And then I heard the screams.
Lil was holding Sam’s head back while Bryce forced her to swallow the rest of the champagne. She was choking, crying for them to stop, but they wouldn’t let up.
“You need to relax, Sam. You’re too stiff. This will help,” Lil said. When the bottle was finished, she pulled Sam to her feet, smiling that fake grin of hers. “Whipped cream!” she yelled.
Shaking a canister, she sprayed Sam with it, smearing it over her thighs and chest.
Deena and Kylie got in on the action, shooting whipped cream until the cans were empty and they were gasping for breath, laughing hysterically.
But I wasn’t laughing. And neither was Sam. She was crying.
“Cameras off,” Lil commanded.
“Stop crying,” Kylie said once the screens showed they were blank. “Do you want your investors to think you’re a baby? They bought into you because you’re sexy. Give them what they want.”
“But I’m not sexy.” Sam hiccupped.
“Come on. We know what you did with Peter,” Dee said, and I no longer recognized her.
“It was fake.” Sam shook her head. “Someone sent me that picture. It wasn’t Peter.”
“So, you’re a liar,” Lil said. “We can’t be friends with a liar… Jax, how does it look?” She curled her fingers, gesturing without looking at him, her eyes glued to Sam.
I did this to her. Guilt washed over me, and I wanted to fix it, to take Sam’s hand and drag her out of the penthouse, to run. But I was frozen. Sick to my stomach, I could only watch.
He handed over the controller, and Lil scrolled through the videos, picking out the most suggestive images of Sam. “What’s your Network password?” she asked.
Sam remained silent.
Lil grabbed Sam’s face, her fingernails digging in, drawing blood, until Sam’s eyes bulged. “Tell me.”
I gasped, tears springing to my eyes, but still, I was immobile.
Sam clamped her mouth shut.
Dropping her hand, Lil took a step back. “I’m not going to ask again. Tell me.”
“No,” Sam said, her eyes faraway.
I thought Lil was backing off, but then she whipped around, kicking her heel into Sam’s stomach. “Tell me.”
Sam doubled over, coughing, and I swallowed a sob.
“Tell me.” Lil’s fist connected to Sam’s jaw with the sickening thud of flesh smacking flesh, a slab of meat flapping on a counter. I’d never heard a punch in real life, and bile rose in my throat.
She’s going to kill her.
Gagging, I backed away from the scene, taking one last glance at Kylie and Dee staring on, faces void of emotion. As I retreated, Sam’s cries grew weaker, until the thuds garnered only whimpers.
Heaving myself into the bathroom, I threw up. When my stomach was empty, I lay on the floor, my cheek pressed to the cold tile. I can’t stand by and watch this…
But my limbs were too heavy to move.
A sharp angle of light carved me in two. Grabbing me by the hair, Lil pulled me to sitting, getting down on her knees so her nose was touching mine.
“You should learn from this. You’re only good to me if you build me up. Your numbers may be higher than mine, but I can dismantle you in a second. Always remember that could be you in there, so get with the program. You’re one of us. Act like it. Clean yourself up and get out there. We need to finish this night out—make it look like fluffy teenage fun. You have ten minutes.” Standing, she delivered her parting shot, kicking me in the chest.
Lightning exploded across my sternum in hot shards, zapping my breath, and I collapsed on the floor.
“I don’t give second chances, and you already used your first,” she said, slamming the door behind her, plunging me into blackness.
My lungs heaving, I threw my hands over my head and curled into a ball, silently screaming. I don’t know how long I lay there, tears streaming, fighting to breathe, but I cried until I had no tears left, until my throat was raw and my jaw ached. Until I knew I couldn’t waste any more time for fear she’d return and finish me off.
Right then, I bottled up my feelings, turned them off, buried them so deep I’d need a treasure map to find them. I understood the flat look in Deena’s eyes, the one that took my friend. Like her, I had to die inside.
It was the only way I was going to survive.
