Piranhas in Pink: Piranhas in Pink Book One

by Nova Knightley

  I had so many things I wanted to tell him. I needed to tell him that I’d made the biggest mistake a person could make, and there was no way to fix it, and it was tearing me up inside. He needed to know that I didn’t feel safe. I was living with a stranger who could throw both Mom and me out anytime he wanted. I didn’t want to lie, but I couldn’t very well tell him the truth, so I just avoided the question altogether and got right to the point. “I was wondering if I could come stay with you for a few days or maybe a week.”

  He was quiet for far too long. “Lenny, what about school? It’s early in the year. You shouldn’t—”

  “I’ll just make up my work. It’s no big deal. I can check my teachers’ websites for the assignments and work a couple hours each day.”

  Dad sighed. “Now is just not a good time. We’re having some work done on the house. Ashley and I have decided to add on an extra room and a sun deck.”

  Ashley—the stepmother I’d never met. She had a ten-year-old son named Timothy, whom I hated. For one thing, he had stolen my father from me. Dad did everything for Timothy that he should have been doing for me. He’d always wanted a boy. After me, he had wanted to try for one, but Mom was done having kids. On Dad’s Instagram were tons of photos of him and Tim fishing, at soccer practice—Dad was even a coach for his team—and summer-night barbeques. If you didn’t know my father, looking at his page, you wouldn’t even know I existed.

  “Dad, please. I just need a break from this place.”

  “What does that mean? What’s happening?”

  Dad had been my hero at one time. I could tell him everything, and he would fix it. Now he acted like dealing with me was a burden.

  I closed my eyes tight, trying to wish the last few weeks away. “It’s a little hard here right now. I don’t care about some dust and construction. I really just want to see you.”

  He was quiet for a moment, giving me hope that he might change his mind and say yes. “It’s not a good time. How about Thanksgiving? Most of the work will be done by then, and you’ll have a whole week off from school. I’ll make it a great time. I promise.”

  I was too proud to beg my own father to let me come and see him. I also knew that I would be eating turkey with Mom and Gary come Thanksgiving.

  “Whatever, Dad, I have to go.”

  “Lennox, honey, I—”

  I hung up. The sound of his voice hurt too much. He sent me a text telling me he’d call the next day to check on me. I ignored it, and he never called.

  ***

  Monday afternoon, track practice was canceled because of the rain. After school, I stopped by Ms. Rosen’s classroom. She’d said on more than one occasion that if we ever needed to come by and talk to her about anything, we could. I hoped she meant it and didn’t make empty promises like Dad did.

  Standing by the open classroom door, I heard the voices of several students and Ms. Rosen laughing about something. I leaned against the door, taking deep breaths. Please leave before I lose my nerve.

  After what seemed like forever, Ms. Rosen said, “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  Four students filed out of the room, and I hurried inside. Ms. Rosen was erasing her whiteboard.

  She spotted me over her shoulder. “Hi, Lennox. What’s up?”

  I set my backpack on a desk in the front row. “Uh, I wanted to talk to you about something if you have a minute.”

  “Of course.” She wrote the following day’s date on the board then sat on the edge of her desk. “What’s going on?”

  I took a deep breath. “Let’s say you did a horrible, horrible thing, the worst thing a person could do, but it was by mistake. If you told anyone, it would ruin your life and the lives of others involved. Then let’s just say you get caught in some kind of spider’s web, and no matter what you do, you can’t get out of it. Even when these people are doing wrong things, you can’t do anything to stop them because they have the power to ruin your life.”

  Ms. Rosen stared at me as if she were waiting for more. “Well, that was a mouthful. Lennox, I know there are some situations that make us feel trapped. We might feel like there’s no way out, but there’s always a way. You can come back from anything.”

  Not murder, though. How do you come back from murder?

  Ms. Rosen narrowed her eyes, and I prayed she wasn’t some kind of mind reader. “Sometimes, however, the only way out is to ask for help. If you’ll be a little more specific, I’d like to try to help you.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m not talking about me. This is hypothetical, Ms. Rosen.”

