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lawn tossing frisbees. The scene looked like something out of one of those teen prep-school dramas Olivia watched on TV.
    Petra and Ivy headed towards the school hall, where choir practice was due to start.
    ‘See that over there?’ asked Petra. ‘ That’s the Gauntlet.’ Petra pointed towards a hill that sloped away from the girls’ dormitory before ending in a dense forest, filled with tall pines and broadleaved evergreens. Poison ivy writhed up tree trunks and red berries hung heavily from bushes. The forest floor was dense with leaves and nasty patches of nettles squatted at the base of tree trunks, waiting to sting anyone walking past.
    Ivy stopped walking, cupping her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun. ‘What’s a gauntlet?’
    ‘ The Gauntlet,’ Petra corrected her. ‘It’s what Wallachia Academy uses to keep girls and boys apart outside of lesson time. Haven’t you noticed that the only time we see the boys is when they’re on their way back to their dorm rooms or from their lessons? The Gauntlet is what separates our living quarters.’
    The forest was dark and thick. Ivy didn’t know how someone could see more than two centimetres in front of their face in there, much less sneak through for a romantic tryst. The school board at Wallachia Academy really don’t want the girls and boys mixing! Ivy thought. What was the problem? If she’d been kept apart from Brendan like that back in Franklin Grove . . . Ivy shuddered. She didn’t want to think about it. She might have been hundreds of miles away from her boyfriend right at that moment, but she knew they’d be reunited one day soon – and there wouldn’t be any stupid Gauntlet to keep them apart.
    Petra shook her head, staring out over the trees. ‘If only there wasn’t this big old forest in the way.’ She gave a deep sigh. ‘Etan dorms over there. I wonder what he eats for breakfast . . .’
    Ivy glanced sideways at Petra. She could swear blind she saw the glisten of tears in her eyes. Oh, please .
    Then Petra looked at her hopefully. ‘Of course, with you here, anything could happen now. Just think! One day I might even get to have a proper conversation with Etan. You know, if you keep the teachers distracted.’
    Hold it right there! Ivy thought. Was Petra only hanging around with her because she thought Ivy’s talent for trouble would provide a good cover? Hello! I’m not a human decoy! Or was she genuinely opening up to Ivy? Petra seemed so confident most of the time; Ivy was sure she wouldn’t talk to most of the other students like this.
    Ivy sighed. One nice thing about Franklin Grove – the people were a lot simpler. I almost wish I was back there . . . I wonder what Brendan’s doing right now? Just thinking this made her feel a bit more sorry for Petra. It hurt Ivy to be so far from her boyfriend and it must really hurt Petra to know that the boy she liked was just on the other side of this forest.
    ‘I’ve had an idea,’ Ivy said, walking over to inspect one of the trees on the edge of the Gauntlet. It looks sturdy enough – surely it can take two girls scrambling up into its branches . . . ‘Shall we?’ she asked, turning back to her friend.
    ‘Shall we what?’ asked Petra.
    ‘Take a peek!’ Ivy patted the thick tree trunk.
    Petra looked from Ivy to the tree and back to Ivy. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me! We can’t.’ Petra shook her head rapidly. ‘I can’t.’
    ‘Etan might be over there.’ Ivy smiled innocently. ‘Besides, we have a couple of minutes to kill, don’t we?’
    Petra set her jaw, practically glaring at the tree. ‘You’re right. I have to see him. Give me a boost.’
    Ivy held out her hands, lacing her fingers together to form a step for Petra like she had seen her sister do during cheerleading practice. She lifted Petra to the lowest branch and in turn Petra reached out a hand to help Ivy up. Together, they scrambled to a higher branch.
    ‘Can you see them?’ Ivy asked,