Secret of Light Read Free Page A

as a ragged group of students gathered their things and filed out of the room. Darrell was stunned. The speech hadbeen less than a minute long. Professor Tooth had been true to her word.
    Kate whispered in Darrell’s ear, a note of panic in her voice. “What about Brodie? If classes are divided by age, he’ll be a year ahead of us!”
    Darrell felt a pang of worry, and turned to Brodie, her eyes wide. “Are you in first form or second?” she demanded in a loud whisper.
    â€œSecond.” But Brodie was grinning. “Don’t worry, I’ve talked to Professor Tooth. It’ll all work out, you’ll see.”
    Puzzled, Darrell looked up to see Professor Tooth had gathered the third form and sent them off with a female teacher she didn’t recognize. Glancing around the room, Darrell could see there were fewer than thirty students left.
    â€œSecond form? Please follow Mr. Dickerman to the rock lab.”
    Professor Tooth had begun summoning the final group when a door banged open at the back of the room. Darrell was craning her neck, looking for the source of the disruption, when she felt a hand grip her upper arm and squeeze.
    â€œOw!” She looked down to see her arm caught in Kate’s iron-tight grip. Darrell opened her mouth to complain, but closed it when she saw Kate’s expression. The colour had drained out of her friend’s face and her freckles stood out like spots of rust on the pale skin.
    Darrell followed Kate’s gaze to the door and her stomach dropped into her shoes. Leaning on the doorframe, a smirk on his face, was Conrad Kennedy.

    Professor Tooth’s voice was brisk. “Mr. Kennedy. I’m afraid you are a trifle late, but if you will wait a moment, I will see you to your teacher. Would the first form please follow Mr. Gill to the library?”
    Darrell’s heart hammered in her chest.
    Kate turned and met Darrell’s gaze. “What’s he doing here?” she squeaked.
    â€œI don’t know.” Darrell’s voice choked as she rubbed the vivid red marks Kate’s fingers had left on her arm. “I guess we’re about to find out.”

C HAPTER T WO
    Darrell dragged a heavy, stuffed chair over the uneven planks of the library floor to a spot beside Kate. Fifteen kids were gathered in the group, almost equally divided between girls and boys. Flopping into the chair, she rubbed her right knee and gazed around at the new faces. She leaned forward and adjusted the prosthesis under her jeans. A low ache still throbbed in her leg, and she looked out one of the leaded glass windows of the library. The night was so black, all she could see was the reflection of the brightly lit room on the glass. The lashing of rain against the window confirmed what the ache in her leg had already told her.
    â€œSore leg?” Kate spoke in a low voice, and Darrell shook her head at her friend’s concerned face.
    â€œOh, nothing to worry about — just the usual for a rainy night.” She looked around and dropped her voice to a whisper. “Can you see Conrad anywhere?”

    Kate peered over the back of her large wing chair. “Nope, not a sign of him. I can’t believe it was really him! What d’you think he’s doing here? I thought he was supposed to be in some kind of reform school in Ontario.”
    Darrell shrugged and was about to reply when Mr. Gill cleared his throat at the front of the room. Kate ripped a sheet out of her binder and passed it to Darrell.
Let’s talk later
, it read.
    Darrell nodded and turned to listen as Mr. Gill began to outline the calendar for the upcoming year.
    Wind hurled rain against the windows, and Darrell snuggled deeper under her down quilt. She was warm and dry, it was midnight of her first night back at school, classes were scheduled to begin the following morning at eight-thirty, and she was as far from sleepy as it was possible to get. Fall had roared in with a