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The Conspiracy Of Us
byMaggie Hall
Hardcover | July 5, 2016
A fast-paced international escapade, laced with adrenaline, glamour, and romance--perfect for fans of Ally Carter
Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.
To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle—beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family--but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she's falling in love with.
Maggie Hall indulges her obsession with distant lands and far-flung adventures as often as she can. She has played with baby tigers in Thailand, learned to make homemade pasta in Italy, and taken thousands of miles of trains through the vibrant countryside of India. In her past life, she was a bookstore events coordinator and marketing...
Title:The Conspiracy Of UsFormat:HardcoverProduct dimensions:336 pages, 8.6 × 5.9 × 1.3 inShipping dimensions:8.6 × 5.9 × 1.3 inPublished:July 5, 2016Publisher:Penguin Young Readers GroupLanguage:English
Customer Reviews of The Conspiracy Of Us
Rated 5 out of 5 by Madison from LOVE The concept is one that I have never read before and instantly fell in love with!
Rated 5 out of 5 by Sara from Great start to a series! The book starts of with a cliché plot: two hot and mysterious guys show up in the beginning to reveal that the girl is part of some secret society, with each trying to convince her to join their faction of the group. However, Avery is a realistic and resilient character - she makes mistakes and is sometimes helpless, but is also determined to protect the people she cares about. Her globetrotting adventures in following clues to unravel ancient secrets before her enemies can, all while trying to determine who to trust and how to protect herself, make for an enjoyable read. The ending is a good twist that leaves readers in suspense for the sequel.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Maria from LOVE IT if you like the book Mystic City ,this is a book for you. I loved the love triangle
Rated 4 out of 5 by Jennifer from Loved the book, hated the fact that there was no metnion of a sequel. Picked this up in the bargain section, and got three pages from the end and realized that this book was going to have a sequel because the conflict was not resolved. I love the book, would recommend it to a friend, just annoyed that no where it mentioned that there was a sequel (actually it is a trilogy and the third one is coming out July 2017).
Rated 5 out of 5 by Kate from LOVE LOVE LOVE IT It was perfect, the main character was excellent and relatable. I loved both male characters. I loved the suspense, the wanting to belong, the mystery, and the action. Not a thing wrong with it. I absolutely loved it. This book is one of those rare reads where its impossible to put down.
Rated 1 out of 5 by Princess from The Conspiracy of Us Cliche and predictable. I didn't enjoy this book.
Rated 3 out of 5 by willard from Not in love with it. I don't really enjoy the whole "detective genre" so this book wasn't for me, but it wasn't awful. I just thought it was a little too unbelievable. It was too "out there" for me, considering it was supposed to be a contemporary.
Rated 5 out of 5 by PreppyBookQueen from Still reeling after finishing this one. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I first picked this up, but the emotionally gripping suspense page turner that this book is was definitely not it. It reminded me a lot of National Treasure, and I love the way that Maggie Hall coincided history into her YA suspenseful novel. I've been loving this series, and I'm anxiously awaiting the next book.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Natasha from Better than expected This was much more entertaining than I thought it would be. The mystery about Alexander's tomb is what was the most interesting and all the clues that led up to "the ones'" true identity. This series has amazing covers so far. Plot wise a love triangle is hinted at but it isn't one of those annoying love triangles that most ya books have. I cant wait to read the next book!!!
Rated 3 out of 5 by Kate from Decent detective series *I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music Inc. in exchange for an honest review* As a fan of detective mysteries, I was really looking forward to this book! I enjoyed it, I loved how the action began immediately and Avery was thrown into the chaos without understanding why she was there or who she can trust. She was a little bit too helpless in the beginning for my liking but her character did improve as the book went on. I thought it was similar to National Treasure in how vague the clues were and how deeply the clues were ingrained in history. There was enough drama to keep the plot interesting as Avery struggles to learn who she can trust in the secret societies that connect some of the most important people in the world.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Jess from IT WAS AMAZING I was hesitant to buy this for some weird reason but thank god i bought it. It was suspenseful and mind blowing. I fell in love with the plot and the characters (especially Jake ;)). I cannot wait for the second book and having to wait a year is going s killing me. This is an amazing book and recommend this to anyone who likes mystery and romance.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Sophie from best book EVER This book is wonderfull I finished it the day I bought it. From the begining you instantly fall in love with the characters.This book is so well written that you could be any age and most likely enjoy this as much as any teenager.I can barely put into words how much I love this book.
Rated 5 out of 5 by LizS from Suspenseful & Unpredictable! Maggie Hall's debut novel The Conspiracy of Us is a pure adrenaline rush! Suspenseful and unpredictable from the very first page, I was always wondering what would happen next. With secret societies, conspiracy theories, and international locales, what's not to love about The Conspiracy of Us? I also loved the novel's admiration of the beautiful, ancient cities of Paris and Istanbul and their rich sense of history and culture. The Circle of Twelve can trace their origins back to the time of Alexander the Great. From world leaders to Hollywood celebrities, their members are some of the most powerful and wealthy in the world. But this secret society also has an ancient enemy—an organization simply called the Order. Violence between the Circle of Twelve and the Order has recently escalated, and Avery finds herself in the heart of all the trouble when she learns she's the key to a prophecy. Avery only came to Paris to learn more about the father and his family that she's never met, but suddenly, she must race against time to unravel a series of obscure clues that were left behind by a man who's always been a grandfather figure to her. But who can Avery trust? She's right to be suspicious and on her guard—Avery's life is in danger. Both the Circle and the Order would love to either see her dead or use her as a pawn. Amongst strangers in a foreign city, Avery only has Stellan and Jack to rely on, but they both work for the mysterious, shadowy Circle and have their own personal motivations in wanting to help her. The conclusion left me breathless and anxious to learn what would happen next in the sequel! There's still so much mystery surrounding Avery, her past, and the role she will play in the Circle's plans in the future. I sure can't wait to learn the answers. One of my most anticipated reads of 2015, I absolutely loved reading Maggie Hall's The Conspiracy of Us. It's an international caper and thriller that will surely appeal to fans of Ally Carter.
Rated 4 out of 5 by islandgeekgirl from Fun, fast-paced read Avery West just found out she has a family she never knew about, and they have a lot of power and influence. So much power that they can shut down Prada just so she can buy a dress. They can also just as easily start a war. They're part of a group called The Circle. Some believe she could be the key to an ancient prophecy, and some want her dead so it's never fulfilled. Now Avery must work with two boys from The Circle in order to unravel the mystery and hopefully save her life. Going into this book I was thinking it would be like a YA Da Vinci's Code. It was a lot of fun and I definitely enjoyed the mystery of the prophecy and the conspiracy of it all. I liked Avery and her younger group of characters, not so much the adults we met, and the action was well-paced. Avery did frustrate me at times. At the beginning she was very naive and leaped into making decisions without thinking things through. Sneaking out of the house to attend the school dance was understandable. A normal teenage thing to do. Getting on a plane with a total stranger because another total stranger told her to go, not so smart. Other than that, I did like her. She questioned things, she was shocked at the violence and how easily others got over it. She was also very well aware at how ridiculous(not in a bad way) her life suddenly was by being a part of the family of this Circle. The two boys Avery had to work with were also very likeable. Jack had an instant connection with her, he wanted to protect her, he was always there for her, right by her side, but without smothering her. Their romance was forbidden though so there was a lot of push and pull that was enjoyable. Stellan, the other boy, wasn't around as much as Jack but he left just as big an impression. He was more stoic and questioning than Jack and I liked that about him. He also seemed lonely and sad at times. Someone who did the most with the little page time he was given was Luc. I loved Luc. He was funny and caring and seemed like such a good guy that would be an amazing friend for Avery. I thought the whole mystery surrounding the prophecy was really interesting. There was 'the one' and 'the girl with the violet eyes' and they had to figure out who 'the one' was and unite him with this girl. I was able to figure out who 'the one' was but I wasn't disappointed. There was still a lot more mystery, with the promise of a lot more to come. I've read a few books with Paris as a setting but the side trip to Istanbul was a nice surprise. I also liked the origins of The Circle, their roots tracing back to Alexander the Great, which was something else I haven't seen a lot of in books. The fast pacing, the fun adventure, the mystery, everything about the book made for a fast read because I wanted to know more. At times it was a little far-fetched but never enough to lose me. It was definitely a fun read.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Lindsay from The Conspiracy of Us: Mysterious & Dangerous The Conspiracy of Us is mysterious and dangerous. It's a race through foreign lands, it's a list of clues to decode, it's a treasure to discover before time runs out. Avery is a nice girl, a lonely girl, having moved around so much because of her mother. She's isolated, not like other girls in some ways, but it's partially her own doing. She doesn't get involved because she doesn't want to set herself up for disappointment the next time they move. But there are ghosts in her past, ones she doesn't even know about, and when they finally reveal themselves her life changes. There's a sudden shift from her partially normal life to an infinitely more dangerous one as she's whisked off to Europe for reasons no one bothers to explain to her. As she should be, she's suspicious of everyone, but not always. There are some moments where it's like she forgets she's in danger, like when she asks about sightseeing after being flown to Paris on a private jet without needing a passport. Like when she goes off clubbing with people she barely knows instead of staying with someone who cares about her safety. Those moments make her seem flighty, flaky, a bit shallow. I can only put some of the reason behind those actions as there's no one around her with any new information as to the truth of the matter and so she goes if only to stay alive. The mystery is what drew me to this book, the secret societies and the conspiracies, the warring families and the resulting high-speed chases. These things demand that the tension be high and that everyone but Avery be suspicious, and they are. The tension is high, never knowing who could be listening around a corner, planning or plotting, and everyone is suspicious. Especially Stellan. Especially Jack. Because they never tell her the entire truth until it's almost too late. To be honest, the mystery is more interesting, the Circle and the ancient prophecy, than the romance. I don't quite understand the appeal of one of the two guys. The one, yes, it's obvious and I'm fine with it, but I'm not sure about the other. And I think I can see where the next book is going to go in terms of the romance. Still, I am interested in reading what comes next in this series. The ways in which the author has included history into the secret society are creative and intriguing. This book will appeal to those looking for high-stakes tension, some romance, a secret society hell-bent on continuing their control over the world, and hidden mysteries set to ruin those plans.
