82
"Hey Ana!" Kaitlynn called out in the hallway. "Wait up!"
Ariana kept walking, nearly tripping over some hapless freshman who had dropped his books in the middle of the hall. She turned up the speed as she headed for the stairwell. Not that it mattered. Kaidynn was at her side in no time.
"Aren't you psyched we're in the same class? I took the history test on Monday morning and they're letting me join my classes as my results come in so I don't miss too much," she babbled.
"Why you think I care about any of this is beyond me," Ariana said, her eyes fierce as she glared over her shoulder.
She turned sideways to make more room for the overweight professor coming toward her and scurried down the stairs. Kaitlynn paused for a moment at the top but soon recovered and jogged to catch up.
"Where are you rushing off to?"
"The appropriate question is, 'What am I rushing away from?" Ariana said through her teeth. Her hand gripped the oak railing on the stairs, steadying her steps as her body quaked with anger. Was it too much to ask that Kaitlynn at least not be placed in her classes? Between being her roommate and competing with her for a spot in Stone and Grave, she had to deal with the bitch enough already.
"Very funny," Kaitlynn said drily.
Maybe I should just trip her. Just put out my foot and trip her. With any luck she'll crack her skull on the marble and this will all be over. An accident. It would look like a total freak accident. Maybe I could even give her a push.
83
Her foot flinched outward as Kaitlynn caught up with her, but she only succeeded in kicking the ankle of a tall, gawky boy in glasses.
"Ow. Watch it."
"Sorry," Ariana said, blushing. She hit the landing and kept moving, feeling hot an annoyed and stupid. Tripped on the stairs. Right. As if that would work. Stupid, Ariana. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She gripped her forearm and squeezed.
"So, have you figured out a sabotage plan yet?" Kaitlynn whispered as Ariana shoved through the heavy doors of the class building.
"I'm working on it," Ariana said, stepping quickly down the stone steps and onto the main green at the center of campus.
"Really? Because I thought I saw you reposing on the patio with your little friends this morning," Kaitlynn replied, keeping a friendly smile on her face for the rest of the world to see. "Didn't look like you were working too hard to me."
"Look, I have a plan. I just have to figure out how I'm going to execute it," Ariana said, pausing under a huge cherry tree. "Give me some time."
Kaitlynn took a deep breath and blew it out through her nose impatiently. "If I give you time it might never get done," she said, holding her notebook to her chest. "So how about a deadline? You've always worked well under deadlines."
Ariana tensed, reminded of how much Kaitlynn knew about her past. She'd known that the Fourth of July was the only day her escape from the Brenda T. could have happened, and how Ariana had made sure everything was in place before then. She knew that Ariana had
84
found a way to raise a million dollars to pay Kaitlynn off in just a week. The girl knew way too much. Arian's grip on her forearm tightened. Then a pair of girls she recognized from Wolcott walked by and she forced a smile.
"You have ten days. Until the night of the NoBash. If you don't eliminate someone by then, I will," she said, her eyes menacing. She glanced around the circle and spotted Maria, Soomie, Lexa, Landon, and Adam chatting near the fountain. "All we need is one more open spot. I wonder which one of your little buddies it'll be. Let's see. Well, obviously Lexa is in. The queen bee is always in. And she probably wouldn't room with Maria unless she was in as well. Soomie would have to be in, since she's the number one brain around here. She seems pretty scrappy, though. She'd probably put up a fight."
Ariana pressed her lips together. All around her students were chatting and lounging and going over notes. Having normal lives. Just like Ariana was supposed to be doing. But instead, she was faced with this. With this constant pressure and the never--ending threats. This was not the way it was supposed to be.
"Or will it be you?" Kaitlynn added, gazing into Ariana's eyes hungrily, as if she was simply salivating for the chance to kill again. Ariana shuddered. Kaitlynn was even more insane than she'd ever imagined. Was it possible that she wanted Ariana to fail? Wanted an excuse to commit a pointless murder? Didn't she know that murder was no game? That it was only to be used as a last resort?
