Chapter 10

"Ready to go to the waterfall?" Shiri asked as we left.

"I think the real question is, are you ready to go to the waterfall?" Cas teased. "Can't have you falling this time, can we?"

Shiri's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. "You still remember that?" she exclaimed. "Damn you, Cas!"

"Unfortunately, Shiri, the rest of us remember it too," Tristan said.

"Triad above," Shiri muttered under her breath.

We left the Edge Districts and crossed back into the city, walking to the back of the academic district to reach a small forested area where water fell over an immense, sheer cliff into a shimmering pool below. We'd come here time after time in our early years of Third Level, before we'd gotten too busy. In the summer we'd come in swimsuits and jumped from the ledge above to swim in the cool water below. In the winter we'd worn our jackets and scarves and huddled close together, staring at the frozen, crystallized shapes of what had used to be flowing water. We'd breathe into our hands and worry about the future and complain to each other about school and about how it was cold enough to freeze fingers. Now, on the verge of cold weather but still struggling to leave lingering warmth behind, it felt like a combination of those two memories.

"Who's going to jump first?" Tristan joked.

"You are," Shiri said and shoved his shoulder. He pretended to reel from the blow.

"Shiri, falling over the cliff was totally acceptable in the summer," he said, "but now you might actually kill me if you push me in."

"Who says I don't want to do that?" Shiri smiled.

"Hey, tone it down over there, you two," Kalle said. "I know you don't care, but it's better for all of us if no one dies."

Shiri and Tristan stared at her for a second in silence. The quiet didn't last long, though - soon enough, they burst out laughing. The rest of us joined in.

"Don't worry, Tristan, I'm not actually going to kill you," Shiri said.

"Yeah, I don't think you'd want my ghost haunting you all through Fourth Level." Tristan turned from the edge of the water and moved to sit down on one of the flat rocks near the trees. While his back was turned, I watched Shiri turn her hand palm-up, the hand she'd used to shove him, and stare at it like she'd never seen it before. I wondered what the source of the gesture was, but I didn't dare ask her in front of everyone, since touching was generally frowned upon and probably would have been punished had we been in Incipio's capital.

"No, you'd tell me all the wrong test answers," Shiri said, jamming her hand back into her jacket pocket.

"Oh. Thanks for the vote of confidence." Tristan crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're welcome."

"So let me just ask," Tristan began after a slight pause. "Why am I the only one sitting over here? I thought we all used to sit here when we came before."

"You're absolutely right," Shiri said and bounced across to the rock where Tristan sat. Kalle and I followed her, and Cas and Elen hesitated before joining. We squeezed together to fit - each of us had grown several inches since the last time we'd sat here together. One of my shoulders crushed Kalle's, and the other pressed against Cas's. I glanced over at the others and saw that Shiri had managed to fit next to Tristan, with Elen on her other side. The same as we had always sat.

"Guys, I'm going to miss this," Elen said.

"You don't have to," Shiri said. "Why don't we just come here sometimes after our Fourth Level classes get out?"

"Because then we'll have homework," Cas said. "It'll be hard to find time."

"Damn homework," Tristan said. "It's going to take forever either way. Might as well take a break in between."

"Study tips from Tristan," Kalle said, and we all laughed when he protested.

We spent several more conversations by the waterfall, remembering and laughing and thinking about how we would be in Fourth Level by the beginning of the next week. Eventually the sun began to set and darkness began to fall over our hideaway. We got up and made our way out of the forest, back toward the main district.

I trailed behind them, and though I tried to convince myself otherwise, I could have sworn I saw shadows pulling at the edges of my vision, trying to get my attention. Ignoring them, I moved past a stone structure that might have been a gate at one time. Before I could get completely by, though, I felt a hand skate across my shoulders. I spun around, looking for the source.

No one was there. I bit my lip, trying to catch my breath, and turned back to the wall. As I did so, I saw another shadow crossing it: one I hadn't seen before, and one that looked suspiciously like a message.

I bent down and looked at it.

Vengeance and glory.

Scanning the stone structure, I realized that whoever had written it had done so hundreds of times across the wall, in various colors and at various angles. I definitely didn't remember seeing this on those many days when we'd come here before.

But who would write such a message? And how hadn't they caught it, erased it?

Legs shaking, I stood up again and followed my classmates out of the forest.