CHAPTER 1The piece of paper could have been anything.The spotlight behind me flashed acid green, then pink, then went dark. The pink still seared my retinas, lending a rosy glow to the folded page clenched in my fist.I stared at it for a few seconds, then reopened it.The six-inch square had just dropped out of Jack Bishop's bag.Jack Bishop, the new guy, who had transferred to Lakehaven High at the beginning of this week. Who had shown up here at lighting tech rehearsal, even though he was the last person I'd expect to be a theater kid.He'd glanced at his phone and hurried down from the catwalk, and was now making his way across the stage below, his footsteps echoing through the theater. His white T-shirt went orange with the next floodlight, then blue, a bright spot in the dark.I made sure no one was watching, then smoothed the paper flat again.It was a photo. A photo of a girl with long dark hair and matching dark eyes focused just out of the frame.The girl was me.CHAPTER 2I watched Jack until he disappeared.On the other end of the catwalk, Lara Sanchez, the lighting director for the spring play and the person who forced me to come today, leaned over all the new theater techs to demonstrate how another light operated. It made the whole structure shudder.I clutched at the wire mesh with white-knuckled fingers and glanced at the photo again. In it, my lips were slightly parted, my head turned, like I was talking to someone. He must have gotten it online. Lara posted a ton of pictures. For Jack Bishop to go to the trouble of searching one out meant . . . Well, there weren't many reasons a guy would be carrying your picture around.I suddenly realized how stagnant the air up here was. Hot. Stuffy. I was doing better than I thought I would, but I wouldn't say no to an excuse to get down.I scrambled to my feet. "Sorry," I whispered to Lara as I stepped over legs and backpacks. "Excuse me." I didn't stop until I was on solid ground. I brushed off my jeans, shoved the picture into my messenger bag, then pushed open the heavy theater door.B Hall looked especially drab after the neon stage, but Jack, halfway to the gym and looking at his phone, might as well have had a spotlight on him.Since he'd started at Lakehaven on Monday, Jack had been invited onto the yearbook committee and half the school's sports teams, and into EmmaBeth Porter's pants, and those were just the offers I'd overheard.Meanwhile, I'd spent the whole week fighting the flutter in my stomach that started when he sat next to me in sociology class. And got worse when he smiled at me in calculus. And then he'd showed up at lighting, which meant I'd been staring at the tattoo on his forearm for the last half hour instead of paying attention.I wasn't just fascinated with his forearms, though, or his deep gray eyes, or the dimple in his right cheek. He was ridiculously attractive—not pretty, but good-looking in a chiseled way, his jawline an angle rather than a curve, not a strand of espresso-colored hair out of place—and to a lot of people, that would be enough.To me, though, there was more. Jack was the new kid, like I was. Like me, he said no to all the invitations. I never saw him talking to anyone for more than a couple of minutes. But he seemed so confident about it. It was like he actually . . . didn't care.I pretended I didn't care. About friends. About boys. About having a life. Sometimes I thought I'd actually gotten the hang of it, but then I'd find myself sneaking out of lighting rehearsal because there was a traitorous part of me that wanted to know if this guy I'd been watching for the past week had been watching me, too.Jack made an abrupt right out the exit to the courtyard.I should have stopped following him. What was I planning to do, anyway? But when I got to where he'd turned, I heard a voice echoing back into the hall through the plink of raindrops. "Why would he be coming here?"I stopped short, confused. Carefully, I peered through the propped-open doors. Maybe it was somebody else.It wasn't. All I could see was his left arm, but it was Jack. His compass tattoo was facing me, north pointing to the ground."Have you got any idea when?" he said, and I tried to make sense of it. Unless my ears weren't working, Jack Bishop was speaking with a British accent.He glanced behind him, and I shrank flat against the lockers."No, I haven't seen him yet. Aren't there more important things to worry about?" He paused. "What would the Dauphins want with her?"Her? My hand flew to the front pocket of my bag, where I'd tucked the photo."Sir?" Jack's voice changed from agitated to confused. "Certainly," he said. "Level one priority. I understand."I shook my head. Of course he wasn't talking about me. But what was he talking about?"I'll do it by tonight, then," Jack said after a pause. "Yes, sir."He must have hung up the phone, because he cursed under his breath, and his footsteps squelched away on the rain-soaked sidewalk.I sagged against the lockers. The last few words of the conversation played out in my head. Level one priority. Sir.An old teacher of his, maybe. A strict British grandfather. It was none of my business, but the uncertainty in Jack's usually calm voice had unsettled me as much as the accent had.I tucked a strand of dark hair behind my ear and took out the picture again, studying my face in the dull fluorescent light.Wait.I looked closer. This photo was taken in the front yard at my house. I recognized the spiky pine tree.I didn't remember Lara taking pictures there, and I never posted photos online.And if that was the case, where had Jack gotten it?CHAPTER 3Avery June West!" I jumped. I'd spent too much time thinking about the picture, and now I was about to be late for next period. I turned to find Lara bouncing down the hall toward my locker, her blue-tipped hair swinging. "Dude, thanks for running out on me. What is your problem?"For some reason, I didn't want to tell her about Jack. "I told you I don't really like heights," I said instead.I spun my lock, jiggled the handle, and smacked the corner of the door with my palm. It sprang open. Being the new kid in the middle of the year means you get a lot of leftovers. Lockers are no exception."And we agreed lighting would be good for that, remember?" Lara pulled a pack of Twizzlers from her backpack and offered it to me. I shook my head. "And then you get to hang out with me. If you did set design, you'd have to deal with Amber Leland the rest of the year, and gross."I grabbed my Ancient Civilizations book. "I'm not going to ditch you for set design."On the way to Ancient Civ, Lara told me about how Amie Simpson had been suspended for smoking cigarettes with the janitor, and how her date had no one to go to prom with now, and their dinner reservation was blown."You should just come," she said, pointing a long red Twizzler rope at the prom committee table. "I know you said you weren't going, but you could be Amie's replacement."I looked at the prom poster. The theme was A Night in Hollywood. "I don't think so, but thanks."I didn't do school dances. Just like clubs—and especially like very cute, very intriguing boys—they weren't part of The Plan. I was determined to stick to The Plan here in Lakehaven, Minnesota."Your loss," Lara said. "The Olive Garden has unlimited breadsticks."I tuned out when Molly Mattison came running up to ask if she could borrow Lara's favorite feather earrings.Was the whole idea of The Plan cynical of me? Sure. Kind of pathetic? Definitely. But I'd realized I needed to stop caring years ago, in a moving truck between Portland and St. Louis. The Plan worked, just like it was working this time. Lara was nice, but we'd never be all that close. I'd done lighting today to get both her and my mom off my back, but I'd specifically chosen the activity so I had an excuse to fail. Thank you, fear of heights.The thing is, being lonely is like walking in the cold without a coat. It's uncomfortable, but eventually you go numb. Once you get used to not being lonely, though, the shock of going back is like having your down comforter yanked off at six o'clock on a Minnesota December morning.Lara stopped talking and narrowed her eyes."What?" I started to say, but then I saw. Jack was walking toward us down the hall. There was no way he'd followed me to my house and taken a picture when I wasn't looking. Lara must have taken it."He is a ridiculous human being," Lara said.Unlike every other girl in the school, she had no interest in Jack. She thought he was a snob. "Too J.Crew," she said, and she wasn't entirely wrong. He strutted down the hall with his hands in his pockets, wearing a tailored button-down with rolled-up sleeves, like he'd just stepped out of a photo shoot."Yeah," I said. "Ridiculous." I twisted the gold chain of my locket between my fingers and shot one last glance over my shoulder as the bell rang and we hurried into Ancient Civ. A few seconds later, Jack paused in the doorway. His eyes met mine before he took his seat, and I traced lines on my notebook.Jack was in this class, calc, and sociology with me. We'd been paired up for a project on "Families in America" the past couple of days in sociology, which meant he now knew everything there was to know about my life, from the constant moving for my mom's job to my dad leaving us when I was little. I was still surprised I'd told him as much as I had. He wasn't nearly as forthcoming. I thought he would have at least mentioned posh British relatives who gave him enigmatic assignments over the phone."Miss West? Avery?"I jumped, and my pen slipped off my desk with a clatter. I hadn't even realized that class started."Can you answer the question for us?" Mrs. Lindley asked."Um . . ." I glanced at Lara. She pointed to her notes, but I couldn't read her pink scrawls. On my own notebook, where I should have been taking notes, was a rough sketch of Jack's compass tattoo. I quickly covered it with my elbow."The Diadochi, Miss West, from the reading assigned last night. Can you tell us the role they played in the life of Alexander the Great?"I'd done the reading. I always did the reading. I might not be good at people, but I was good at school. Right now, though, I was drawing a complete blank."Alexander the Great conquered a lot of the ancient world. Um, from Greece all the way to India," I said, stalling as I flipped pages, hoping the words would jump out at me.Mrs. Lindley's lips pursed like she'd bitten into something sour."The Diadochi were Alexander's successors," a deep voice said, from three rows away. I turned. Jack was staring right at me. His voice was back to normal, with no trace of the British accent.Mrs. Lindley quirked an eyebrow in my direction."Alexander didn't have a blood heir, so he left his kingdom to his twelve generals," Jack continued. Mrs. Lindley sighed and turned her attention to him."Thank you, Mr. Bishop, for demonstrating what happens when we do our homework. This time, I'll forget that you didn't raise your hand. Can you tell us what year Alexander the Great died?"When Jack had answered all her questions, he glanced back my way.I turned quickly back to my notes. I wished he hadn't done that. The last thing I needed was another reason to like him. I ripped out the drawing of his tattoo, crumpled it, and shoved it into my bag.After class, I waited while Lara put her