The plan is as Kai specified it would be, and they are doing it the next day.
Ez plans out what their note will say. It takes a bit of time to get the flow of The Divide’s language, but he is sure he has it. It calls for a meeting, at midnight, in the abandoned house. At least, if he is a bit off, Poppy probably won’t notice. She studies languages, not poetry.
Luis fakes the note. His decent calligraphy skills are able to imitate those of The Divide. He knows that all of their success lies on him. The nerves are beginning to get to him, though his hands are as steady as ever. He rewrites the note in his room three times before passing it off.
Ellie sneaks the note under Poppy’s door. She read it over beforehand, to double-check everyone’s craftsmanship. She wears gloves as she slips it into Poppy’s dorm. Knowing Poppy, she will not keep the note lying around. She keeps The Divide’s secrets like they are her own.
Kai procures the absinthe and the wine. He also orders a few miscellaneous drugs, including weed and molly, to make it seem like he is throwing a party. Hopefully, the dealer won’t say anything. Besides, he’s probably Poppy’s supplier anyway. Kai firmly believes that this will go off without a hitch.
Felix takes to the store to buy a dozen wine glasses, paying in cash. He wishes someone else would’ve made the trek, but he doesn’t mind too much. They are going to remove the cups after they are done anyway; they are just for show for Poppy.
The others aren’t directly involved in the plan. They mostly do prep work on their own. No one is around to keep an eye on them. If any of them wanted, they could run to Poppy and squeal.
Briar spends hours doing her make-up and picking out her clothing. Poppy Prevost will not show her up tonight. Briar has a growing stack of homework that she has been unable to complete. Every time she sits to do homework, she begins to cry. She cannot contain it. With mascara on, she is hoping not a tear will be shed tonight.
Roman spends the whole day reading. They read about Kant and Nietsche, and any philosopher that they can get their hands on. Can a bad deed be a good deed? Can this be justified? They try to separate themselves from the gravity of the situation by analyzing it. Academia creates distance between its subjects and the observer. Roman becomes analytical, swallowing their feelings. They try not to choke on the lump in their throat.
Evelyn doesn’t have the nicest set of clothes to wear. She opts for a lilac blouse underneath a black corset, and skin-tight black pants to match. She wants Kai to be able to see all her curves. Besides, she’s not the same girl who came here, is she? She knows everything there is to know about the world now. She’s experienced so much.
Knowing how to act prevents Tom from practicing how to look normal. He knows that he is going to have to drink wine tonight so that Poppy thinks he is obeying the rules of The Divide. It scares him. When he looks in the mirror, he sees a man named Jared, who goes on alcohol-fuelled sprees of violence. Tom refuses to become his father. Yet, is he not so close to him, committing such a heinous crime?
Jetta feels the paranoia set in. Will Poppy get so drunk she will reveal Jetta’s secret? Surely, someone will kill Jetta if it becomes widespread news. Jetta doesn’t think that they are really killing Poppy. Poppy is taking her own life through her consumption of absinthe. It’s easier for Jetta to digest. She’s always seen Poppy as more of a person than the others have. Poppy cannot be all that different; she breathes, like the rest of them. At least, for now.
Vieira cannot keep food down. She gets sick, repeatedly, calls out of classes for what she explains is the flu. Really, it is her shame that nauseates her. She voted yes. After all those thoughts, after all that denial, she voted yes. She agreed to murder someone. Vieira sees the beauty in everything, even Poppy. How can their conspiracy possibly feel empowered to take something beautiful and destroy it?
They all arrive at midnight. Dressed in formal clothes, foundation hiding the bags under their eyes from several nights without sleep, they sit around the table, wine in their cups.
“She’s not coming,” Jetta points out, trying to make herself feel less hopeful.
Kai grits his teeth, “she’ll be here.”
“Unless Luis fucked it up, we’re fine,” Ez says, looking over at Luis.
Luis is tense, “I did my part.”
Another beat of silence passes. They can feel that anxious demon crawling up their backs. It’s not going to work.
Vieira feels relief. Roman thinks their nerves indicate that they actually want Poppy dead.
The door handle jingles, and as Poppy enters, fashionably late as always, Tom is mid-laugh, “you’re ridiculous Kai.”
