Everyone in the immediate vicinity started to applaud, and soon the whole room and its hundreds of revelers were cheering and clapping for Kaitlynn's achievement.
"Get that girl a drink!" someone shouted, earning laughter from the crowd.
"It was nothing," Kaitlynn replied modestly. "I have allergies too, so I always have one on me," she said, glancing meaningfully over at Ariana. "Anyone would have done the same."
Ariana finally breathed in. Interesting. So she hadn't done it so that she could tell everyone that Ariana had stolen Tahira's EpiPen.
"Come on," Rob said, putting his arm around Tahira's waist. "I think we should get you checked out."
"He's right. I'd like to gauge your blood pressure and make sure you're all right," the doctor said. "There's an emergency kit at the front."
Tahira had one arm around Rob's shoulders and the other around the doctor's as they passed by Ariana on their way to the door. Zuri scurried after them, holding both her purse and Tahira's. And Kaitlynn, who was trailed by a smattering of applause, brought up the rear. As she walked by Ariana, she lifted Ariana's wrist and slapped something into her hand. Then she smirked, and followed her friends.
Slowly, her fingers quaking, Ariana unfolded the scrap of black paper--Kaitlynn's task. It read, in silver lettering:
BE THE HERO.
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NEXT
Ariana Osgood was at a loss. Her plan had failed, foiled by the very person for whom she had created said plan in the first place. Now, all she could think about was what Kaitlynn had said at the top of the stairs during their tour of the embassy.What happens next is on you.
What was going to happen next? As of this moment, Ariana had no idea. And that thought terrified her more than anything.
She stood near the wall of the ballroom, watching Kaitlynn as she chatted and laughed with Tahira, Zuri, and Allison, who were now solidified for life as her bestest best friends.
Be the hero, Ariana thought. What would Kaitlynn have done if Ariana hadn't tried to take out Tahira? If Ariana had tossed the EpiPen? Probably put Ariana in some kind of mortal danger and then saved her at the last minute. Or someone else. They were all just pawns in the girl's sadistic game.
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Kaitlynn laughed at something Tahira said, and Ariana's eyes narrowed. The real question was, what was the girl thinking? How was she going to create a spot for herself in Stone and Grave? What sort of plan was percolating in that distorted little mind of hers?
"Hey."
Palmer's breath on her bare shoulder sent a pleasant shot of warmth down her spine, totally incongruous with the cold fear that permeated every other inch of her.
"Hey," she replied, standing up straight and trying to smile.
"Apparently I missed some serious drama," Palmer said, taking a sip of his drink, some sort of dark brown liquid. Ariana eyed it with interest. Perhaps it was time for her to get silly drunk. To just let herself go and let whatever was going to happen, happen. Her brain was starting to hurt from the strain of trying to protect everyone. Of trying to make sense of a senseless psycho.
"Yeah. Lily saved the day," Ariana said airily. "No wonder you can't seem to stop flirting with her."
Palmer looked down at his feet, chagrined. "Not by choice."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ariana asked, tearing her gaze from Kaitlynn for just a moment.
"She's always coming up to me," he said, finishing his drink and placing the tumbler on the empty tray of a passing waiter. "And yeah, maybe I don't spend too much effort fighting her off, but there's a chance that I'm just hoping to make you jealous."
Ariana's eyebrows arched. "Really?"
"Is it working?" Palmer asked with a grin.
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Ariana took in a breath, let it go, and sank against Palmer's strong chest. She was done. Exhausted. Sick of keeping up appearances on top of everything else. At the moment, for just one moment, she really just needed a hug. The feeling of a pair of strong, reassuring arms holding her. Letting her know that everything was going to work out in the end.
"Whoa," Palmer said, circling his arms around her. She closed her eyes and cuddled into his warmth. "What's this? What about flying under the radar?"
"Lexa's happy with Connie," Ariana replied. "I don't see why I don't get to be happy too."
"Finally got through to you, huh?" Palmer joked, brushing a stray lock of hair back from her face, tickling her cheek.
"I guess you did," she replied.
"No worries," Palmer said. "Lexa's not around anyway. I haven't seen her since before the big near--death scene, actually."
Ariana's heart careened to a screeching stop. Her eyes popped open. Lexa was missing? Missing before Tahira was saved by the one person who wanted to create a hole in the secret society?
"I bet she and Conrad are off hooking up in one of the upstairs rooms," Palmer whispered, moving his hands up to cup her cheeks. "In fact, maybe we could go find a room of our own."
Ariana took a step back. Her knees trembled beneath her. "Lexa's missing?"
A look of confusion crossed Palmer's face. "I didn't say missing."
"No, but..." Ariana brought her hand to her forehead, trying to
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ease her suddenly racing thoughts. "You haven't seen her. Has anyone seen her? Where's Conrad?"
