Ariana sighed. She hated when other people knew more than she did. But in this particular case, it might be better for her not to dig too deep. At least not yet. But why make a spectacle of herself, when all Brigit had to do was embarrass someone else? It seemed completely unfair.
"Hey Ana, can you come up here a sec?" Kaitlynn shouted from her place at the head of the group.
Ariana bit her tongue to keep from cursing the girl out.
"I'll be back," she said to Brigit.
She maneuvered her way past Tahira and Allison, who were also whispering to each other, and joined Kaitlynn at the front of the group. The trees were growing thicker, the underbrush encroaching on the dirt path, and Ariana was starting to seriously doubt that this was, in fact, the way they'd come.
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"What do you want?" Ariana asked under her breath. Something tickled her ankle and she told herself it was just a twig or a weed, and not a spider.
"Yeah, listen, I obviously need to be in Stone and Grave so I'm thinking, to make it easier for everyone, you should just drop out of the running," Kaitlynn said quietly, her gaze dead ahead.
Ariana laughed. "Pardon me if I don't dignify that with a response."
"What's so funny?" Tahira asked from a few yards back.
"Nothing!" Kaitlynn sang in reply, upping her speed slightly so that Ariana had to jog in the dark to keep up.
"It's only fair, A," Kaitlynn continued, her tone diplomatic. She lowered her voice so that it was barely audible over the sound of their crunching steps. "You're set. You've got an identity, a trust fund, a future, but me . . . I've got two years to make connections that will take me beyond APH. I'm going to need these guys to help me do that."
"You really think that once you're in and they figure out that Lillian Oswald has no background whatsoever, they're going to help you create one?" Ariana asked. She struggled to catch her breath. Between the exercise, the nerve--racking darkness, and this conversation, she was starting to perspire. "They'll probably just boot you back to the BrendaT," she said through her teeth.
"You heard what they said. If you're a member, they protect you. They shelter you. And they're insanely connected," Kaitlynn replied. "So yes, I do think they'll help me."
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Ariana sighed. This should be a platinum night for her. But instead, she was dealing with Kaitlynn's psychosis. Again. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one could hear them. The others were so far behind now that she could barely hear them, let alone see them.
"I'm not dropping out," she said flatly.
"Okay then, plan B. Who should we bump off?" Kaitlynn said, pushing a thick branch aside and letting it snap back in Ariana's face. The pain was sharp but fleeting. Ariana spit a few pine needles off her lips as she rushed to catch up.
"Bump off?" Ariana hissed. "Are you serious?"
Kaitlynn gave a look that told Ariana that she was, in fact, very serious.
"I'm not going to kill anyone," Ariana replied.
"Okay, then maybe I'll just kill you," Kaitlynn said with a shrug. Ariana's heart caught, and she misstepped, tripping forward and almost falling flat on her face. Annoyingly, she had to grab on to Kaitlynn, the very person who'd just threatened her life, to keep from going down.
"Watch it. There's a bit of a hill here," Kaitlynn said, a laugh in her voice.
Sure enough, the ground was dropping away beneath them, and their steps naturally quickened. If she shoved Kaitlynn as hard as she could right now, no one would see it. But Kaitlynn would have to fall just so in order to break her neck, and if she didn't, she would certainly tell everyone how she'd been pushed.
Why couldn't they just stumble upon a nice, convenient cliff?
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"You do realize that if something happens to me, they're going to find you out," Ariana hissed, her heart pounding.
"Maybe," Kaitlynn replied, glancing back as the footsteps behind them--and Tahira's cursing under her breath--grew closer. "But killing you could get me everything I want. Then again, if I don't kill you and I don't get into Stone and Grave, in two years, I'm out on the street with nothing."
It was amazing to Ariana how cavalierly she spoke about murder. And to the very person whose life she was planning on ending.
"Why does everything come back to murder with you?" Ariana whispered, her feet pounding the ground. Her ankle twisted slightly as she stepped on a rock, but this time she bit her lip and found her own balance, not wanting to rely on Kaitlynn again. "Maybe one of them will screw up their task or not perform it with enough flair. You heard what Miss Temple said. That would mean an automatic blackball."
