Circle of Silence (20 page)

“Listen to me! It doesn’t matter whether you get the copy or
not. It’s still on the school’s server.”

He laughs. It’s a nasty sound. “Not anymore.”

Surprised, I wipe snowflakes from my eyelashes. Someone deleted
the footage? Who would do that? Who has access—

Skeletor takes a menacing step forward. “What are you waiting
for? Get going.”

Forget the server. Focus on the danger in
front of you.

“I’ll never get to Marci’s.” I spin the lie with as much
certainty as I can. “I called the team before getting here.
Campus News
will show up in five minutes. Maybe less. With cameras
and everything else. So you might as well let Bethany and me leave before you
get into real trouble.”

“You didn’t call anyone,” he tells me.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” He jerks his head. “You wouldn’t. Not until you talked
to your sister. Something about blood being thicker than water. Just to prove
I’m right, one of you check her cell.”

Ghost Face yanks the backpack from my shoulder. Roots around,
finds the phone. “She got a couple of calls and texts from someone named Raul.
She didn’t reply.”

Behind the mask, I can feel Skeletor’s
gotcha
smile. “Told you. Lying runs in your family.”

“I’m sorry,” I say quickly. “You’re right. It’s just so cold
right now. Why don’t we go together? It’ll take more than an hour to get to
Marci’s and back. You’ll end up with frostbite if you stay here.”

The snow’s falling at a steady pace. It would be beautiful—if I
wasn’t so scared. I’ve finally figured out the reason Bethie isn’t moving. Her
arms, which have been behind her back the entire time, must be tied to the pole
sticking up from the end of the dock.

“Don’t worry about me.” Skeletor sneers.

He’s no dope. He’ll find someplace to get warm while I run
around Brooklyn like a maniac. And he’s evil enough to leave Bethany on the dock
until I get back.

Just as that thought hits, a blast startles the group. A
tugboat makes its way up the river. All heads turn—except for mine. Instead, I
jerk my arms from Frankenstein’s suddenly slackened grasp and race forward.
There’s no way I’m leaving my sister with a bunch of psychos.

Someone shouts. Skeletor moves to block my way. As I swerve, my
boots slip on the damp wood. I hit the deck hard, unexpectedly sliding past
Skeletor on my stomach.

“Shit!”

The end of the dock is less than two feet away. Momentum, and a
thin layer of melting snow, defies the law of friction. Skidding forward, I
can’t stop—

Just before I plunge into the cold, dark waters of NY Harbor,
Bethany sticks out her leg. The front of her shoe hits my shoulder hard enough
to keep me from going over the edge.

Scrambling to my feet, I turn to face the members of MP. “Back
off, assholes! If either Bethany or me ends up in the water, you’ll be arrested
for murder. Is that what you want? Life in prison?”

The three at the back have the brains to hesitate. But
Skeletor’s out of control. He screams as he lunges for me.

“Don’t call me an asshole!”

We struggle, locked in a tight, back-and-forth motion. The dock
is not very wide and I don’t want to slip again. Skeletor grabs a lock of my
hair and pulls hard. I collapse onto my knees. A sickening
boom,
like a gunshot, scares the crap out of me.

A large crack fractures the dock. At the same time, Skeletor’s
foot crashes through the wood. He lets go of my hair as he falls. Lucky for him,
the plank’s splintered gap isn’t wide enough to allow him to drop all the way
through. He dangles awkwardly, one leg in the hole. His other leg and butt are
splayed against the wooden deck.

The dock sways and groans. Any second now the thing will break
apart, plunging us all into the chilly depths of the East River.

Skeletor screams at the masked kids, “Don’t just stand there.
Help—”

“Everybody freeze!”

The voice is familiar. I’m pretty sure I’ve lost my mind when I
see Raul standing at the land edge of the dock, hands cupped to his mouth.

“Val? You all right?”

How on earth did he find me?

“Valerie!”

My voice trembles. “I’m okay. But I’m worried about Bethie. And
this thing is really shaky!”

“What about me?” Skeletor yells. “My leg—”

“Nobody moves,” Raul shouts. “Nobody panics. You’ll have to get
off one at a time.” He points to the person closest to the edge. “You first. As
smooth as you can.”

I hold my breath as Ghost Face inches forward. When she gets to
within inches of Raul, he extends a hand and pulls her off. Raul nods to
Frankenstein. “Now you.”

He moves quickly. Instantly, the dock quivers.

“Slow down!” Raul yells.

Frankenstein freezes. Legs shaking with fear, he starts again.
After what seems like half a lifetime, he’s off the dock, too. Now it’s just one
more person before only Bethany, Skeletor and I are left.

Gingerly, Zombie makes his way through ever-thickening snow. He
finally hits land, which is the moment Skeletor loses it.

“I can’t feel my leg anymore!” he screams. “Help me!”

“Hell no! Bethany’s next,” I hiss.

Ignoring Skeletor’s pleas, I tap my sister. “Your turn.”

Her teeth rattle so much she can’t speak. Carefully, I lean
over the edge. In the never-quite-dark of a New York City evening, my stomach
drops.

“She’s tied up, Raul!”

