Piranhas in Pink: Piranhas in Pink Book One

by Nova Knightley

  I raised an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t participate, did you?”

  “Of course not.” He went back to eating his fries. “I’m sorry you’re stuck with them. You are stuck with them, you know.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  Brody looked worried. “Lennox, the only way Carrington got out was by moving away and falling off the face of the earth. You’re going to have to figure out a way to deal with them.”

  My phone dinged. It was a text from Eden, telling everyone she would be leaving soon. Kyla replied that she would be late because her parents were giving her a hard time about something. I turned my phone over.

  “Why did you get involved with them when you didn’t have to? It has to be more than getting protection from Chelsea.”

  Brody pressed his lips together. “Let’s just say I don’t have much of a choice. Eden knows about my person. If she tells anyone, it will ruin both of our lives.”

  I suddenly wished I hadn’t eaten so much. She knew that Brody was seeing someone else and never said a word to me about it. “What about the other girls? Do they know?”

  Brody shoved his trash into the paper bag. “I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I don’t think so. Kyla would have said something to me if she did.”

  Kyla and Brody had known each other since they were little kids, but that didn’t mean that her loyalties would lie with Brody. I looked out into the dark water. Everything was still. There was barely a gust of wind. “I don’t want to be around them tonight.”

  “We’re expected to be at that party.”

  I didn’t want Brody to get in trouble because of me, and if he really wanted to be there, he should. “Take me home, and you can go. I’ll just text the girls that I don’t feel well.”

  I picked up my phone, but Brody placed his hand on top of mine. “I’m not feeling so good either,” he said. “Let’s just sit here and think or talk or whatever.”

  I liked the idea of that. I sat back in the seat and closed my eyes, trying to remember the last time I’d had a decent night’s rest. Brody muttered something about staying up all night to talk to his person, and the next thing I knew, an alarm was going off.

  My eyes fluttered open, and I looked over at Brody. “What just happened?”

  He rubbed his eyes. “I felt myself falling asleep, so I set my timer for an hour. I was knocked out.”

  I checked my phone and saw a text from Eden and one from Daniella asking where I was. Cringing because I had forgotten to text them earlier, I texted back:

  I’m not coming.

  I didn’t even care enough to lie about not feeling well. What are they going to do if I didn’t come?

  Seiko sent a group text to all the PIPs:

  Claire’s here. Let’s give her the rest of her punishment.

  Kyla: Yesss!

  Dani: I thought I saw her dumb ass by the pool.

  Eden: By the pool, huh? I wonder if she’ll sink or swim…

  Lennox: Leave her alone! It’s over!

  Seiko: STFU Lennox!

  Kyla: LMAO

  Kyla’s text included a crying laughing emoji.

  I groaned and turned to Brody. “We have to go to the party.”

  He had been texting someone himself. His brow furrowed with confusion. “What? Why?”

  “Claire’s there, and they’re going to do something to her. I have to stop them or at least try.”

  I remembered promising Claire that I would make them leave her alone. Eden was in for a big surprise if she thought I wouldn’t tell everyone about her lupus.

  It took us almost thirty minutes to get to the home of Alexander Adams, who lived in a magnificent house on a hill.

  Cars filled the sloped driveway and lined the streets below. Brody didn’t even have to park. I spotted the girls standing beside Kyla’s Range Rover. Eden approached the car wearing a pink shift dress. The other girls crowded behind her.

  She folded her arms over her chest as Brody let the window down on my side. “So you were with Brody. Interesting since you were both supposed to be here. What were you doing?”

  She wasn’t my mother, so I ignored her question. “What did you do to Claire?”

  Dani smirked. “Look how quickly she came running to save her new bestie. As if that girl would ever be invited to a Heights party after crossing us.”

  I leaned out the window. “She’s not here?”

  “No,” Seiko said. “We said that to get you here. My idea, by the way.”

  I couldn’t even explain how annoyed I was. “Why, though? Why does it matter whether or not I was here?”

  Eden reached through the window and touched my chin. “Because we wanted to see you. We love you, Lennox.”

  I slapped her hand away. “Let’s go, Brody.”

  Eden rested her elbows on the door. “We’ll take her from here, Brody.”

  Brody gave Eden a tight smile. “That’s all right. I’ll take her home. See you guys later.”

  But Eden didn’t budge. “No. She’s coming with us.”

  “No, I’m good. I’ll catch you guys in the morning at the center.”

  The other girls whispered amongst themselves as Eden looked from me to Brody. “Lennox, have you told Brody what happened on the night of your trial? See, Brody—”

  I flung the car door open, causing Eden to yelp and hop back. I grabbed my purse from the seat. “Thanks for everything, Brody. I’m going to go with them.”

  He frowned, and I knew he was wondering what they were holding over me and if it was as bad as what they had on him. “Are you sure? You don’t have to.”

  “She’s positive,” Kyla said, pulling me toward her car. “Bye, Brody.”

  He watched me, looking unsure.

  “It’s okay. Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”

  He waited a few seconds then pulled off. Seiko opened the back door of the Range Rover for me.

  “Where are we going?” I asked before stepping inside. I looked behind me. Eden was walking to her car alone.