books away. I made a point to not look at Jack, but when I heard footsteps heading toward us as the rest of the class filed out, I knew exactly who it was.Jack's dark hair had gone a bit wavy from the humidity, and he had his canvas messenger bag slung casually over one shoulder. I fiddled with the lace at the hem of my tank top."Hey! You left me high and dry at lighting, too," Lara said, poking her index finger in the middle of Jack's chest. "Rude. Both of you are rude.""I'm sorry about that." Jack's voice was low and rough around the edges, like it was scraping over gravel. "I had to take a call. My grandfather's sick."Oh. The tension I didn't realize had been building in my chest relaxed. I resisted the urge to ask where in England his grandfather lived—then reminded myself once more that I shouldn't care. Not about Jack's personal life, and not about the fact that even when he was talking to Lara, he was looking at me.Lara wrinkled her nose in a way that could mean either I'm sorry or eww, old people. "That sucks," she said. She turned back to me as I hitched my bag up on my shoulder. And then she turned back to Jack when he didn't leave. And to me again. She gave me the most unsubtle eyebrow raise ever. "Oh. Okay. I just remembered I gotta go. Do . . . things. Ave, come over after school if you want, even if you aren't coming to prom. We're doing our nails."I could have killed her, but I just pulled my hair out from under the strap of my bag and smiled through clenched teeth."I think you lost this." Jack handed me my pen as Lara walked away. "It rolled under my desk.""Thanks."He walked beside me out of class, slowing his long strides to match mine. He was probably just a little taller than average, but I still had to crane my neck to look up at him. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye at the same time."And thanks for earlier," I said quickly, "but I did do the reading. I would have remembered the answer eventually.""Oh." The space between his brows knitted together. Jack's brows were heavy and dark, and were as expressive as the rest of him was stoic. "I'm sorry. I thought—""No, it's okay." I went through the motions of opening my locker again. "I'm just saying I didn't actually need to be rescued. But I appreciate it."He gave me a tiny smile, and it was like sun shining through armor. I busied myself putting my books in my bag."Actually, Avery," Jack said, "I need to talk to you."My calculus book fell the rest of the way into my bag with a thump."Can we go somewhere—" His phone buzzed. He let out a frustrated breath. "One second."While he checked a text, I zipped my bag shut. I didn't care what he had to say, I told myself. I didn't. I didn't. My black ankle boots squeaked on the damp tile, and the hall echoed with last-minute prom plans and the finality of lockers slamming one last time before the weekend.Maybe he was going to ask about homework. Or maybe he'd say something horribly arrogant, Lara could be proven right, and I could truly forget about him.I hazarded a glance up, and Jack's brows quirked down dangerously as he typed a text. It was the same look he'd had on his face when he'd left lighting earlier."Is your grandfather okay?" I asked."My—" His eyes narrowed for second, then he nodded. "He'll be fine. But, I was . . . um. Tonight." He shifted, running a hand through his hair. "Lara mentioned you're not going to prom?"I clenched my fist around the strap of my bag."I don't really go to school dances," I said. My voice was an octave higher than usual."Oh." Jack and I were mirror images of each other, two islands in a swirling river of people. "I get it," he said. "You move all the time. If it's not going to last, is it even worth the effort, right?"I looked up sharply. There was no way perfectly put-together Jack Bishop could understand The Plan."It's just that—I was wondering—" Jack rubbed the compass tattoo on his forearm with his opposite thumb, like a nervous habit. Then he looked up at me from under his lashes, his gray eyes unbearably hopeful, and I melted into a puddle on the dirty hallway floor. "I wanted to see if you'd like to go. With me."The rest of the school year flew by in fast-forward. We'd go to prom. Maybe kiss good night. Sit next to each other in class, walk hand in hand down the hall. Have someone who got what it was like to be new when everyone else had known each other since they were in diapers. And eventually, as much as I tried not to, I'd let him in.I fast-forwarded more. It might be a month, it might be a year, but inevitably, we'd move, and this time I wouldn't be the only one losing somebody.I closed my eyes. It'd be better for him to ask someone else to prom—a cheerleader, or a choir member, or anybody who wasn't as screwed up as I was. And better for me to forget he existed.When my eyes fluttered open, I couldn't look at him. "Thanks," I said to his feet. "But I don't think so." I turned and stalked off before he could see the carefully patched-up hole in my heart tearing wide open.CHAPTER 4I was so lost in my thoughts, I almost blew through the one red light in Lakehaven on the drive home from school. I slammed on the brakes and came to a stop in front of Frannie's Frozen Yogurt as pedestrians poured into the crosswalk.I let my head flop back against the headrest. It was fine. I'd be fine.Saying no was the right thing to do, even though nobody had ever asked me to a dance before. Even though it was Jack Bishop asking me. But it was fine.I rested my forehead against the steering wheel. I wished the light would hurry up and turn so I could get home and this day could be over.The crosswalk finally cleared, but as I sat up with a sigh and eased my foot onto the gas, one more person stepped out.I stomped on the brake again, but the guy kept walking, like he didn't care that I'd almost hit him. He was tall, with straight dirty-blond hair a few weeks past a haircut, and so slim I would have called him skinny if not for the tightly muscled arms peeking out from under his T-shirt. He wasn't from here—that much I was sure of. His gray skinny jeans tucked into half-tied boots, and the bag slung across his chest—that was hard for a guy to pull off unironically unless he was a big-city hipster, and Lakehaven didn't have any of those. And even though I might not know everyone's names yet, I knew every face at school. I was sure I'd recognize one that looked like this.The guy's eyes swept from side to side, unhurried. They lit on three freshmen coming out of the frozen yogurt place, on a group of cheerleaders holding dry-cleaning bags, on a girl on a bike—and then, on me.He stopped.He stood there, right in the middle of the street, a smile stretched across his face. It wasn't a friendly smile. It was a smile like a lion about to pounce on prey, like blood, and hunger, and it tingled low in my stomach and made me push the lock button.The car behind me honked.The guy adjusted his bag and strolled the rest of the way across the street, turning to watch me drive away.• • •When I got home, I pushed the front door closed and snapped the deadbolt shut. The sound echoed in the quiet house.I wished I had gone to Lara's. She had three sisters, and her aunt and uncle and cousins lived next door. Between the shrieks and giggles of the little kids and the adults in the kitchen drinking wine and teasing us about school and boys and college, her house exploded with life."Mom?" I called. The only answer was the washing machine's irregular clunk and a low murmur of voices from the TV.I tossed my bag on the kitchen table and shrugged out of my denim jacket. The story that had broken the night before was still on the news: a car bomb in Dubai had killed nine people, including a Saudi prince.I clicked the TV off. The news was depressing. My mom was obsessed, which seemed like a waste of time since we couldn't do anything to change what happened.I wandered the kitchen, opening cabinets, the fridge, and finally pulling pistachio ice cream and frozen Thin Mints from the freezer.The guy in the crosswalk could have been another transfer student, but I'd think I would have heard about him. Maybe he was somebody's out-of-town cousin. Or prom date.I set my ice cream on the table and flipped through the pile of mail. I dropped it all when I got to a postcard. Istanbul—a picture of a mosque with soaring turrets. That was new.I flipped it over and smiled at the familiar precise cursive.Avery,Hope this finds you and your mother well. Istanbul is beautiful. You'd love all the color in the markets, the textiles, the lights on the river. Remember the gyro stand you liked near Copley Square in Boston? There's one on every street corner here. The whole city smells delicious.Charlie says hello.Much love,Fitzpatrick EmersonMr. Emerson had been our next-door neighbor in Boston when I was eight. It was right after our first move, and the longest we'd stayed in one place since. Mr. Emerson was all gray hair and round glasses, with a big booming laugh and a bowl of jelly beans—the classic grandpa I never had.I'd always thought life would be easier if we had some family. Brothers and sisters as built-in friends, or cousins to write e-mails to, or an aunt to spend summers with—somebody besides my mom and me. Mr. Emerson wasn't actually related to us, but he was the closest thing we had.I ran a finger over the Turkish postcard stamp and read the message again. Charlie was Mr. Emerson's grandson, and I swear, Mr. Emerson had been trying to set us up since I was a kid. I'd never seen so much as a picture of Charlie Emerson, but every time he wrote, Mr. Emerson told me about his adventures, and said he talked to Charlie about me.I flipped the postcard over and looked at the picture. The Hagia Sophia. I remembered Mr. Emerson teaching me about it when I was little. About how "Hagia" was actually pronounced "Aya," and its name meant "Holy Wisdom."I was glad he got to travel now that he was retired from teaching. And I was glad he still cared enough to send postcards. He was the only person over twelve moves who had stayed in touch for more than a couple months.The laundry room door squeaked open and my mom poked her head out, a frown on her face. "Hi, Junebug. Have you seen my green pen? I swear, I was just holding it."I pointed to the top of her head, where the pen stuck out of a messy bun. She felt around, sighed, and pulled it out, letting smooth blond waves fall around her shoulders. "You'd think I'd learn, wouldn't you?""You'd think." I dipped a cookie in my ice cream and took a bite. My mom wasn't actually the flighty, flustered type. It was more like keeping our lives together crowded out unimportant stuff like keeping track of writing implements. "Oh, you were out of fizzy water," I said. "I got you a case. On the counter."My mom came over and kissed me on top of my head. "What would I do without you, daughter?""Be thirsty and unable to take notes," I replied. I hugged her hard around the waist."Hey," she said, a note of concern creeping into her voice when I didn't let go immediately. "Everything okay?""Yeah," I said. I hadn't realized just how much I needed a hug. "Fine."I let go, but she slid down and nudged me to the side so she could sit on half my chair. She glanced at Mr. Emerson's postcard but didn't pick it up, and I wondered if she thought that was what was