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strength. Tyler grabbed the comment and ran with it.<br />
"Yes, and he almost killed me. And tonight somebody did kill Tanner. I don't know what you think,<br />
but I think he did it. I think he's the one!"<br />
"But where is he?" shouted someone from the crowd.<br />
Tyler looked around. "If he did it, he must still be here," he shouted. "Let's find him."<br />
"Stefan hasn't done anything! Tyler – " cried Elena, but the noise from the crowd overrode her.<br />
Tyler's words were being taken up and repeated. Find him… find him . . . find him. Elena heard it<br />
pass from person to person. And the faces in the Stonehenge Room were filled with more than distrust<br />
now; Elena could see anger and a thirst for vengeance in them, too. The crowd had turned into<br />
something ugly, something beyond controlling.<br />
"Where is he, Elena?" said Tyler, and she saw the blazing triumph in his eyes. He was enjoying this.<br />
"I don't know," she said fiercely, wanting to hit him.<br />
"He must still be here! Find him!" someone shouted, and then it seemed everyone was moving,<br />
pointing, pushing, at once. Partitions were being knocked down and shoved aside.<br />
Elena's heart was pounding. This was no longer a crowd; it was a mob. She was terrified of what<br />
they would do to Stefan if they did find him. But if she tried to go warn him, she would lead Tyler<br />
right to him.<br />
She looked around desperately. Bonnie was still staring into Mr. Tanner's dead face. No help there.<br />
She turned to scan the crowd again, and her eyes met Matt's.<br />
He was looking confused and angry, his blond hair ruffled up, cheeks flushed and sweaty. Elena put<br />
all her strength of will into a look of pleading.<br />
Please, Matt, she thought. You can't believe all this. You know it isn't true.<br />
But his eyes showed that he didn't know. There was a tumult of bewilderment and agitation in them.<br />
Please, thought Elena, gazing into those blue eyes, willing him to understand. Oh, please, Matt, only<br />
you can save him. Even if you don't believe, please try to trust… please…<br />
She saw the change come over his face, the confusion lifting as grim determination appeared. He<br />
stared at her another moment, eyes boring into hers, and nodded once. Then he turned and slipped into<br />
the milling, hunting crowd.<br />
Matt knifed through the crowd cleanly until he got to the other side of the gym. There were some<br />
freshmen standing near the door to the boys' locker room; he brusquely ordered them to start moving<br />
fallen partitions, and when their attention was distracted he jerked the door open and ducked inside.<br />
He looked around quickly, unwilling to shout. For that matter, he thought, Stefan must have heard all<br />
the racket going on in the gym. He'd probably already cut out. But then Matt saw the black-clad figure<br />
on the white tile floor.<br />
"Stefan! What happened?" For a terrible instant, Matt thought he was looking down on a second<br />
dead body. But as he knelt by Stefan's side, he saw movement.<br />
"Hey, you're okay, just sit up slowly… easy. Are you all right, Stefan?"<br />
"Yes," said Stefan. He didn't look okay, Matt thought. His face was dead white and his pupils were<br />
dilated hugely. He looked disoriented and sick. "Thank you," he said.<br />
"You may not thank me in a minute. Stefan, you've got to get out of here. Can't you hear them?<br />
They're after you."