x
When Satin Queens said she needed to go get something, Gabriella Jontas smiled.
Ella was finally left alone in Satin's bedroom. Of course, snooping was bad, but Ella wasn't beyond looking around for some juicy secrets.
She flipped through Satin's makeup and stopped at the sight of a tube of lipstick. It was the exact same shade Satin was wearing two nights ago. It turns out that Satin lied so that Ella wouldn't be able to buy that exact shade of lipstick.
"Bitch," Ella muttered, "You told me it was another friend's lipstick."
Gabriella rolled her eyes (after snapping a picture of the lipstick tube of course) and moved on to other drawers, listening intently for any footsteps. She checked the nightstand, her closet, and desk but came up with nothing.
Sighing, Ella faced the single shelf of photo albums and grabbed a random one. As she flipped through, Gabriella snickered at the photos showing Satin pre-puberty: acne-ridden, glasses, and braces. Then, just as she flipped the page, a picture slipped out.
Ella gasped at the explicit image. An unsettled feeling filled her stomach as she processed the picture and quickly set the album book down on the desk. A girl she had never seen before.
"Ella?" Satin said, suspicion increasing as she entered the room.
Quickly, Ella stuffed the picture in her bra and turned around. Faking a brilliant smile, she laughed and asked, "My mom just called, Satin. Got to go!"
Satin pouted, walking to give her a hug. "Already? You were supposed to help me for my date."
"Date?" Ella could barely speak. "With who?"
"Avery, of course," she giggled. "We're getting secretly engaged."
"Wow," Ella replied, distracted. "That's great, Satin." She snapped out of it when she saw the suspicion rise in her eyes. She forced another smile. "Got to go!"
Just as she was about to leave, Satin said, "Wait."
Ella froze, fear clenching at her heart. "Yeah?" she said, meekly.
Satin held up the album book she had placed on the desk in a hurry. "Was this always here?"
"What?" Ella laughed nervously. "Oh. I have no idea. I was on the phone with my mom, remember?"
"Right," Satin replied, her sky eyes suddenly icy. "What was I thinking? You wouldn't go through my things, would you?"
"No." Ella lied. "I wouldn't."
"Good," Satin murmured. "It would be a shame if you found something that's meant to stay a secret, no?"
As she left, Ella realized that the dangerous photo may be more significant than she thought because the mysterious girl in the photo had silver eyes. Only one bloodline had silver eyes.
The Dragomirs.
x
"Get up," said Helen as she barged into my dorm. "You're going out with us."
I didn't move from my comfortable position in my bed. It has been a week since I spoke to Mason. My daily routine consisted of sleeping, eating sometimes, finishing work, avoiding Avery, and Helen nagging me.
She ripped my covers away. "Vesper. You've been acting like a zombie for a week."
"What do you want from me?" I asked bluntly, staring out the window of my dorm.
Helen paused, hearing the harsh tone of my voice. "What happened? Did someone tell you something?"
I wanted to laugh. How could she stand there and smile so casually with me? How could she act like a good person when her friends had blood that stained their hands? How could the whole world eat into their palms and want to be them?
Murderers.
"I want to be left alone," I snapped, ignoring the way she flinched. Guilt seeped into my stomach from the look of hurt that flashed across her face. "I don't want to go out."
"The rumors-"
I sat up and cried out, "I don't give a fuck about the rumors, Helen. When will you understand that?"
She stared at me, shocked, before her eyes hardened. "I'm done letting you do whatever you want, Vesper. You're a blue blood. Whether you like it or not, we have an image to uphold. Either you dress your ass up or we kick you out."
"You can do whatever you want," I shrugged, seeing through her threats. "But we both know I could care less."
Her threats were empty and she knew it.
In the past few weeks, I genuinely believed that Avery might have liked me in a way that was more than friends. However I realized, after speaking to Mason, that Avery's motive for helping me was because of Grace Dragomir.
How many more secrets did he have?
Why did he never tell me about Grace? What really happened to her?
