"Oh, it's an inuk shuk," Mrs. Whiteraven said.
Kaitlyn's head jerked up. "You recognize it?"
Anna's mother turned the paper, studying it. "Yes—I'm sure it's an inuk shuk. The Inuit used them for signals, you know, to show that a certain place was friendly or that visitors were welcome—"
"The Inuit?" Anna interrupted, choking. "You mean we have to go to Alaska?"
Her mother waved a hand, brow puckering. "I'm sure I've seen some of these much closer… I know! It was somewhere on Vancouver Island. We took a trip there when you were about five or six. Yes, and I'm sure we saw them there."
Everyone began talking at once.
"Vancouver Island—that's Canada—" Rob said.
"Yes, but it's not far—there's a ferry," Anna said. "No wonder those things were familiar—"
"I've never been to Canada," said Lewis.
"But do you remember exactly where they were?" Kaitlyn was asking Mrs. Whiteraven.
"No, dear, I'm afraid not. It was a long time ago." Anna's mother chewed her lip gently, frowning at the picture. Then she sighed and shook her head.
"It doesn't matter," Rob said. His eyes were alight with excitement. "At least we know the general area. And somebody on the island has got to know where they are. We'll just keep asking."
Anna's mother put the paper down. "Now, just a minute," she said. She and her husband exchanged a glance.
Kaitlyn, looking from one of them to the other, had a sudden sinking feeling.
"Now," Mrs. Whiteraven said, turning away from her husband. "You kids have been very brave and resourceful so far. But this idea about finding the white house—it's not practical. This isn't a problem for children."
"No," said Mr. Whiteraven. He'd been looking through the files Rob had brought. "It's a problem for the authorities. There's enough proof here to get your Mr. Zetes put away for a long time."
"But you don't understand how powerful he is," Anna said. "He's got friends everywhere. And Marisol's brother said that only magic could fight magic—"
"I hardly think Marisol's brother is an expert," her mother said tartly. "You should have gone to your parents in the first place. And that reminds me, you have to call your parents, now—all of you."
Kait hardened herself. "We can't tell them anything that would make them feel better. And if Mr. Zetes has some way of tapping the call—well, he'd know exactly where we are."
"If he doesn't already," Anna said softly.
"But…" Mrs. Whiteraven sighed and exchanged another look with her husband. "All right, I'll call them in the morning. I don't need to tell them exactly where you are until we get this thing straightened out."
"Straightened out how, ma'am?" Rob asked. His eyes had darkened.
"We'll talk to the elders, then to the police," Anna's mother said firmly. "That's the right thing to do."
Anna opened her mouth, then shut it again. It's no good, she told the others helplessly.
No. It isn't, Rob agreed.
Lewis said, Jeeeez. I guess we should be relieved, but—
Kaitlyn knew what he meant. Adults were in the picture now, taking charge, handling things. The authorities were going to be told. The five of them didn't have to worry anymore. She should have been happy.
So why did her chest feel so tight?
Two thoughts jostled in her brain. One was: After we got so far…
The other was: The adults don't know Mr. Z.
"Now we'll have to find places for you to sleep," Anna's mother was saying briskly. "You two boys can have the twins' room, and I'll put your friend Gabriel on the couch. Then Anna can share her room with you, Kait, and Lydia can go in the guest room—"
"Lydia's not sleeping here," Kaitlyn blurted, before thinking about how rude this sounded. "She's not one of us; she just gave us a ride."
Mrs. Whiteraven looked surprised. "Well, you can't expect her to drive all the way home now. It's too late, and she told me before dinner that she was tired. I've already invited her to stay overnight."
Kaitlyn started to groan, then realized that Rob and Anna and especially Lewis were looking at her reproachfully. In the web she could feel their bewilderment—they didn't understand what she had against Lydia.
Oh, well, what difference did it make anyway? Kait shrugged and bent her head.
Gabriel and Lydia came strolling through the door a few minutes later. Lydia didn't look particularly disappointed to have missed the kitchen conference. She kept glancing up at Gabriel through her lashes—a stratagem that seemed to amuse Gabriel and annoy Lewis. Kait and Anna left Rob to fill Gabriel in on what had happened while they helped make up the guest room bed.
So the quest is over? Gabriel asked. Kaitlyn could hear him perfectly even though he was in the kitchen and she was giving a final punch to Lydia's pillow.
We'll talk about it tomorrow, she told him grimly. She was tired.
And she was worried about Gabriel. Again. Still. She could tell that he was in pain—she could feel the tension shimmering under his surface. But somehow she didn't think he was going to let her help tonight.
He didn't. He wouldn't talk about it, either, not even when she managed to sneak a moment alone with him while the others were getting ready for bed.
"But what are you going to do?" She had dreadful visions of him sneaking into Anna's parents' room, too crazed to know what he was doing.
"Nothing," he said shortly, and then, with icy fury, "I'm a guest here."
So he'd caught her vision. And he had his own code of honor. But that didn't mean he could hold out all night…
He was already walking away.
Kaitlyn climbed into Anna's double bed feeling uneasy and discouraged.
It was just dawn when she woke. She found herself staring at the luminous green numbers on Anna's clock radio, a knot twisting in her stomach. She could sense the others sleeping—even Gabriel. He was so restless that she could tell he hadn't been out anywhere.
Strangely, of all the things she had to worry about, the one bothering her was Lydia.
Forget Lydia, she told herself. But her mind kept spinning out the same questions. Who was Lydia, and why was she so eager to be with them? What was wrong with the girl? And why did Kait keep feeling she wasn't to be trusted?