Kai is good at playing along, he chuckles and raises his glass of wine to his lips, taking a sip. “Honestly, you should’ve seen the other guy.”
Poppy finds her way to the table, a smile on her face.
Already, they are unease. Things aren’t going to plan.
She sits down and pours some absinthe and water into her glass. After stirring it, she sips on it slowly. The potent effects will take half an hour to hit her, so she takes a bit more than she needs to, finishing the glass.
“The walk got you thirsty?” Tom asks Poppy. He’s hoping the others will take his cue and stop seeming so stiff and frightened.
Poppy winks at Tom, filling up another glass.
Felix smirks. This will be easier than he had ever anticipated.
Around the table, they each form small conversation groups, trying to act naturally. Tom takes it upon himself to group off with Kai and Poppy, asking her as many questions as he can and getting few answers. Kai makes sure to pour Poppy two glasses, each with a bit too much absinthe mixed in. Poppy seems too drunk to notice.
They get up from the table and form groups. Evelyn tries to talk to Vieira, who has been completely sucked dry of any social interactions. Kai and Ez laugh like everything is normal. Jetta and Roman distract themselves by talking about the best and worst of the food in the cafeteria. Luis, Ellie, and Briar whisper over glasses of wine about parties they attended before Hawkwood.
Tom takes sips from his glass, pretending nothing is going wrong. Everything is wrong if he’s drinking alcohol. Everything is wrong if the others are acting uncomfortable.
“Why do you think they brought us here?” Poppy laughs, obnoxiously. “It’s not in The Divide’s nature to repeat things.”
“Maybe this is their headquarters,” Kai suggests. “It could be news.”
“Did you bring your letter?” she turns to Tom, looking him in the eyes.
He shakes his head, a smile on his face “I’ve been shredding mine.”
“I keep mine in a drawer in my dorm,” Kai offers. He needs to think of something to distract Poppy.
Poppy hiccups. She is too intoxicated to taste how strong the drink is. She thinks she needs to slow down though.
Across the room, everyone is eyeing Poppy. They watch as she stumbles, going to move her cup to the table. Ez wishes he had brought a contingency plan. Though she is intoxicated, at this rate, she is going to throw it all up.
“I feel sick,” Poppy says, putting a hand to her stomach.
“You’re fine,” Kai says.
“Let me get you some water,” Tom offers. He goes over to the table and discreetly mixes absinthe into the water. He doesn’t know how much to pour in, and consequently, there the water is tinged green.
When he brings it to Poppy, she wraps her hands around the cup, looking up at Tom. She downs the glass. She can still taste the absinthe on her tongue. This isn’t drugs; she’s been drugged before, but something is deeply wrong.
“I don’t think water is helping. Wow I think I…” Poppy trails off swaying. She plops down on the couch.
Kai has to guide her, else she tumbles onto the floor.
Ez and Felix are still watching from afar, scheming.
“She’s going to throw up,” Ez whispers. “We can’t let her get it out of her system.”
“We’ll just keep giving her absinthe if she does,” Felix says. He looks over at the bottle, which is a little over a quarter of the way gone.
Ellie breaks away from Luis and Briar to deal with Poppy.
“Lie down on your back,” Ellie instructs.
Poppy pauses. She stumbles over her words, a drunken mess, “I’ll choke.”
“No,” Ellie swallows. “Common myth, actually. Lying down on your back helps prevent vomiting.”
Poppy can feel the world spinning. She looks at Ellie, staring down her eyes and trying to see what she can find. Ellie can feel her searching.
Poppy lies down on her side.
“I haven’t felt this shit since…” she mumbles to herself, her words trailing off.
“Since when, Poppy?” Luis asks, closing is as well.
She watches them. They are like vultures. A sign of death.
Poppy doesn’t answer. She closes her eyes and lets sleep carry her away.
After two minutes, Kai taps on Poppy’s shoulder. She squirms but does not speak.
“She’s not drunk enough,” Kai says to the others, confident she cannot hear him.
Felix goes over to Roman. Roman opens up their satchel without asking questions, revealing the gloves that all of them will use for their clean-up. Felix puts on a pair, grabs the bottle.
Ez helps lift Poppy, who is barely conscious.