…
Fresh tears roll down my cheeks. I hate that I didn’t help her. I have no excuse for my behavior. Inaction is participation and I am guilty, guilty, guilty. But no more. Never again.
From now on, I act.
Chapter Fifteen
December 31, 20X5, Keystone
Deep in the woods, my feet crunch through the snow in a clearing encased by a small circle of sequoias that protect me from the icy wind. My teeth chattering, I burrow into my school-issued puffy black jacket, tightening the fur-trimmed hood around my face. Tonight is the Into the Woods party, and I haven’t decided if I’m attending. My mind is stuck in the past, wandering back to exactly one year ago, to the start of the year that erased everything. I want to be alone—to reflect, to process—to remember. I owe it to Adam. But I also owe it to myself to begin my new life. I have to let go.
The moon is full overhead, yellow against midnight blue, and my shadow stretches long across the snow, a taffy-pulled version of me. Allard hasn’t been able to convince Garrett to get a brain scan—thank God, I’m not looking forward to that comparison—but my last scan showed I’ve made significantly more connections. My mood is brighter, and my instincts have never been sharper, but I’ve been avoiding recalling my lowest point. The memory is too painful to write. Still, if I’m going to continue improving, I have to face it. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and relive that horrible afternoon.
…
“We should dress alike more often,” Lil said, swiping across the air to scroll through images of us dressed as sexy genies at last night’s Halloween party. Her feed was projected onto a Boulevard wall screen, and her manicure was coded to allow her to navigate the feed without leaving our table. It wasn’t lost on me that putting us on the big screen had the added benefit of making everyone who wasn’t invited to the party jealous. “People love a band of strong females. We’re inspiration to little girls everywhere. They so want to be us—”
“I know you all hate me.”
Sam’s voice rang out over the Boulevard, silencing Lil, and we all turned.
She stood on a table, eyes wild, her fingers gripping a piece of rope hanging from one of the cabanas.
I blinked, even though I wasn’t wearing AMPs, not believing the scene could be real.
“All I wanted was to be one of you,” she said. “To be like you. To be liked by you…” Tears bubbled from her eyes, overflowing in a shimmering cascade down her cheeks. Making no move to wipe them away, she continued, her voice just above a whisper. “I made one mistake, and my life is over—”
Leaning forward, I strained to hear her.
“You’ve made yourselves clear—the letters, the posts, the lies. Maybe if I give you what you want, you’ll finally accept me.”
It happened fast. Too fast for anyone to do anything. At least that’s what I told myself.
She slipped the noose around her neck and stepped off the table.
Everyone gasped, but nobody moved. Maybe they thought their eyes were playing tricks on them, too, that we were experiencing one of the virtual realities we were so accustomed to.
It was dead quiet except for a soft gurgle from her throat, the wood beams creaking under the weight of her body. Even the breeze refused to breathe. We stared for what felt like eternity, watching her body writhe, her eyes bulge, her face turn blue.
And we did nothing.
Tears pricked my eyes, my sinuses burned, my lungs seized, and it was lik
e I was strangling, too. I had to save her, but I couldn’t will my limbs to action. I sat there. Watching her die.
Fortunately, she didn’t.
Because Adam saved her.
He was the only person brave enough to leap to his feet, to risk his life—his numbers—for hers.
“Samantha,” he shouted, grabbing her around the waist. “Don’t do this. Your life is worth more than this.” He climbed onto the table, lifting her body, loosening the rope. Laying her down, he breathed life into her mouth. “Someone get help!”
The robots looked on in silence—they weren’t programmed for suicide prevention. But maybe they’d learn. Next time, maybe they’d act.
Finally, one of the teachers pressed an emergency button, and a pulsating alarm made us all jump.
Samantha coughed, the color returning to her cheeks. Adam helped her sit up, wrapped her in a giant hug. Watching him, warmth grew in my belly, and for the first time in months, a glimmer of hope that someone decent existed—that the world wasn’t always cruel—blossomed in my brain.
…
I would have sat by and watched Samantha die.