God, she's crazy, Ariana thought. She deserves to be in the Brenda T. Why, why, why did I get her out?
85
"Fine," Ariana said through her teeth. "By the night of the NoBash, there will only be four of us in contention. In the meantime, back off my friends," she said firmly.
Kaitlynn's eyebrows rose in surprise--or was it respect?--at the demand. "Right. Whatever you say."
"Hey Ana!" Lexa called out from the other side of the circle. "My dad's taking us out for lunch in Georgetown. You coming?"
Ariana smiled as Kaitlynn's face fell.
"Absolutely!" Ariana replied.
"Good! Let's go!" Lexa said, tilting her head. "He's dying to meet the infamous Briana Leigh Covington."
"Okay!" Ariana replied. She looked at Kaitlynn, feeling suddenly calm, and very superior. "Guess you're not invited. Sorry, Lily."
Ariana brushed by Kaitlynn, pulling her thick auburn hair over her shoulder and away from her neck, attempting to cool her body temperature.
"Oh, Ana?"
Ariana paused. She took a deep breath and turned around to face her nemesis.
"Speaking of invitations, don't forget I'll also be needing an invite to that party," Kaitlynn said. "The sooner the better. There are plans to be made."
Ariana smiled sweetly. She loved a perfect opening. "No worries, Lily. If you're too pathetic to make your own friends, I'll do what I can to help you."
Kaitlynn frowned and Ariana quickly walked off to join Lexa and
86
the rest of her crew. She made a big show of throwing her arm around Lexa's shoulders as they headed for the pickup/drop--off area on the far side of the dorms, knowing Kaitlynn was watching. There. Let her stew over that for a while.
At least she'd found a way to get rid of that smirk--for the moment.
87
RIGID
It was way past time to assume control of the situation.As Ariana stalked across the circle and up the hill toward Wolcott Hall, her blood boiled hotter with each step. She had just sat through what should have been a lovely lunch with Lexa's father, Senator Greene, and her friends, but she hadn't been able to enjoy it because she couldn't stop thinking about her encounter with Kaitlynn. The girl had ruined a perfectly good social outing and she hadn't even been there. Ariana knew that if she was ever going to get her emotions in check, she had to act. Had to put some plan in motion that would fix at least one, if not all, of her current troubles. First things first: Remove Allison from the running for Stone and Grave. Save her friends' lives and her own. After she got that plot started, she could concentrate on what would hopefully be the easier task, securing an invite to the NoBash for Kaitlynn.
Then she could deal with getting Lexa and Conrad together. And
88
her own task for Stone and Grave--making a spectacle of herself. That was going to be interesting. How in the world was she supposed to do that? Wear her underwear on the outside of her uniform for a day? Don last season's shoes? Shave her head? Not one of these ideas appealed. What were they looking for? How devastating a humiliation were they expecting?
Ariana had come to the top of the hill and was walking so fast she found herself panting unattractively.
Breathe. Focus.
The Allison Plan. That was why she was here. Because all good plotters needed willing lackeys. Brigit hadn't been at lunch because she had a gown fitting for the NoBash. Ariana hoped to find her friend in her room. She shoved through the doors of Wolcott and almost slammed into Tahira
and Allison.
"Watch it!" Tahira snapped. "You almost took my head off!"
If only, Ariana thought, sliding past them without a word, her teeth clenched.
"God. Sweat much?" Allison commented, looking Ariana up and down with disgust. She and Tahira cracked up laughing and continued through the door. Ariana felt like she was going to spontaneously combust.
Yes, Allison had to go. As soon as humanly possible.
Breathing in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth, Ariana took the elevator to the top floor. By the time she got there she felt much calmer. She knocked on the closed door of Soomie and Brigit's room. There was a scuffle and some urgent whispering.
89
"Who is it?" Brigit called.
"It's Ana."
"Are you alone?"
Ariana glanced behind her at the empty hallway.
"Yes. Is something wrong?"
"No. Come in. Quickly."