“Poppy,” he pats the back of her face and she mumbles. “You need to drink water, or you’re going to be hungover tomorrow.”
“No,” she mumbles, trying to push them off her. “No water.”
“Yes, Poppy,” Felix says. “Come on now.”
He makes eye contact with Ez. They tip the absinthe up to her lips and she tries to knock it away.
“Pin her to the couch,” Kai instructs.
“Won’t she bruise?” Felix asks.
Ellie shakes her head, “not if she dies soon enough. Dead bodies don’t bruise.”
“What’s hap-“ Poppy hiccups, as the others lift her onto the couch. Ez pushes back her shoulders, pinning her arms against the couch while Felix begins to try and pour the absinthe down her throat.
Poppy’s legs thrash and roll, so much so that Luis has to grab them.
Eventually, they begin to dump the absinthe down her throat, only pausing when it begins to dribble down her chin. She tries not to swallow it, she does, but she Kai grabs her throat and as she gasps, the water goes down into her.
Briar looks on. She feels so small. Looking at Poppy, at what they are doing to her, reminds her of the night she doesn’t remember. Is that how helpless she looked? Where is anyone to help Poppy? Then, she thinks of how Poppy did not help her the way a friend should. Poppy deserves no sympathy.
Evelyn runs her hands through her long black hair. She cannot watch on, so she turns away. She doesn’t feel sick though, not this time. She cannot feel any emotion besides exhaustion. Evelyn looks at Vieira, and gives her a side hug, rubbing Vieira’s shoulder.
Vieira doesn’t speak. She still cannot find the words. She is now an accomplice. Maybe she can cut a deal with the police and get all of this off her chest. Then again, it’s her word against all of theirs. She would surely lose her spot at Hawkwood if The Divide found out that she betrayed their secret. The world would spin so rapidly she’d fall off if she told anyone.
The boys lay Poppy down on the ground.
Jetta doesn’t think about Poppy. Jetta thinks about her own secrets. Someone could find out. Someone could know. It would ruin her life. It’s the only thing she can do to avoid helping Poppy.
“Make sure she chokes on her vomit,” Ellie cannot believe the words coming out of her mouth. They shock her, almost send her into a frenzy. Ellie is good at planning though, and so she pretends she is executing a schedule, not a person.
“Don’t get any of it on your clothes though,” Luis instructs. The worst thing that could happen is anyone taking the fall for this. It is certainly worse than Poppy’s death.
Kai carefully positions himself behind Poppy. He holds his hands on her shoulders, still light even though he knows that she won’t bruise.
Poppy vomits. The gurgle of brown liquid pops on her mouth and lands on her lips. It slowly slinks back down.
Kai backs away.
Poppy begins to convulse. Her arms become stiff and she begins to thrash on the ground. Her head slams against the ground once.
Tom knows his performance sent Poppy to her grave.
Slam.
Jetta realizes what she knew all along; Poppy is human and will fall like the rest of them.
Slam.
Vieira balls her fists until her knuckles turn white and her nails leave indents in her hands.
Slam.
Felix thought he would be able to grin, but he cannot.
Slam.
Kai knows this is only the beginning.
Slam.
Roman thinks of the trolley problem.
Slam.
Ellie believes that this is the closest she will ever come to being a doctor, seeing as many doctors witness death.
Slam.
Briar imagines Poppy as this strong threat, even when she so looks so weak now.
Slam.
Luis feels confusion wash over him, as he actually understands what loyalty entails for the first time.
Slam.
Ez has read more than one book with a murder, and no description can match the sight he sees now.
Slam.
Evelyn looks over, just as Poppy’s head hits the ground for the last time.
~~~
They don’t wipe down any of the surfaces, because they believe a clean house is more suspicious than a dirty one. They take all of the glasses, ensure that only Poppy’s prints are on the absinthe bottle, and leave.
They sneak into their dorms that night, through back entrances that lead to dumpsters, where they don’t have cameras watching. It is a little odd to arrive so late. None of them have alibis. They don’t believe that they need them either.
Poppy Prevost has finally wilted.
~~~~~
Well, this was annoying to update. Wattpad isn't working for me. I have the tiniest of updates tomorrow, and not just because it's a holiday in my country.
Anyway, how do you think that went? Any surprises?