"Yes, but I can't count on that," Kaitlynn said. "I'd much rather have the guarantee of an open spot. Then as long as I do what I need to do, I'll get in."
"Okay, then why not just sabotage someone? Screw up their chances. You don't have to kill everyone."
"Look who's talking," Kaitlynn said with a knowing smile. "But you make a good point. Sabotaging someone would work. So get on that, will you?" she said, slapping Ariana on the shoulder.
"What happened to 'we'?" Ariana said, Not that she savored the thought of working side--by--side with Kaitlynn, but this was Kaitlynn's idea.
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"Come on, A. I have so much to deal with right now," Kaitlynn said, holding a thick branch aside. "Making friends, taking placement exams, getting caught up in class, and now I have some crazy task to complete. Help a friend out."
Her tone was so faux--sweet it made Ariana's teeth hurt.
"I'll see what I can do," Ariana said grudgingly.
"Good. And no pressure. I mean, if the sabotage thing doesn't work out, I can always just get rid of you ... or maybe one of your little friends. Then I'll be a shoo--in," Kaitlynn said brightly.
"Leave my friends out of this," Ariana said, her fists clenching defensively. "Besides, you don't know if any of them are in Stone and Grave."
"Oh, I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out," Kaitlynn singsonged. "In case you haven't noticed, Ana, I'm kind of a genius when it comes to people."
She paused as they came to a clearing at the edge of the woods. Before them, the hill dropped down toward the merrily twinkling lights of the campus below.
"Oh, look," Kaitlynn said, lifting a hand. "I got us home."
"Nice work, Lily," Tahira said happily, emerging from the woods and wrapping her arm through Kaitlynn's. Clearly she had forgotten all about her earlier grumblings. "Let's go grab a midnight snack. I'm all about chocolate at this hour--how about you?"
"Definitely," Kaitlynn replied as the two of them traipsed down the hill. "It's going to be so much fun when we're in Stone and Grave together," Kaitlynn said. "You and I are going to just take over."
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Their laughter mingled on the breeze as the gap between them and Ariana widened.
"Wait for me!" Allison shouted, jogging after them.
Brigit finally tripped her way out of the woods and came to stop at Ariana's side. Ariana was frozen in place, stunned by Kaitiynn's total disregard for everything, her own security included. What was she going to do, slit Ariana's throat in the middle of the night? Wouldn't the roommate be the obvious suspect in a crime like that?
But that was the problem. Kaitlynn was insane. There was no telling what she was capable of.
"Everything okay?" Brigit asked.
"Yeah . . . yes," Ariana said, waking herself up from her dark thoughts. "It will be."
Everything was going to be fine, as soon as Ariana arranged some insurance for herself. Something that would make it impossible for Kaitlynn to hurt her without hurting herself.
"Come on." She slung her arm through Brigit's just as Tahira had done with Kaidynn. "I think we deserve a celebratory dessert from the cafe."
"But my diet--"
"Forget your diet. We just got tapped. I say we let loose for one night," Ariana said. "Have you seen that triple--chocolate tart they have? I bet it's to die for."
&nbs
p; "Oh, I am so very in," Brigit said happily. "Just don't tell Soomie and Maria, okay? They'll torture me about it."
"Don't worry. I'm good at keeping secrets," Ariana said, watching Kaitlynn bound down the hill arm--in--arm with Tahira. "Very good."
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THE WEAKEST LINK
"We are definitely going to be late for French," Soomie said, glancing at her BlackBerry on Wednesday morning."Yes, but it's so worth it," Ariana replied. Maria nodded her agreement.
They were kicked back on three of the cushy lounge chairs situated on the patio outside the Wolcott Hall cafe. The airy, flagstone square was dotted with planters full of brightly colored mums and flourishing Japanese maples, their deep red leaves backlit by the sunshine. There were a few students at the various tables, leafing through textbooks and indulging in croissants and scones. Behind them, down the hill from the house, the wide Potomac River burbled along peacefully. It was all so perfect it seemed impossible that it could be real.
