Privilege

  "I wish my grandmother could see me getting on that plane to Ibiza," Briana Leigh said, snorting a laugh. "She would just die."

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  "Seriously," Ariana said, laying the newspaper aside. She took a deep breath, feeling more in control with each passing moment.

  "Oh, no. You have no idea," Briana Leigh said. She was so drunk her words were slurring together. She swung her head around to look at Ariana and almost fell off her chair. Steadying herself with her hands on both armrests, she took a deep breath and focused. "I used to go to La Scuola Ferretta in Rome. Couldn't stand it. It was so freaking pretentious and the girls there hated me. They used to pick apart my Texan accent as if an Italian accent is so much better. Anyway, when I was thirteen, just after my mom died, my dad dropped me at the airport to go back to school and instead of getting on a plane to Rome, I hopped a flight to Paris."

  Ah. The Paris incident, Ariana thought.

  "Of course, after I didn't arrive at school, my father freaked out and called the airline. Eventually they figured out I was in France, so basically the entire Parisian police department was sent out looking for me. It was on the news there, and they searched all the five-star hotels. As if I was that stupid. I was using cash and staying in this tiny brothel-type place I found on the East Bank. It took them two days to find me. My grandmother said I almost killed my father."

  Ariana let out a short laugh. Briana Leigh looked out the window again and took another swig of her drink. Her eyes were at half mast behind her sunglasses.

  "Little did she know that a year later I actually would."

  Ariana's stomach swooped so violently she was sure the plane had

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  gone into a nosedive. She gripped her armrests and looked out the window. Nothing rushing past. Still cruising along. Her vision started to prickle over with the familiar black dots.

  Breathe. Just breathe.

  Briana Leigh could not have just said what Ariana had thought she had heard.

  The girl leaned her forehead against the small ovular window. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she continued to cling to her glass.

  "I killed my father.... I killed my father...."

  Ariana had to keep herself from lunging at Briana Leigh. To keep from grabbing her and shaking her and screaming in her face.

  "My mother's dead. My father's gone. Kaitlynn's locked up down there in that horrible place," Briana Leigh continued babbling. "I'm all alone and it's all my fault."

  So she really killed her father? The letter from Kaitlynn had seemed so authentic, but then, Ariana knew how easily these things could be faked. Briana Leigh had probably paid some guard or clerk to send her some letterhead and had written the letter herself, just to prove her own innocence should anyone ever question it.

  Ariana's fingers closed around her forearm as she fought the urge to vomit. She felt so abysmally stupid. What was wrong with her? How could have she ever doubted Kaitlynn? Ever let Briana Leigh suck her into her psychosis? Ever let herself start to care about the psychotic bitch? This was what Grandma Covington had been talking about. The old bat was right--Briana Leigh was evil. No wonder Grandma C. had loved Kaitlynn more. She knew the truth.

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  Briana Leigh had murdered her father in cold blood and pinned it on innocent Kaitlynn. It was all true. She had simply fed Ariana the lie to keep up appearances, but now that she was on her way to Ibiza to start her new life, she was purging her heart. Ariana had thought the girl was saying good-bye to her parents in the graveyard; maybe she had been apologizing. And now the girl was drunk and thought she was talking to her new best friend, someone she could trust.

  But she had no idea who she was talking to. No idea what "Emma Walsh" could do to her.

  "I have no one," Briana Leigh repeated at a whisper.

  It took all of Ariana's self-control to keep from smacking the girl across the face. Tackling her to the ground. Tearing her hair out. Ariana had almost forsaken Kaitlynn--innocent, sweet Kaitlynn--because of Briana Leigh's lies. She could have slaughtered the girl just for that. But she could do nothing. Not here. Not now. The authorities would be called--the authorities in D.C, who had been staring at her picture for a month now. Ariana would be headed back to prison before she could blink.

  She had to keep playing the good friend. She looked around the plane's cabin, trying to distract herself. Noted the exact number of lights in the ceiling--twelve, six of which were on. Noted the flight attendant's shoes--patent leather, black. Noted a stain on the carpet on the far side of the plane. A spill of some kind, lightened by an attempt to clean it, but not quite gone.

  Her breathing started to return to normal.

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  "Don't say that," she told Briana Leigh, making her voice sound sympathetic. "You have Teo. And you have me."

