looking all over—” I don’t get to finish my sentence because he cuts into it.
    “I’ve got something to show you,” he tells me.
    “Come on, guys,” Blade says. “I think this is our cue to go.”
    Heathcliff ignores my friends as they turn down the path that will take them to the library. He is looking at me expectantly, his dark eyes fixed on mine and his hand still firmly around my wrist.
    I turn away from Blade, Samir, and Hana, even as they are already several steps from me, and let Heathcliff lead me on a path toward the woods.
    His hand slips down, and he laces his fingers through mine.
    I guess he isn’t mad, after all.
    Nervously, I glance around us, but I don’t see any sign of faculty members or Guardians, and it’s nearly dark. Even if someone did see us, we’d look like two average Bard students in uniform, except for the fact that Heathcliff is so tall and broad. His hand nearly entirely covers mine.
    Heathcliff heads straight for the woods.
    “But…” I start. I think about the “dudes” that Blade’s friends saw in the woods. Not to mention, if Guardians catch us, the faculty could have us suspended or worse. They could send the dogs after us.
    Then again, Heathcliff is the last person to worry about rules. He makes his own.
    “Trust me,” Heathcliff whispers, and it’s all the assurance I need as I let him lead me into the dark path between the trees.
    Somehow, being with him, I don’t fear getting caught, by Guardians or by whatever we might find in the woods. In general, being with Heathcliff makes me feel safe, probably because he’s more dangerous than whatever we’re going to run into out here.
    Heathcliff doesn’t say a word, he just keeps his hand closed tightly over mine, leading me deeper into the woods. He walks as if he knows where he’s going, and he even seems to know instinctively where the low-lying tree branches are, and how to avoid walking on tree stumps.
    Above the tree tops, the moon is rising. It’s big and full and sheds a silvery glow on everything.
    I want to say something, ask Heathcliff where we’re going, but it just doesn’t seem right to talk.
    Suddenly, we reach a clearing not too far from where we entered the woods, and there’s a small pond there. Heathcliff stops, and when I look up at him, he just puts a finger to his lips.
    I glance over at the still, mirrored top of the pond, reflecting the trees and the bright moon above our heads and wait. It’s gorgeous, no doubt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so peaceful.
    While I’m looking at the pond, a few sparks of light appear. And then a few more.
    Fireflies.
    They skid over the lake, flashing their bright yellow lights. It starts with a few, and before I know it, there are not just dozens, but hundreds of them, all dancing over the surface of the pond. Tiny, flashing points of light flying above the water and reflected within.
    “It’s beautiful,” I say in a whisper, leaning closer to Heathcliff.
    This is what makes him so hard to figure out. He’s known for getting into fights and for his merciless seeking of revenge in Wuthering