Emery changed out faster than she'd ever done before and was leaving the building with Charlie in under five minutes. He held his backpack over her head to shield her from the rain, but she didn't mind it and told him as much, so the two just ran to Charlie's car in the student lot and got into it. Both were pretty soaked by the time the doors were slammed. The rain had really picked up and was running in waves down the front windshield. They laughed a little at one another's dripping hair, and then Charlie reached over and brushed some of the rivulets off her cheeks.

Emery suddenly realized how awkward this was. Charlie had just always been there. She'd recognized his attractiveness, but she'd never thought of anything other than that. There was no chance he'd ever express any interest in her, she'd always believed, and even if he did, Emery wasn't sure she'd want him to. After all, she had her friendship with Tess to think about; she couldn't let anything in the world ruin their friendship. Emery and Charlie hadn't paid much attention to each other beyond the fact that they both existed in orbit around Tess. At least, that's what Emery had thought. Was there something she'd missed? He was easy to look at. Like Tess, he had short blondish hair, though his was more curl than wave, and he was one of those people that always looked as if he'd spent time under the sun, even in the dead of winter. His tipped nose was covered in adorable freckles, and his eyes were a deep blue, almost navy--but then Emery caught herself looking a little too long into them and turned away.

She had to know what he'd been talking about.

"What did you find out?"

"Find out . . ? Oh! Right. About your stalker."

Emery looked toward him again, hoping she wasn't blushing so obviously anymore. "Can we stop calling him that?" she asked a little quietly, almost with hesitation. "It just--it makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Oh yeah, sure. Sorry. I just didn't know what else to call him." Charlie shifted in the driver's seat so he was sitting a little sideways, able to see Emery better. "Should I call him something else?"

Emery didn't feel like revealing Cullen's name and just shrugged.

After waiting for a reasonable enough time, Charlie assumed he wasn't going to get something out of Emery. "Right. Well, honestly, I just found out he goes to Cedarwood. You know, out west."

That was a surprise. Emery looked sharply at Charlie. "Are you sure? How do you know that?"

"Some of my friends saw him around the school, that one time in the courtyard, and one of them thought he recognized him. Says he knows a guy who verified it. So if you really want to report him or something, that's a place to start. You could go out there. Maybe you'd run into him, or you could ask around. He looked pretty weird, didn't he? Pretty specific? People would probably recognize him if you gave a description."

Her thoughts whirling, Emery couldn't keep up with Charlie. If Cullen actually went to a school, here . . . what was going on? Had she and Tess just imagined all that nonsense with Cathbad? Was it some elaborate prank? It couldn't be . . . what had gone on in that gym . . . what they'd experienced in the absolute darkness . . . how could any of that be made up? And yet, if Cullen lived here, went to school here, was some normal high school student with a normal life . . .

Emery had begun to think he was from another world altogether, but sitting there with Charlie, she realized how ridiculous that sounded. She had to know if there was a rational explanation for all of this.

"Are you all right?"

Suddenly, Charlie had a hand on her knee, and the contact brought Emery out of her thoughts. "I'm fine. I just, I'm surprised."

He nodded, then took out his phone and swiped around on it for a moment. "Look!" he said with a smile, holding his phone out toward Emery. "We actually have a football game there this Friday! It's our first game. That's crazy. Do you--do you want to go? You want me to take you? I'll go with you."

It felt too convenient, but Emery was certain she couldn't turn it down. She wanted--needed--to know if this was all a massive lie of some kind. And she was tired of waiting for Cullen to find her again . . . maybe she could take a little control of things if she caught him off guard and found him. "Thanks, I'd be grateful if you and Tess could come with me."

Charlie clicked his tongue, hesitated, then said, "Yeah . . . Tess isn't super into football."

"She'll want to help with this, though. She'll definitely come."

Emery was too wrapped up in the idea of it all to notice the disappointment on Charlie's face. After all, he was Charlie. He'd been there forever, in the background.

The rain was letting up a little, and Emery noticed that students were beginning to exit the building. School had ended. "Hey," Emery said, looking suddenly radiant for reasons unrelated to Charlie. "Can you give me a ride home? I don't have my bike anymore. I left it at the middle school a few nights ago and someone stole it."

