Moby Clique by Cara Lockwood Page B

seriousness of this hits me. Lindsay—alone in the forest with pirate kidnappers on the loose—trying to find her way on an island that’s really purgatory for a bunch of ghosts, not all of whom are happy to be here. It’s a recipe for disaster.
    “What’s wrong? What is it?” Hana asks me, even as Headmaster B dismisses the students, signaling the end of morning assembly.
    My friends lean over and read Lindsay’s diary, which is still open in my hands.
    “Hey—Whale Cove! Does Lindsay know about the buried treasure?” Samir asks, starting to get excited. But before he can say more, the tower bell rings three times, signaling another missing person. My throat goes dry.
    “It’s Lindsay,” I manage to stutter, even as I try to push my way through the crowd to get outside and to the bulletin board. I don’t need to even look. I know I’m right.
    “Oh, snap,” Samir whispers as my friends see the picture at the same time I do.
    It’s sitting next to the photo of the first runaway—the blond, shaggy guy. It’s Lindsay, before her Parker makeover, with her retainer in and her hair in pigtails.
    “So the little sister doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Ms. P says, coming up behind me.
    “What if she didn’t run away?” I ask her. “She could’ve been kidnapped. Even if she did start out on her own, she might not have made it far before—”
    “I’m afraid we investigated your reports of, uh, men in the forest,” Ms. P says, interrupting me. “And we didn’t find anything conclusive. I’m afraid we have to assume Lindsay ran away on her own volition. And in twenty-four hours, if she doesn’t return, we’ll have to contact your father.”
    I go stock-still. If Dad knows about this, it’ll mean juvenile detention, for the both of us. Because I know Lindsay, and she’ll find a way to blame me for all this somehow. That is, if Lindsay is okay.
    “But what if we find her and bring her back? Before then?” Blade asks, suddenly stepping up from behind me.
    Ms. P considers Blade and then the rest of us.
    “You know I can’t sanction the lot of you going on an expedition,” Ms. P says.
    “But…”
    “But nothing,” Ms. P says. “Let the faculty sort it out.”
    “You can’t just give us a wink and say you won’t report us if we bring back Lindsay with no fuss?” Samir asks.
    Ms. P gives him a severe look. “Do I seem like one of those teachers who doesn’t mind bending the rules?”
    “Um, yeah?” Samir ventures.
    “No,” Ms. P says. “Students shouldn’t explore the island unsupervised, and that includes you. At any time. For any reason.”
    “We’re losing time,” Heathcliff says, breaking the silence suddenly. “If we don’t look for her now…”
    “Let us handle it,” Ms. P says, more curt than usual, her eyes sharp as she cuts Heathcliff off in midsentence. “And I believe all of you have classes to go to.”
    Once Ms. P has left, I turn to Heathcliff.
    “What did you mean? About losing time?”
    Heathcliff meets my gaze, his eyes guarded. “The forest isn’t safe for a girl alone,” he says.
    “You mean the men we saw?”
    Heathcliff shrugs. “Among other things,” he adds mysteriously, but doesn’t elaborate.
    “Um, I’m not going to lie to you, you’re freaking us out a little,” Samir says to Heathcliff, but he just stares at him.
    “Do you think you can lead us to her?” I ask Heathcliff.
    Heathcliff nods. “I know where Whale Cove is,” he says.
    “Wait a second, you can’t go after her,” Samir says. “Ms. P just said…”
    “I’m in,” Hana says.
    “And me,” Blade adds.
    “Have you all gone crazy?” Samir looks at all of us as if we all just sprouted second heads. “I mean, didn’t you hear Heathcliff? There are things in the forest. Dangerous things, am I right?” Samir glances over at Heathcliff, who nods. “See? He’s even agreeing with me. It’s not safe .”
    “All the more reason I have to find my sister,” I say,