Secret of the Sevens Read Online Free

… Kayla Kaminski, Iman Kabal, and Zack Hunter. Would the first three nominees please rise and accept your certificates?”
    A surprised chatter rolls through the crowd. With the exception of Zack, these are not exceptional students. And even Zack doesn’t make sense as a Pillar. He’s full of something, all right, but it isn’t excellence.
    Laney takes a sharp breath and holds it. Her face grows pale. To her left, Kollin mumbles, “What the … ”
    â€œNext,” Kane reads, “I have chosen … Samantha Mann and Nick Robinson.”
    If I had a drink in my mouth, this is where I’d spit it out. Mann and Robinson are notorious scumbags. When Samantha’s houseparents found a stolen purse in her room last year, she lied and blamed it on her roommate. They couldn’t prove which girl took it, so they both lost privileges for a month.
    Nick Robinson is even slimier than Samantha. He got caught selling weed on campus, then offered a deal to the administration to narc out everyone who bought from him to save himself from being expelled. Any community service he listed on his Pillar application would have been required by court order.
    As the first of the Pillars step onstage to shake Kane’s hand and receive their awards, there’s chaos in the crowd. I look around the room, half-expecting it to be some kind of joke. Everyone reflects the same shocked expression. Everyone but the new Pillars, who gather onstage passing smug smiles and high-fiving one another.
    Laney and Kollin stare at each other, bug-eyed and open mouthed. In the surreal blur of announcements, I realize there’s only one Pillar left to be named. Which means at least one of them won’t make it.
    Kane returns to the microphone. “Your final Pillar for this school year is—”
    Laney pleads with her eyes.
    â€œâ€”Cameron Moore!”
    A collective gasp rises at the same time Delaney’s shoulders sink like a drop on a roller coaster. Cameron Moore is so shady, even the teachers are shaking their heads.
    Laney’s eyes fill fast, and she tries to blink away the tears. Her bottom lip quivers as it forms a plastic smile. She swallows hard, holds her head high, and claps for the newest
Pillars.
    â€œThat’s bullshit!”
    The voice comes out of nowhere. It’s angry. And defiant. And mine.
    I’m on my feet now, shaking with an anger I can’t explain. Laney’s wide, glassy eyes bounce between me and the front stage. Kane ignores my outburst and greets Cameron Moore when he walks to the podium.
    â€œBullshit!” I yell louder.
    Headmaster Boyle zeroes his eyes on mine until we’re locked in some kind of face-off. The corners of his mouth curl into a strange smile and a chill skips along my spine. I sneer at him, waiting for some sort of explanation from the man who constantly drills us about being fair and honorable.
    I’m about to shout again when a wrinkled hand squeezes the top of my shoulder. “That’s enough, Mr. Michaels!” Professor Solomon grabs my collar and yanks me backward. “You’re coming to the office with me.”

Three
    I don’t get home from detention until after six. Most of my housebrothers have finished eating and are doing their chores in the kitchen. Only Marcus and Mr. and Mrs. Shanahan are left at the dining room table, finishing their lasagna.
    â€œWell hello, Talan,” Marcus snickers. “Where you been all day?”
    I look at my houseparents and say nothing. Mom Shanahan hates when her boys get in trouble. Both she and Dad Shanahan keep eating without acknowledging me.
    Marcus grins and pulls out my chair. “Have a seat and tell us about your day, dear.”
    I glance at the table. Mom Shanahan knows her lasagna is my favorite food. I move closer to the Shanahans. “I’m … I’m sure you’ve already heard.” I pull a blue slip from my pocket and unfold it.