bothering me. Not that she'd ever ask about it directly. We used to talk about the moves, about how lonely I was, but it got to where it made it worse. Now we talked about everything else, but with undertones so clear, they may as well have been subtitles."Was play rehearsal okay?" She looped her arm through mine. I push you into these things so maybe we can both feel better, the subtitles said.I put my head on her shoulder. "It was as bad as I told you it would be. Maybe worse." I know you didn't actually think I'd stick it out."Sweetie, everyone has a hard time with new things." My mom pushed back the hair that had fallen in my face. "Is something specific bothering you?""Um, yes. Falling." I shivered, thinking of the swaying catwalk. "Falling to my death." That one was actually kind of true."Oh, Junebug." She sat up and took my face between her hands like she used to when I was little.Everyone said we looked alike. We had the same thick hair, with just a little wave—though hers was blond—same small frame, same little, round nose. But my eyes were wider, darker—especially with my brown contacts—and my very dark eyes in my very pale face made me look young. Her eyes belonged to someone older than the rest of her, especially with the deep worry lines between them."I know you're afraid of falling, but sometimes, you've got to let go." And I'm not just talking about your fear of heights, the subtitle read.I know, and I don't want to talk about it, I sighed.My mom got up. "Tea?"I nodded. She filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. The burner clicked a few times and burst to life.She took two tea bags from the cabinet and rubbed her forehead with a sigh that echoed in the quiet room.I stopped scraping the bottom of my ice cream bowl. "Everything okay?""Did you see the mysterious new boy again today?" she asked. "Jack, right?"I winced. She wasn't the only one who could change the subject. "Mr. Emerson's in Istanbul. Cool, right?"The two mugs my mom was holding clattered to the counter. "Yes," she said, straightening them. "I saw the postcard. Sounds like a fascinating city.""Mom. What's going on?" There was obviously something bothering her, and it wasn't the postcard."Nothing." Her fake smile was back. "It's been a long day. And . . . well, Junebug . . ." She looked longingly at the teakettle, like it might save her, then sighed heavily and sat across from me at the table. "We need to talk."I knew what she was going to say before she pulled the manila envelope out of her laptop bag."A new mandate," I said flatly. I should have known.I remembered the first time I'd heard the word. My mom was a military contractor—not in the military, like she didn't wear a uniform or anything, but she worked for them, doing administrative stuff in cities all over the country. Sometimes she had to scout a location for new offices and the job lasted a few months, and sometimes it would be more of a desk job she'd do from home, and we'd stay longer.That day, I was nine years old, and we lived in Arizona. I'd cut my hand. When I came inside for a Band-Aid, my mom was on the phone."It's not that I want to leave. I hate doing that to her," she was saying, and I stopped to listen. "Of course because of the mandate. Why else?"When she heard the door slam behind me, she hung up the phone."What's a mandate?" I'd asked, and she'd reached in her purse and pulled out a large envelope, exactly like the one she was holding right now. It was her new set of orders, sending us to a new town, a new life. The word mandate had hung over our heads ever since.I should have been relieved to see the envelope now. Especially in the last week, I'd let myself come dangerously close to liking Lakehaven.The teakettle sputtered, then whistled, and my mom poured water into two mugs. She set the one with the Eiffel Tower on it in front of me and I wrapped my hands around it, even though it was too hot. "Where?""Maine. Our new house will be right by the water, and the summers are supposed to be beautiful!" she said, too brightly.I dunked the tea bag. "When?"My mom leaned on the counter. "I reserved the moving truck for Sunday.""Sunday?" I let the bag fall, and tea splashed over the side of the mug. Two days? "Mom! I'm not eight years old anymore. There are things I can't leave that fast. Like . . . getting the records for my AP classes transferred. There's no way a new school will let me into AP at the end of the year without paperwork. And checking the weather in Maine so I can put the right stuff in the right boxes. And—" I couldn't stop thinking about that picture in my bag. Jack. "There are things.""I'm sorry, sweetheart. Next time I'll try to give you more warning, but right now, it is what it is."I pushed my mug across the table. If we were leaving in two days, maybe seeing Jack wouldn't be violating The Plan. One night wasn't getting involved; it was just letting myself live a tiny bit. "I think I'll go to prom tonight, then.""No!"I looked up sharply. The only time my mom ever raised her voice was when she burned dinner. Now she was frozen at the counter, eyes wide like I'd suggested skydiving."I have to go out of town for a couple of days, starting tonight," she said quickly. "I'd rather you stayed home."She sometimes had to take care of things at the home office before the moves, but she never acted this weird about it. "A month ago you were forcing me to go dress shopping," I said.She picked up a sponge and swiped at the counter. "And you didn't get one, because you said you didn't want to go, remember?"A month ago, I wasn't about to move. A month ago, Jack didn't live here. "I have that old lace dress. The purple one. I'll wear that."My mom pursed her lips. "I don't want to worry about you while I'm gone. There'll be drunk teenagers on the road. And what if you lock yourself out?""I have literally never locked myself out in my life." I ran both hands through my hair. "And prom's at school. I can walk there in twenty minutes if you don't want me to drive."She tossed the sponge into the sink. "Avery June West, promise me you'll stay in tonight."I must have looked alarmed, because she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Pack. Relax. You can go to prom in Maine!" My mom only spoke in exclamation points when there wasn't actually anything to be excited about. "You'll be a senior then. Senior prom's more fun anyway!"I gathered up my stuff, ignoring her pleading eyes. "Fine.""Avery, I'm sorry—""No, seriously, it's fine," I said through gritted teeth. This was why I never let myself care. It always got ruined, one way or another. I stalked to my bedroom without another word.CHAPTER 5I threw myself onto my ruffled comforter. I wouldn't go to prom in Maine. By next spring, we'd be in the next place. Always in the next place, in the future—that's when I'd have a life. I rooted around in my bag and found the picture again, and next to it, the crumpled drawing of Jack's tattoo. I smoothed out the crinkles.The compass was vaguely familiar, like I'd seen it in a movie or something. Now I'd never know. I finished sketching the south and east points, pushing so hard with the pen, I tore a hole in the paper.My phone dinged.If you change your mind, I'm still going to prom. Hope to see you there.Jack.I stared at the message. He wasn't upset. He cared enough to try again. One night. It was one night. Why was my mom being so unreasonable?I want to say yes so much it hurts, I typed in, then erased it. I'm going to try not to picture EmmaBeth Porter's tongue down your throat all night, I typed, then wrinkled my nose. Eww. Already unsuccessful. Kill me now, I typed, then tossed the phone at my headboard and watched it slither down between two pillows.I flopped onto my back and stared at the mustard-yellow ceiling. The first couple of moves, redecorating is fun. Changing paint colors, unpacking all your knickknacks. By the twelfth, all the breakable stuff is left wrapped, and the puke color stays on the walls.Who knows. Maybe my mom vetoing prom was a sign. Jack seemed nice, but carrying a vaguely stalkerish photo was weird. And that phone call was weird. The more I thought about it, the more it hadn't sounded like he was talking to a sick relative at all.But maybe if I had a family of my own, I'd understand not wanting to tell a virtual stranger all about them.Maybe if my mom didn't move us so much, I wouldn't be such a reclusive weirdo who forced herself to think the worst about everybody.Maybe, maybe, maybe.Maybe none of it mattered, since we'd be leaving the day after tomorrow anyway.I listened to make sure my mom wasn't coming down the hall, then leaned over the edge of the bed and pulled out a shoe box that I'd hidden behind some winter clothes. I opened it and tossed my sketch of Jack's tattoo and the photo of me on top.I was about to slam the box shut, but stopped. I pulled out the top few mementos—invitations to parties I never went to, a picture of me with a neighbor's family. Rattling around in the bottom of the box was the infinity-sign pinky ring from eighth grade, when I broke The Plan for Missy and Alina and Katy. We called ourselves the Fab Four, and promised to text every single day when I moved. That lasted for about six weeks.Halfway down the stack, a ripped-out sheet of notebook paper listing everyone I'd ever found on Google named Alexander Mason who could maybe, possibly, be my dad.He and my mom had dated in college, and when she got pregnant with me, he left. When I was younger, I wondered if one day he would realize he'd made a mistake. That he wanted us after all, and we'd have a normal life, full of smiles and holiday dinners and cheesy, feel-good, cell-phone-commercial family moments. My dad's parents were dead, and he didn't have any other family, but I used to think about how there was a possibility of brothers and sisters if he came back into the picture.I got over that wish a long time ago. I ran a finger over my locket. I'd taken the one picture I had of him out, and now there was only a photo of me and my mom, protected by the worn gold filigree. The picture of my dad stared up at me from the box. It was small, and blurry, but you could tell my dark hair and pale skin came from him, and I knew I had his eyes. You could almost call my natural eye color deep blue, but that wasn't quite right. Really, my eyes were purple.When I was younger, kids had teased me that I was wearing contacts to be cool. That normally wouldn't have been a huge deal, but as weird and friendless as I was already, it killed me. But it did give me and my mom an idea. Since I had horrible vision anyway—and, though she'd never admit it, probably because they reminded her so much of my dad—my mom suggested colored contacts. I'd had dark brown eyes ever since.I jammed everything in the box and shoved it back under the bed—and then opened it once more and snatched out the compass drawing.Even if The Plan was the right thing to do in the long run, what was one night? One dance. One date with one guy. Tonight could be one tiny memory that wasn't a what-if.I could hear my mom in the kitchen, opening the cabinets over the sink. I knew the sound of her bundling the silverware, wrapping it in a dish towel, and putting it in the bowl of the blender, the same way she'd always done it. Next she'd pack up the baking stuff