  “Okay, so, hypothetically, if this person needed help, I would do anything in my power to help them, and if I couldn’t, I would find a person who could. It really depends on what the problem is.” Ms. Rosen’s eyes darted to the left. “Hi, girls.”

  Eden and Dani stood in the doorway, looking as sweet as apple pie.

  Dani looked around the room. “Hi, Ms. Rosen. Is Lennox in trouble or something?”

  Ms. Rosen frowned. “No, she’s not in trouble. We’re just talking.”

  Eden nodded. “We really need her for something important, so if she’s not in trouble, can she come with us?”

  Ms. Rosen studied Eden for a moment. “Sure she can… if that’s what she wants to do.”

  I avoided eye contact with her. We both knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do. “Y-Yeah,” I said. “I should go. We have somewhere to be. See you tomorrow.”

  Ms. Rosen didn’t say anything. She just watched Eden, who stood in the doorway, flashing her perfect teeth.

  “Lennox,” Ms. Rosen called just as I hit the doorway, “we’ll finish this conversation later.”

  “Have a good afternoon, Ms. Rosen,” Dani called before I could answer.

  The three of us moved down the hallway like the floor was hot lava. I was sandwiched between them. Eden’s arm was looped around mine, so I struggled to keep up. Outside, Dani opened a big black umbrella, and we headed to Eden’s car through the rain. No one said a word until we were tucked inside.

  Eden turned around to glare at me. “What the hell did you think you were doing?”

  “I wasn’t doing anything. I needed to ask Ms. Rosen a question about something we’d talked about in class. How did you know I was in there, anyway? Don’t you have anything better to do than stalk me?”

  Dani kneeled in the passenger seat to face me. “No one is stalking you. We just happened to be walking by, and we saw you. Eden wondered what you were talking about since you looked like you were about to spill your entire soul to a freaking teacher! What is wrong with you?”

  I slid down in the seat. “I wasn’t going to tell her anything. You think I’m stupid or something?”

  Eden rolled her eyes and started the car. “From now on, if you need to have a heart-to-heart with someone, you come to us and us only. Got it?”

  “Got it,” I muttered as we rolled through the parking lot.

  That was going to be easier said than done. Ms. Rosen knew something was wrong. I could see it in her eyes and was sure she would ask me about it again.

  As if the day hadn’t been bad enough, later that evening, I received a text from Bree.

  We studied idioms today in English class. Here are my two favorites: run out of time and sing like a canary.

  32

  One of Us

  I took a screenshot of the text and sent it to Eden.

  Eden: Oh really. No worries. We will handle her tomorrow.

  That was one of the very few perks of being a PIP. Bree was a problem, and they were good at solving problems.

  During lunch, we sat in silence until Eden looked over her shoulder. “There she is.”

  Not missing a beat, Dani stood before Bree, gesturing toward the table.

  Bree set her tray in front of Eden, looking way too happy. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

  No one said anything at first. Eden took a sip of her soda. “Bree, it’s come to our attention that you’ve been trying to wea
sel your way into our group.”

  Bree shot me a look. I stared back at her. What did she expect?

  Eden set her soda down. “If we wanted you to be a PIP, you would be. We didn’t choose you. There’s a reason for that. I take the fact that you haven’t respected our decision as a personal offense.”

  Bree turned a few shades paler. “Well, I—”

  “And,” Kyla continued, “you’ve been threatening Lennox with some secret you supposedly know about us. What secret would that be?”

  Bree’s bottom lip quivered. “It’s not about you guys. It’s about Lennox.”

  “Lennox is one of us,” Kyla said.

  Reaching out, Eden took Bree’s hands in hers. Bree looked down with wide eyes. All around us, the cafeteria buzzed on, as if nothing were out of the ordinary, except for Maisie, who watched us from across the cafeteria.

  Eden squeezed Bree’s hands. “I don’t know what secret you think you know, but you should watch what you say. I like you, Bree. It would be a shame if you ended up missing like Mei or just gone like Carrington.” She let go of Bree’s hands. “Stay out of PIP business, and don’t you ever threaten us again.”

