My phone pings to alert me that Sparkle's phone was used just as I step off the elevator. A garment bag is hanging from the handle of the door to my room, and I pick it up with two fingers, like it's a slug. Inside is the costume the headmaster expects me to wear tonight, but I refuse to peek at it. There will be time later.
Inside my room, Mav is standing over Sparkle with his mouth hanging open.
"She's like a sleeping princess in a fairy tale," he whispers.
"If she was awake you wouldn't feel that way," I reply with a grin, remembering Sparkle's biting humor before her world began to crumble. "It's what I like best about her."
Mav meets my grin with one of his own, wincing in pain immediately after.
"I'm better today. And I still want to help," Mav says.
I can't dismiss his request, but I have to give him a task that won't get him hurt this time. My eyes dart to Sparkle, who is breathing shallowly on her bed, her fingers clutching the covers tightly around her, even in sleep.
"Watch over her. Something awful happened, and she needs someone who can take her mind somewhere good. When I was healing from my whipping, talking to you was always the best part of my day. I have to go somewhere tonight, to right a big wrong, and I don't want her to be alone."
Mav smiles at his mission, and I hide my relief. "I'll make her laugh her head off until you get back."
"I know you will."
I grab my garment bag and go to Lady Cleo's classroom to get myself ready for my big night. I take my time curling my hair and applying my makeup. Marie embedded a camera into a sparkly hair clip, which I wind through my locks. The eerie gold contacts go in last, and I examine my reflection with a critical eye.
I'd fuck me. My stupid joke makes me grin, and for an instant, it's like seeing one of Jo's old vids. I can be a goddess, too.
Finally, I unzip the garment bag the headmaster sent. Inside is a flimsy white dress with cutouts above my breasts and on my sides. There's no way to conceal a weapon in this dress, which might have been part of his intent.
No one has seen this much of me since I was born, and I'm not about to flaunt it now, in front of a crowd of strange men. I pace as I consider my options, and then go through Lady Cleo's costumes, hanger by hanger.
I stop on a simple, girlish dress that is cut right above the knee. This is the one. I put it on, along with tall white boots that come up high enough to hide my legs. My reflection reveals an innocent snow princess. It'll drive those perverts crazy. I should be proud of my disguise, but all I can summon up is the queasy sense that I might puke.
I've been still for too long. My feet carry me swiftly through the tunnels of the Lab to the entrance of the Chrysalis.
Time to test my acting skills in the real world. I recall every instance I can of times in my life when I've triumphed. Confidence is key. I make my way back to the science floor. It's bustling with activity.
The Einstein clone, Dennis, is at his desk. His eyes glaze when he sees me stop at his desk, flashing my best grin.
"Hi."
"Hi, me?" he asks, setting aside his holographic microscope.
He's a few years older than I am, and his clothes are covered with stains. His hair hasn't been cut in at least a year, and he keeps having to shove it back when it falls in his eyes.
"Yes, hi, you," I reply with a smile, channeling Sparkle when I first met her. "I'm curious about what you're working on. Are you allowed to tell me?"
"Leave poor Dennis alone," Marie cuts in.
"Come on," she says, rolling her eyes and dragging me to a table in the corner, which is filled with sensors that have been deconstructed. My eyes widen at the sight of her name on the tablet embedded in the desk.
"You're working here? When were you going to tell us?"
Marie splutters. "Really? You're asking me why I'm sneaking around and keeping secrets when you're wearing the gold contacts?"
She's got me there.
"You would have known a long time ago if you were paying attention," Marie says, but her voice is warm.
"I was hoping for another more in-depth tour of the science department, and I thought I could convince Dennis to give one to me," I lie.
"Right. You're not here to steal the Manipulator then," she says, crossing her arms.
"I'm a curious person! But forget it. I'm leaving."
"Here, Joan," Marie says, opening a drawer. She hands me a slim, chrome disk that fits in the palm of my hand. "The Manipulator is still in beta testing. It's not safe to use. Take this. It's an enhanced Taser that will knock out anyone within a three-foot radius of you with the touch of a button."
"It's perfect."
I'll be able to knock out the creep who buys me, and when he wakes up, I'll be gone. There will be no proof that I didn't perform as expected.
"Don't forget to take off the safety," Marie instructs, showing me a small switch on the bottom.
"You're giving this to me, easy as that? No lectures?"
"I owe you for keeping me off the headmaster's radar. If you're going to go through with your crazy plan in spite of what we all said to you this morning, I'd like you to have a weapon."
"A weapon besides my wits, you mean. That's a blade to be reckoned with, too," I quip, and am rewarded with a grudging smile from Marie.