Sniffling, I acknowledge the worst truth about me. Leaning against a tree, I squeeze my eyes shut against the hot tears rolling down my cheeks.
I was so insecure—a slave to approval from others—that I couldn’t save a life. She asked for help, and I was too much of a coward to give it to her. Pathetic.
Pressing my lips together, I fill my lungs with crisp night air, and it helps to clear my head. But at least I can admit it. By recognizing my weaknesses, I can overcome them. I can be better. I’m not that person anymore.
Never again.
The weight of the memory lifts, and I breathe easier. We all come from somewhere, have demons, but we all deserve a chance. It’s not my job to judge anyone but myself. And I have to love myself, forgive myself. It’s all so clear. It’s time to act, to make this my home. I should go to the party. I should try my hardest to win the Quest, prove to everyone I belong here—prove to myself that I belong here—that I’m part of the team.
Standing, I hike through the snow until I find everyone. Obscured by the shadow of a tree, I observe for a minute before joining them. I’m honest with myself—I know who I’m seeking. The energy required to resist him is too much, and I don’t bother trying.
Rayelle, Sophia, and Stewart are easy to find, huddled together, wearing school-issued coats. Nearby, Chloe and Harbor are perched on low tree branches, hair flipping as they talk to Liam and Kyran. The uninitiated are all there, mingling in the misty forest, drinking from vintage red cups. Everyone except me, that is, and except… Why can’t I find him?
I promised Allard I’d practice sharpening my instincts, so I focus on Garrett, hoping I’ll get an idea of his location.
“What are you doing out here alone?”
Jumping, I whip around. “Garrett?” I whisper, my mind reeling.
How did he sneak up on me? Or did I send out what I was hoping to attract? My stomach twists.
Stepping forward into the moonlight, I plaster wide-eyed innocence on my face. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“I was wondering where you were.” He comes toward me, padding through snow. A faint scruffiness along his jaw makes him seem grown-up, and an image of me snuggled up against his chest leaps into my mind. I blink it away.
“For some reason I couldn’t stop thinking about you tonight,” he says, coming to a stop in front of me, his face so close his breath comes out in little puffs that mix with mine.
That makes two of us. His energy tugs at my core, a gravitational pull in my gut that sucks me toward him, but I refuse to be swallowed into his vortex. Digging my feet into the snow, I clutch the tiger’s eye I wear at my throat, calling on its protection to ward him off. “How romantic. Do you say that to all the girls? Because I’m not that easy.”
A slow smile spreads across his face. “I like to keep an eye on the competition is all. I know you’re a fortress, Ellie. Don’t worry. I have no intention of scaling your walls.”
Stupid disappointment dips in my belly, but I shrug it off, fluttering my eyelashes. “You’re welcome to try. I’m confident the dragon will get you in the end, anyway.”
He bites his lip, holding back a laugh. “You’re nothing like I expected.”
I ignore my racing heart, trying to keep up with him. “You think about me enough to have expectations, huh? Sorry to disappoint.”
“Who said I’m disappointed? I figured you were too good for us—pretty Maker girl, forced to hang out with the Disconnect rejects.” He searches my face. “But now I know the truth.”
My insides clench—he called me pretty—at the same time fear that he knows my secret leaps into my throat. I swallow hard. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“You’re a nerd who would rather get a good night’s sleep the night before the Quest than hang out with her friends. You really want to win this thing.” He punctuates his theory by pressing his gloved index finger to the tip of my nose.
Relief that he hasn’t discovered my identity rushes through me, and I roll my eyes. “So what if I do?”
He searches my face like I’m a present he wants to unwrap, and I keep a pleasant mask in place so he can’t guess what’s inside.
“You’d better not get disqualified, then,” he finally says, his teeth flashing white in the moonlight. “In the real world, you don’t get to choose when you sleep. That’s why we’re holding a party the night before the Quest. It’s part of the challenge. It’s mandatory you attend.” He offers me his hand. “Come hang with me by the fire. You must be freezing.”