  Gag. Gag. Gag.

  Briana Leigh smiled slightly. Her eyes were starting to close. "Teo. Teo's waiting for me."

  Ariana felt a sting on her arm and looked down. Her fingernails had drawn blood. She reached for her napkin and quickly covered up the tiny crescent-shaped wounds so that the flight attendant wouldn't see. Briana Leigh, meanwhile, began to snooze.

  The plane dipped slightly. They were starting their descent. Ariana looked out the window, her teeth clenched, and silently berated herself. How could she have ever doubted her friend? The girl she had lived with for more than a year? The girl who had been there for her at the worst time of her life? Was she that fickle? A few weeks on the outside and a bond like that forgotten?

  Never again, she vowed. Never again.

  The plane dipped again, coming out of the clouds, and the earth became visible down below. Somewhere out there was the Brenda T. Somewhere down there was Kaitlynn, sitting alone, staring out at the lake and the Philmore Hotel, still daydreaming about that swim. That swim in the lake where the authorities were beginning to think they would never find Ariana's body.

  Briana Leigh let out a slight snore and Ariana glanced over at her. There was a rivulet of drool running down the side of her chin. Revolting. Here Ariana was, prepared to give Briana Leigh a good name with her impeccable manners and her perfect grades and her

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  focus on the future, and Briana Leigh was just going to lead the life of a lush in Ibiza, married to some crappy DJ, getting away with murder while Kaitlynn was locked up for the rest of her life. The girl did not deserve to live. She simply did not deserve to live.

  Ariana looked out the window again and her heart caught. They were flying over Lake Page now. She could see the brick walls of the Brenda T. on one side, the turrets of the Philmore Hotel on the other. A speedboat, apparently undeterred by the specter of Ariana's unfound corpse, cut a white V of foam across its pristine surface.

  And just like that, an idea came to her. Ariana's veins sizzled with delight at the perfect deliciousness of the plan. If it worked out, everything would be fine. If it worked out, everyone would get the life they actually deserved.

  The flight attendant paused next to Ariana's shoulder and whispered so as not to wake Briana Leigh. "We're starting our descent, Miss Walsh. Can I take your lunch plates?"

  "One second," Ariana said. She grabbed one of the remaining wedges of her sandwich off the plate, then nodded. "All set. Thanks."

  As soon as the flight attendant's back was turned, Ariana removed the roast beef from her sandwich and slipped it into the outside pocket of her purse.

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  THE NEW PLAN

  By the time the plane landed, the sun was going down and Ariana had calmed herself into a cool, detached state of mind. She felt focused, placid, and filled with a sense of purpose she hadn't entirely felt since first arriving in Dallas. She had a plan to execute, and she was focused on that plan.Briana Leigh, meanwhile, was so out of it she could hardly make it down the steps without the aid of the crew. The flight attendant had uncorked a bottle of champagne while the plane was taxiing down the runway, and Briana Leigh had downed three gl
asses. Now she gripped the corked, half-empty bottle in one hand as she tromped heavily toward the ground. Ariana slipped her huge sunglasses over her eyes and made sure her hat was secure. Now that she was so close to the Brenda T, she was taking no chances. Not until she was inside the gates of Atherton-Pryce Hall. Then she could finally relax.

  The Covingtons' pilot met Briana Leigh and Ariana at the foot of

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  the steps and grimaced when he saw that Briana Leigh could hardly hold herself upright.

  "Maybe you should take these, Miss Walsh," he said, handing a set of car keys to Ariana. She immediately recognized the four-circle Audi emblem on the fob.

  "And these are?" Ariana asked.

  "The keys to my new car, Emma" Briana Leigh said with a laugh. She slung her arm around Ariana's shoulders and Ariana went rigid. "Well, your new car. It's kind of like a bribe to do well at school. Grandma covers her bases."

  "She's drunk," Ariana said to the pilot, hoping it would explain what he had just heard--that the car was now hers.

  "Well, good luck at school, Miss Briana," the pilot said.

  Briana Leigh's eyes flashed. "It's Briana Leigh, you idiot! How many times do I have to tell you people?"