I've given some thought to how to hide the weapon I take with me, and I attach the Taser to a strap that wraps around my biceps, so the slim metal weapon nestles in my armpit. Even if the headmaster decides to pat me down, he's unlikely to notice it there.
"Does this mean I can count on you not to tell the others?"
She nods. "Remember, even though you're going into this mission by yourself, you're not alone. Everyone may yell at you after this, but we'll be here for you whether you succeed or fail."
Marie's words soften something hard inside me, and I surprise myself by giving her a brief, tight hug. "Thank you."
~ ~ ~
Goose bumps break out on my arms. The headmaster is standing in the shadows outside the Little Theater, staring at me. His cold eyes travel down my body, assessing me like a car he's considering purchasing.
"That is not the dress I sent you," he says, a muscle at his temple pulsing.
"This costume will help me fetch a higher price. Everyone wants to ravish the innocent," I say, flicking a strand of shiny hair behind my shoulder. "We're partners in this, remember? I'm not your slave."
"You will curb that attitude before I introduce you to my friends, or this ends right now," the headmaster says.
He fingers the whip on his belt, and when I flinch away, my response isn't faked. He narrows his eyes, watching me, and I remember that I'm supposed to be high on Amp. I adopt a little twitch in my pinkie and nod as if I'm listening to a beat in my head only I can hear. My performance seems to satisfy him, for now.
"Come," he commands, holding out his arm for me to take.
When my body makes contact with his, my nerves recede. It reminds me of walking onto the stage in high school during debate tournaments. Backstage, I would be pacing, and sometimes my hands would shake. But when it was time to perform, everything inside me would go still.
The headmaster's legs are longer than mine, and I have to strut faster to keep up in my high-heeled boots. We turn the corner, and a black car is waiting for us. The door opens automatically, and he shoves me inside.
"I'd forgotten how beautiful the Joans are when they're made up properly," Lexi White says, and it takes an enormous effort not to let my shock show on my face.
My terror spikes. She's smarter than the headmaster. I'm going to have to act the shit out of this encounter, or she'll guess my true motives. But it's also an opportunity. This could be a chance to get proof that would put the Darwin of Strand away for a long time. I give her my sugariest Sweet Lil' Joanie smile, and she narrows her eyes. She's not buying what I'm selling.
"She's acceptable," the headmaster says.
"Search her," Lexi demands.
The headmaster narrows his eyes in surprise, but he does as she asks. I imagine the time I visited this beach in Florida with my parents. When the sun rose, it was like watching the sea be set on fire. A distant part of my mind knows the headmaster's hands are on me, sliding up my legs and between my breasts, but I hang on to that memory of peace until it's over.
His hands slide down my arms last, and clinging to the image of the ocean ablaze in light is almost impossible, as my fear tries to swallow it up. But he doesn't come near my armpits, where the Taser is pressed tightly against my skin.
"Sloppy," Lexi says, and my ocean image shatters.
Oh God. She's going to search me, find the Taser, and retire me on the spot. Lexi shoves up my dress and plucks my phone from my garter, where it's strapped to my inner thigh.
"You're taking my phone?" I ask, allowing a fraction of my anger to seep into my words.
"I thought she'd learned to speak only when asked a question," Lexi says to the headmaster, not acknowledging me.
"So had I," the headmaster says.
"Is she obedient? Or will she rebel and embarrass us at the worst possible moment? Don't let your greed cloud your judgment," Lexi says.
"She'll comply. She's tasted what's in store for her if she disobeys," the headmaster says.
"Good. This is my network I'm allowing you to tap into tonight, and I expect you to provide an excellent product."
"For a cut of the excellent profits, of course," the headmaster says, his tone as sharp as Lexi's.
The car stops at a tall, sleek building. Everything is white, from the doors to the polished stone walls. The headmaster pulls me inside, where the white theme continues. White floors, walls, decor.
"Too obvious of a venue?" the headmaster asks Lexi.
"Fitting for tonight's entertainment," Lexi says, nodding her approval.
Lexi leads us into a ballroom, and my stomach takes a dive when I see that it's packed with at least a hundred Evolved, mostly men.
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, subtly turning on the camera in my hair clip. The general noise dims to a murmur as everyone notices my arrival on the headmaster's arm. Hundreds of eyes linger on my body.
I'd expected a crowd tonight, but not this mob that's waiting for me. Panic steals my breath. I'm out of my league.
As we move to the center of the room, where a raised platform awaits me like an auction block, some of the men graze my ass with their hands. My vision shrinks to a point, almost closing altogether.
To distract my panicking mind, I go over my plan step by step, reminding myself what's at stake tonight. It's all up to me. There's no Harriet or Sun waiting in the wings in case I fail.
Tonight, I'll succeed or fail on my own terms.Time to find out which one it will be.