And horrible to think that it could all be taken away. Ariana had been up all night, thinking about this whole sabotage idea, and she'd come up with one tiny problem: Presumably, the members of Stone
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and Grave were watching the potential members at all times. Which meant that if she sabotaged someone, they would see it. Wouldn't they sort of frown on the kind of behavior? If they were all about the brotherhood and mutual support, wouldn't sabotaging someone disqualify her?
"Where is that girl already?" Maria asked. "I need my caffeine."
"No, really?" Soomie joked, flicking her dark hair over her shoulder.
"What else is new?" Ariana added.
Having skipped breakfast that morning in favor of sleeping in, they had decided to grab coffee and pastries at the cafe before class. Or, rather, have others grab coffee and pastries for them. Lexa had been up at the crack of dawn for her daily run, and Brigit was on a phone call with the king and queen.
"Here you go, Ana. One iced skim latte with a dash of cinnamon."
Ariana looked up at Quinn, the sophomore who was on twenty--four--hour coffee duty for Lexa, Maria, Soomie, Brigit, and now Ariana. Lexa really had Atherton--Pryce Hall wired. Before the school year had even started she had locked down a whole troop of sophomores who were at the beck and call of her and her friends. Quinn and her counterparts, Melanie and Jessica, had all been on Team Gold and therefore all had access to Privilege House. Having them around was going to make everything that much easier. Noelle Lange would have been so impressed.
"Thanks, Quinn," Ariana said, taking the ice--cold plastic cup and
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sipping at the straw. She smiled happily, glad of one perk she didn't have to share with Kaitlynn. At least not yet.
"An espresso for Maria," Quinn continued, handing over the drink. Maria grabbed it like she was lost in the desert and it was the last cup of water on earth. "And a chai tea and an almond scone for Soomie."
"Thanks," the other girls said, giving their lackey brief smiles.
"Anything else before I go to Italian?" Quinn asked, quickly checking her Gucci watch. Her straight red hair was back in a tortoiseshell headband and she wore her uniform all tucked and pristine. Ariana appreciated the sophomore's attention to detail. When she got into Stone and Grave she was going to keep an eye on Quinn for potential membership.
"We're fine," Soomie said, taking a sip of her tea. "Don't be late on our account."
"Okay. Have a good day!" Quinn said before grabbing her overstuffed backpack and walking off.
Ariana leaned back in the chair and tried to relax--tried to think of something to chat about with her friends--but all that kept coming to mind was Kaitlynn and her death threats. After partaking in the Stone and Grave ceremony the night before, Ariana was more determined than ever to get in. But that would require three things-- first, not getting murdered by Kaitlynn; second, not letting Kaitlynn murder any of her friends; and third, being one of the four who got in, rather than the one poor soul who did not.
A pair of songbirds twittered in one of the nearby trees, and Ariana wondered sadly at the fact that she had to be thinking about murder at all on a gorgeous day such as this.
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It was too bad she couldn't ask for Soomie and Maria's advice. Find out if she was right about sabotage being a no--no to the Stone and Gravers. She had a feeling they were both in Stone and Grave already, and might have some useful advice, but she couldn't even tell them about the tapping ceremony the night before without risking Stone and Grave's wrath, let alone revealing the truth about herself and Kaitlynn.
Unless .... maybe she could ask them without really asking them. They would obviously know what she was talking about, but would probably answer without acknowledging it. At least, that was what Ariana would do for them if she was in and they were out.
"Ana, what is your problem?" Maria said suddenly. "You've sighed ten times in the last five minutes."
"Have I? Sorry," Ariana replied. "Just having deep thoughts."
"Anything we can help with?" Soomie asked.
"I wish," Ariana replied.
She took a deep breath of the early--autumn air. Should she give it a try, or would Stone and Grave consider even thinly veiled questions to be a crime?
"Try us," Maria said finally.
Ariana shifted in her seat. She decided to trust her friends. Trust that they wouldn't report her to Stone and Grave. If there was ever a time to rely on their friendship, it was now.
"It's just. . . there's something I want. . . and there are a bunch of people standing in the way of me getting it," Ariana said. "And I'm not sure how to deal with it."
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There. Technically, she hadn't said a word about Stone and Grave, so technically she had broken no rules. Soomie and Maria exchanged a glance.
"That's easy," Maria said, sliding her sunglasses atop her head.
"Take out the weakest link," Soomie said.
