The Gryphon Project

PUFFIN CANADA

CARRIE MAC
is an award-winning author who lives in Pemberton, British Columbia. Her first novel,
The Beckoners
, won the Arthur Ellis YA Award and the Stellar Award, and is a CLA Honour book.
The Droughtlanders
, the first book in the Triskelia series, was shortlisted for the Sunburst Award and the White Pine, and was a nominee for the Young Adult Library Services Association–Best Book. It was also shortlisted for the CLA Young Adult Award, along with
Retribution
and
Storm
.

ALSO BY CARRIE MAC

TRISKELIA

The Droughtlanders
Retribution
Storm

The Beckoners
Charmed
Crush
Pain & Wastings

CARRIE MAC

PUFFIN CANADA

Published by the Penguin Group

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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published 2009

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (WEB)

Copyright © Carrie Mac, 2009

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

Publisher’s note: This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons
living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Manufactured in Canada.

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Mac, Carrie, 1975-
The Gryphon project / Carrie Mac.

ISBN 978-0-14-316814-0

I. Title.
PS8625.A23G79 2009      jC813’.6      C2009-901362-2

Visit the Penguin Group (Canada) website at
www.penguin.ca

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www.penguin.ca/corporatesales
or call 1-800-810-3104, ext. 477 or 474

FOR CARLA POPPEN …

WISE WOMAN, CHERISHED CRONE.

For the longest time, Phoenix’s older brother, Gryphon, had been her favourite person in the whole world. In Grade 4 she’d had to write an essay about her number-one hero, and she’d chosen Gryph. She’d written five pages about how great he was, even though the assignment was for only two hundred words. And she’d illustrated it too, drawing Gryph as a superhero flying through the air with a crimson cape, and herself standing on the grass far below, waving up at him.

He was the perfect big brother. Older by two and a half years, he always hung out with her when he had a chance, never complaining when she wanted to play tea party or house or dress-up. He didn’t mind her tagging along when he hung out with his friends, cheering her on when they played soccer, or lifting her up on the basketball court so she could get a slam dunk. He latched on to a trio of best friends in kindergarten, and so over the years Saul and Huy and Tariq became like brothers to her too. And she and Nadia—her own best friend since preschool—were like sisters to them all. The boys watched out for them, and as the girls finally made it to high school and Saul started dating Nadia, the whole gang of them were still super close. Even Neko, Nadia’s little
brother, had been welcomed into Gryph’s enchanted circle. He was almost four years younger than the boys, and two years younger than the girls. He was their mascot.

AND THROUGH IT ALL
, Gryph was climbing up the ladder of fame. He was a gifted athlete, and a favourite of the media. Even when he was still playing T-ball and peewee hockey, his was the picture that made it into the back pages of the sports section. And slowly, his picture started making it to the front page of the sports section. But still, he was always happy to be with the family. He was that cool older brother, the smart and athletic son who genuinely liked his parents and his little sisters too. He was the guy who would make the popcorn on a Friday night and divvy it into bowls as the others got settled for yet another cheesy movie suitable for six-year-old Fawn. He was the guy who would watch
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
over and over and still not grumble about it. He was the guy who would piggyback his littlest sister up to bed and then play three games of chess with Phee at the coffee table while their father read his pile of novels and Eva went over her files from work. He was the guy Phee looked up to. Or he had been. Until about a year ago.

SHE WATCHED HIM NOW
, trying to place when she’d first noticed the change. He shoved his baseball gear into an enormous duffle bag, his face frozen in his usual look as of late. Anger. Or just plain darkness, Phee couldn’t tell what it was exactly. He glanced up and saw her sitting at the top of the stairs.

“What?” He scowled at her.

“Where’re you going?”

“Saul’s.”

“You have practice on a Friday night? What about our movie night?” Actually, Phee couldn’t remember the last time Gryph had been home on a Friday night. “Fawn misses you.” What she meant was that
she
missed him. But she wouldn’t say that to his face, not with him glaring at her like that.

“We have practice in the morning.” Gryph shoved his cleats into the bag and fought with the zipper. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Can Nadia and I come watch?”

“Why?”

“She likes to swoon over Saul, and I’ve got nothing better to do.”

Gryph shrugged. “What do I care?”

“Got that right,” Phee mumbled.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“Sure sounded like a bitchy sort of nothing.” Gryph hefted the bag onto his shoulder and made his way down the front walk.

PHOENIX SET HER CHIN
on her fist and watched him cross the green, making his way to the train station. Who was that guy? He looked like Gryph, and lived Gryph’s life, but he wasn’t the Gryph she knew. The Gryph she knew would’ve gladly invited her to come watch. He used to be her friend. But now he was just an asshole who lived in her house. And hardly that, he spent the night at Saul’s as often as he could. Even school nights. Her parents wouldn’t let Phee stay over at Nadia’s on a school night, but somehow Gryph had convinced them that because Saul’s house was closer to school and Gryph’s various sports practices, it was okay. When Phee claimed that was unfair, her mother told her she knew full well that girls stayed up all night chatting, while boys actually slept. Phee wasn’t so sure about that.

And besides, it was categorically unfair. Phee was still bitter about it. When she’d accused her parents of using a double standard, they had asked her if she would actually
sleep
at Nadia’s, and she had to say no. She was not one to lie to Oscar and Eva. She genuinely loved and trusted them, even if Gryph didn’t lately.

THE WEIRD THING
was that he was still super sweet to Fawn. Almost as if he were trying to hide his new mean self from her. Maybe Fawn was his new favourite sister.

Phee wished things could go back to the way they were before.

Maybe it was the stress of being a champion athlete. Gryph was sponsored by Chrysalis, which came with a lot of pressure, sure, but a lot of perks too. The media attention, the high-tech gear, the fame.

The fame.

Maybe that was it? Ever since he’d won the X Games last year he’d changed. Maybe all the hype had turned him into a prick.

Phee never knew if it was going to be a Good Gryph day or a Bad Gryph day, and so it had her walking on eggshells. She missed the old Gryphon. She missed his easy laugh and his carefree approach to anything life threw at him.

And he wasn’t training as hard anymore, even though he was still winning. He just didn’t seem to care about it as much. He’d signed a ten-year contract with Chrysalis almost three years ago. It was meant to see him through college and into the pros, for whichever sport he ended up choosing. He was good at them all. There were a lot of years left on that contract. Phee wasn’t sure if she could stand seven more years of this Gryphon.

PHEE WATCHED HER BROTHER
until he was out of sight, and then she went inside to find her father. He was in his study, writing his sermon for Sunday. Phee plopped down in one of the easy chairs he kept across from the desk for when he counselled parishioners. His United Church served three suburbs and was located in the farthest one out, so sometimes it was easier for people to meet him at home rather than go all the way to the church.

“Do you think Gryph is on drugs?” She didn’t really believe this, because how could he still pass all those substance tests? On the other hand, he was smart. Maybe there was a way?

“Gryph? Drugs?” Oscar looked up, surprised. “Where did that come from?”

“He’s just been so weird lately.”

“He’s a teenager—”

“So am I!”

“He’s not you.” Oscar shrugged. He set aside his highlighted Bible, holding his place with a paper clip. “He’s a boy.”

“That’s an excuse?”

“He’s older?” Oscar grinned. “Is that a better excuse? He’s charting the waters for you and Fawn?”

“I won’t ever be like that.”