Forbidden (The Seeker Saga, #2) by Sarah Swan

for me anymore.”
    “It doesn’t feel safe for any of us,” Eve said, and gave her head a curt shake.  I didn’t know whether to be surprised or impressed with her candor.  Usually, she tended to project a fearless demeanor.  “But… this will make it even worse.”  She dug into her pocket, and pulled out a creased manila envelope.  She held it out in her hands toward us.
    “What is it?” I asked
    “Look inside,” she said, handing it to me. “I found it on the man who attacked you.”
    I frowned.  The envelope wasn’t heavy. I could feel something stiff and rectangular, like a credit card, inside.  I reached in and pulled it out.
    It wasn’t a credit card.  It was an ID card.  And it was from Oliver Academy.
    “What… is this?” I asked, my voice trembling.  There was a picture of a man on the card.  His face was unmistakable.  It was the face of the man who stood beside the headmaster at the opening day’s assembly.  The one who seemed to seek me out amongst everyone else in the crowd.  Except now, thanks to the card, I knew his name.  Paul Rosenberg .   Chris’s father.
    The other girls crowded around me.  A fury erupted within the group as they realized what the card was – whose it was. 
    “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Liz demanded from Eve.  “Why did you keep this from us?”
    “I wanted her to be here,” Eve said, nodding at me.  “She has a right to know.”
    “How did he get the card?” Madison wondered.
    “Isn’t it obvious?” Eve said.  “The man who came after Tracy was sent by Chris’s father.  Professor Rosenberg.”
    “Oh, this changes everything,” Ashley muttered.  “This means that Chris’s dad was in on it!  He was a professor at the school!”
    “This is bad,” Madison cooed.  “This is very, very bad.”
    “Who else knows about the crystals?” Ashley asked.  “Who else knows about us ?  Who can we trust?  And why are they after Tracy?”
    “Maybe,” I said, my voice still unsteady, “it was because I was new.  Maybe they thought I was vulnerable.  More vulnerable than any of you.”
     “None of us is safe anymore!” Madison exclaimed.  She looked the most shaken of any of us.  “I can’t go to my room by myself!  None of us can!  If a professor at Oliver sent the man to get Tracy, what’s there to stop more attempts?  Nothing!  What are we going to do?  We’re just sitting ducks on the island!”  Her eyes went wide, and she started breathing hard.  Her pupils darted from side to side as if seeking out a threat.
    “Madison!” Eve commanded firmly.  “Calm yourself.  Nothing’s happened yet.  We’re all together now, and have our crystals.” 
    “Eve’s right,” Liz said, touching Madison’s shoulder.  “As long as we stay together, and have our crystals, we’re relatively safe.”
    Madison drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly.  It seemed to calm her.  “You’re right,” she said finally.  “Sorry.”
    I gave her a quick hug.  I knew how scared she must feel.  To realize that it wasn’t just Chris who knew about the crystals was a shock.  But to have somebody else at Oliver Academy know about them?  That was frightening.  Even worse, it seemed we were being targeted because of the crystals.  It was a threat we had never prepared for. We had assumed we were the only ones to know about them!  This type of danger could manifest itself in the form of anything.  I experienced that firsthand last night.
     “We have to think rationally about this,” I said.  “We can’t go harebrained just because we’re frightened.”
    “Right,” Liz echoed.  “We should start with what we know.”
    “Well, it’s clear now that either Chris or his dad sent the attacker,” Eve said, “and we can presume that they both know of the crystals.”
    “But we don’t know why Tracy is being targeted,” Ashley said.  “I mean, not specifically.  We can assume