Blackwell House: The Silence Beneath

vies. They were dry, precise, almost elegant. Whoever wro

fea

se. Eloise, for once, didn't crack a joke. T

on't save you.

wind pushed through, rustling the curt

d tak

e. Not after what we-what we found out," I s

muttered, already mo

are you

here's something in the h

," Bea said. "We can't just run around campus like

kay, first of all-rude. Second, she's right. We need a plan.

have been,"

ot an

. I wasn't just going to sit aroun

going to

up befo

master's files (using a burner laptop stashed in a stuffed teddy bear named Vengeance). Bea

d

to Ce

otos on the walls. Organized books. Scented ca

in silk pajamas and

like she'd been exp

idn

n," I said. "Do

a second. Then the smile sh

do

kno

ll of it. No more cryptic riddles

d, then motio

s was afternoon brunch, no

e whole stor

ith the

y. It's about purity. Legacy. Bloodlines. My mother-your mo

hey ki

her away. Somewhere she couldn'

he

n't k

i

he Ceremony is coming. The Blood Rite. It hasn't been done in a gener

ying they want us to

softly. "They w

er room

ee

ani

The shackles. The "perfect bloodlines." Marcus di

Au

if he tried to h

. Just like the

ccess badge. Swiped it from his coat pocket when

heo and Eloise

something in the hatch. A j

me. The handwrit

er. Don't tru

ng the same

me, they wa

wan

e note so tig

do now?" E

them. My heart poun

fi

fell

e security cameras with a device she built from stolen science lab part

r click

e was

NA reports. Vintage photos with the faces of women bl

ook sat in the ce

ped it

a man

in Marcu

ine must be corrected. Lydia is the last unt

mach t

," Bea w

ch. Watched Marcus's twis

n we he

tst

Delib

ng c

make it ou

three faculty members behind

g, "I suppose I should thank

hed tow

behind, sending Marcus c

s paperweight at one o

abbed

un

he hall. Marcus

he auditorium. The emergency tunn

slammed the tra

ungs burning. But

n't going

anted

blo

fut

ke theirs

rvatory on the far edge of campus. No on

st

orm buildin

running,

uttered, holding an ic

try again. We expose everything. The Ceremony. The Blo

rver. Download student and faculty

now half this school's secrets. If we g

I said. "We need som

le

aid, "What ab

ked a

things. She

also be set

on't survive this by trusting no one.

to Cecilia's

a black dress. Her eyes were

e take your place

ha

at you've seen too much. Fought back

ice cr

a vessel. I don't wa

w whether to

k her han

p us burn