  “We’re just going for a little drive,” Seiko said.

  I climbed inside and slid over. Seiko sat beside me while Dani got in the front with Kyla.

  “Where’s Eden going?” I asked.

  Kyla started the engine. “She has to pick something up. She’ll meet us there.”

  “Meet us where?”

  Dani sighed. “Lennox, just relax and enjoy the ride.”

  Brody texted me and told me to let him know if something was wrong. I told him I would even though I probably wouldn’t. Kyla watched me in her rearview mirror. I wished she would pay closer attention to the dark, winding road.

  Finally, we pulled up to a house in a neighborhood I had never been to before. The house was small but nice though still a far cry from the homes in Roosevelt Park. We sat in the car for about twenty minutes, waiting for Eden. The girls talked about how lame the party had been because Alexander had gotten drunk and thrown everyone out, but I was busy trying to figure out what they were up to.

  Eden pulled up, and we got out of the car. I noticed she had a black backpack slung over one shoulder.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  Eden pulled out her phone. “This is my uncle’s place. He’s out of town right now. I’m supposed to come by every few days to check on the place.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s why we all have to be here? So you can make sure your uncle’s house is okay?”

  Before she could answer, we were blinded by headlights. I shielded my eyes, making out a white vehicle with lights on top. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, like they always did when something was wrong.

  A cop car pulled up to the house.

  Eden sighed. “It’s just Zander.”

  A tall, lanky guy in a police uniform climbed out of the car and walked to the other side and leaned against it. His dark hair was combed neatly over his head. “Now what are you young ladies doing out this time of night?”

  Eden
stepped forward. “Just minding our own business, Officer Hollis. What? Are you following us or something?”

  “Nah, just doing my rounds when I spotted your car. What are you girls up to?”

  Eden stepped even closer to him, trapping him between her and his car. “I’m supposed to be checking on my uncle Mike’s house while he’s away. You can report that to my father. I know he has you keep an eye on me on the weekends.”

  Officer Hollis chuckled. “That’s ridiculous. My day is filled with very important police business. I have no time to be following you around.”

  “Lies!” Seiko shouted. “You’re the low man on the totem pole, so they give you the busywork like watching the chief’s daughter. Isn’t that right, Officer Hollis?”

  Officer Hollis gave Seiko a weak smile. “Okay, maybe that’s true, but I want you to know”—he looked Eden in her eyes—“that I would never snitch on you to your father about anything.”

  Eden tilted her head to the side. “Really? See, if I were you, I would say just that to get me to lower my guard so I would tell you my business. Do you think I’m stupid, Zander?”

  He gulped. “No. I happen to know that you are not stupid at all. I also know that you’re a good kid and what you choose to do for fun is your business.”

  He was so wrong that it wasn’t even funny. Eden touched his chin then turned to me. “Zander, I don’t think you’ve met Lennox McCrae. She’s new in town, and she’s one of us now.”

  He tilted his head in my direction. “Lennox, it’s nice to meet you. Welcome.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered. “How old are you?” I wanted to know because I would have guessed twelve.

  “Twenty-two. It’s my first year on the force.”

  Eden stepped away from Zander. “He’s a couple years ahead of my sister, but they went to high school together.”

  He looked up sharply at the mention of Eden’s sister. “How is Harlow? Haven’t seen her in a while.”

  Eden shrugged. “Harlow is Harlow. As pretentious and self-involved as usual. You still have a crush on her?”

  He let out a nervous laugh. “I never crushed on Harlow. We were just friends. That’s all.”

  Eden looked like she was about to deny that when sounds of static came through the open car window. Zander reached in and grabbed his radio. “Yes.”

  The voice on the radio came through loud and clear. “We’re getting calls about a disturbance at the Adams house. Alexander’s throwing a party, and his parents are away. Can you check it out?”

  “On my way now. Over.” Zander tossed the radio back into the car and shook his head. “Every time that kid throws a party, there’s something.” He headed for the driver’s side then paused. “Seiko, I’m really sorry about your cousin. I want you to know that we’re doing everything to find her.”

  Seiko nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Good night, ladies. Don’t stay out too late.”

  “We won’t,” Eden called as he got into his car.

  We watched silently as he pulled away.

  Eden put her arm around me as we headed for the door. “Having an idiot on the police force who has a crush on both you and your older sister is a wonderful thing.”

  I could only imagine. Inside, Eden turned on the lights, and everyone made themselves comfortable while she checked every room. Her footsteps sounded over our heads while the four of us sat in the living room in awkward silence.

  “So,” I said, “I went to the talent show at the center tonight. The whole thing was really cute.”

  Dani frowned. “Yeah? Why didn’t we know about it?”

  Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. “It was a last- minute thing. Ms. Beverly called me earlier today because Phoebe really wanted me to come.”

  Seiko played with the ends of her hair. “Phoebe. Isn’t she the weird one who’s always by herself?”

  For some reason, her comment felt like a personal attack. “She’s not weird. Just because she’s not like the others doesn’t make her weird.”

  “Of course not,” Kyla said. “It was nice of you to go.”

  The other girls nodded.