Ariana slipped inside the room. Brigit was stepping onto a seamstresses' block wearing a royal purple gown of pure, shimmering silk. It had cap sleeves and a square neckline that framed her neck and face perfectly. Very flattering. Crouching at Brigit's feet, pinning the hem, was a diminutive woman with graying brown hair pulled back in a bun.
"Hey, Ana. Sorry about that," Brigit said, all flushed. "I just can't let Tahira or Allison see my gown. How was lunch?"
"It was great, but we missed you," Ariana replied, placing her bag on Soomie's bed. "What a beautiful dress."
"I know, isn't it?" Brigit's face was giddy with pleasure. "Leah's a genius. Oh! How rude of me. Ana, this is Leah. She just got in from Oslo this morning."
Ariana tried not to let her envy reflect in her eyes. Personal seamstress flown in from Norway? What a life.
"A pleasure to meet a friend of the princess." Leah rose to her feet and shook Ariana's hand--a tight, bony grip--and bowed her head slightly.
"The pleasure's mine," Ariana replied. "You do amazing work."
"Thank you, miss."
90
Leah got right back to work, dropping to her knees and edging her way around Brigit's skirt.
"Do you have a gown yet?" Brigit asked excitedly.
"No, actually," Ariana replied, realizing she was going to have to use her emergency credit card to secure a proper outfit for the NoBash. That was going to be fun to explain to Grandma Covington.
"Well, you'd better get on that soon," Brigit warned. Then her eyes lit up. "I know! Why don't we go shopping together? This Saturday? We'll get everyone together. It'll be so much fun!"
Ariana grinned. The idea of a shopping excursion with friends almost negated the irritating thought of putting on Briana Leigh's particular begging whine and explaining the charge to her crotchety grandmother.
"Okay. Sounds like a plan," she said.
"Good. So ... what's up?" Brigit asked. "You look all flushed." Her blue eyes brightened again and she clasped her hands in front of her. "Is it a boy? Did you meet someone? Did I tell you I asked Adam to the NoBash? He said yes!"
Ariana laughed. "That's great, Brigit. I knew he would. But no. No boys for me." Yet, she added silently. "Actually, I was just wondering . . . how do you feel about pranks?"
Brigit's grin widened. "I love them. As long as they're not being played on me."
"Of course. No one likes those," Ariana said with a smile.
She strolled over to Brigit's side of the room where there were a dozen framed photos hung around her bed. Some of the pictures featured Brigit dressed up in designer gowns, sporting to--die--for jewels
91
and tiaras, posing with young dignitaries and celebrities from around the world. But then there was a pic of Brigit and her parents in hiking gear, posing on a ledge at the side of a mountain. Another of her and her dad in a canoe somewhere, smiling at the photographer, looking for all the world like a perfectly normal father and daughter, rather than a king and his princess daughter.
"Who are we pranking?" Brigit asked.
"Allison," Ariana replied.
"Ooooh! Then I am totally in," Brigit replied. "Is this for the . . . you--know--what?" she asked in a leading voice, glancing down at Leah, who was simply going about her work.
"No," Ariana semi--lied. It wasn't as if Stone and Grave had asked her to prank Allison, but the prank was Stone and Grave--related. "She just needs a little payback for being such a bitch when we were living together."
Brigit giggled. "I like it. What's the plan? What do you need me to do?"
Ariana smiled. She knew she'd chosen the right accomplice. Brigit was definitely the kind of girl who lived life to the fullest and knew how to have fun. On the floor, Leah tsked under her breath.
"Oh, please, Leah. Like you didn't tear it up a little when you were in school," Brigit said. "I'm sure it'll be totally harmless, right, Ana?"
Ariana swallowed hard. "Of course."
"At least save the planning of this thing until I am out of the room," Leah requested, looking up at the princess. "The less I know, the less I will be able to tell if the king starts to ask questions."
92
Brigit laughed lightly. "Fine. We'll wait."
"Good." Leah placed her last pin. "There. All finished."
Brigit stepped down to the floor and looked at the hem, which was lying flat on the hardwood at her feet. "It's still too long," she pointed out.
