“What is it?” His voice had completely transformed from the tension a moment before; he sounded completely content.

“That car,” I answered. “It’s been behind us since we left the school.”

“Hmm,” he grunted, glancing quickly over his shoulder at the black Mustang. “Strange. You don’t recognize it?”

I shook my head. “No. Should I?”

“No. I’m just expecting Rudy to do something stupid again.”

“You would never hurt him, would you?”

“I let him beat the crap out of me, Jane, without moving to fight back. What do you think?” He chuckled. His emotions were inconsistent, as usual—the most unnatural thing about him.

I just nodded. “Right.”

I looked behind me again. The car was still following us even after we had turned.

“Where are you going?” I finally asked when I noticed he had passed my street.

“Testing this guy.” His voice was quiet and swelled with tension again.

“Can you actually see him?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder again.

“Stop turning around!” he snapped. “He’ll figure out what I’m up to.”

“Can you see him?” I asked again.

He nodded. “Barely.”

“Well—”

“Please,” he demanded, cutting my sentence short. “Don’t ask any questions. I promise everything will be all right.”

That was a dead giveaway he was worried. I was thinking that maybe he could read the stranger’s mind or something like that. Should he be worried?

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. It was strange; I could barely even make out a shape behind the tinted windows of the car, but Aidan seemed like he actually knew who it was.

“Aidan?” I whispered.

“Shh. Really, Jane. I’m trying to concentrate.”

Concentrate on what? I didn’t ask. After about fifteen minutes of silence, Aidan turned, and the Mustang kept going straight. I thought I saw the stranger’s shape in the car turn and stare at us as he drove by.

Aidan sighed and pulled over on the side of the road and put the car in park. He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I did the only thing I had tried to avoid.”

I didn’t answer.

“All I wanted to do was keep you safe, and now I have endangered you.”

“What?”

“I didn’t want us to be friends because I wanted you to be safe, but if I leave you now, you will never be safe.”

“Aidan, what’s going on?”

“The license plate of that car…” he paused.

“Yeah?”

“Did you see it?”

“I saw there was a seven and I think a B?”

He nodded. “Yeah, tacked to the end of the letters S-E-V-R-N.”

I froze for a moment but recoiled. “It could be a coincidence.”

He shook his head.

“I thought you didn’t believe in them.”

“Yes, I said that.” His voice dropped. “I lied.”

“You lied?”

“Yes, Jane, I lied. Let’s not make a big deal about it, okay? I know The Sevren exists. I know for a fact.”

“Because you’re one of them!” I yelled out instantly after his response.