  “Hey, Lennox,” Eden called from upstairs. “There’s some wine coolers in the basement fridge. Mind grabbing them?”

  All eyes went to me as the girls waited for my response. I had no desire to go into the basement of a stranger’s house, but I decided I needed to pick my battles. “Sure,” I called up.

  A door right off the living room led to a flight of stairs that led down to the basement. At the top of the stairs, I felt around for a light switch. The light flickered on, casting an eerie glow on the room. A rusted white fridge was across the room, right beside a deep freezer.

  The stairs looked like they had seen better days. I tested each one before placing all my weight on them. They creaked with each step I took. The basement was filled with things covered in white sheets, looking like ghosts. All I wanted to do was grab the wine coolers and get out. I opened the fridge and grabbed a carton of watermelon-flavored drinks. Creaking sounds came from behind me. I turned to see the other girls coming down the stairs.

  “Did you find them?” Dani asked. I held them up for her to see.

  She took the drinks from me, eyeing the deep freezer. “I wonder what’s in here.” She lifted the lid. The freezer was empty and unplugged.

  Someone grabbed my arms, pinning them behind my back while Dani and Seiko picked up my legs. It took a few seconds for my mind to register what they were trying to do. I screamed as they stuffed me into the freezer. Desperate to get out of their grasp, I reached out wildly. I managed to claw one of them, sinking my nails into their skin, but I was no match for four strong girls.

  Seiko punched me in the stomach so hard I figured it must have been her I scratched. The blow knocked the wind out of me. I gasped for air as the lid came down over me and I was cloaked in darkness. Though I pushed up on the lid with all my might, I couldn’t make it budge. Either they were holding it down, or they had laid something on top.

  I kicked and screamed as hard as I could. “Let me out of here!”

  Then I stopped. They weren’t going to let me out because I was screaming. All I was doing was using up the limited air I had. Everything was quiet for a moment until the freezer opened again.

  Before I could move, Seiko reached in and held me down while Eden held a container filled with tiny black things. She spilled them on me then slammed the lid shut.

  It only took a second to realize what the black things were—spiders. I didn’t know how many there were, but I felt one on my arm and something moving up my chest. I remembered the questionnaire I had filled out: What is your greatest fear?

  I was thankful that I had lied. Spiders didn’t bother me at all. However, I wasn’t so fond of dark, enclosed spaces. I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. I had a good chance of dying in that freezer. No one would ever know what happened to me, just like they were clueless about Mei. Zander would remember seeing me with the girls just before I disappeared, but Eden obviously had him wrapped around her little finger. He and Chief Blackwood would probably believe anything she said. What would become of Mom? How would she deal with the loss of two children when she barely survived the loss of one?

  After a couple minutes, the lid popped open. Kyla looked down on me. “Lennox, we like you. We like you a lot, but you have to learn a bit faster. We move and live as one, not one against the other, so that shit you pulled the other day with Claire is unacceptable. We don’t want to have to punish you like this again, so hopefully, you learn from this.”

  I would have said anything to get out of that freezer. “I’m sorry. I won’t go against the group again.”

  She reached in and helped me out.

  Once I was standing on my own two feet, Eden scooped up the spiders and placed them back in the container. “Thanks for not killing them. I borrowed these suckers from my little cousin.”

  Dani handed me a wine cooler. The others were alm
ost done drinking theirs.

  “So, anyway,” Eden said, “after the center tomorrow, I was thinking we should go to the mall.”

  They carried on with their conversation as if nothing had happened. I hadn’t been afraid of them before, but I was now.

  31

  Revenge Seekers Anonymous

  Saturday, I spent the day with the PIPs, pretending they weren’t completely insane. We put in a couple hours at the children’s center then went to the mall, where they picked out three new outfits for me that matched my approved style.

  I was thankful that Saturday night was date night for everyone, so I was free of them. I logged on to Revenge Seekers Anonymous. It seemed like it had been a while since I visited. I read a few posts to catch up. They were pretty much the same screen names I had been looking at for over a year. One new guy named TheSpitefulKing was looking for ideas on how to get his boyfriend back for cheating on him. Everyone had pretty much told him to fuck off. The forum was for people whose lives had been permanently ruined. Someone cheating on you sucked, but it was nothing compared to someone you loved being murdered.

  I started a new post. Things aren’t going the way I hoped. I think I’m in over my head. I got a lot of comments asking me to elaborate but I could only say so much.

  What’s wrong, PipersAngel?

  Give us some details. Maybe we can help.

  Why are you in over your head?

  PipersAngel: I wanted to teach some people a lesson, but they’re crazier than I thought, so it’s going to be harder to get to them.

  A group of people?

  PipersAngel: Yes.

  You know the old tried-and-true method. Divide and conquer.

  PipersAngel: Okay. It’ll be hard, but I’ll try.

  I logged off, wondering if my dad was home. I had been meaning to call him all week but kept putting it off. I took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and dialed his number before I could talk myself out of it. After ringing for a while, it went to voice mail. I hung up, not bothering to leave a message. He called back about thirty seconds later.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “Hi, sweetheart. It’s been a while. How are you?”