Charlie forced himself to smile. "Sure," he replied, and at that moment, Tess reached the car and climbed into the back seat.

Friday night turned out to be an absolutely perfect night for a football game. The week itself had continued in its dreary and uneventful rain and mist, but then all of a sudden, Friday morning, a cooler bit of atmosphere moved in and cut the humidity in half. The late August air was suddenly made bearable, and everything dried itself out by the time Charlie and Tess picked up Emery and Deirdre, who'd talked her parents into letting her go. The sisters buckled themselves into the backseat, and the four of them were off.

The girls bantered about all sorts of things for most of the ride--it was a good twenty minutes to Cedarwood--but Charlie remained relatively quiet. Emery thought nothing of it at all and instead went on about how boring the week had been, sitting through classes where all the teachers still treated her as if she was breakable. The only decent thing that had happened since Monday, when Charlie had told her about Cullen, was that Emery had finally managed to name her dog. The little guy had grown playful, and she had enjoyed taking him on walks between the rain. "Tara," she told Tess when her friend had asked about the name. "It just sort of came to me; I know it's a bit odd for a dog, but he seemed to like it. I think it fits him."

When they arrived at the game, they easily found parking and got their tickets and headed onto the field, but as they neared their school's side of the stands, which was pretty well-populated despite being an away game, Deirdre found friends and ran off to join them. Then Tess told rather than asked her brother to go get them some drinks, and Emery was surprised at how readily Charlie agreed.

The minute they were alone, standing there on the track, Tess pulled Emery into the bleachers and huddled next to her. "I have to tell you something, Emery. Please don't be mad at me, ok?"

Emery looked sternly at Tess. "Ok . . ."

"Charlie wanted this to be a date."

"What?"

"I know, I know! Shh! Don't let anyone hear. I am so sorry I didn't know he was going to ask you out. I would've warned you, and I definitely wouldn't have come. He didn't even tell me it was supposed to be just you and him until we were driving to your house!"

"Wait a second. Hold on!" Emery was more flustered than ever. "Do you think . . . do you think I'd want a date with your brother?"

Tess, in all her cuteness, gave Emery one of the most mothering looks she'd ever seen. It was entirely incongruous with who Tess was. "I'm not blind, Em. I've been watching you two make puppy-dog eyes at each other for about two years, now."

That was too much. Emery's mouth fell open in absolute shock. "I have never--!"

"Don't even try to deny it!"

"Tess!" Entirely affronted, Emery genuinely didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure if she should be angry or happy or embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," said Tess softly, adjusting her sparkly frog purse. "I wasn't ever going to say anything. I just thought I'd let you two figure it out because, well, I didn't want to ruin anything with either of you. I love you both. And you both kept going out with other people anyway. But then I think Charlie heard some guy was being creepy with you, and it sort of convinced him to do something."

Whatever she felt for Charlie, whatever storm was brewing in her over all this new information, Emery couldn't help but ask the question most prominent on her mind: "So was that a lie, about Cullen going here? Just to get me to go out with him?"

"I don't think so, but I really don't know," Tess admitted. "He did ask around about him. I think he tried to get information, and someone said they thought a guy of that description went here."

Breathing a little heavily, her emotions up and down and all over, Emery caught sight of Charlie coming back toward them. He was down there on the track, drinks in hands, stopping here and there to talk to someone. He was popular, athletic, handsome, funny, and genuinely nice. There was absolutely no reason to feel ashamed of her latent feelings for him. How ridiculous it was that both she and Tess had been quiet about it for the sake of each other. Only now, sitting there and watching Charlie weave his way through the crowds of loiterers, did Emery think seriously about him. She'd never allowed herself to, before. And then since Adam's disappearance, everything had been crazy. Maybe this was the right time, now . . . maybe she needed a distraction . . .

She suddenly felt a little nervous, even more so because Tess was sitting right there. What was she supposed to do, make a pass at Charlie while his sister was watching? But the minute her brother reached them, Tess pointed out some of their friends and insisted she go talk to them for a minute. Emery was both grateful and anxious, watching her friend in her polka-dot skirt and crop top prance down the stairs to leave her alone with this boy, who got right up next to her.

