GENTRY

14

A macabre suggestion, not entirely out of reach sucked the words out of their mouths like fire consuming oxygen. Its weight lays on them. Even the hum of the light above seems to quiet to allow them to ponder. After all, what good is coming to Hawkwood except to think?

Tom does not want to be expelled from Hawkwood, and murder seems like a decent reason for expulsion. However, so does crossing Poppy, and he is already one step away from getting on The Divide's shit list. These trials can't go on, or he'll surely ruin his future. Maybe The Divide will drop them all if Poppy dies.

Hawkwood was always a reach for Jetta. She doesn't have parents who support her, she doesn't have anything other than music at which she excels, she has friends who could help her, but she would never be as successful as she could be after graduation. The secrets are important, but her future is at stake. How could she risk it?

Vieira wishes she was more confident. Otherwise, she would shout everyone down. This is a bad idea. Poppy hasn't gotten them killed yet, and a threat is an empty promise. Vieira doesn't need to go to school here. She could make it on her own. Yet, not even Tom seems to be on her side. The only way this goes down is sideways.

Felix has wanted to get rid of Poppy, albeit not in this regard, for a long time. She's painfully obnoxious, downright malicious, and at worst, cruel. She needs to be gone, and if she's six feet under then he'll have the pleasure of skipping her funeral. Poppy Prevost needs to go and she needs to go now.

A horrific feeling overcomes Roman. Their first thought is not to ask if it is ethical to kill Poppy. Instead, they wonder if it is ethical to let Poppy live. After all the pain she brings, the destruction she causes. She's taking a toll on everyone. Her death will bring relief. When Roman realizes they are falling for it, they begin to feel guilt.

Ellie wants to know if they will get away with it. Their fingerprints are all over the place unless The Divide wiped it down. She has questions, surely, but imagines they will be answered. Then, the horrific nature of the idea takes place. Murder. A suggestion so simple that the only pause she had was practicality, not morality.

It's not a want that Briar expresses when she says she wants Poppy out of her life, it's a need. Poppy was pleasant enough at first, but she has just taken over. She's like an invasive species. If Poppy doesn't go under, they will. Briar is nothing if not a survivor.

Luis checks the faces of those around him. He's always been a kind of go-with-the-flow guy, and this is where the flow has brought him. If everyone else is content to have Poppy dead, then so is he. It's a casual thought, like settling on pizza for dinner when you really wanted a burger. Then again, it's a bit more normal to eat pizza.

This is just like every book Ez has read, only now, he is the centrepiece. Poppy needs to be gone. She needs to be completely removed from their lives. His only question is how The Divide will react when surely they find out. If they cover their tracks well enough, The Divide won't be able to prove a thing.

Evelyn wants to stand. Poppy was always nice before the drugs. Murder is harsh, and Poppy may have been meaning once, but murder is a severe punishment. Evelyn only now considers how sheltered she is from the real world.

Kai doesn't like to get his hands dirty, which is why he suggested alcohol poisoning as the preferred method of removing Poppy from their lives. He knows who's on board, he can count them, just by looking at their faces.

Felix, Ez, and Briar are spearheading the charge along with him. Ellie and Luis, bless them, will follow through. Jetta, Tom, and Roman won't argue the point. Vieira won't say a word, whether she wants to or not. It's just Evelyn that needs convincing.