Bitter Demons

15. Caroline, Is It?

Ten minutes later, we came out of the bedroom, mischievous looks on both our faces.

"How do I look?" she asked.

Looking at her was like having an out-of-body experience. She looked exactly like me. Every tiny detail was perfect.

"Gorgeous," I said with a smile. "Almost as good as the real me."

"Meet you back in this room at midnight?" she asked.

"See you then," I said. "Have fun."

She started to walk away, and I called out to her. "Oh and Caro... I mean, Harper?"

She spun around and giggled. "Yes, Caroline?"

"You might want to stay away from a guy named Drake Ashworth."

She laughed. "Will do," she said. "See ya."

She'd already known how to do a basic glamour, so she caught on quickly to the more detailed switch of changing her entire body to look like me. We were already about the same height, so it wasn't too hard. We agreed to spend an hour walking around the party, pretending to be each other, then meet at midnight to switch back to our real selves.

It was strange to be inside someone else's body. Of course, underneath the glamour, it was still me. But my voice and skin and everything were hers. I walked around the party, just getting used to being in her shoes for a little while. People I knew from Peachville smiled at me in that way that said they didn't know me, but would like to. Even though Caroline thought her sister was the princess of the family, Caroline herself was still a powerful magnet for people. I wondered how many of the five steps she'd been through. I meant to ask her about the details of the ceremonies leading up to the final initiation, but I never got the chance. I would have to remember to ask her when we met back up at midnight.

A girl I recognized from the Cypress squad ran up to me and handed me a drink.

"Do you want any snacks or anything?" the girl said. "I think they have chips and little sandwiches and stuff in the dining room. There might be some cake, too."

"No thanks," I said. I took a sip of the punch, but then nearly choked on it. Definitely spiked. I couldn't afford to drink and end up half me, half Caroline in front of all these people. "Do you know if there are any drinks that aren't so... um... potent?"

The girl's smile disappeared and her face went white. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I thought you would want the punch." She took the plastic cup from my hand. "I'll go get you something else. I'm sorry. I'm so stupid."

Dang. Is this how people treated Caroline and her sister all day? That would suck. How did they ever make any real friends when people were always trying to serve them or impress them? When Meredith had called me a public figure, I didn't realize just how tough her life must be sometimes.

I scanned the crowd, looking for Meredith. She wasn't too hard to find. She was sitting in the living room on top of a long table. Several guys were standing around her. Her legs were crossed and her palms rested firmly on the table. It reminded me of a modern-day version of that scene from Gone With The Wind when Scarlet O'Hara goes to the barbecue at Twelve Oaks. The boys around here were transfixed.

I walked over to say hello. In truth, I was curious to see whether Meredith would know it was a trick. Would she recognize the fact that the person in front of her wasn't really her sister?

"Hey," I said. "Having fun?"

Meredith shot me a look of hatred, as if I had interrupted the most important moment of her life. "Why are you talking to me? Can't you see that I am having a serious conversation with these gentleman?"

"I just wanted to hang out," I said. "See what you were up to."

"Oh, god," she said, dramatically rolling her eyes. "Boys, will you excuse us for a moment?"

I expected her to hop down off the table to come talk to me in private, but instead it was the guys who walked away. They scattered at her command, leaving us alone together, Meredith still high on her mock-throne.

"What have I told you about always trying to hang out with me in public?" she said, shaking her head. "At parties in particular?"

I shrugged. "I don't remember?"

She sighed, making an aggravated scratchy noise in the back of her throat. "Seriously, Caroline, don't be such a brat. You know I can't stand it when you act like this. Just leave me alone, okay? Go play with your own maggot friends and stop trying to embarrass me in front of everyone."

Her words stung. Is this the way she really talked to her sister? There was no sign of recognition on her face. Not even the slightest bit of indication that she realized something was different about her sister.

I could think of a million different things I wanted to say to Princess Meredith right about now, but I didn't want to get Caroline in any kind of trouble. I didn't completely understand the dynamics at play here, so it wouldn't be fair to risk getting her sister or her mother angry with her over something I said.

Instead, I bit my tongue and walked away. Within seconds, Meredith's horde of boys was back and the sound of her tinkling laughter could be heard above the pounding bass of the music.

I stepped into the dining room and grabbed a plate of snack food. Strawberries. Chocolate chip cookies. Chips and salsa. I'd barely eaten a bite at dinner, and my stomach was rumbling. I stood in the doorway of the dining room, looking out toward the expansive living room, and ate.

It was fun to watch people, but while crowds thronged around Meredith, hardly anyone at all spoke to Caroline. I caught people looking my way, but except for the perky cheerleader who brought me another drink-this time vodka free-no one really said more than two words to me most of the night. I wondered if Caroline really had any friends.

Across the room, a familiar face came into view. My face. Caroline in Harper's clothing, so to speak. It was so weird to watch myself talking and laughing all the way on the other side of the room. Lark and Allison stood next to her and the three of them would all look in the same direction, then burst out laughing. I knew that game. It was Lark's favorite party game. Hot or not. She liked to point out people's clothes or whatever and ask the group if they thought the person was hot or not. Most of the time, Lark's comments were crazy funny.

For a moment, I envied her for having so much fun and for having friends. Then, I realized it was me over there. I was the one with the friends, while Caroline was the one with all the responsibility and none of the perks or prestige associated with being a future. I kind of felt sorry for her.

A hand touched fake Harper's shoulder. She turned. I followed her eyes and my breath caught in my chest. Jackson. Oh god, what if he tries to kiss her or something?

I nearly shot across the room to tell him it wasn't me, but something about the way he cocked his head stopped me. He studied her, then shook his head and smiled. He turned and scanned the crowd. When our eyes finally met, he lifted his head in a nod of recognition.

My heart thumped hard, and I opened my mouth to get a deeper breath. I lifted my hands up and shrugged. He raised one eyebrow and shook his head again. He said something to the fake Harper, then slowly crossed the room to me.

"Caroline, is it?" he said, bowing slightly.I held my hand out to him. "Nice to meet you," I said.

He put his hand high up on the door frame and leaned in so close to me, I could feel his breath in my hair.

"I like your other look better."