and the cleaning supplies, and I'd pack my room and the bathroom and the laundry room. And then we'd pile those boxes alongside the ones we'd never gotten around to unpacking from last time.I made a decision.I fished my phone out from between the pillows, typed out a quick text, then jumped off my bed and went to the kitchen. I grabbed some of the broken-down boxes my mom had brought up from the basement. "You're probably right," I said, and her thin shoulders relaxed. "I'll start folding clothes."The rest of the afternoon, I was a model daughter. I packed my room, vacuumed, and even heated up frozen lasagna for dinner. Then I waited until my mom was safely on her way to the airport, slipped my dress on, threw my hair up with bobby pins, and walked out the front door.CHAPTER 6The gym reeked of cheap aftershave and a hungry energy fueled by the crush of bodies and the open backs of dresses and the euphoric faces blinking in and out of the dark. Streamers on the walls caught the strobes and exploded with light, like fireworks, spearing the dark corners of the room.The swirl of bodies in jewel tones and sparkles and pressed black suits parted around me as I stood at the edge of the dance floor, physically present but not actually a part of anything. I wondered sometimes if they all knew how good they had it: girls in circles with their friends, singing at the top of their lungs, or with their arms curled around their boyfriends' necks. Girls who had gotten their hair done by a big sister, cheesy prom pictures taken by a proud dad.Across the gym Lara saw me and jumped up and down waving, the spinning lights flashing off the glittery blue tulle of her dress. I waved back, a surprisingly sharp pang running through me at the thought of leaving her, too. I'd tried so hard not to get too close to any of them. I held up a finger to tell her I'd be over in a minute.I wove my way past the line for the photographer, who was posing a guy's hand on a girl's hip, and pulled at the hem of my dress. I'd gotten it in the ninth grade for a neighbor's wedding. It was pretty, with capped sleeves and scalloped lavender lace, but definitely too casual for prom. I hoped Jack wouldn't care.If I ever found him, that is. He hadn't texted back. It would be just my luck if he'd turned his phone off and didn't see the message until tomorrow.Fifteen minutes later, I'd circled the whole gym once, twice. Casually peered onto the dance floor. Walked by the bathrooms and the water fountain. Gotten a cup of punch from the snack table, just in case he was waiting there. Checked my phone five times. Stopped and talked to Lara and her date. Still no Jack.I traced a pattern on my scuffed leather messenger bag with one fingertip. It was fine. It was probably better this way.I took one last look at the human-sized papier-mâché Oscar statuettes, felt the bass of the dance track vibrate through my feet, and took a sip of too-sweet red punch. Then I turned to head for the exit—and ran straight into a senior in a yellow dress."Sorry . . ." I trailed off when I realized I'd splashed punch all over myself. Perfect.The girl was staring intently at something I couldn't see, though, and didn't even notice me. The friend she was dancing with was looking, too.I put down my cup and, dabbing at my dress with a napkin, ducked between two guys in tuxedos and too much cologne to see what was going on. I stopped short.It wasn't a what that was going on, it was a who.Crosswalk Guy.He leaned against the gym wall, one foot propped casually over the other, his blond hair falling over his eyes. He was a head taller than everyone around him, and had to be at least a year or two older than all of us.As if to confirm that, he blew a stream of smoke out of the corner of his mouth, then stamped out a cigarette, right there on the gym floor. No wonder everybody was staring. How had he not been caught by a teacher? There didn't seem to be any around.The guy's eyes continued to roam the crowd. And then they got to me. His face broke into that slow, lazy grin again.I held my breath as he pushed off the wall at half tempo, so the strobe lights seemed to move entirely too fast. Half the dance watched him watch me. Was he mistaking me for someone else?A slow song started as he stopped in front of me. "Avery West."I took a step backward. How did he know my name? He had a light foreign accent—maybe Russian? That would fit with the jaunty blond hair and the high, sharp cheekbones. It made my name sound exotic, like a Bond girl. Ay-veery."Lovely to see you, sweetheart," he continued, plucking the napkin out of my hand with a frown and dropping it to the ground. "A dance?"He slipped one cool, sure palm into mine before I had a chance to respond."Um," I said. He settled his other hand on my lower back and drew me close. EmmaBeth Porter, dancing nearby, stared from him to me with a look halfway between appalled and so jealous, she could throw up.I brushed back a strand of dark hair that had escaped its bobby pin and stared up at him. "I'm sorry, I don't think I know you.""You don't." He smiled. "And even more interestingly, I do not know you. Why don't you go ahead and tell me who you are, and we can skip this little charade?"He squeezed my hand.EmmaBeth and her date had moved toward the stage, where last year's prom court was assembling, leaving me and Crosswalk Guy by ourselves on the far edge of the dance floor. Even though all he'd done was say things I didn't understand, I suddenly did not want to be alone with him."I'm not sure what you're talking about," I said, pulling at my hand. He held on tighter, and alarms went off in my head. "I'm going to go—""Stellan," came a quiet voice from behind me.Crosswalk Guy—Stellan—rolled his eyes. "Oh good," he said. "You're here."I ripped my hand out of Stellan's, turned around, and was hugely relieved to see Jack.He wore a perfectly fitted black suit over a crisp white shirt and a thin tie. He met my eyes for just a second, then looked past me at Stellan. He scowled. Even that brought out a hint of the deep dimple in his right cheek."Stellan, get away from her," he said. His British accent was back. "Avery, come here."I was headed toward him anyway, but stalled at the command. I looked between them. Compared with Jack's slim but solid frame, Stellan was taller, sharper, almost gaunt in that ethereally beautiful way you see on runway models. And while Jack looked like he might punch someone, Stellan wore the kind of patronizing smile adults get when kids are fighting over a toy.I wrapped my arms around myself. "What's going on?""So who is she?" Stellan said to Jack. He unbuttoned his gray suit jacket. "If you weren't here, I'd think I had the wrong girl. She's so . . . ordinary."I looked down at my punch-stained dress and sale-rack strappy sandals."Not that you're not pretty." Stellan smiled thinly down at me. "You are." He turned back to Jack. "As I can see you've noticed. And such a little thing. I could snap her in half with one finger."Jack growled low in his throat, and Stellan laughed. "You make this too easy.""Excuse me, I'm right here," I said. "And this is really . . ." Bizarre? He had to think I was someone else, right? But then how would he know Jack? "Jack, let's go—"Stellan stepped between us, loosening his tie. I suddenly realized he wasn't getting comfortable. He was getting ready for a fight. Sharp slivers of alarm pierced my confusion. Maybe it was time to let go of the idea of Jack as a prom date.I started to inch away."What do you even want with her?" Jack said. His voice was low and dangerous, with no trace of the anxiety I'd heard while he was on the phone earlier. "There's no reason for you to be here."I stopped. The memory of the phone call flooded back. He had asked the caller what they wanted with "her." And when "he" was coming. And had mentioned "tonight.""Jack, seriously, what is going on?" I said, but my words were drowned out by the electronic screech of a microphone."And now, it's time to announce your new prom court!" said a senior cheerleader. On either side of her, last year's court lined up, holding sashes and crowns."If it isn't obvious," Stellan said, a lock of blond hair falling in his face, "we want her because you want her. And we'd like to know why."Jack stared him down. "Like I said, it's none of your business.""Ah, but it is our business when Alistair Saxon sends a Keeper to attend high school classes halfway across the world while every other family is using their resources on more essential tasks."It felt like I was watching TV in a foreign language. I was about to make Jack fill me in when Stellan continued, "So the reason I'm here is to figure out why this girl is more important to the Saxons than the mandate."CHAPTER 7The familiar word struck me like a slap to the face. "Wait," I said. "Did you say mandate?"Jack glared at Stellan, and Stellan rolled his eyes. "No one can hear us. Relax. And she must know about it, so it doesn't matter."I knew about the manila envelope on our dining room table, but I highly doubted my mom's work orders had anything to do with two strangers fighting over me at the Lakehaven High prom."This year's prom queen," said the cheerleader on stage, "EmmaBeth Porter!" Her friends, lining the stage, squealed prettily. A loud "booooo" sounded from where the stoner kids were gathered at the edge of the bleachers, followed by a chorus of laughter.Stellan put his hands in his pockets in a way that could have been casual if the rest of him didn't look like a tightly coiled spring. "So she has information on the search?""The what?" I felt very small looking up at the two of them. It didn't help that they were ignoring me entirely, and that I was at least two steps behind in the conversation. "What's the mandate?""Or she's a spy?" Stellan said. "Are the Saxons using American teenagers as spies now?""A spy?" I looked around. "Is this a hidden camera show?""Of course she's not a spy." Jack's mouth tightened in irritation. "She's got nothing to do with the mandate. I was sent to find her because she's related to the Saxons."I let out a breath. At least that made sense. "Okay, you do have the wrong person," I said. "I don't have any family."Jack looked down. The grim set of his jaw looked like it belonged to an entirely different person than the guy who saved my grade in history class, but his eyes softened. "Yes, Avery, you do.""I think I'd know—" But I stopped, the tiny locket-sized picture in my memory box springing into my mind. I felt my face go slack.Jack lowered his voice. "In class you told me you didn't have any family. Maybe your mother doesn't, but your father did."I had to wet my lips to get words out. "Are you kidding?""No," he said quietly.My vision darkened at the edges, and I went light-headed. I must have looked like it, too, because Jack put a hand on my elbow.I blinked up at him. Could this be real? My father was looking for me? After sixteen years, my father actually cared?"Where is he?" I said, whipping around. "Is he here? Who are you?" Was Jack some kind of private investigator?Stellan looked up from studying his fingernails and heaved a sigh. "As fascinating as this is, I don't care. My orders are to find the girl and take her, so I'm going to go ahead and do that." He took my arm in a death grip."What? No!" I tried to pull my arm back.
