Standing by her locker, Natti flipped open her cell to check the time. It was two minutes to four. She sighed, stuffing her phone back into her pocket and kicked her book bag on the floor. “Come on, where are you, Seth?” She hoped he was all right. That whatever he had to do wasn’t as terrible as he made it sound.
Her body and mind were on high alert, nervous about standing in the abandoned hallway of the school. She felt like she was back in line waiting to enter the Haunted Pyramid. Except here it was a lot quieter and more disturbing. Finally, footsteps echoed just ahead, and Seth turned the corner with Ky right behind him. Natti tilted her head, confused, and a jolt of fear ran up her spine.
Seth came up to her and took her into his arms. “Hey, Natti, I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Um, that’s all right.” Natti glanced between the two boys. “Was . . . Was Ky helping you?”
“Yes, he is.” Seth winced uncomfortably. His grip on her arms became tight. “Look, Natti, there’s been a slight change in plan.”
“A change in plan?” Natti’s chest suddenly felt very heavy, and she tried to pull from Seth’s hold. “What change in plan?”
“Ky, check her bag.”
“My bag? Why?” Fear gripped Natti when Ky prowled around her like a hungry wolf. Seth pulled her away from her locker and backpack. Ky scooped up her bag and started to toss the contents on the floor. “Hey, what the hell—?” Natti screeched.
Seth whipped her around, forcing her focus on him. “Natti, the letter that I saw this morning. I want it.”
Natti stiffened. “My grandmother’s letter? Why—?” Her mind flipped back to her grandmother’s murder, and the letter’s warning. And when Seth had saw the seal . . . No. No, no, no . . . How could Seth know what that seal had meant? She didn’t even know.
“Natti, this is important.” He stroked his thumb along her bicep. Natti’s skin began to tingle, and her mind began to drift while his eyes pulled her into their depths. “Where is it?”
She realized what he was trying to do. He was trying to use his touch to calm her like he had back in the hospital. Despite her efforts to fight the feeling, her mind eased into a blissful state. “Why?” she said breathlessly.
“Where is it?” His voice was deeper, and husker.
The heaviness against her heart suddenly doubled while an overwhelming sensation drowned her body. A dull headache jerked her from the trance. She was feeling that urge seep under her skin, the one that wanted to take control. Her heart screamed to run, and Natti tried to pull away from his grasp. Seth’s hands latched onto her and dragged her closer to him. He cupped the back of her head, keeping her eye locked on his.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Seth told her as she began to panic. She struggled against his hold, only to have him wrap her tighter in his arms. He stroked her cheek and drew her deeper into his eyes. “Natti, where is the letter?”
Natti’s tongue wanted to confess her secret, but like her first day of school, she knew not to respond. She shut her mouth tight, refusing to talk. Seth exhaled, his eyes reflecting his pain. Before he could speak again, Ky tossed her bag to the floor in frustration, breaking his focus.
“It’s not here! Where is it?” Ky spat.
Natti’s hand twitched for her pocket, catching Seth’s attention. He sent a fiery glare over his shoulder and blocked Ky from her view. She was shaking with fear, not knowing what to do. The secret itself wasn’t in the letter. It was in the necklace around her neck. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to hand it over. Raising her eyes to his again, Seth ran his fingers along her neck and over the chain of her necklace. Natti shivered under his touch.
“Just give us the letter, Natti.”
“Is that what you’ve been after all along?” she cried, her mind spinning with adrenaline, linking everything from the moment she stepped into Setemple to the secret of the locket. “The festival? The hospital?” she spat, her imagination going well beyond paranoid. “Why, Seth? Why would something like that even be important to you?” Natti swallowed. “Who are you?”
Anger flashed in his eyes, and his hand latched to the back of her neck. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know!”
“Know what?” Seth’s grip tightened, and she gasped. “Seth, you’re hurting me!”
He froze for a long time, his eyes analyzing the shock and terrified expression on her face. “You really don’t know, do you?” he whispered.
“You lying bitch!” Ky’s temper was beginning to unhinge, his face turning a deep shade of purple and his fists clenched at his side. Natti tried to scramble away.
Seth released his grip on her and pushed Ky back several steps. Natti took the opportunity to put a few spaces between them before he returned his attention to her. He glanced at her pocket. “Natti, the letter, please.”
Her lower lip trembled. She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. What he was asking. “You’re mental!”
Seth came forward. “Natti—”