“Stay calm, Val. Go ahead and undo the knot.”

“I can’t. My fingers are cold. They’re stiff—”

“You have to,” he commands. “I can’t get there. Concentrate.
It’s just like editing. One step at a time. Find the end of the rope….”

He keeps talking, nice and calm, as if standing on a crumbling
dock trying to save my sister’s life is a regular part of any day.

The faster I untie the knot, the faster
Bethie gets off the dock
. That’s what I tell myself as I work the
rope.
Then it’s my turn. We’ll both be safe.

With a final twist, the rope comes undone. Quickly I unwind it
from Bethany’s wrists, and then drop the rope into the water. Within seconds,
the current takes it away.

“Move your legs,” I beg. “Please! We can’t stay here much
longer.”

Painfully, my sister makes an effort. She bends one leg, then
the other.

“That’s great. Go on!” I urge.

She takes two tiny steps, but her knees wobble. Afraid she’ll
fall, I prop her back against the wooden pole.

“C-c-can’t d-d-d-o it! V-V-Val….”

“Okay, we’ll go together.”

I wind my arm around her shoulders to sort of lift her. We
don’t take more than a few steps before the rotted pilings underneath begin to
creak. The dock sways. I’m afraid to go any farther.

I give Raul a horrified, beseeching look.

In the face of looming disaster, he continues to remain calm.
“Bethany? I’m Val’s friend. Raul.” He takes off his jacket, holds it out. “You
can put this on when you get here. It’ll warm you right up. Doesn’t that sound
good? Just get close enough to me and I’ll help you the rest of the way. You can
do it.”

“He’s right, Bethie. Go!”

Her thin legs move awkwardly. She takes a step. Then a second,
a third… At the same time, Raul gingerly slides a few feet down the dock from
his end. I hold my breath. About three feet from land, they meet. He says
something I can’t hear before leading her to safety. Puts his coat around her
shoulders and shouts, “You’re next, Val!”

Skeletor screams, “No! You can’t leave me alone!”

I hesitate, but Raul waves me forward. As I move, a hand grabs
my ankle and holds on tight. I pull Skeletor’s head, violently, to get him to
release me. His mask comes off in my hand and my body jerks backward. Off
balance, I step down hard to keep from falling. The dock shakes, groans—and
splits apart.

Omigod!

In a sort of slow-motion panic, I realize that I’m falling,
falling, falling… The intense shock when I hit freezing water takes my breath
away.

“Val!” Raul screams.

Frantic to stay afloat, I flail about. But I’m wearing boots, a
jacket…. The swiftly moving current eddies around, pulling me down. It’s
impossible to breathe. In some part of my consciousness, I hear screams, see
flashes of light…

As I slip underwater, the last thing I see is Skeletor’s face
floating beside me.

If I thought I’d recognize him, I’m wrong. Stripped of his
fright mask and the power the others give him, he’s nothing special. The kind of
kid you pass in the hallway every day—and never, ever notice.

It’s the last thought I have before the world turns black.

32

The chaos over the next few hours is colossal. To my
immense good fortune, Raul called the cops the instant he saw us on the dock. By
the time it falls apart, the police have arrived.

That accounted for the flashing lights and the yelling. After
going completely underwater the first time, I managed to struggle back up.
Gasping for breath, I see an orange tube float beside me.

“Grab it!” voices shout. “Hold on!”

Somehow I manage to grasp the tube and wrap my arms around it.
Immediately, there’s a sweet tug of rope as the police reel me in. As soon as
I’m close enough, they drag me onto land. Coughing, sputtering, I feel my knees
give out when I try to stand. Before I hit the ground, however, I’m scooped into
strong arms. They carry me from the water’s edge. The cop places me on a large,
flat rock. Fingers press gently against my throat. I hear, “Pulse is good.”
Within seconds, thick, warm blankets wrap my body.

One of the uniformed men squats down. He has a black mustache
and kind eyes. “Can you talk? Do you know your name?”

“Val Gaines. Where’s my sister?”

He points. “We’re keeping the other kids back there—”

The wail of an ambulance interrupts. I look over. Skeletor has
been fished out of the water, too, but he’s lying, not sitting, on the
ground.

“Is he okay?” I ask.

A walkie-talkie squawks. In my dazed state, I can’t make out
the words.

The cop shrugs. “He’s got a deep laceration on his leg, so we
called the paramedics.” He squints. “How about you? Can you stand? If not, we
can send you to the hospital with him—”

I shake my head vehemently. “I’m fine. I need to see my sister.
And Raul.”

“Let’s go to my car and then I’ll find them,” he says. “You’ll
warm up faster inside.”

From the backseat, I watch Skeletor being carried on a
stretcher to the ambulance. I still don’t know who he is.

* * *

By the time Raul and Bethany get into the car, the
heat’s blasting. Raul takes the middle, Bethany the far side. Either because
it’s tight in the backseat, or because he feels the need to protect us, Raul
wraps one arm around Bethany; the other hugs me. Despite the fact that she’s
still wearing his coat, he feels warm against my side.

“His name’s Arnold Clemson,” he tells me. “Mean anything?”