Throughout the game, Charlie and Emery flirted back and forth, finding little ways to touch one another, laughing at stupid jokes. And even though she'd known Charlie her whole life, Emery had never spoken this much to him. They recalled all sorts of embarrassing moments from their childhoods, in their elementary school, on the playgrounds, during the vacation to the beach Emery had taken with their family in eighth grade, from the multiple sleepovers Emery had had with Tess. And Emery couldn't believe how absolutely comfortable their conversations felt. In fact, between watching the game and being near Charlie, Emery pretty much entirely forgot about everything that had happened over the past few weeks. All she could think about were the blissful, playful moments they were sharing. She caught Tess looking back at them once or twice, but otherwise, they were left alone.

During the halftime show, when cheerleaders and a marching band piled onto the field and performed terrible song and dance routines, Charlie and Emery decided to get out of the stands and walk around a little, though neither of them seemed too inclined to find anyone else they knew. Both were pretty wrapped up in each other.

They made their way through the crowds, over to the concessions, and then Charlie, looking mischievous, took her hand and led her around to the back of the building. A hill was there. It rose up over the concession stand pretty steeply until it met a chain-link fence, beyond which was the parking lot and Cedarwood High School. There was a good view of the field from that height, though, so Charlie and Emery scaled the hill to its top, where it leveled out toward the fence, and then they sat down. Shadows crossed around them; the blaring lights from the field didn't touch this area. There was enough privacy for just what both of them wanted to do.

Emery had her head on Charlie's shoulder, but he turned toward her and lifted her face so she was looking right at him. "I don't know why it took me so long to do this," he said, and then he leaned in, and Emery closed her eyes, waiting for it . . .

Still waiting . . .

The wait passed the point of normalness. Emery opened her eyes and saw that she was alone. Entirely alone. "Charlie?" Her voice sounded stupid calling for him--she could see he wasn't there. What had just happened? Had he . . . tricked her? Had he just left her sitting there? No. That was impossible. She'd have seen him running off. How could he have--? What had happened? Utterly bewildered, Emery stood and looked all around herself, but Charlie was definitely gone. Her legs shaking, feeling suddenly chilly and wishing she were wearing more than shorts and a T-shirt, Emery slid carefully down the hill and figured she'd go back to the stands and find Tess and her sister. Maybe Charlie would be there, too--but . . .

No. It just made no sense at all!

And then, right as she was about to head past the concession stand, Emery caught sight of a shadowed figure standing behind a tree near the chain link fence. Though it was hidden, she knew from its awkward, gangly movements exactly who it was.

"Cat!"

At once, the figure stepped forward, somewhat more visible in the moonlight. The druid was in all his wizardy gear, just as he'd been when she'd last seen him. The pointed features of his pale face were quite easy to make out, and Emery could tell he felt incredibly uncomfortable.

Steam practically rising from her body, the girl went directly to him. "It was you, wasn't it? What did you do with Charlie?"

"The lady accuses me?" Cathbad looked side to side, as if expecting her to be yelling at someone else.

For as scandalized as he appeared, Emery knew he was the culprit. "I know you magicked him away! Bring--him--back!"

Extremely nervous, Cathbad began to scratch his head, twiddle his fingers, clasp and unclasp his hands--he was a wreck. Clearly, he was reluctant to tell her what had just happened.

Emery's eyes widened. "Is he--no, Cat, you wouldn't! Is Charlie with Adam? Did you send him there, too?"

"No, on my honor! Your . . . er . . . friend is home. His-his home here! In this place! Back where he lives, wh-where you found him this evening." Cathbad tried to smile reassuringly, but he ended up just looking more guilty. Seeing Emery wasn't having it, the druid's shoulders suddenly slumped, and he caved. "Oh, please, Emery! You don't understand how irrational he can be! I cannot be going between the two of you like this! It's too much for a humble servant of the gods such as myself. Please, please do not despise me. I strive to earn your favor!" He took hold of her hands and pressed his forehead on them. Emery caught sight of the moss in his hair again and figured he probably hadn't showered since leaving her house.

"Get up," she ordered him, snatching her hands away. She could forgive Cathbad, but she was still angry. "Where is he?"

His eyes shifted somewhat erratically; he was avoiding her gaze. "Who could you mean? Your friend?"

Emery grabbed hold of the sides of Cathbad's face and held him still, giving his features a silly pinched expression. "You know who I mean. I want to talk to him, right now."