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

the library to figure out where Chris’s dad’s office was.  It turned out that he worked in the geology department. Surprisingly, Eve was the only one who knew where that was.  She led us to the building without hesitation.
    Walking through the streets of the main yard during school hours felt a little unusual. Even though it was still bright, the streets were empty.  Everybody was in class.  The few adults we did pass – probably professors who had that period off – gave us such strange looks that we hurried on before they could wonder why a group of five girls wasn’t in class, too.
    We stopped in front of a building at the end of a street. It was familiar to me for all the wrong reasons.  This was where the student council had hosted their first party, and where I found Liz struck with after sickness from using the crystal.  Looking back, I now understood why the girls had acted the way they had with Liz passed out on the floor.  It was nothing a hospital stay – or in our case, a clinic stay – could remedy. 
    The doors of the building housing the geology department were locked.  I took Chris’s dad’s card from my pocket and waved it in front of an old-fashioned card detector on the wall.  The blinking light turned green, and the doors clicked open.  Without pause, Eve pushed them open.
    A long dark hallway greeted us.  Doors lined either wall, but they were all closed, and the lights were all off.  As we entered, the main doors swung shut behind us with a clang that echoed ominously through the empty building.
    “Now where?” Madison asked.
    “The directory said his office was number 216,” I said.  “So that means the second floor.  Right?”
    Eve nodded in confirmation.  “The stairs should be this way.”
    We followed her as she led us farther down the hall.  The only light in the whole place came from a red EXIT sign positioned behind us.  We found the stairs and started climbing.  On the second step, I froze.   I just heard something.
    “Do you hear that?” I whispered urgently.
    “Hear what?” Eve asked.  She spoke in a regular voice, and it carried through the building.
    “Voices!” I whispered.  “Keep quiet.”
    Eve shot me a baleful look, but didn’t say anything.  After a few seconds, I caught the sound that had stopped me.  It was the sound of conversation, but it came from far away.
    “We’re not the only ones in here,” I whispered.
    Liz nodded.  “I can hear them, too.  From the next floor up.  We have to be quiet.  If anybody finds us, they’re going to ask questions.” 
    “I’m going to take a look,” Ashley said, and ran silently up the stairs.  We followed her up, but remained inside the stairwell as she peeked around the corner.
    “Do you see anything?” Madison asked.  Her voice carried a touch of worry.
    “There’s a light at the end of the hall,” Ashley said softly.  “I think that’s where the sound is coming from.”
    “Oh, give over,” Eve said, pushing between me and Madison.  “Nobody’s going to go looking in an empty hallway.”  Fearlessly – and somewhat recklessly – she stepped into the hall.  She checked both ways, and then turned to us.  “Nobody’s here,” she confirmed.  “But I think room 216 is in the same wing as where the voices are coming from.”
    “Let’s just hurry up and get this over with,” I said.  I didn’t like sneaking around in a large, dark building.  You could never tell what would be waiting for you around one corner.
    Eve nodded, and started down the hall.  I went after her, and the rest of the girls trailed me.  I read the room numbers as we passed.  200.  202.  204.  Each of the doors was closed, but I noticed, to my relief, that there was a slot to swipe an ID card beside each one. 
    “ This is where we need to be careful,” Eve emphasized as we reached the corner.  The voices had become louder as we got closer.  They were now clearly distinguishable as