"A Da Vinci Code-style thriller for teens? Yes please."—TeenVogue.com "An intense page turner filled with intrigue, lush settings and a dash of romance. This is a one-sitting read."—Hypable.com "This is such a fun, wild read. . . . I recommend this for anyone looking for adventure, spice, forbidden romance and very powerful families who rule behind the scenes. Oh, and conspiracies, lots and lots of conspiracies."—USAToday.com "A cinematic, puzzle-solving action-adventure that . . . will appeal to those who want puzzles and action mixed with their fashion and romance."—Kirkus Reviews "Hall's worldbuilding is as enthralling as the best fantasy sagas, even though it is a world within our own. Her characters are captivating, again cleverly mixing believability with the outrageous demands of her conspiracy. The puzzle and mystery of her plot will draw readers in . . . This is a fun, fast read." —VOYA "This fine mix of adventure and romance will easily pull readers into a world of just-believable-enough conspiracy theories, while a cliff-hanger ending will leave them eagerly awaiting the next installment of the adventure."—Booklist "Thrilling and addictive, Hall's debut is a knockout! . . . This is an outstanding novel by an impressive author to watch."—RT Book Reviews "Hall sweeps readers into a world of conspiracies, puzzles, and mystery from the first page, and provides a likable and intelligent narrator in Avery. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid, Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series, and Michael Scott's The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel."—School Library Journal


Carioca are deep-fried rice flour balls coated with a caramel sauce. This version is home cook-friendly, plus you will love the sauce!
In a bowl, mix the rice flour and water together until it forms into a ball.
Scoop a small portion and form into 1 inch-size balls. Repeat until you finish the mixture.
In a medium-sized frying pan, fry the balls in hot oil and skewer pieces using barbecue sticks.
Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and coconut milk, and heat until sauce is thick. Pour over the skewered carioca.


Discover the Mehloding Adventure Trail!
Located in the relatively unexplored southern Drakensberg, the Mehloding Trail takes you on a path of rich and diverse natural and cultural heritage.
Located in the relatively unexplored southern Drakensberg, at the junction of the Eastern Cape, Kwa Zulu Natal, and southern Lesotho, the Mehloding Trail takes you on a path of rich and diverse natural and cultural heritage. The quaint and welcoming town of Matatiele, 70km from Kokstad forms the perfect gateway to the trail, halfway between Underberg and Rhodes. The route traverses spectacular mountainous foothills and rural villages, taking in visits to ancient rock-art, sparkling streams, indigenous trees, medicinal plants, craft projects and top of the world views.
You need to be fit and healthy to participate.
Good quality, hard wearing hiking boots/shoes. Comfortable, practical clothing for hiking. always have a raincoat and jersey.
Situated in the friendly rural village of Masakala, close to Matatiele, on the border of the Eastern Cape and Kwa Zulu Natal, the guesthouse offers you a stunning view of the Southern Drakensberg/ Ukhahlamba mountains forming the border with the kingdom of Lesotho.
Masakala is the first night of the Mehloding Adventure Trail as well as providing a comfortable and secure base for overnight visitors who wish to discover the beautiful surroundings of the region.
Two rondavels specially designed and built using local architectural ideas and skills, offer you a choice of single double or dormitory style sleeping arrangements. Traditional yet comfortable, our accommodation offers a hot shower and bath and four beautifully decorated rooms. Masakala has been awarded an AA Quality Assurance grading.
As the sun sets and the evening draws in, enjoy a friendly meal prepared by the local catering group; homegrown vegetables, fresh produce, and African recipes are on the menu, alongside conventional fare. We also cater for vegetarians on request.
For first time visitors and tourists to the area, we arrange local tours such as meeting local sangomas and traditional entertainment. Come and discover the Matatiele area by engaging in short hikes with local guides or take a horse ride on a Basotho pony (suitable for beginners or advanced riders).
A choice of four welcoming chalets in the little-explored southern Drakensberg in the Ongeluksnek Valley at the border between the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Lesotho. Constructed by local people with traditional designs and materials, they offer a unique getaway destination for family groups, backpackers and adventure seekers.
Rustic yet homely, they provide hot showers, flush toilets, boma, separate bedrooms (twin or dormitory) with linen and towels and a communal lounge and kitchen for either self-catering or catered accommodation. All offer private seclusion with stunning views of mountains and rural scenery. Each chalet is equipped for 12 people and has permanent staff for daily servicing. Gas cooking facilities and paraffin lamps are provided.
The Mehloding Chalets are an ideal base to explore the local area, whether you are hiking, mountain biking, horse riding (Masakala chalet only) or simply relaxing in the beautiful scenery. Each chalet serves as an overnight stopover for people doing the Mehloding Adventure Trail.
The Chalets and Trails are a community based and operated product which aspires to benefit local communities through the provision of employment opportunities and involvement in sustainable eco-tourism opportunities. The Mehloding Community Trust which runs the Masakala Lodge and the Mehloding Chalets is a member of the Fair Trade in Tourism SA organization and subscribes to their ethics and code of practice.
Makhulong, situated above Mpharane village provides one communal rectangular building with kitchen, two bathrooms and dining room opening onto a terrace for evening drinks and braais.
Accommodation is in three rondavels sleeping 6 in one dormitory and two rooms sleeping 2 people each. The chalets are quite close to the village so you can wander down to meet the local people and buy produce from the local spaza shops etc.
Machekong, right beneath the Three Sisters ridge, has one communal house opening onto a terrace with stunning views, two bathrooms, dining room, and kitchen. There are two rondavels (one dormitory style and one divided into two twin rooms). This is the most isolated of the chalets and will suit nature lovers and hikers wishing to explore the walks to rock art and waterfalls.
Madlangala, built from local rock and surrounded by protea trees, consists of one main house with two bathrooms, kitchen and dining room opening onto a covered terrace with mountain views. Accommodation is in two rondavels (one dormitory and one divided into two twin rooms).
Starting point after an overnight at Malekhalonyane chalet near Motseng village. The chalet is in open grassland with mountain views along which the trail traverses in a north-easterly direction. Cross over the Jordan river soon after starting the hike. Pause to inspect rock art paintings on the route which your guide will point out. Short steep climb up onto grassland ridge with easy walking descending down to stream crossing near Masupha village. Moderate climb with great views followed by a descent through Mpharane village to the chalet.
Descend through Mpharane village to cross the Seeta river. This can be deep in summer requiring careful negotiation. Thereafter a steady climb using footpaths and sled tracks to reach a long easy ridge with excellent 360-degree views. Through a neck and contour path to the protea level where the path meanders through open grassland with streams and incised valleys. A final moderate climb takes you to the chalet at Maboloka located below the Twin Sisters and Makalane peaks. A walk down to the stream and through Mountain Hard pear trees takes one to a panel of well-preserved rock art in the sandstone belt.
Moderate climb along stock paths up pleasant contour with interesting sandstone features. Descend to Kinira river (good clean water for drinking) and follow undulating terrain through Goxe and Pepela villages. Cross Makomoring stream (some wattle infestation) and climb up to the chalet located in protea grassland. The chalet at Madlangala is surrounded by encircling mountain peaks and has a sense of space and clear mountain air.
Your last day's hike is a pleasant contour walk with patches of indigenous forest, protea groves, fascinating sandstone features, and mountain grassland. Depending on the season, you will find many species of wildflowers and birdlife along this section. The trail ends near Qachas Nek (border post with Lesotho) where you will be collected by vehicle and taken back to Matatiele where your cars will have been safely parked.
Discover the Mehloding Adventure Trail for yourself!
For the fit and the adventurous …. a stunning guided trail into this lesser-known part of the Ukhahlamba / Drakensberg national park (a World Heritage Site).
Discover San rock art, protea and tree ferns, indigenous forests, wildflower gardens, and rare birds.
Pass through rural villages and be greeted by friendly local communities and experience traditional culture. At the end of each day be welcomed by your hostess at comfortable chalets where you can enjoy a hot shower, African cuisine, and an inviting bed!


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Local /
More Money Needed to Complete Renovation of Roseau ...
More Money Needed to Complete Renovation of Roseau Cathedral
Growing with gay abandon, weeds cover the lawn at the front of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Fair Haven, the Roseau Catholic Cathedral; construction workers have placed numerous metal poles that look like enormous ribs, along the walls; workmen hammer away incessantly inside its dome-like interior.
Started more than five years ago, the renovation of this 1903 year old cathedral has come some way but there's much more work to be done before priests and bishops and choirs and the faithful sit on pews and sing together and praise God.
December 24, 2019 is the date that the Diocese of Roseau has set to return to Our Lady.
"While it is nearing completion, funds are still needed. There are events annually to raise funds," said Father Nigel Karam, Dean of the Roseau Cathedral at a news conference on Wednesday to launch the 2019 Family Fun Day, the Diocese's major fundraising event for the Cathedral's renovation.
The Fun Day aims at raising at least EC$40,000 of the $4 million that is still required for competing the job; the church has raise $8 million since the project started in 2013. Fr. Karam said the Cathedral has been completely covered but there are finishing touches to be added to the roofing. This is expected to be completed by the end of July. Hurricane Maria in September 2017 slowed down the project by causing what Karam described as "extensive damage."
"While we get help from the public, it is still ours and it reflects us. A cathedral is a national monument and even in larger cities it is very important," Father Karam said.
When the renovation project started in 2013, Bishop of Roseau Gabriel Malzaire called on the hundreds of Catholics gathered at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe to make monthly contributions toward the cost of renovation works on Our Lady of Fair Haven Cathedral.
At the end of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Sunday November 24, 2013 Bishop Malzaire told the Catholic faithful that foundation work was done, inner columns were being replaced and would be completed in February 2014, and that would be followed by the roof.
Bishop Malzaire indicated then that the renovation was scheduled to take three years if all the money was available. The sum needed for the full project was $8 million. By November 2013, $4.4 million had been raised and $3.6 million spent.
