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Authors: Rachel Shane
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up. I groan and retrieve another twenty from my envelope.
“Not at night.” Emily stuffs it into her pocket. “But we did clear the floor for a Sweet Sixteen party yesterday.”
Sabrina and I shuffle away from Emily.
“You take that half of the room. I’ll take this one.” Sabrina gestures with her arm the imaginary divider.
“But, I’m not good at the charm stuff. How do I—”
She moves past me and introduces herself to the next table, talking to them with her cutesy voice and irresistible smile.
I sigh and then move forward to the closest six-person table. Women in elegant funeral-colored suits sip from water glasses, lipstick smearing the rims.
I stand in front of them for a few seconds, waiting for them to notice me. I clear my throat. Nothing. “Um, hi,” I say.
“We’re fine, thanks.” The closest woman smiles at me.
“Oh, I don’t work here.”
I glance over my shoulder. Sabrina works half the room while I manage to say two sentences.
“Can I help you then?” one of the women asks, irritated.
“Could you…look under your table for me?” I take a baby step closer to her.
The women exchange confused glances.
“There might be a post-it note.” I wish I could copy Sabrina’s charm. It sounds dry when I say it.
The woman squints at me. “What? I don’t understand.”
Before I can get out a few more cryptic suggestions that make me look psycho, Sabrina swoops in, grabs me by the elbow, and leads me into the bathroom.
She waves an envelope in front of me. “It was under a different table.”
My body thrums as I grab it from her. No writing on the outside. I run my finger under the rim of the sealed envelope.
Inside, a post-it note holds a date: MAY 19, 1994.
“Any significance?” I ask.
She stares up at the ceiling as if trying to recall something. “I just did the math. I think my dad was a senior at Lockhart in 1994.”
“And the May nineteenth part?”
She shrugs. “My parents did get engaged while they were still in high school. Maybe that’s the date it happened on.”
Why am I not surprised her parents got engaged so young? But at least this goes a step toward proving my suspicion that Gavin ran away because of his parents. Though I don’t see how a proposal relates. “We’ll file that info away for later. Let’s go.” We leave out a side entrance adjacent to the bathroom. This way we don’t have to face Emily again.
“What’s next?” Sabrina asks as we head to the car.
“Pressed leaf.”
She stops short, eyes fixed on the parking lot. “That’s not the same Ford Focus from the warehouse, is it?” She points to a silver car parked only a few spaces away from mine.
My heart beats fast in my ears. “Oh God. They have the clues and know where they lead.”
Sabrina races toward my car, but I head for the Ford Focus. Sure enough, I spot the box of clues sitting on the backseat. Without thinking, I yank the door handle. The car erupts in an alarm that bleats against my skull, but the door won’t budge. It’s locked.
“What are you doing?” Sabrina screams, her face contorted in terror.
“Let’s confront this person. Get the info we need.” I cross my arms for emphasis.
Sabrina marches over to me. “Moxie, no,” she shouts over the car alarm. “Gavin’s afraid for his life. What if this guy is dangerous? What if we walk into a trap? We can’t help Gavin if we’re captured too.”
Blood drains from my face at her words. I abandon the Ford Focus and get inside my car.
Sabrina straps herself in. “Don’t go to the next clue.”
“What are you crazy? This person knows! We have to get the clues as fast as possible.”
She shakes her head. “Maybe they followed us without realizing it. Moxie, your car is going ridiculously slow. They might have taken side streets or something. Let’s try to lose them.”
“And how should I do that?” I turn right out of the parking lot anyway, heading toward the park.
“We’ll go to my house.
“Not at night.” Emily stuffs it into her pocket. “But we did clear the floor for a Sweet Sixteen party yesterday.”
Sabrina and I shuffle away from Emily.
“You take that half of the room. I’ll take this one.” Sabrina gestures with her arm the imaginary divider.
“But, I’m not good at the charm stuff. How do I—”
She moves past me and introduces herself to the next table, talking to them with her cutesy voice and irresistible smile.
I sigh and then move forward to the closest six-person table. Women in elegant funeral-colored suits sip from water glasses, lipstick smearing the rims.
I stand in front of them for a few seconds, waiting for them to notice me. I clear my throat. Nothing. “Um, hi,” I say.
“We’re fine, thanks.” The closest woman smiles at me.
“Oh, I don’t work here.”
I glance over my shoulder. Sabrina works half the room while I manage to say two sentences.
“Can I help you then?” one of the women asks, irritated.
“Could you…look under your table for me?” I take a baby step closer to her.
The women exchange confused glances.
“There might be a post-it note.” I wish I could copy Sabrina’s charm. It sounds dry when I say it.
The woman squints at me. “What? I don’t understand.”
Before I can get out a few more cryptic suggestions that make me look psycho, Sabrina swoops in, grabs me by the elbow, and leads me into the bathroom.
She waves an envelope in front of me. “It was under a different table.”
My body thrums as I grab it from her. No writing on the outside. I run my finger under the rim of the sealed envelope.
Inside, a post-it note holds a date: MAY 19, 1994.
“Any significance?” I ask.
She stares up at the ceiling as if trying to recall something. “I just did the math. I think my dad was a senior at Lockhart in 1994.”
“And the May nineteenth part?”
She shrugs. “My parents did get engaged while they were still in high school. Maybe that’s the date it happened on.”
Why am I not surprised her parents got engaged so young? But at least this goes a step toward proving my suspicion that Gavin ran away because of his parents. Though I don’t see how a proposal relates. “We’ll file that info away for later. Let’s go.” We leave out a side entrance adjacent to the bathroom. This way we don’t have to face Emily again.
“What’s next?” Sabrina asks as we head to the car.
“Pressed leaf.”
She stops short, eyes fixed on the parking lot. “That’s not the same Ford Focus from the warehouse, is it?” She points to a silver car parked only a few spaces away from mine.
My heart beats fast in my ears. “Oh God. They have the clues and know where they lead.”
Sabrina races toward my car, but I head for the Ford Focus. Sure enough, I spot the box of clues sitting on the backseat. Without thinking, I yank the door handle. The car erupts in an alarm that bleats against my skull, but the door won’t budge. It’s locked.
“What are you doing?” Sabrina screams, her face contorted in terror.
“Let’s confront this person. Get the info we need.” I cross my arms for emphasis.
Sabrina marches over to me. “Moxie, no,” she shouts over the car alarm. “Gavin’s afraid for his life. What if this guy is dangerous? What if we walk into a trap? We can’t help Gavin if we’re captured too.”
Blood drains from my face at her words. I abandon the Ford Focus and get inside my car.
Sabrina straps herself in. “Don’t go to the next clue.”
“What are you crazy? This person knows! We have to get the clues as fast as possible.”
She shakes her head. “Maybe they followed us without realizing it. Moxie, your car is going ridiculously slow. They might have taken side streets or something. Let’s try to lose them.”
“And how should I do that?” I turn right out of the parking lot anyway, heading toward the park.
“We’ll go to my house.
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