A bead of sweat trickles down my back. Am I the only one who feels this heat? Pathetic.
Hand still extended, he waits for me to accept it.
I curl my fingers into a ball. “I’m sure Chloe would love you showing up with me.”
“Who cares what she thinks?” He shrugs. Grasping my hand, he tugs me forward, and, as if on cue, snow flurries flutter down around us. “Come on, Ellie. It’s New Year’s Eve. Let’s toast to new beginnings.”
Not wanting to deal with the stares if I show up with him, I disentangle my fingers from his, shoving my hands into my pockets, halting our progress. “No, thank you. I’ll celebrate when I have reason to celebrate. Until then, I’m happy here.”
He sighs, closing the distance between us. “Okay, ‘happy here.’ I’ll stay with you, then.”
“You don’t have to. I’m fine. Go back to the party.”
“I’m not leaving you alone in the dark. You never know what’s lurking in the woods. Especially when there’s a full moon.”
I’m struck by an urge to reach out and brush the snowflakes from his eyelashes, and it’s all I can do to keep my hands to myself. “The only thing lurking is you. But then, you are pretty dangerous…” Narrowing my eyes, I look him up and down. What am I doing? Am I flirting? I don’t know what, but something about him throws me off my game.
He studies me. “What aren’t you telling me? It doesn’t add up. You’re not a legacy, but you’re familiar. I feel like I know you, but that’s impossible. You showed up out of nowhere and beat some really talented thieves to compete in the Quest… Who are you?”
I meet his gaze, my heart thumping. “I’m just a girl from Ojai.”
“I don’t know what to make of you, Ellie,” he says, raising his fingers like he’s going to touch my cheek. I long for him to cup my jaw, but he quickly drops his hand. “One minute you look like you want to kill me, and the next—”
“Hi Chloe,” I say loudly, sensing movement in the trees and cutting him off.
Seconds that feel like eternity pass before Chloe emerges. “There you are,” she says. Harbor is at her side, and Liam trails behind them. “Did you get the dirt on her yet?”
My skin goes
cold, but my eyes remain glued to Garrett’s beautiful face. “Couldn’t stop thinking about me, huh?”
“Actually, yes.” He glares over his shoulder at Chloe. “I was worried when you didn’t show up.” He says it too softly for the others to hear.
I believe him, and a pang shoots through me at the fact that he actually seems to care, but then I picture myself falling under his spell, spilling my secrets. Maybe that’s what he wants. I’m not falling for it. “Well, don’t wonder about me and don’t worry,” I say. “I can take care of myself. The other competition is here. You should keep an eye on her. Feel free to forget I exist.”
His eyes harden. “You don’t know how much I wish that was possible.”
Turning on his heel, he brushes past Chloe and disappears into the forest.
Chapter Sixteen
January 1 20X6, Keystone
“The only difference between today’s Quest and a real-world heist is we’ll know who wins.” Dressed in black all the way to the beanie on his head, like he time-warped from an ancient mobster movie, Robie paces back and forth, his classically handsome profile silhouetted in front of the fire.
Chloe, Kyran, Garrett, and I stand at the front of the Lodge, our backs to the assembly. I connect with Garrett out of the corner of my eye. What is he thinking? Probably that he’s going to crush me. As if to punctuate my thoughts, he winks, and I snap my attention back to Robie, gritting my teeth.
“Today you act as a true Keystone Disconnect,” Robie continues. “Your mission is to find the truth and steal it. The path will open in front of you, if you are willing to see it.”
The energy in the room becomes a living, breathing thing, the air tightening in anticipation, like everyone is fighting for the last bit of oxygen, gulping in liquid adrenaline.
“As you know, along with gaining access to Keystone hideouts worldwide and the promise of rescue should you get caught during your Initiation, the winner will choose their partner for the Initiation heist. The trust between partners is extremely important to a heist’s success, so being able to handpick your counterpart is paramount.” He pauses to let us digest that.
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