"Oh-kay…-

"My emotions got the better of me that day," he says. "And I spent the next ten months paying for the lapse. Without Stella's help, I'd probably still be there. If Blake is messing with your emotions, we need to take care of it."

There is something ominous in his tone.

"I don't need your-or anybody else's-help when it comes to Griffin."

"I'm not trying to provoke you, Phoebe," he says, leveling his hypnotic lavender gaze on me. "Just keep in mind that sometimes when you tell yourself things are fine, you're really just driving the tough stuff even deeper."

"Good morning, Xander," Stella's extra-cheerful voice calls out, breaking the spell of his mesmerizing eyes. As she reaches our spot at the base of the column, she looks at me. "Phoebe."

"Stella," Xander says as he climbs to his feet. After a quick nod, he strides off through the Academy's golden doors.

She watches him walk away with a sad, puppy-dog look in her eyes.

I must be feeling generous or something, because I say, "You should ask him out already.''

"What do you mean?" Startled, she looks at me. "What makes you think I'm interested in Xander?"

"Puh-lease," I say, pushing up from the cold marble. "Don't play innocent with me. I learned your tricks months ago."

She purses out her lips, like she wants to refute my claim. Then her gray eyes flick to the door Xander just walked through and her whole face softens.

"Do you-" Stella has never looked this vulnerable before. "Do you really think he might…"

"You never know until you try."

For several long seconds she watches me, evaluating me. Then she turns on her heel and hurries after him.

As soon as she's gone, I'm thinking about what Xander said. And wondering if he's right. Either way, I need to sort out my feelings.

What if I am just making assumptions about Griffin? What if I'm making a big huge deal out of what he's doing with Adara, when there's really a totally innocent explanation? But if there were, he would have told me. When he told me there was nothing romantic going on between him and Adara, he would have told me what was going on. Wouldn't he?

An image of Cesca flashes in my mind. A memory of last year, when I had a secret of my own that I couldn't tell my best friends.

What if it's something like that?

My head is going to spin off my neck if I keep going in circles like this.

"Hi, Phoebe!" Tansy bounds up the steps.

"Hey, Tansy," I reply, still a little distracted by my thoughts, but relieved to have someone nonconfusing to talk to. "What's up?"

"Ready for camp," she says. "Actually, I wanted to ask you a question."

Shaking off my thoughts of secrets, I say, "Shoot."

"How do you become a runner?"

I look at her and smile. "I don't think a person becomesa runner," I say. "You either run or you don't."

She bites her lower lip, like she's worried about what to say next.

"Do you run?" I ask.

Green eyes wide, she looks up at me and nods. Even though she's only twelve-not fully developed physically or anything- I can tell she's got the body of a runner. Long proportions, a little gawky. If she's got the drive, she could be an excellent runner.

I smile big. "Then you're a runner."

As soon as I say that, she positively beams. "I want to be just like you."

"No you don't," I reply. No one wants to be like me. Not on this island, anyway. At first it was because I wasn't one of them. Now it's because I am, but I'm still different. Higher up on the family tree. Closer to Olympus. Life was so much easier when I was nothing more exciting than a distance runner. "I'm not that great."

"I think you are."

Her voice is quiet and serious, like she just said the most important thing ever.

I study her, looking at me with a little hero worship in her eyes. It's been so long since someone-anyone-looked up to me that I almost don't know how to react. Back at Pacific Park, I'd been kind of amentor to a couple of the younger girls on the team. They looked to me for advice and encouragement. That feels like alifetime ago.

As I look into Tansy's serious eyes, my long-lost big sister instinct kicks in.

"I'm kinda looking for a training partner," I say as we head into the building. "You interested?"

"Really?" she says, her voice full of awe.

Since the position of my current training partner seems to be in question, then yeah. I wouldn't mind having someone else to run with. She might keep my mind off all the times Griffin and I ran together.

"Yeah," I say, trying to play it cool so she doesn't think I'm desperate. "I'm training for the Pythian Games trials and could use a buddy."

We head through the halls of the Academy, toward the courtyard, with her staring wide-eyed and mouth gaping. It's a miracle she doesn't walk into a trash can.

"Is that a yes?"

"Omigods, yes!" she squeals. "When do we start.?"

"I've been training in the morning." I push through the door leading to the courtyard. "Why don't you meet me at eight tomorrow on the cross-country course."

Tansy gasps, "Great!"

"Welcome, campers," Adara calls across the courtyard. She spears me with a vicious glance. "We'll be partnering for today's first exercise. Phoebe, you'll be pairing up with me."

Yeah, great.

* * *

"You're not even trying."

I glare at Adara. "Of course I'm trying."

I'm just not succeeding.

"I know how hard it is for you to accept that other people might know something more than you." she snaps, and if I could see her face I know she'd be sneering. "But believe me when I tell you, you're nottrying."

We've been standing back-to-back for the last half hour, with me trying to materialize a hazelnut latte into her hands. So far I've come up with a coconut, a jar of peanut butter, and-on my most successful attempt-a glass of milk.

I've trained my whole life. Physical training-running, weight lifting, nutritional planning-that's all second nature to me. But this mental training is totally different. I'm not used to consciously exercising my mind and my emotions. Is it any wonder this isn't going well?

"Maybe if you weren't badgering me the whole time," I snap back, pushing away from her and turning around, "I would be able to concentrate."

She spins around, her vapid blue eyes narrowing.

"I don't think this has anything to do with your concentration."

"Oh yeah," I say brilliantly. "What doesit have to do with then, your genuisness?"

Instead of answering, she crooks her finger at me before turning and stalking out of the courtyard. Like I'm going to follow heranywhere.

I cross my arms over my chest and stand my ground.

Suddenly, she shimmers-autoports-into place right in front of my nose.

"I have never been more mad at anyone in my life than I am at you right now," she grinds out through clenched teeth. "Unless you want to spend the next three days on holiday in the underworld, I suggest you join me in the hall. Now."

Then, just as quickly as she appeared, she disappears again.

I look helplessly around the courtyard, but all the ten-year-olds are focusing on the exercise, with Stella, Xander, and Miss Orivus closely supervising.

Okay, if Adara wants to have it out, I'll have it out.

Stomping after her, I'm about ready to unleash my tirade when I catch sight of her eyes. They're all red. And full of tears.

That stops me in my tracks.

If she's so mad at me, why is she crying?

"No," she interrupts before I can say anything. "You listen to me, Phoebe Castro. We both know you're not my favorite person on this island, but I'm going to put that aside for the sake of someone I care about very much." She takes a deep breath, like she'scomposing herself, before saying. "What you are doing to Griffin is awful."

"What I'm doing to him?" I shake my head. "I'm not doing anything-"

"You're breaking his heart."

I freeze, midsentence. My mouth drops open. It's not just what she said, but how her voice cracks as she says it. Had anyone asked me fifteen seconds ago, I would have sworn up and down on a stack of gold medals that Adara Spencer was incapable of actual human emotion.

"You've ignored his e-mails and dodged his phone calls. He tried to catch you at home half a dozen times this weekend. He's been running every beach on this island hoping to find you."