  "Briana Leigh! Calm down," Ariana scolded, clinging to the girl. She shot the pilot an apologetic look. He simply looked amused, like he had made the faux pas on purpose. Clearly he thought that Briana Leigh's obsession with her name was ridiculous, just as Ariana did. "Where is the car?"

  "Right over there."

  He pointed toward the small terminal of the private airport, where a gleaming, steel-gray Audi convertible was parked.

  "Nice! Shotgun!" Briana Leigh shouted. As if anyone else had been going to call it. She staggered toward the car, and the baggage men quickly hustled after her with all of her and Ariana's things.

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  "Good luck, miss," the pilot said to Ariana.

  She smiled from behind her sunglasses. "Thanks."

  Not that I need it, she added silently, narrowing her eyes at Briana Leigh. She had a plan. A foolproof plan. Luck would not be an issue.Once in the car, Ariana locked her things in the glove compartment and turned on the GPS. Briana Leigh tossed the champagne bottle into the backseat, cranked up the stereo, and hit the button to release the car's roof.

  "Whoo! Ibiza, here I come!" she shouted.

  "Shhh!" Ariana scolded as she entered their destination into the car's computer. She glanced around at the Covingtons' crew, who were shuffling toward the terminal to relax while the jet was refueled. She hit the button again and reclosed the roof. There was no way her hat would stay on with the top down. "They're going to hear you."

  "I don't care anymore," Briana Leigh said. "I can't wait to get the hell out of here!"

  Ariana shook her head, clenched her teeth, and hit the gas. The sooner she got this over with, the better. She couldn't listen to Briana Leigh's shrill voice for one more second.

  Speeding down the highway, Ariana opened the window and let the cool evening air rush over her. The familiar scents of the late-summer Virginia air filled her nostrils, and it was all she could do to keep from heaving at the memories that came whirling back. The chain-link fence, the itchy clothes, Crazy Cathy's screaming, Meloni's infuriating smirk... Ariana breathed in and let the memories come. Let her adrenaline intensify. She was going to need it very soon.

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  She took the exit for the country road near Lake Page. For the first time since getting in the car, Briana Leigh turned the music down and stopped singing.

  "Where're we going? I didn't see a sign for the airport."

  "That's because we're not going to the airport," Ariana replied, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I have a surprise for you."

  "What? Emma! I have a flight to catch!" Briana Leigh snapped.

  Ariana took a deep breath. She stared straight ahead. "I know, but I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me," she said, her voice utterly sincere. "I made a reservation for us at the Philmore on Lake Page. It's supposed to be the most exclusive resort in the area."

  Briana Leigh clucked her tongue. "Like the people out here in Hickville USA know anything about a good spa." She shoved her hands under her arms. "What about Ibiza?"

  "I got you a flight tomorrow," Ariana told her. "Come on. It'll be fun. It's a five-star resort. You'll love it. I swear."

  Briana Leigh sighed and closed her eyes. "Fine. Just wake me when we get there."

  "Oh, I will," Ariana said grimly.

  Twenty minutes later, Ariana pulled the car onto a battered old one-way road on the east side of the lake, nowhere near the Philmore. She parked the car in the small clearing near the edge of the water, got out, and slammed the door. Briana Leigh flinched into consciousness. She looked around at the trees crowding the auto.

  "What the hell is this?" Briana Leigh asked blearily when Ariana

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  opened the door for her. She blinked several times but could barely focus her eyes. Ariana could see that the few Ambien pills she had crushed into Briana Leigh's champagne were finally taking effect.

  "You're drunk. Let me help you," she told Briana Leigh flatly.

  She reached into the car, wrapped her arms around Briana Leigh's waist, and yanked her out of the seat.

  "Ow! Emma!" Briana Leigh attempted to swat Ariana's arm but missed. Briana Leigh paused and her eyes closed. She leaned against the top of the car for a moment, getting her bearings. "Why am I so dizzy?"

  "Too much vodka," Ariana said, placing Briana Leigh's arm around her neck. "Let's go."

  She helped Briana Leigh toward the old, creaky dock that jutted out into the water. On either side, a little clearing was cut in the reeds where kids had been coming for dozens of years to wade into the lake and swim out. Briana Leigh grew heavier as Ariana approached the dock. Her eyes were still open, but she was having a hard time keeping them that way.

