Masquerade

The boy stood precariously on the railing of the balcony off the third-floor library. When the weather was warm, the balcony was nicknamed "Club Duschene" since students routinely took their lunches there, tanning, rolling up jeans into shorts, girls unbuttoning their blouses as low as they dared, and boys going as far as to take off their shirts.



But it was the middle of January, and the windows that led out to the balcony were usually locked. Not today. Today, someone had opened the window, letting an arctic blast inside the library, and that someone was now outside, balancing on a slim, four-inch iron rail.



Jack was on his way back from the music building when he came upon a lively crowd gathered in the cortile, the courtyard behind the main school. He saw Schuyler slip through the side entrance, her face lined with concern as she spoke to her friend Oliver, the Red Blood.



He tore his eyes away from her, wishing he were the one she would turn to for comfort, and looked up to where several people were pointing, and noticed the boy. He was a freshman, a Red Blood, and he stood on the railing with a blank, dazed look on his face.



"Jump!" Soos Kemble screeched, collapsing in giggles. "What does he think he's doing?" another girl asked, horrified and titillated at the same time.



Jack noticed that the crowd was amused by the situation. Half of them were eagerly, if unconsciously, rooting for the boy to fall. Classes would be canceled for the rest of the day for sure.



"C'mon! Get it over with! I have a Pre-calc quiz I don't feel like taking this afternoon!" someone called.



In one corner, hidden behind a hedge that surrounded a stone bench, Jack's supersensitive hearing picked up the sound of Kingsley Martin, the new boy, laughing with Mimi.



"Make him do a pirouette," Mimi said.



Kingsley waved his hand, and the boy on the ledge executed a ballerina turn. The crowd gasped. But the boy landed on his feet. He looked shocked at what had just happened, almost as if he had no control.... No control...



Jack glanced sharply at Kingsley. He knew in an instant what was happening. Kingsley was using the glom to con- trol the boy's mind, as a puppet master would pull the strings.



At Committee meetings, they had been told there would be strict punishments for using their powers on the Red Bloods without provocation. Jack felt a deep rage rise within him. The stupid, arrogant fool. Kingsley was going to put them all in danger.



"Release him!" Jack commanded, holding up a palm, his eyes shooting daggers at Kingsley.



The crowd turned to see who was causing the scene.



"Aw, we were just having a bit of fun, mate," Kingsley said, and with another flick of his wrist, the boy stopped turning.



The boy screamed to find himself alone on top of the balcony. He wobbled; his left foot slipped off the edge....



"Martin! Bring him down! NOW!"



"If you insist," Kingsley said, looking bored already. The boy regained his balance and safely stepped off the railing onto the terrace.



"Modo caecus," Jack whispered, sending a blinding spell over any of the humans who had congregated, to make them forget what they had seen.



"That was foolish and dangerous, not to mention cruel and petty," Jack said, confronting Kingsley. He had never felt so angry in his life. And to see Mimi standing there next to him was even worse. Was he actually jealous? Or was he just angry and disappointed to find his sister engaging in such low behavior?



"Stop being a spoilsport, Force," Kingsley said. "No harm done, eh?"



"Yeah, Jack, get off it," Mimi said. "It's just a frosh. Nothing would have happened."



"That's not the point, Mimi," Jack said. "The Wardens will hear of this."



"Oh, the Wardens." Kingsley laughed. "Listen, why don't you come after me yourself?" he taunted. "Or are you too much of a Red Blood lover you've forgotten your Blood is blue?"



Jack blushed to the roots of his fine blond hair.



"You Forces--or whatever your call yourselves these days--would be nothing without my family, without the sacrifices we made," Kingsley said darkly. He turned on his heel and started to walk away. "Any time you want to eat your words, Force, you know where to find me."



"Jack, it's just a joke," Mimi said, trying to mollify her brother.



"Drop it," Jack said, shrugging off her hand from his shoulder.



He walked away quickly, and Mimi followed him, a cross look on her face. "Jack, wait, c'mon."



But Jack didn't turn around. His ears were burning from embarrassment at lashing out like that in public. Had that been wise? He'd had to stop Kingsley, hadn't he? Or was he just being humorless like his sister had said? And anyway, what was Kingsley talking about? What sacrifices had the Martins made?



He would have to ask his father about this.