“Yeah, I remember Kramisha helping her into the wheelchair. I’m just…” My voice trailed off. I was just what? How could I put into words that I was haunted by a feeling that everything wasn’t right with my best friend and the group of kids she’d allied herself with, and how do I say that to my best friend?

“You’re just tired and worried ’bout a bunch of stuff,” Stevie Rae said softly.

Was that understanding I saw flicker through her eyes? Or was it something else, something darker?

“I get it, Z, and I’ll take care of things out here. You just be sure Stark’s okay.” She hugged me again, and then gave me a little push in the direction of the abbey.

“’Kay. Thanks,” I said lamely, starting toward the abbey and totally ignoring the two dorks who were standing there staring at me.

Stevie Rae called after me, “Hey, remind Darius or someone to keep an eye on the time. It’s only about an hour until sunrise, and you know me and all the red fledglings gotta be inside out of the sun by then.”

“Yeah, no problem. I’ll remember,” I said.

The problem was it was getting harder and harder for me to forget Stevie Rae wasn’t what she used to be.

CHAPTER 2

Stevie Rae

“All right, you two, listen up. I’m only gonna say this once—act right.” Standing between the two guys, Stevie Rae put her hands on her hips and glared at Erik and Heath. Without taking her eyes from them she yelled, “Dallas!”

Almost instantly the kid jogged up to her. “What’s up, Stevie Rae?”

“Get Johnny B. Tell him to take Heath and search around the front part of the abbey over by Lewis Street and make sure the Raven Mockers are really gone. You and Erik take the south side of the building. I’ll go down along the tree row by Twenty-first and check it out.”