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of being an outsider, he got respect.
    “I chose these earrings because Mystic Manny says green is lucky this week.” Jill pointed to her jade earrings.
    Kaitlyn grinned. “I wouldn’t mind getting lucky with him.”
    “He’s too full of himself for my taste.” Penny-Love wiped her nose, leaving a streak of green paint. “Sabine’s the lucky one. She’s got the coolest guy at school drooling for her. Guess who she went out with Friday night?”
    “Josh DeMarco. You already told us, Pen,” Jill said, rolling her eyes. “And they doubled with Evan and his latest.”
    “Her name’s Danielle,” I said with a prickle of anxiety.
    “Don’t know the girl.” Catelynn gave a dismissive shrug. “And the way Evan Marshall jumps from one girl to another, she won’t last long anyway.”
    “I hope you’re wrong.” The anxious feeling grew, stabbing like needles. “Danielle is very sweet and terribly in love. I’d hate to see her hurt.”
    “It’s gonna happen,” Catelynn said as she wiped paint off her hands with a rag. “Face it, Sabine. You haven’t gone to Sheridan long enough to know about Evan Marshall, but we know how he works. He’s a player. ‘Moving On Marsh’ they call him.”
    “That’s terrible.”
    “At least you’ve got nothing to worry about with Josh,” Penny-Love assured. “He’s as good as they come.”
    “So why does he hang around a jerk like Evan?”
    “Because their parents have been friends forever and they live next door to each other,” Penny-Love explained. “Evan runs over people like a bulldozer, but Josh doesn’t seem to notice.”
    “I noticed,” I said, remembering how Evan made all the decisions on our date. And he hadn’t seemed very friendly to me, either, like I wasn’t important.
    “Josh can only see the good side of people,” Penny-Love continued. “He’s always volunteering for charities and helping out on school committees. He’s kind of idealistic, wanting to help people and change the world.”
    “No one can do that,” Catelynn said with a skeptical sniff.
    I wanted to argue with Catelynn, except I was afraid she was right.
    My head throbbed, and the rainbow I was painting blurred. A wave of dizziness swelled over me, and I doubled over in agony. The brush slipped from my fingers as swirling paint came alive, circling around me, wings flapping. I saw a vivid image of a dragonfly fluttering out of Jill’s house, down the street, zooming into Sheridan High and disappearing into a dark-red pool of blood.
    Danger.
    Hurry.
    My heart sped up and fear filled my throat like bile.
    I wanted to ignore this vision, but even with my eyes open, the bloody dragonfly fluttered in warning. I had no idea what I was supposed to do; I just knew that if I did nothing, something terrible would happen.
    To Danielle.

It was insane to rush off without even taking the time to wash the paint from my hands, making up an excuse so dumb they must all think I’m crazy. But if I could help someone this time, maybe that would make up for past mistakes. I had to try at least.
    Clouds had blown in, darkening the dusk sky, giving me shivers. I’d forgotten how early night fell this time of year. The deserted sidewalk was only partly lit up by an occasional street lamp. When I reached the entrance to Sheridan High, I hesitated, afraid to leave the safety of the street. But I did it anyway, and I started across the schoolyard. A single yellow light illuminated the entrance, casting dark shadows.
    If I’d stopped to think, I would have realized all the reasons why I shouldn’t be doing this. I was trespassing. I had no actual proof that Danielle was in trouble. Even if she were, how could I help her? I tried to think of some skill I had that might be useful if I had to defend Danielle or myself. I’d taken fencing lessons at my last school, but I didn’t exactly carry a foil around in my backpack.
    The vision of a bloody dragonfly pushed me forward, urging me to rattle