"We need to boost our fundraising", the bishop appealed to his church. He asked members to pledge every month: for example, 1,000 people contributing $100 a month for 12 months would translate to $1.2 million, he said. And for those who could not afford $100, it could be $50 or $25 a month. He called on all parishioners and businesses to make a contribution towards the building of "our cathedral."
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Fair Haven of Roseau, originally known in French as Église de Notre-Dame du Bon Port du Mouillage de Roseau, is an example of European creolization influence in Dominica, says Wikipedia.
Built in the Gothic Romanesque revival style, the Cathedral's consecration, in its present form, is dated to 1916. Though it may appear small from the outside, the interior is spacious and well lit.
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2020- the Worst Year Ever
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Houses for all, including the Prime Minister

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ABPCO welcomes new chairs
June 22nd 2022
ABPCO welcomes new chairs from Stroke Association and Mosaic Events
ABPCO's (The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers) AGM, which took place digitally on Tuesday, 21 June, saw Emma Duffy from the Stroke Association and Sarah Byrne from Mosaic Events step up and begin their two-year tenure as joint chairs of the association.
The online AGM was attended by more than 60 ABPCO members, who joined to hear details of the association's recent successes as well as plans for the future.
Incoming chairs Emma Duffy and Sarah Byrne thanked the previous chairs for their achievements before outlining their ambitious plans for the coming years, which focus on five key pillars:
Membership growth to 200 members by 2027
Organisational growth to £200,000 income per annum by 2027
Being more mindful of the niche segments and specialist skills amongst the membership and providing appropriate content, resources and support to meet their needs
Amplifying ABPCO's external voice through communications, knowledge sharing and research
Being recognised as the voice of PCOs in the UK, with a focus on important issues such as EDI and sustainability
Alongside these goals, the new chairs and executive board, supported by task forces made up of members, will continue to focus on ABPCO's core values:
Delivering excellence
Providing learning
Celebrating belonging and achievements
Emma Duffy commented: "Sarah and I look forward to working with the membership over the coming two years as we deliver a strategy that will see ABPCO continue to strengthen its position at the heart of the market. We are an incredibly strong community, and we want to continue attracting new members as we demonstrate our value in the years ahead."
Outgoing chairs Barbara Calderwood and Mike Smith discussed their achievements over the last two years and in particular the success and legacy of the inaugural Festival of Learning, which attracted more than 200 registrations for 30+ sessions across seven days in December 2021. They reflected on the challenge of running an Association focused on live events during a global pandemic and how proud they were of the membership's resilience and ability to adapt, with a switch to digital and hybrid events and continued growth.
Sarah Byrne concluded: "Thank you to Mike and Barbara for their commitment and hard work to ABPCO over the last two years. The association has gone from strength to strength under their leadership, which is something Emma and I look forward to continuing. Also of course, many thanks to Heather Lishman for her continuing hard work behind the scenes."
The AGM provided an opportunity for treasurer, Martin Linfield from Hiscox to reflect on ABPCO's strong financial position, excellent budget management and significant reserves, which included an increase in both income and operating surplus.
The 2022 ABPCO Excellence Awards date has also been announced as 8-9 December – destination and venue details to be advised.


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There is a Special Meeting of the Board on Friday, January 27, 2023, at 4 p.m. The next Regular School Board Meeting is Monday, February 27, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., 7461 N. Straits Hwy., Cheboygan, MI. Please click on "Board of Education" and "Public Notice for School Board Meetings" below for more information on all of our public meetings.
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A letter from Superintendent Paul Clark.
As we enter the homestretch of the school year, I would like to remind everyone that we all need to do our part in the attempt to prevent the spread of Covid in our schools. As a parent or guardian, please do not send your child to school if they are not feeling well, are exhibiting any symptoms of Covid, or have been a close contact of someone who has tested positive for Covid. The school district will continue to clean classrooms and busses every evening. We will be sure that all staff and students are wearing face masks. We have hand sanitizer available throughout the school, and we are social distancing whenever possible.
If we all do our part, hopefully we will see a decrease in the number of positive cases and quarantines. I know that everyone is tired of Covid and all of the procedures that we are required to follow. I ask that you hang in there for the next 7 weeks and do what is best for our students.
Paul Clark
Provide and teach all students the curriculum necessary to develop their knowledge base and learning skills to enable them to function as responsible and informed members of a changing society.
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Dallas' 'Everything Bar,' The Grapevine, Looks Forward After 8 Brutal Months
Lauren Drewes Daniels June 24, 2020 4:00AM
Grapevine owners Michelle Honea and her husband, Ronny, in the patio area of the bar. Kathy Tran
Dive bars don't happen by design. There's no script or blueprint. They're unimpressed with plans. Usually they have odd touches of character in both people and furnishings that just fall into place. Over time, they evolve into a retreat where we yearn to wet our whistles.
The Grapevine Bar seems to have nailed it. Known for its seasoned regulars, salty bartenders and vintage grandma chairs, the old-soul neighborhood spot occupies a special place in the Dallas booze scene.
In normal times, it's an offbeat reprieve, but these aren't normal times. Ever since shelter-in-place orders were issued in March, the slushy machine that swirls Everclear-laced Bellinis has sat empty. The basketball goal on the patio hasn't gone "kadunk" once, and the deck upstairs has been alone every sunset.
In May, when bars were allowed to reopen their outdoor seating areas, owners Michelle and Ronny Honea could have taken full advantage of their large open-air space. Instead, they made a deliberate choice to keep it closed. They've seen firsthand how the disease caused by the coronavirus ravages the mind, body and spirit. The risks are too high. Their customers and staff mean too much.
Like Chad Stites, who discovered the bar 20 years ago.
"I was looking for a safe haven. I came from Granbury to Fort Worth, where I felt a little more safe," Stites says. "But, I still just didn't feel comfortable in my own skin."
He settled in Dallas, where he soon discovered a quirky little spot in Uptown along Maple Avenue.
"Walking into The Grapevine for the first time, it was like finding Disneyland. I was safe. No one cared who I was or that I was gay. ... I could be whoever I wanted to be." – Grapevine regular Chad Stites
"Walking into The Grapevine for the first time, it was like finding Disneyland. I was safe. No one cared who I was or that I was gay. I felt relaxed there. I could be whoever I wanted to be," Stites says.
Having formed "amazing friendships" with both the staff and other customers over the last two decades, Stites usually camps out at the bar. He likes to watch new people wander in. Perhaps they found the place on a "Best of" list, or someone posted about meeting the love of their life on the basketball court out back or they had the most amazing first date throwing back frozen Bellinis on mismatched sofas.
Some newcomers might be surprised that such a small place (inside) carries such a mighty reputation.
"After they walk in, they'll look around for a minute," Stites says with a slight laugh, "and they'll ask the bartender 'What kind of … what is … is this a gay bar?' And one time the bartender smiled and answered, 'No, it's an everything bar.'"
Michelle Honea has owned the Grapevine bar since 1996.
Kathy Tran
Michelle Honea and her first husband, Richard Fiaschetti, who passed away in 2003, bought the spot that is now The Grapevine Bar in 1996. They poured everything they had into it. She was an engineering student by day while Fiaschetti waited tables for extra cash. At night, they worked on transitioning the former Herrera's Mexican Cafe into a neighborhood wine bar on a shoestring budget.
After his restaurant shifts, Fiaschetti would invite co-workers in the service industry over to their new establishment for drinks. Honea's desire for a wine bar gave way to those early customers who needed something a little stronger after getting off the job. Still, she's always kept a few nicer bottles behind the bar for those who prefer fermented grapes.
The row of mismatched chairs and other accouterments that fill out the bar were collected from resale shops and estates sales. They're all essential to the offbeat vibe that has struck a chord with so many people over the years.
But, the staff has long been the spackle binding the elements that makes The Grapevine Bar what it is. Its newest employee was hired more than two years ago.
Kevin Nicholson has worked there for 22 years. Jon Bryan started tending bar in 1998. Keeping employees around for a year in the restaurant and bar industry is pretty hard to do, yet alone decades.
"It's not the four walls; it's the people in it. Losing our staff would be terrible." – owner Michelle Honea
"Customers don't come here for the building, or he and I," Honea says, pointing to her husband, Ronny Honea. "They come here for the staff. And because of the environment, and because of the other customers that they've met here. It's not the four walls, it's the people in it. Losing our staff would be terrible."
Those people are why, when Dallas County ordered all restaurants and bars to shutter March 17, The Grapevine Bar obeyed without flinching. A couple of weeks later, the Honeas had to persuade their employees to apply for unemployment.
"They said they didn't want to file because they didn't want it to hurt us," Honea says, throwing her arms in the air in love and frustration. "We had to tell them that we didn't have to contribute to it right now," referring to the state's exclusion on charge-backs to employers for unemployment payments during the pandemic.
Why would the employees put worries about their bosses over their own finances?
Grapevine bartender Kevin Nicholson
"It's a mutual respect and care," Nicholson says. "There's a huge amount of respect, and it goes both ways."
Honea's demure disposition and features don't seem fitting for someone who has built one of the city's most popular dive bars. Some might think she's too soft spoken for the job. But Stites swears one would be foolish to mistake her easy manner with her ability to manage a bar and all the duties that come along with it. He echoes Nicholson's stance about respect.
Last October, when a tornado passed over Nicholson's house and was tracking toward the Honeas' home, he called them right away to make sure they were aware of what was happening around them.
"We heard the sirens go off, and then we could hear the tornado. It sounded like a freight train. Something hit the front door and busted it open, so I went back out there to hold it shut. It only lasted like 20 seconds," Ronny said.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, including their dogs, but their house and surrounding space suffered more than $200,000 in damages.
They knew the city was overwhelmed with the cleanup, so they spent the next two weeks clearing debris, feeding branches into wood chippers and having it hauled off.