  Bree said nothing. She grabbed her tray and hurried through the cafeteria doors. Maisie frowned, quickly packed up her things, and ran after her.

  The girls laughed at the whole scene, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I mean, who does she think she is?” Dani asked. “Was she seriously trying to blackmail us into making her a PIP?”

  “Pathetic,” Eden said. “Anyway, she shouldn’t be bothering you anymore.”

  I wasn’t so sure. Bree knew that we had been with Mei the night she disappeared. Eden had either scared her enough to keep it to herself or pissed her off enough to tell someone what she knew.

  ***

  After school, I finished my paper for Ms. Rosen on my biggest accomplishment—getting revenge on behalf of my sister. Seeing what I had done to Farrah in black and white was satisfying. I printed it out and sent Eden a text, asking her where Bree lived.

  Eden: Why?

  Lennox: Just tell me

  Eden: She lives in Geneva Hills. 55 Wilshire. Why?

  Lennox: Need to talk to her about something.

  Eden: Don’t do anything stupid.

  We were way past that. I slipped my paper into the pocket of my binder and asked Mom if I could borrow her car.

  Bree lived about twenty minutes away in a cute yellow house with white trim. The lawn was immaculate and perfectly balanced with trimmed shrubs on either side. The leaves were brilliant shades of red and orange. No cars were in the driveway, so I pulled in. I wouldn’t be there long.

  I rang the doorbell and took a step back. After a minute, the door swung open. Bree wore sweatpants, a white tank top, and a scowl. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She poked her head outside. “What are you doing here alone? Are the others waiting in the bushes to ambush me?”

  “No. It’s just me. I need to talk.”

  She stared me down for a moment then stepped back, making room for me to come in. Her living room was quite cozy. Someone really loved fall. The room smelled like pumpkin spice. Wreaths and vines filled with autumn-colored leaves brightened the room.

  “Nice place.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “What do you want?”

  “Is anyone else here?”

  An eyebrow went up. “Why does it matter? Tell me what you want, or get out already.”

  She was home alone. The nervousness in her eyes gave it away.

  I took a seat on the edge of her couch, even though I hadn’t been invited to sit. “I want you to read my paper for Ms. Rosen’s class before I turn it in. I want to know what you think about it.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Are you out of your mind? On top of being a total bitch to me, you snitch on me to the other PIPs, and now you want to be study buddies? What is wrong with you?”

  I pulled the paper from my binder. “Trust me when I tell you it’s in your best interest to read this.”

  She kept complaining so I shoved the paper in her face. “Shut up and read it.”

  Bree snatched the paper from me. “Okay. Damn!”

  She plopped into the love seat and started reading silently. I rested my chin on my fist and watched her.

  My Greatest Accomplishment

  By Lennox McRae

  She frowned at the part where Farrah made it to the woods. Her eyes widened when Farrah ate the candy. She gasped when she got to the end and looked at me. “What is this?”

  I hugged my binder to my chest. “It’s just a story I made up. Do you think Ms. Rosen will like it?”

  Bree tossed the paper onto the coffee table as if it were burning her fingers. “I don’t think Ms. Rosen’s a psycho, so I’m gonna say no. That’s creepy as hell, Lennox.”

  “Like I said. It’s just a story dreamt up in the trenches of my imagination, but sometimes life has a way of imitating art, right?”

  Bree’s eyes darted back and forth between me and the paper on the coffee table. “Wait… are you threatening me? I don’t think you’re that stupid. I could call the police right now and tell them where Mei was the night she disappeared.”

  I grabbed her phone from where it rested on an end table beside me and threw it at her. “Go ahead. I’m sure Chief Blackwood would believe that his daughter had anything to do with Mei’s disappearance. Of course, then you’ll have the PIPs on your ass, and you know how they can be, but they’re nothing compared to me.”

  Bree grabbed her phone from where it had landed on the sofa beside her. “You should leave now.”