Ariana felt a sizzle of possibility skitter through her heart. She'd known she could count on them. And here they were, practically suggesting sabotage outright. So maybe it wasn't going to get her disqualified.
"The weakest link," she repeated.
Just then the glass doors behind them opened and out traipsed Tahira and Allison. They gabbed and laughed obnoxiously all the way across the patio to a table shaded by a red umbrella. Once seated, they attacked their apple--cinnamon muffins like a pair of rabid dogs let loose in a chicken coop. So unsavory.
Of course, Ariana could have turned it around on Kaitlynn and simply sabotaged her. Taking Kaitlynn out of the running would not only mean getting into Stone and Grave, but it would also mean Kaitlynn would not be there to annoy her all the time. But there was a problem with that plan. If she sabotaged Kaitlynn, then Kaitlynn might turn her in to the authorities--or worse, kill her.
The only option was to take someone else out. Then both she and Kaitlynn would get what they wanted. Mostly. Ariana would still have to deal with being tied to Kaitlynn for life, but at least she'd be in. And alive.
"The weakest link. The person who doesn't have the guts or the
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brains to fight back," Soomie added, scrolling through her e--mails on her BlackBerry.
Okay. Now they were definitely condoning sabotage. There was no question about it. Ariana stared at Tahira and Allison. She had already crossed Tahira, and the girl not only had a temper, but as daughter of the leader of Dubai, she had connections like no one else on campus--except maybe Brigit. She was definitely not the weakest link. But Allison . . . what did Allison really have going for her? She was pretty, sure. Athletic, definitely. Came from money--but who around here didn't?
Target acquired.
And Ariana knew just what to do. When she had wanted to clear a space in Billings House for Reed Brennan so that she could keep an eye on her 24/7, she had engineered a cheating scandal that had gotten Leanne Shore booted off campus. It had been so easy, Ariana could have done it bli
ndfolded with one hand tied behind her back. So why not do that again? Allison didn't even have to get thrown out of school. She just needed to do something serious enough that Stone and Grave would take notice. Something they would consider unacceptable. Cheating still worked. It was a classic. The society wouldn't want to accept anyone who had been caught cheating and been publicly embarrassed.
Suddenly Ariana felt more confident, relaxed, and happy than she had all night. Obviously Maria and Soomie knew what she was talking about, and obviously they wanted to help her get in to Stone and Grave. They had truly accepted her.
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"Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate it," Ariana said meaningfully.
"Anytime," Soomie said, brushing Ariana's arm with her fingers.
"But really, Ana, you don't need our advice," Maria said, draining her cup before she stood. "You clearly have a talent for getting what you want. Getting into APH and Privilege House is no easy feat."
Ariana's heart skipped a beat. There was something in Maria's tone she didn't like. Something knowing.
"Thanks," Ariana said, trying to read Maria's face as she rose from her chair.
"My father always says that you only need three things to succeed in life," Soomie intoned, slinging her black messenger bag over her shoulder. "One, ambition; two, intelligence; and three, a really good lawyer."
Ariana and Maria laughed as they made their way through the doors, headed for the front exit and the hill beyond. It was just paranoia, she was sure. How could Maria possibly know anything about Ariana's real past? As far as anyone here knew, she was Briana Leigh Covington. No one had any reason to question that.
Right?
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DEADLINE
As soon as the end--of--class tone came through the loudspeaker in history that afternoon, Ariana was up and out of her seat, her jaw clenched in annoyance. She had been looking forward to the class, history being one of her favorite subjects, but she hadn't been able to enjoy one second of it. During the entire fifty--five--minute class she had absorbed exactly zero knowledge. The moment Kaitlynn had walked through the door and handed her placement slip to Ms. Ferren, Ariana's shoulder muscles had coiled and her brain had flipped into thought--racing mode.There had been no concentrating, no relaxing, no learning. It was all about Kaitlynn's breath on her neck. Her citrusy perfume choking the air. Her hand brushing Ariana's hair every time she raised her hand to answer a question. By the time the class was over Ariana was in serious need of a massage, a soothing yoga class, and an hour in a warm, lavender--scented bath. Then, perhaps, she would be able to breathe.