"I don't know," Palmer said, reaching for her hand. "I'm sure they're around here somewhere. Now why don't we--"
"No." Ariana wrenched her arm free. "I have to go."
"Now?" Palmer was no longer confused. He was pissed. But Ariana couldn't deal with that now. Kaitlynn had done something to Lexa. She could feel it in her bones.
"Yes, now. I have to find Lexa," Ariana told him.
"What is it with you and her?" Palmer blurted, backing up a step. "It's like you're in love with her."
"Palmer! I don't have time to stroke your ego right now," Ariana said. "I have to go."
She turned and raced out of the ballroom, heading back for the lobby so she could talk to the guards. Maybe Lexa and Conrad had simply bailed. Perhaps one of the guards would remember them leaving.
Please don't let her be hurt, Ariana thought as she raced along in her heels, holding up her skirt at both sides. If she is, it's all my fault. I was supposed to protect my friends.
It was a lesson she had learned back at Billings. A lesson that had been drilled into her time and again. And here at APH, it was even more vital than ever. Because Ariana was the one who had brought Kaitlynn here. Ariana should have been more diligent. She should have figured out a better way to shield them from Kaitlynn's twisted nature. If Lexa was dead, Ariana was to blame.
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"Excuse me!" Ariana shouted, racing up to the first guard she saw. "Have you seen a girl... a bit taller than me . . . dark hair in a green dress? She was with an African--American guy. . . ."
"Omigod! Ana!"
Ariana whirled around at the sound of Lexa's voice. Her lungs filled with relief. She was there. Right there. Running toward Ariana at full tilt with tears streaming down her face.
Tears.
Just like that, the relief was gone.
"Lexa! What is it!?" Ariana said turning as her friend barreled into her. Conrad brought up the rear, his face slack, his eyes wide with fright.
"I... I... I can't. . . !" Lexa choked, barely able to breathe.
"What!?"
Lexa collapsed forward and Ariana was unable to hold her full weight. She sank to the floor on her knees, the skirt of her dress ballooning around her. Ariana stepped around her and numbly staggered toward the doors through which Lexa and Conrad had come.
What did Kaitlynn do? What's happening? Ariana thought as she stepped through the doors to the tapestry room. Her gaze instantly focused on the heap of purple lying at the foot of the grand staircase. On the silver high--heeled shoe lying several feet away. On the tangle of blond hair.
"Oh my God," Ariana gasped, bending over at the waist. Suddenl
y there was no air, like the tapestries were suffocating the room and Ariana along with it. "Brigit."
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The princess's eyes were closed, like she was sleeping peacefully. She could have been. If not for the odd, unnatural angle of her neck.
A single tear spilled down Ariana cheek. "Brigit, I'm so ... so sorry."
Just then, the guards rushed through on either side of Ariana, whipping guns from holsters and holding walkie--talkies to their mouths. As a few of them crouched to the floor around Brigit's lifeless form, Ariana was quickly ushered out by a pair of firm hands--ushered back to the lobby where Lexa and Conrad now sat on a pair of chairs, being grilled by still more guards.
"At the bottom of the stairs," Lexa was saying as Ariana slowly approached. "I think she fell. . . . She must've tripped or . . ." Her eyes suddenly widened and she looked up at Ariana, past the square shoulder of one of the guards. "Why did we make her wear those stupid heels?"
Ariana swallowed against her dry throat, her heart breaking. It's not your fault, lexa. It's not your fault.
Soon, a crowd started to form in the lobby. The news traveled quickly and the Norwegian ambassador was brought forth. She was ushered through the double doors and disappeared. Her shriek of despair was soon heard throughout the embassy.
"You found the princess?" a tall man in a suit asked Lexa, stepping next to the guards.
Conrad stood up. "We both did."
"You'll have to come with me," the man said.
Lexa stood up shakily. Ariana gave her a quick hug as she and
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Conrad trailed after the man. Then Ariana was left standing there, alone and cold, wishing she could turn back time. Wishing she had spent every moment of the evening with Brigit. Wishing she could, at the very least, apologize. Say good--bye.
Why did it have to be her? The sweetest of the sweet? The most innocent of them all? She had been the most thoughtful, the most loyal among them.
Ariana felt a cold hand on her shoulder. She turned around and stared into Kaitlynn's dancing green eyes. If the girl could have comprehended the ferocity of the rage bubbling just beneath the thin veneer of Ariana's skin, she never could have smiled at her the way she was smiling now.
"What did you do?" Ariana said through her teeth.
"Told you, Ana," Kaitlynn whispered merrily. "This one's on you.
Kate Brian, Perfect Mistake
(Series: Privilege # 3)
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