Girls with Razor Hearts

I stare at Brynn, wondering where exactly she heard that. She smiles. “I’ve been streaming a lot of reality TV while you’re at school,” she says. “I think I’m starting to understand human behavior better.” She holds up the dress again. “So what do you think?” she asks.

“I think you’re right,” I say, and take the dress from her hands. She exhales and walks over to start sorting through my jewelry.

 

* * *

 



Marcella and Brynn have already left when it’s time for Sydney and me to go. We check that my phone will stream directly to Raven’s computer. When we’re sure, I say goodbye to her, and Sydney and I head for the door.

“Wait,” Annalise calls. I take my time turning around, afraid I’ll fall apart. She comes to stand in front of me, her brilliant red hair cascading over her shoulder, her green and brown eyes twinkling with a layer of tears.

“Be careful,” she whispers like a wish. But I’m panicking.

What if I never see her again?

When do I tell the other girls?

How could she do this to me?

Annalise leans in to press a soft kiss to my lips. I close my eyes, holding back my tears, as she rests her forehead against mine.

“Love you,” she whispers. I murmur that I love her too.

Unable to hold it together, I turn away and walk to the door with Sydney. At the last second, I look back.

“Promise I’ll see you later,” I tell Annalise. I feel Sydney look sideways at me, confused.

Annalise smiles, holding her hand up in a wave.

“Bye, girls,” she says.

“Bye,” Sydney responds, and opens the door. We walk out without the promise of ever seeing Annalise again.

Sydney and I order a car service, and as we ride to the address Lyle gave me, I stare out the window. I think about Annalise, reminded of one of our oldest memories together. Long before we were … us.

We were alone in the greenhouse on the property of Innovations Academy, the sun streaming through the glass, falling over my cheeks and warming them. It was a rare sunny day in the mountains.

“Do you know what I love?” Annalise said, her blond hair in a high bun since none of the professors were around to tell her how to wear it. Her gardening books were open on the small table.

“Should I guess?” I responded, making her laugh.

“This.” She walked over to caress a hanging flower. It was pretty, a soft delicate bell dangling on a wooden stem. “This is Angel’s Trumpet,” Annalise continued. “The best part? It’s toxic. Paralysis, memory lapses, death. Did you ever think something so pretty could be so dangerous?”

I studied the flower and then Annalise. “Probably not good for them to grow those so close to our food though, right?” I asked.

“Silly. They’re already in our food. But maybe one day Professor Penchant will accidentally take too much.” Annalise smiled and went back to reciting the names in her books.

And even then, even though I never spoke it out loud, I knew Annalise had designs on putting poison in the staff’s food, although she never got the chance.

She wanted to burn down the academy from the first day she woke up there. In a way, she was always awake. She just needed it confirmed.

“What’s wrong?” Sydney asks, startling me from my thoughts. I turn to her in the backseat of the car just as it pulls into a modest neighborhood not far from our apartment.

“Nothing,” I say, waving it off.

“Well, get focused,” she says, checking her reflection in her phone camera. “We’re going to have to be annoyingly charming.” She looks sideways. “Hopefully for the last time. Because I’ll tell you what, no matter what we do next, I’m not attending school again.”

“Maybe we’ll give public school a shot next time,” I suggest.

The driver pulls up to Lyle’s house, and Sydney taps her phone screen to pay him. After climbing out of the backseat, we pause on the sidewalk and look at the house. There are only a few cars parked on the street, so it’s definitely not a huge party. Which is perfect.

I take out my phone and check for any missed calls. When I see there are none, I text Raven to let her know we’ve arrived. I click record on the phone, slide it into my clutch purse, and head toward the front door of Lyle’s house.

I knock, and there are voices on the other side of the door, a “Shhh … ,” and then it opens. Lyle smiles widely.

“You actually came,” he says, out of breath. “I figured …” He shakes his head, glancing back inside the house. “Well, I’m glad you’re both here.”

“Hi, Lyle,” Sydney says brightly.

Lyle steps aside and motions us into the foyer. “Come on in,” he calls, grinning from ear to ear.

Sydney and I go inside, and I immediately notice the big guy from the rugby team sitting at the foot of the stairs, drinking from a red cup. He’s the one who told the security guard to relax. Demarcus stands and leans on the railing when we walk in.

“Demarcus Dozer,” he calls, introducing himself. His smile is warm, and I think that in person, he doesn’t seem as vicious as he does on the field. It’s an interesting contrast between life and game time, how aggression is encouraged in some cases.

“Philomena,” I reply.

“Welcome,” he says, lifting his drink in cheers before sitting back down.

I take in the rest of the room. There are two guys I don’t recognize on the couch, mid-conversation. The living room is well decorated, although not elaborate. Nothing like Winston Weeks’s place. This is homey and inviting.

There are footsteps before Jonah Grant appears in the doorway of the kitchen, holding a red cup.

“This is a nice surprise,” he says. He sips from his drink, looking me over. It’s not predatory, but it is expectant. Like I should return the compliment immediately. I decide I might need to play along to gain their trust.

“Yes, it’s nice to see you too,” I say. He chuckles and I realize I’ve answered far too formally. I’ll have to work on that. “This is my friend Sydney,” I say, nudging her arm.

“Hey,” she calls to him, sounding effortlessly cool. Jonah grins and replies with his own “Hey.”

“Do you want a drink?” Lyle asks us. He seems extra nervous, so I accept the offer even though I don’t plan to drink. Sydney declines, and gazes around instead.

“Lyle,” Sydney says after a moment, “do you mind if I use your bathroom?” She skips directly to the mission, which I can appreciate. I would have maybe put in an appearance first, but I trust her judgment.

“Sure,” Lyle says. He motions to a hallway on the other side of the stairs. “Second door on the left. Next to my mom’s office.”

“Great!” Sydney replies. She hikes up one eyebrow to let me know she’s going to search the office for paperwork. When she leaves, I follow behind Lyle toward the kitchen.

When I get to where Jonah is standing in the doorway, he waits an extra beat before moving out of the way. He stares down at me, almost curiously, as he sips from his cup. I’m starting to feel a bit on edge. It’s only occurring to me now that Sydney and I are outnumbered. We should have considered that sooner.