"I won't leave until you get dressed," Helen said, staring at me. "Everyone will be there."
That made me pause. "Everyone?"
"It's one of the few parties we host in a year," she revealed. Helen looked more wary. It was clear I was extremely interested in the fact that every person will be there. "No one will miss it."
"Will-" I paused, feeling a familiar sense of ache in my heart. "Will he be there?"
"Yes," Helen replied, looking at me in what seemed to be a knowing look. "I didn't tell you that because I wasn't sure if- how you would react."
I smiled humorlessly. "You can ask the question. You can ask if we broke up."
Helen studied me for a long moment. "Do you even know the answer?"
Slowly, I rose out of my bed. Silently, I crossed the room to brush my hair. Helen waited patiently for my answer as I thought it through. Were we even dating? What the hell were we?
"I don't," I admitted finally. "I haven't spoken to him for the past seven days."
Helen lifted an eyebrow. "Only seven?"
I set the brush down, knowing she wouldn't let it go until I told her the exact time that had passed. "Fine. Six days, fourteen hours, fifty two minutes, and twenty seven seconds." I met her eyes and smug look in the reflection. "Happy?"
"Very."
I picked out a silver dress that would slink down my body. I stripped off my clothes, ignoring Helen's presence in the room, and slipped it on. She was content to rest in the armchair and read the novel strewn on the coffee table. As I stared into the mirror, I said, "Helen?"
"Yeah?"
Were you involved in Grace Dragomir's suicide?
The question was on the tip of my tongue but I knew it was impulsive. I shook my head and turned to smile at her, no matter how fake it was.
"How do I look?"
Helen took a long look before nodding in appreciation. "Hot."
x
"Our valedictorian has finally decided to show up."
"I missed you too, Cole," I replied sarcastically as he stepped to be next to me. I was currently leaning against the railing of the balcony, where it was much quieter.
He watched me carefully, assessing. "I've been trying to speak to you but you're quite good at avoiding people."
"Do you ever shut up?"
Cole laughed genuinely, shocking me and enough people to glance our way. I was well aware that we seemed intimate with each other. "I've been told that I've always had a way with words."
"People lie," I sneered.
"They do," he murmured. "I wanted to ask you about the philosophy exam we took."
I wasted no time to rub it in. "The one I scored higher than everyone by twenty points?"
Cole smiled calmly. "That one. It's a famous exam that everyone fails, you know. One open ended question exam."
Jesus. I needed a drink to deal with him. "What about it?"
"Three hundred have disease Y, which causes a hundred percent chance of death. Of the three hundred, half have genetic marker A and half have genetic marker B. You have hundred doses of a drug. For people with marker A it cuts the risk of death to ten percent. For people with marker B it only cuts it to fifty. You're a health official tasked with preventing deaths," Cole recited. "How many of the hundred doses do you give to people with genetic marker B?"
"Let me guess," I murmured, "You said zero."
"It saves the most people," Cole shrugged. "Justified by utilitarianism."
I said, wryly, "How many people do you think said zero."
"Almost everyone," he replied, as if he knew I would ask this. "But no one justified it as well as I did. My answer was as extensive and elaborate as any famous philosopher."
"I'm sure it is," I hummed. "But don't you think that you'd cause more death by delivering zero dosages?"
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it, Cole. What would you do if you were someone with genetic marker B?" I pointed out. He stayed silent, gradually coming to my conclusion. "You'd probably kill for that cure, wouldn't you? Fifty percent is better than a hundred."
"That would cause chaos and more death," he said, realizing what I had answered. "Your goal is to prevent death. I didn't take society and the nature of human into account."
I shrugged. "Personally, I think Avery's answer was better."
"He told you?"
"He didn't have to. He definitely answered something along the lines of dividing the dosages up mathematically to distribute it equally so that every person receives the same odds."
Cole pointed out critically, "He'd need to make assumptions which is a flaw."
"Why else do you think I scored higher than him?"
He hummed, deep in thought. "I haven't quite been able to figure you out, Vesper Du Sang."