"I know. I've done this for a reason," Leah said, shoving an extra pin into the cushion she had strapped to her wrist.
Brigit's posture collapsed. "Oh, no, Leah. Don't tell me you're going to get on me about this again!"
"About what?" Ariana asked.
"The princess does not know how to walk in high heels," Leah told Ariana. "I keep trying to tell her that a woman in her position needs to know how to walk in heels, but does she listen to me, a woman who has been dressing royals for over twenty years? No."
"What's the big deal?" Brigit asked. "God made me this height. Why can I not attend parties at the height God made me?"
"Hasn't attended church since she's been in the States, but now she wants to invoke the Lord." Leah rolled her eyes as she stood.
"How do you know that?" Brigit asked, color rising in her cheeks.
"You may think you're far from the prying eyes of your people, your majesty, but the papers back home still print every little thing they can find out about you," Leah said wryly. "Will you talk some sense into the girl?" she asked Ariana, glancing at the heeled boots Ariana was wearing. "Maybe you can give her some pointers. Excuse me for a moment, Princess."
"Of course," Brigit said.
93
Leah slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Brigit rolled her eyes.
"She is right, though," Ariana said, looking at Brigit's hem. "Heels say you're a sophisticated woman. If you keep going to parties in flats, it's kind of. ... childish."
"I know, I know," Brigit said, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "But if I start going to parties in heels, I'll be falling all over the place, spilling drinks and dumping cocktail sauce on people. I kind of think that's worse."
"Fair enough," Ariana said, sitting next to her. "So . . . wanna hear the plan?"
"Definitely!" Brigit said, clasping her hands. "I've gotta say, though, I'm kind of surprised at you, Ana Covington," she added, giving Ariana's leg a quick nudge.
"Why? What do you mean?" Ariana asked.
"I don't know ... I just never would have thought you were the prank type," Brigit said. "Kind of like what Lexa was saying in the bathroom the other day. You're kind of. . ."
She paused and made an apologetic face, as if she didn't want to say what she was actually thinking. All the tiny hairs on Ariana's arms stood on end.
"Kind of what?" she asked, trying not to sound annoyed.
"Um . . . rigid?" Brigit said.
A sour taste filled Ariana's mouth. She felt her fingers start to curl into fists and forced them open again. Rigid? Rigid? No
. She was not rigid. Just... controlled. She had to be controlled. Had to keep herself
94
in check at all times. Had to be careful and calculated. These people had no idea what might happen if she didn't maintain that control. Ariana herself had no idea what might happen--a thought that scared her to the very core every time she let it enter. Which was why she had to keep it at bay. Keep every strong emotion--fear, anger, love, lust--under control.
Otherwise, she knew from experience, things could go very, very wrong.
"But not in a bad way," Brigit added quickly. "But I was thinking that maybe that's why Stone and Grave gave you that task." She whispered the words Stone and Grave. "You know, so you can prove you can loosen up. That you don't have to take yourself so seriously."
Ariana took a deep, soothing breath. Maybe Brigit was right. And maybe Lexa was the one who had set her task, having already noticed that Briana Leigh wasn't as Briana Leigh as she used to be.
"I know how to have fun," Ariana protested. She wished, suddenly, that Brigit and the others could have seen her in her Billings days. Ariana had always been the one to secure the champagne, forge the passes off campus, figure out how to get pastry deliveries in the middle of the night for Fat Phoebe parties. She'd been a total party animal. As long as it was nothing too wild. "I threw that party in my room last week, remember?"
"Yes! That was so cool," Brigit said, coloring. "Forget I said anything. Obviously I'm wrong. Rigid people do not pull pranks just for fun."
"Exactly," Ariana said, still bristling. She uncurled her fingers and tried to relax. Tried to appear less rigid.
95
"So. Tell me the plan," Brigit said, getting comfy on her pillows and hopelessly wrinkling her dress. Although, Ariana supposed, Leah would probably just steam the creases out later. "Oh! But before I forget, are you free tonight?"