  "I don't get it. Where are we?" she said again as they finally reached the foot of the dock. "Where's the spa?"

  "Right there."

  Ariana stopped and pointed across the lake toward the west, where the Philmore Hotel rose like a castle out of the trees. Lights twinkled along the roof of the lakeside deck, and Ariana could hear bubbly piano music tinkling its way across the water. Briana Leigh leaned into Ariana's side and blinked at the hotel, confused.

  "Know what's over there?" Ariana asked.

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  She turned and looked at the Brenda T. for the first time. Her entire body filled with burning fury at the sight of it.

  "What?" Briana Leigh asked, totally clueless.

  "That is the Brenda T. Trumbull Correctional Facility," Ariana said. "That is where your friend Kaitlynn Nottingham will be spending the rest of her life--thanks to you."

  Briana Leigh's pupils were like pinpricks, even in the dark. She pulled away from Ariana and stumbled back a few steps before righting herself. Her hands pushed into her short blond hair as she wavered on her feet.

  "What?" She let out a short, confused, angry laugh. "You have to be kidding me."

  "No." Ariana said. "I'm not kidding you."

  Briana Leigh blinked several times before she managed to focus on Ariana. "Why did you bring me here? You're sick!"

  A searing hot flash of anger racked Ariana's core. Unable to contain herself a moment longer, she closed the gap between herself and Briana Leigh with two strides and grabbed the girl by her upper arms. For once it was Ariana who had the iron grip on her.

  "You know what's sick, Briana Leigh? Killing your father and letting your best friend take the blame," Ariana said through her teeth. "What's sick is you living your life out here while Kaitlynn rots away behind barred windows!"

  Briana Leigh shook her head. She tried to focus on Ariana's face. "What are you talking about? Kaitlynn deserves to rot. She's a certified psycho."

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  Ariana threw Briana Leigh to the ground. The thud was so satisf
ying that it made Ariana's pulse rush. What was the girl trying to pull? She had just confessed on the plane. She couldn't turn around and try to take it back now.

  Briana Leigh slowly pushed herself up on her wrists and spat dirt from her mouth. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" she cried. She shook her head, still bleary, then held out a shaky hand. "Give me the keys! You're as crazy as she was!"

  Ariana bent at the waist so she could get right in Briana Leigh's traitorous, lying face. "You are not going anywhere."

  Then, as Briana Leigh's eyes widened, Ariana dug her fingers into the hair at the top of the girl's head and yanked as hard as she could. Briana Leigh screamed out as Ariana dragged her flailing body alongside the dock and into the water. Ariana wasn't worried about her being heard, however. She knew from experience that random shouts and screams were a common thing on Lake Page, thanks to the residents of the Brenda T.

  "Let go of me!" Briana Leigh cried, her legs kicking out, splashing in the shallow water at the edge of the lake. Drugging her had been a good idea. The trip took enough exertion with Briana Leigh in her weakened state. If she had been at full strength, Ariana wasn't sure she would have been able to take her.

  "What are you doing?" Briana Leigh shouted as Ariana pulled her into waist-deep water. Her arms and legs splashed around, grasping for something, anything to get hold of. "Emma! What the hell are you doing?"

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  Ariana turned the girl around and slammed her back against one of the dock's pylons, knocking the wind out of her. Briana Leigh's eyes went wide as she fought for breath.

  "My name is not Emma," Ariana said, using that tone she reserved for idiots. "It's Briana Leigh Covington."

  For the first time, sheer terror registered on Briana Leigh's face. As if she had just figured out that she was going to die. Ariana savored the satisfaction for the slightest of moments before plunging the girl's head into the water.

  Briana Leigh, of course, struggled. Even all the alcohol and drugs couldn't kill her survival instinct, but they did dull her strength. Her legs and arms jerked while Ariana held her head under the water, using every ounce of her power to keep the girl down. Sweat popped up on her brow and under her arms. At one point Briana Leigh's nails dug into her skin. The whole thing was very unpleasant, really. And even though she had killed Sergei the same way, she wished she could have done it in a more humane way. Even as much as she hated Briana Leigh for what she had tried to do to Kaitlynn; as much as she hated her for her greed and her traitorous heart and her shallow ungratefulness for all she had; all that considered--drowning was still not a pleasant way to go.