"You should give it up," I answered evenly. "Puzzles with missing pieces can't be solved."
Cole laughed. It was charming enough for me to understand what Ella must have seen in him. He was a colder, crueler version of Avery Dragomir. "No, but they often show enough of the full picture."
"Not if there aren't enough pieces. You don't know the first thing about me."
"Are you so sure about that?" Cole asked, amused by my declaration. He gestured to me with the glass of wine in his hand. "You're twisting that ring of yours right now. You must be nervous and thinking through the situation," I stopped instantly, cursing myself for slipping into the habit unknowingly again. He smiled.
"It's just a bad habit."
Cole nodded but we both knew he was right. He stepped closer to me. "You're wearing a silver dress that's bolder than your usual taste. Silver isn't a random color, is it?"
I forced myself to hold his gaze. My poker face was so good that I knew he could not read through it. I spent years perfecting it. I leaned closer to him, feeling him stiffen as I pressed my finger against his chest to push him away.
"The interesting thing about assumptions, Cole, is that they are just that." I smiled and turned to leave. "Assumptions."
x
Helen had dragged me to dance with her and for the past hour, I've been drinking and dancing with her. She seemed happier, for some reason, even when Blake disappeared into a room after a girl he was seen with earlier entered it first and never left.
Then I saw him. He entered the room and our eyes met almost instantly.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop before I ripped my gaze away and told Helen I needed to get a drink. A throng of people made way for me upon the sight of me, allowing me easy access to a quieter room. They respected me for being a blue blood, I thought bitterly, but it was so shallow.
The room was quieter and I could reach for an empty glass laid on the table. All the selections were alcohol so I decided to go to the sink for water. I've had enough to drink.
As I leaned over the counter to reach for the tap, I could feel his presence. He had followed me. My throat closed a little, stinging over the reminder that we haven't spoken to each other for a week.
Avery stepped closer to me and placed his hands on my waist. I could feel his gaze on me as I wrapped my fingers over the nozzle and twisted gently.
"Tease," he murmured, his voice hoarse. His hands on my body slip lower to my hips.
I shifted my body halfway. I take a sip of water to hide the slight smile touching my lips. "Mmm, I'm just getting some water."
The room was dark but occasional flashes of light flickered across his face. Avery was clenching his jaws, making his cheekbones even more prominent. Our breaths mingled, given how close we were; if I leaned in, we would be kissing.
"You were talking to Helen earlier," I said, clearing my throat and breaking eye contact. I stepped back and his hands slipped off of me. "What was that about?"
I could see him fighting the smirk on his lips at how flustered I was. "Homework."
"Liar," I replied immediately.
Avery stepped closer and placed his hands onto the counter on each side of my body - effectively trapping me against the counter with his body. My heart raced as he leaned closer until his lips were right by my ear.
"Yeah?" he whispered, the familiar spark of challenge tinting his words.
My throat dried. "What did she say?"
He curled a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. "She said you would look better without your dress on."
I tilted my head to meet his silver eyes. "What did you say back to her?"
"I said I'd find out myself." Avery admitted, voice hoarse. My stomach filled with flutters at his confession, his masculinity, the amusement in his eyes. He was a liar, but he was an extremely attractive one.
His lips brushed gently against my jaw as his chiseled body pressed against mine. A soft gasp escaped my lips as he lifted me onto the cold marble counter as if I weighed nothing.
"Avery," I whispered so softly he must have almost missed it. He kissed me lower, brought me closer. "Avery-"
"Is this okay?" he paused at my plea. I swallowed.
"You lied to me," I placed both hands on his chests with the intent to push him away. "Again." Avery started to back away at my words but I gripped his shoulder, not wanting him to leave. "Wait. I wasn't done talking, Avery."
"Vesper," he said gently, as if he knew what I was going to ask. "I can't promise you anything right now. This isn't a good ide-"
"Then don't," I interrupted. "Don't promise me anything. At least not tonight."
Before he could answer, I brought my lips to his. He could lie to me tonight, I decided. I would let him lie to me for one last night.
x