"It was literally a full-time job dealing with the insurance and adjusters," Michelle recalls of the days and weeks afterward. "Our cell phones didn't work, we didn't have internet for two weeks. We were sharing a vehicle because mine was under a tree.
"I'll never understand how people who have kids and had to get up and go to work the next day did it," Michelle says.
Because the Honeas had a whole crew holding down the bar while they dealt with the aftermath at home, business was humming along as usual.
"We're so lucky because we knew they could take care of the bar, and we could concentrate on our house," Honea says.
Michelle and her father, William Neumann, on her wedding day
courtesy Michelle Honea
Michelle Honea's father, William Neumann, has worked as a certified public accountant for more than 30 years. He rents office space just outside of Detroit. Even at the age of 75, he loves the hustle of his career leading up to April 15, tax day.
Beginning in March, as COVID-19 swelled into a pandemic, he started asking clients to wait in the lobby outside his office where he had place bottles of hand sanitizer. Around St. Patrick's Day, a secretary to one of the other professionals in the building came to work with a fever and flu-like symptoms. Later, Neumann found out she tested positive for COVID-19.
March 23 was the last time Neumann went to his office. Soon afterward, he came down with a fever.
March 25, his wife, Mary, also developed a fever. By the following evening, William was on the phone with 911 after Mary had fallen and he wasn't able to help her up because he was too sick and weak.
The emergency medical service that arrived that night didn't take Mary to the hospital. The couple had already been tested for COVID-19, but their results wouldn't come back positive for another five days, and for whatever reason, the paramedics weren't too concerned.
Friday morning, Mary fell again. William called 911 again. They assisted with getting her back in bed, but wouldn't take her to the hospital despite underlying health conditions and a rapidly deteriorating situation at their home. Mary didn't have the strength to get out of bed the remainder of the day.
March 27, William, who was now in his fourth day with COVID-19, called the EMS for a third time in two days. They took his wife to the hospital after she explicitly told them she was struggling to breath. Three days later, Mary Neumann was placed on a ventilator.
"Everyone in that office building caught COVID-19," Michelle Honea says.
Her father was isolated at home alone in Michigan, battling his own disease while his wife was alone at the hospital fighting for every breath.
After Mary Neumann was placed on a ventilator, she struggled to improve. She contracted MRSA, a deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection. Following weeks on the ventilator, mucus had begun to crystallize in the back of her throat. She had a tracheostomy procedure to move her breathing tube from her mouth to her throat. The doctors also replaced the feeding tube that ran through her nose with a gastric feeding tube.
All the time, Michelle Honea was in contact with her stepsister and niece to keep tabs on her father, trying to determine his true condition and constantly comparing notes.
"COVID is supposed to be about a two-week thing," Michelle says. But, her father wasn't getting any better, and after three weeks, he was admitted into the hospital.
The loneliness both were experiencing was overwhelming, particularly for Mary.
"Just imagine being in there for weeks and no one you know comes in to see you. Even the nurses have on masks, and you can't see their faces." – Michelle Honea
"Just imagine being in there for weeks and no one you know comes in to see you," Honea says. "Even the nurses have on masks, and you can't see their faces."
After about a month in the hospital, William Neumann was released. Going home was hard for him without his wife there, knowing she was struggling to overcome the disease that had enveloped her lungs. But, eight days later, he had to be readmitted to the hospital, having developed pneumonia in both lungs, a separate infection from COVID-19.
"Supposedly, when he was released the first time, he could walk 50 steps on two liters of oxygen," Honea says. "I don't buy that for a second. When they tried to release him this past time, he could walk four steps on seven liters of oxygen, and that's his maximum capacity."
The Neumanns were back in the hospital together, but still apart. William was allowed to spend one hour with his wife on Mother's Day weekend and an hour with her the Sunday before. Besides that, for over a month at that point, all Mary saw was parts of faces behind masks.
"They kept trying to turn the ventilator down [on Mary], to see if they could remove it, and then she'd have a setback and they'd have to turn it back up," Honea says. "They started having to give her blood transfusions because she wasn't generating enough oxygen to create red blood cells.
"The week before Mother's Day, she had her first transfusion and was supposed to have one the next week, but she refused it. She said, 'I'm done. I don't want any more medical treatment. No more tests, no more blood transfusions, no more ventilator. It's just too much.'
"But (my father) got to go and talk to her because he was hearing from nurses. So he got to actually go talk to her in her room and make sure he heard it from her. That's what she wanted … to be taken off the ventilator," Honea says.
William Neumann had to sign papers allowing his wife to cease using the ventilator; Mary had already signed a do-not-resuscitate order.
"To me, that was an amazing gift she gave him. Yes, he lost his wife. Yes, he has a huge burden he has to carry between being sick and his wife and his business, but she made that decision for herself. And he knows that's what she wanted, and it wasn't a matter of not really knowing what she wanted."
Mary Neumann died May 13.
Five days later, the state of Texas released Phase 2 of its plan to reopen the economy. Bars were allowed to welcome back customers at 25% capacity indoors and there were no restrictions on outdoor spaces, as long as guests complied with social distancing standards.
The Honeas, who stayed in touch with their staff through a Facebook group and a few Zoom happy hours, called a meeting for the next day. They wanted to meet in person — at a safe distance, with masks — to discuss how they all felt about reopening.
Everyone agreed it was better to hold off. The risk wasn't worth it to anyone. They'd wait at least until mid-June to reassess.
"I don't think we're going to know the full ramifications and long-term effects on people's health for years," Michelle Honea says, knowing her father's lungs might not ever fully recover.
William Neumann was set to be released from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility in late May for ongoing treatments and close observation to help his lungs heal.
Honea appealed the release, fearing the scheduled Friday transfer would leave him with a lag in care or prescriptions over the weekend. She won the appeal. He's since been moved, but no one has been able to see him yet.
Before the transfer, he was confused about where he was going and what was going on, so Honea and her stepsister sent him a video of the treatment facility so he could get his bearings, in a sense.
"They did this neat thing though. They taped the room numbers to the outside windows," she says. "So, if a family wants to go see someone, they can find the numbers on the windows and talk to them through the glass."
Mary was cremated, but there hasn't been any type of service. Her husband is supposed to receive a small cylinder of his wife's ashes.
"There's still no closure there. He's got to be depressed," Ronny says, clearly bothered there's nothing he nor his wife can do to help for now.
In early June, the Honeas took time to fix up the deck.
In early June, the Honeas were taking advantage of the downtime at the bar to fix up a few things. They added a fresh coat of paint to the door that leads to the patio and they were giving the deck a makeover.
Inside, instead of frozen Bellinis and cold beers atop the bar, there were boxes of paper masks stacked at least a foot high. They want to make sure they have enough for staff and customers.
Michelle has been scouring the internet for hand sanitizer, frustrated at obvious price gouging for those much-needed items. They've decided that when they do reopen, customers will only be allowed inside to use the restroom, and they'll be required to wear a mask when doing so.
They'll make drinks at the bar inside; the outdoor bar could work, but since customers can't stand or congregate at the bar, per state safety protocols, they figure making all the drinks inside is just safer. They're also transitioning to all plastic cups and removing fresh fruit from cocktails.
"Our saving grace is the patio. There's no maximum requirement out there, so we'll drag all of our tables out, and we're going to make sure people stay seated and they don't congregate," Michelle says.
They still haven't set a date to reopen.
"If everybody doesn't do what they're supposed to do, then we're doing the right thing for no reason." – Michelle Honea
They're frustrated at what they see at other bars across the city, clearly packed.
"If everybody doesn't do what they're supposed to do, then we're doing the right thing for no reason," Michelle says. "What we're doing isn't having an affect the way that it's supposed to because there're so many people violating the rules."
At the time this article was written, Dallas County recorded 413 new cases of COVID-19, a new single day high.
Some customers, meanwhile, are getting restless. In late May, a fan asked via Facebook if there were any news "from our favorite bar" on reopening. Michelle responded that they're still in a holding pattern.
Another customer saw her answer for what it was and responded:
"Thank you for always doing what is right for your staff and for us customers <3 Looking forward to my favorite patio and staff <3."
They also touched up some paint on the patio.
KEEP THE DALLAS OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
Lauren Drewes Daniels is the Dallas Observer's food editor. She started writing about local restaurants, chefs, beer and kouign-amanns in 2011. She's driven through two dirt devils and is certain they were both some type of cosmic force.
Contact: Lauren Drewes Daniels
Facebook: Lauren Drewes Daniels
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David Tennant set to star in Broadchurch sequel
Updated / Monday, 17 Mar 2014 17:09
Broadchurch season two now seems likely to reunite Olivia Colman and David Tennant
Jodie Whittaker has claimed that David Tennant will rejoin Olivia Colman in the second season of acclaimed ITV drama Broadchurch.
Whittaker - who played Beth Latimer in the show's first season - told UK TV site CultBox that she's uncertain about her own role in the show's next run, but appeared to confirm that its two leads will both be back.
"I know Olivia and David are back," she said. "But [the producers] haven't told us anything. They don't want us to know anything so that we can't spoil it if we are back!"
Tennant's future participation in Broadchurch was put in doubt when he was cast in Fox's upcoming US remake of the drama, which is entitled Gracepoint.
Earlier this year, Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall also hinted that Tennant might not be back to reprise his role of DI Alec Hardy.
Broadchurch will resume filming later this year, while Gracepoint is currently shooting in Canada.
Tennant for US version of Broadchurch


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CampaignDrive continues to gain market share with brands that need to manage distributed marketing partners, and with the agencies that service those brands. In 2015 alone, the platform has benefited from more than 100 feature upgrades. Gartner has acknowledged this rapid and constant innovation, marking Pica9 as one of the leading providers in the sector.
The analyst group also notes that Marketing Resource Management (MRM) continues to experience sustained growth as companies look for software solutions to their enterprise marketing challenges.
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