Chapter 29

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Noah shivered as he walked around the quad, the open, grassy area near the center of campus. Trees were planted all around the edges of it, and anything could be hiding in them, given the moonless night and the way most of the lights on campus were off at this hour.

Of course two things were definitely hiding in the trees, Gabe and Jack, both armed and both keeping out of sight as much as they could. This was the third night they’d gone out “fishing” for Simon. It was tense and stressful and also very frustrating when nothing whatsoever happened.

Noah found he was clutching the squirt gun in his pocket a little too hard and relaxed his grip. He tried to calm his shivering, too. It wasn’t really that cold, but he was very on edge. After two nights of nothing he probably should have been more relaxed, but Simon could attack him at any minute, and the only thing between him and violence or even death was a little shell of cheap plastic filled with silver suspended in water.