WE MOVE INTO THE living room to get away from the racket Tammy and Sam are making outside the front door. By the time I'm done explaining to my parents who Felix is and why there are two girls in hysterics on our doorstep, those two girls have multiplied into four.Mallory Wright, a quiet girl around my own age and who lives opposite me, isn't being so quiet at the moment – she's yelling outside my house, calling Felix's name over and over.She must have spotted the other girls from across the street and came over to investigate."Ashling? Mr. Shields? Mrs. Shields? Hellloooo? Is it true? Open up!" she shouts. She's usually timid and soft spoken. I had no idea her voice could get this loud. Another, more familiar voice, chirps up from outside. "Ashling! It's Olivia, you remember me right? I was a year above you at Southwood Lakes. Is it true? Is Felix Lockhart really in your house?"Olivia. How could I forget? We used to carpool together before I move

Monday morning turns out to be just as crazy as I'd dreaded.The day gets off to a bad start and goes downhill from there. I get a ride to school with Zee and Alix like usual, but Alix is quiet all the way there. Zee must have told him what happened with Fable, and if not, he would have seen the crowds mobbing my house on the news or online.But he doesn't say a thing about it.I expected him to at least tease me. It's not like him to miss a chance to mock Fable.He's silent the whole way to school, while Zee chatters away nervously about the weather, soccer tryouts, the traffic – anything but Fable.Maybe Alix is just upset that I missed our band practice. I hope that's all.When Zee and I arrive at our lockers a few minutes before first bell, I find the words "GROUPIE SLUT" scrawled over the front of my locker in black sharpie. Jamie's scrubbing furiously at it with what looks like eye makeup remover and a Kleenex.Her face drops when she s

"Before I tell you what we're doing here, take this," Felix says.He reaches into the back pocket of his jeans, and takes out a small piece of paper folded in two. Alastaire rolls his eyes as Felix passes the note to me over the table, closing my hand over it.I'm still in such a state of shock at finding them in my house that it takes a second to register that Felix Lockhart's hand just touched my hand."Read it after we've left," Felix says. "And don't show your friend. It's for your eyes only. Understand?"I nod, tucking the paper away into my hoodie pocket."Basically, you're going to help us with a... project," Felix says.He's ordering me. There's no 'please', no 'if you want to.'"You want me to help you?" I ask, searching his face for some sign he's joking. His expression is as indecipherable and distant

Okay. Now or never.I knock once on the front door's wood paneling, peeking into the cabin through the stained glass panes.Everything's a jewel-colored blur through the glass, but I can just make out the shapes of furniture in the hallway and a light at the end of the hall – probably a window or another door.I wait a few seconds before knocking again, louder this time.There's a sound like someone falling over something, followed by muttered cursing.My heart skips a beat as the front door suddenly swings open.Lyall is standing in front of me wearing nothing but his boxers and a pair of fluffy pink bunny slippers.His reddish-brown hair is flat on one side and sticking out on the other, a cinnamon-colored bed head disaster that he still somehow manages to make look adorable. His eyes are half closed, and he flops sideways against the doorf

Thump. Thump. Thump.My heart is beating so hard against my ribs I feel like it's about to jump out of my chest on to the kitchen counter.I've managed to keep fairly calm up to this point, but the thought of Lyall making pancakes for me... I want to do a crazy fangirl dance.Lyall hums quietly to himself while he stirs the batter, and Felix is sitting next to me with his head down on the counter. He hasn't even touched his tea yet.Alastaire flicks through something on his phone.There's no reception out here, so I'm tempted to ask what he's doing, but I don't want him to think I'm being nosy.The guys don't seem to notice how nervous I am, and realizing this helps me to calm down. I clutch my mug a little less tightly.Everyone's lost in their own thoughts.Apart from Lyall's softly murmured tune and the clinking of the spoon ag