Very Bad Things by Susan McBride Page B

like sweat and testosterone.
    Katie
.
    Oh, God, was it the voice from her dream? Maybe she was still asleep.
Please, please, let it be that. Let me still be in bed
.
    Katie squished her eyes closed, murmuring, “Wake up, wake up, wake up,” over and over. Then she heard the soft crunch of approaching footsteps.
    Her eyes flew open.
    Someone else was there, and she wasn’t dreaming. She was lost in the tunnels and she wasn’t alone.
    Katie froze as something touched her hair. It was like the ghost in the library all over again. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could make a sound, a hand clamped over her mouth, smothering the sound.
    “Katie, it’s me.”
    Mark?
    Katie recognized his voice and stopped struggling. She heard a tiny click, and a penlight came on. He shined it onhis face so she could see him. Then he lifted his hand from her mouth. Though her heart still hammered, suddenly she wasn’t afraid. She was pissed. “What’re you doing here?” She smacked his arm with her phone. “You scared me half to death!”
    “I should ask you the same thing,” he said, not answering her question. “Why the hell are you in the tunnels? I thought you hated them.”
    “I
do
,” she insisted, rubbing arms covered in gooseflesh. She couldn’t imagine roaming the tunnels alone, like Mark. It was beyond creepy. “I was worried about Tessa, so I followed her down—” She stopped herself, suddenly unsure of how much to say.
    “Tessa’s in the tunnels?” Mark frowned.
    “Somewhere, I guess.” Katie sighed with frustration. “She’s been thinking about the fire. She was pretty upset before she went to bed. Maybe you could help me find her.…”
    Mark made a noise. “If Tessa knows the tunnels, we could hunt for weeks and never find her, not unless she wanted us to.”
    “What if she’s in danger?” Katie said, wondering why Mark wasn’t more concerned. A girl had disappeared from a party at the headmaster’s house. What if Tessa got snatched, too?
    “Tessa can take care of herself,” he said quietly. “You’re the one who needs to be more careful. You shouldn’t have come by yourself.”
    “But I was worried about her!” Katie didn’t need a lecture. She just wanted to get out of there. She was starting to shiver.
    “Well, I’m worried about
you
,” Mark said, and took her hand. “Let’s get you somewhere warm. I’ll take you home after, I promise. I’m headed to the greenhouse. It’s not far.”
    He wanted her to go with him to the greenhouse? The only place Katie wanted to go was back to her dorm. “Mark, I don’t think—”
    “Please,” he said, “unless you’re afraid.”
    Katie wasn’t sure if he was asking if she was afraid of the tunnels or of him. At that moment, she was way more scared of being stranded underground than being alone with him.
    “Don’t lose me, okay?” she said, giving him her answer. She didn’t want to get stuck in the tunnels. She couldn’t imagine having to stay down there much longer. It felt like being buried alive.
    “I won’t lose you, I promise.”
    She caught a glimpse of a smile as he moved around her. Katie grabbed the back of his sweatshirt and held on as he navigated the passageway. Soon they were at the greenhouse grate.
    Mark offered her a leg up, and Katie reached for the edges of the hole.
    Then she pulled herself up and over, sprawling onto the greenhouse floor.
    She sighed with relief at the sight of the moonlight spilling in through the glass panels. The warm, damp air settled on her skin like dew, and sweat trickled down her back beneath her T-shirt.
    Mark emerged far more gracefully. He tucked his flashlightinto the pocket of his hoodie as they walked through rows of plants. When he headed toward the far corner where the rosebushes bloomed, Katie didn’t follow.
    He turned around. “What’s wrong?”
    A prickle of fear raced up Katie’s spine. She told herself it had nothing to do with being alone with Mark. It was