Craig eyed my costume, but didn't comment on it. "Rick's band is playing at the CUB tonight. Some fund-raiser thing."
The CUB is short for Compton Union Building, a main hub on the Washington State University campus. Generally high school students didn't go there, but the other two guys in Rick's band graduated last year and were now freshman at WSU. So far I'd never known Rick's band—accurately named Rick and the Deadbeats—to play anywhere besides his garage, but I guess fund-raisers aren't choosy about the quality of music at their events.
"It's a costume affair?" I asked.
"Must be; Rick went as a vampire."
Adrian had to be there. Why she didn't just tell my mom in the first place that she was going—well, I knew why she hadn't. Since the dance was up on campus, my mom probably wouldn't have let her go. Mom says she's too young to hang out with college kids.
I thanked Craig, then walked down Rachel's hallway and called my mom. After I told her what I learned she was silent for a moment.
"Adrian might be there, but Stefy's mom said some of the girls had talked about going to a dance at Moscow High and a group of them left for that. I'm halfway there now. Will you check up on campus?"
"Mom, I just got to the party."
It was the wrong thing to say. My mom's voice came back across the line in a torrent of emotion. "This isn't exactly how I planned on spending my evening either. I have six bags of candy sitting by our door and no one to give it out. Now I'm going to be known as the neighbor who stiffed all the little kids on Halloween. I have to chase around heaven knows where looking for Adrian—and all because she can't follow simple rules, like letting me know where she is, and not running off without permission, and answering her stupid cell phone. Why am I paying the bill for it if she won't even pick up?" In the time it took for her to draw in a breath, Mom's voice changed from anger to a near sob. "So I'm sorry to interrupt your party, but I think finding your sister is more important."
"Okay, Mom, I'll check on campus."
She let out a breath, composing herself. "Thanks, Chelsea. I'm glad I can count on you, at least."
Sometimes being the responsible daughter is the pits.
Chapter 2
I'd already hung up before I remembered that I'd left my car at Samantha's house. I trudged off to ask her to take me back to her home. She was busy text messaging Logan, her boyfriend, asking if he could get off work early to come to the party. They'd been going out since last spring and were still in that giddy-in-love-can't-be-separated-from-you stage. The rest of us simultaneously endured and envied the way Samantha floated around in his presence.
Apparently the news from Logan wasn't good, because when I explained the situation, she said she'd drive up to campus with me. "Two pairs of eyes are better than one and besides, you still can't drive with those wings."
I knew she didn't really want to come. She was just being nice about it. All the way up to campus she chatted happily with me like it was a normal thing for us to spend Halloween night trying to track down my missing sister.
Part of me worried that something bad might have happened to Adrian. A section of my stomach balled itself into a knot and wouldn't be reassured no matter how many times I told it that Adrian hadn't been abducted, she was just being her usual thoughtless self.
The farther we drove, the madder I got at her for doing this to Mom and me. I mean, Adrian didn't care how many knots she tied in my stomach or the fact that Mom was near tears or that our house would probably be egged by angry trick-or-treaters. Adrian didn't care as long as she got to do what she wanted to do. By the time Samantha and I had parked and walked to the CUB, I was ready to grab Adrian by her witch wig and yell, "Forget Dorothy, you better worry about me dropping a house on you."
We walked inside the building and followed the noise up the stairs. Yep, it was Rick's band all right. I recognized the tune. Rick had given Adrian a CD of his songs, so I am frequently forced to listen to them vibrating through her bedroom wall.
We walked toward a table that stood by the door to the ballroom. A girl and two guys—respectively, Little Bo Peep, a wizard, and Clark Kent—sat in front of a money box.
Great. I hadn't taken into account that I needed money to get into this and I didn't have any. I glanced at Samantha. "Do you have cash on you?"
"Just a couple of dollars and some spare change."
I walked up to the table anyway, keeping my eyes on Clark Kent. Which wasn't hard to do because, hey, the guy looked like Clark Kent. His white-collared shirt was half open to reveal a blue T-shirt with a large red S printed on it, and judging from the guy's build, it was truth in advertising.
I smiled at him. "Hi, um, have you seen any witches lately?"
"Does my chemistry teacher count?" He flashed a set of perfect teeth that made him look even more attractive. I nearly had to steady myself against the table.
"No, actually I'm thinking younger and greener."
Clark Kent considered this for a moment. "I guess we've had a few of the broom-stick persuasion come by tonight."
"Could we go inside and check?" Samantha asked. "We're just looking for a friend."
Bo Peep's expression stiffened. "It costs five dollars to get in."
"But we're not here to dance," I said.
"Pity," Clark Kent said, and for a couple of seconds I forgot about Adrian, forgot that I had to get in, and smiled at him again.
"If they just want to look around—" the wizard started, but Bo Peep cut him off.
"It still costs five dollars. We already said no exceptions."
Clark Kent shrugged an apology in our direction. "We're raising money for the homeless."
"What luck," I said. "Because I happen to be homeless. Instead of sending me money, can you just let me go inside and—"
"No," Bo Peep said, and glared at me. This is what happens, I suppose, to people who tend sheep all day. They lose their sense of humor.
Still, I was not about to give up. "We would be happy to pay you," I said with a sigh, "but angels don't use money and medieval princesses always barter with land. The best we can do is to bestow a few blessings or give you some prime real estate in the parking lot."
Clark Kent laughed. His eyes turned warm and they struck me as familiar somehow. I'd seen those eyes before. Where? I stared at him trying to figure it out, which probably wasn't polite, but he didn't seem to mind. He stared back at me with a grin.
Samantha held out a hand imploringly. "It would really only take a few minutes, and we have a couple of dollars. Could two dollars buy us a few minutes?"
Samantha opened her purse, but Bo Peep shook her head so that her store-bought curls bounced angrily around her head. "It's five dollars. No matter how long you go in."
I really had the urge to tell her to go look for some sheep, preferably off a steep cliff, but I didn't.
Clark Kent leaned forward and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. Before I realized what he was doing, he took a ten-dollar bill and handed it to me. My fingers tingled from where he touched them.
"I want a blessing for this," he said, looking at me intently.