  I retrieved my work from the coffee table. Of course I wouldn’t be turning that paper in to Ms. Rosen. I’d made up some bullshit story about starting a recycling project at my old school. “Anyway, Bree, I guess I’ll see you around.”

  When I stepped outside, a woman I assumed was Mrs. Vanderpool was walking up the steps. She was bleach-blond and tall with boobs too big for her tiny frame.

  “Mrs. Vanderpool?”

  She had been digging for something in her purse and looked up, surprised. “Yes. Hello.”

  “Hi. I’m Lennox, Veronica McRae’s daughter. You met at the hair salon.”

  Her face brightened. “Yes, that’s right. How are you doing? Don’t you just love Bainbridge?”

  “I do.” I turned to Bree, who was standing in the doorway. “Bree has been so helpful too. I’m sure we’re going to be best friends.”

  Bree gave me a tight smile. “Sure.”

  “Well, I have to get going. I was nice to meet you, Mrs. Vanderpool. See you tomorrow, Bree.”

  Mrs. Vanderpool headed toward the house. “Nice to meet you, too, Lennox.”

  By the time I had gotten into the car, the front door was closed, but the curtains rippled. Bree was watching. Even though she would never admit it, that story had put the fear of God in her.

  33

  Once You’re in, You’re in

  Friday night, we slept over at Seiko’s. Her parents were working at the hospital. Seiko said her aunt and uncle were staying in a hotel because they hadn’t been getting along with her parents, blaming them for not keeping a closer eye on Mei.

  We had the house to ourselves. Being there gave me an eerie feeling. I thought back to the night I had snuck in. I had been in Mei’s room, touching her things. Mei had lived in the house for years, and she was gone.

  A huge picture of her hung in the living room next to Seiko’s. She looked so happy and innocent. The picture couldn’t have been more than a year old. At the time, Mei must have thought she had her whole life ahead of her. I was sure she didn’t think she would be gone before her eighteenth birthday.

  We ordered barbeque, which we devoured in the kitchen. After we’d had our fill of chicken, ribs, corn on the cob, and coleslaw, we made ourselves comfortable in Seiko’s bedroom. Daniella and Seiko were brainstorming Halloween costumes. For the past two years, they had done a
group theme. Freshman year, they had been mermaids, and sophomore year, they had gone as the Spice Girls.

  Eden disappeared downstairs for a while and returned holding something behind her back. “It’s movie time.”

  I was scrolling through Instagram, seeing what my old Archer friends were doing. “Another Audrey?”

  “Not tonight.” She held up her arm. A video camera dangled from it.

  It had been a while since I’d seen one of those. “What are you doing with that thing?”

  “I thought we’d watch a home movie. Gather around, girls.” Eden took a seat on Seiko’s rug.

  The rest of us bunched in around her.

  She ran her fingers over the lens of the camera then set it down. “Before we watch, I should say this. What is seen and heard here tonight does not leave this room.”

  I laughed. “What is it? Somebody’s sex tape?”

  Everyone threw stony glances in my direction.

  Seiko shook her head. “This isn’t a joke.” She said that like she knew what was on the tape. Of course she did. I was sure they all did.

  Eden pressed play and handed the camera to me. The footage was shaky at first and took a while to come into focus. For about thirty seconds, all I could see was gravelly ground. Several people whispered off screen.

  The camera moved, and a girl came into view. It was Seiko, but her hair wasn’t blond. She wore a black hoodie. “Are you guys ready? It’s really cold out here.”

  “Who’s going first?” Eden asked.

  “I will.” That was Dani’s voice.

  Eden stepped over and took the camera. It flipped, focusing on a man lying on the ground. He was gagged, and his hands and feet were tied. The camera roamed up and down his body. His black shirt and blue jeans were caked with dirt. A trickle of dried blood ran down from his nose. If I had to guess, I would say he was in his late forties or early fifties. His gray hair was cut close to his scalp. He stared at the camera with fear-filled ice-blue eyes.

  Dani knelt beside the man. Someone handed her a knife. It looked about twelve inches long and had a serrated blade. The light from the camera bounced off the knife.