The shiver at the sound of the name has nothing to do with the
fact that I’m soaking wet. “That’s Skeletor? Uh-uh.”

“Yep. I heard the cops talking.”

I stare out the window. I don’t recognize Ghost Face or Zombie,
either. Two more people who manage to stay under the wire at school. Wraithlike,
they float down hallways and settle into their seats, invisible to the rest of
us. They don’t raise their hands, don’t cause trouble. Just like Bethany, I
imagine, they go home after school, munch on cookies or chips, listen to music,
do their homework—but they do it alone.

There is one person that I’ve met. Frankenstein. He’s the dude
Marci called Potty Mouth. The kid who gave what I now realize was a totally
bogus interview, pretending he didn’t give a crap about MP.

The Channel 5 News van shows up. High school kids plunging into
the icy East River is news. Good old Emily Purdue, hair not quite perfect in the
night wind, wants an interview. Raul, Bethany and I refuse. Determined, she
heads for the others. MP can make up any lie they want. Emily can get the story
wrong. I have no sympathy for her.

The cops string yellow caution tape barriers to alert people to
the dangerous half-submerged dock before we get rolling. A second car, carrying
the three MP members who originally surrounded me, follows. At the police
station, parents descend. In the bathroom, I exchange the heavy blankets for the
dry clothes Mom brings.

Names, addresses, stories. The cops talk to everyone
separately, including Bethany and me. They write down everything, no matter how
contradictory. A couple of lawyers show up. Since everyone’s under eighteen, the
final outcome of the evening is that we’re released to our parents. Specific
criminal charges to be decided next week.

With Raul by my side, the Gaines family exits. I think I’m
holding it together pretty well until I discover that my folks took the car,
even though the police station isn’t far from home. Now we have to walk to where
Dad parked, drive to Connie’s apartment, wait for the twins to pack up their
toys and
then
go home.

“I am not doing that!” I say.

“Val—” Mom starts.

“No! It’s much faster to walk home. Raul will take me,
right?”

He looks uncomfortable, clearly unhappy to be in the middle of
a family fight. “I’ll be glad to walk you home if it’s okay with your
parents.”

Mom opens her mouth to protest, but Dad stops her. Saving at
least one daughter, if not two, from certain death gives a guy major cred.

“She’s got a point, Kate,” he tells Mom. “No sense in all of us
crowding into the car. You sure you’re all right, Val?”

“Yes. I really want to walk. The police station was
stuffy.”

“Okay.” Dad looks at Raul. “Be careful. Have her call the
minute you get inside.”

“Yes, sir. I will.”

With a wave that’s more cheerful than I actually feel, Raul and
I head off. The snowstorm’s moved on, leaving a half-inch blanket of crystals
sparkling in the clear night air.

“Tell the truth,” Raul says. “Are you really okay?”

“I guess. I just can’t sit in the car with the twins and
Bethany. Or my parents. I don’t feel like answering a million more
questions.”

“I hear you,” Raul says.

After a few minutes, though, I’m the one who breaks the
silence. “The cops asked me something I couldn’t answer. How did you know where
to find me?”

“It wasn’t hard. I got worried when you didn’t respond to any
of the texts or calls. I used the locator app like you did when you were looking
for Jagger. Red Hook came up, but that didn’t make sense. You were supposed to
be waiting at home. Why would you leave—unless you’d been contacted by MP?”

“Bethany told me I had to come alone.”

That’s the moment it hits. How close I came to drowning. My
body quivers with pent-up fear—and rage. I stop in the middle of the sidewalk.
Raul gives me a concerned look before guiding me to a stoop swept clean of snow.
It’s dry. Gratefully, I sink down.

He takes my hand. “Oooh, cold.” He rubs both sets of fingers
with his large, much warmer, palms. “Better?”

“Mmmm.” I let him fuss over me for a few moments, too tired to
protest. The truth is, it feels good. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. It’s
just—”

“You had to talk to your sister first. I understand.” He blinks
a few times. “I swear to God, Val, watching the dock collapse was the worst
thing I’ve ever seen. I was ready to jump in after you. If the cops hadn’t shown
up…”

“Let’s not go there.” I try a smile. “I’m not sure I thanked
you. If you hadn’t called them when you did…”

“You’re welcome,” he whispers.

He leans over and kisses me. It’s so unexpected that I just
sort of…let it happen. But even though Raul saved my life—he isn’t Jagger. As
soon as that penetrates my still-confused state, I pull away.

“Raul—”

“Sorry, Val. I know. It’s not the right time.” He doesn’t look
at me as he stands. “We should go. Your dad’s gonna worry.”

“Wait!” Thinking about Jagger sparks a question. “Why did you
text from the hospital? Did Mrs. Voorham recognize Bethany’s voice when you
played her the tape?”

He hesitates a bit too long.

“Raul?” My voice catches. “Omigod, is it Jags? Is that why you
called? Did something happen…?”

His nod is practically imperceptible—but it’s there. My stomach
drops in anticipation of the worst news of the night. With a reluctant breath,
Raul releases the last of our kiss. The expression in his eyes isn’t sad as much
as defeated. As if he knows he lost.

“Jagger opened his eyes, Val. He woke up!”