andmakeithappen.Ican’tjustmeltaninjury…ordeath.”
Shebreathedindeeplybeforeshecontinued,thewordstastingbitterasthey
leftherlips.
“WhatI’mtryingtosayisthat,Ican’tjust… killsomeone.Atleast,notdirectly.
Stoptheirheartfrombeating,snaptheirneck…”Hervoicetrailedoff.
“Nothinglikethat.”
“Oh.”ItwasJason’sturntobequiet,andhelookedaway.“Haveyou…
tried?”
“Ofcoursenot!”
“Thenhowdoyouknow?”
Evepausedforamoment,almostunsureoftheanswer.“Idon’t,”shefinally
said.“AndIdon’twanttoknow,either.”
“So, what you’re saying is, you won’t hurt or kill someone, but you really don’tknowifyoucanorcan’t?”
EvestaredatJason,herbacksuddenlystiffandhereyesglossedoverwitha
lookofemptiness—ofcompletedisconnection.
“Let’schangethesubject,shallwe?”
***
RutherfordHallwasn’tmuchfarther.Evecouldseeherbalconyinthe
distance—thelightinherdormroomwasoff,andmaybe,just maybeMadison wasalreadyasleep,dreamingaboutdiamondsandcoutureorwhateverelseher
heartdesired.Evetriedtoremainoptimistic—itwasachangefromhertypical
mindset, but today’s tutoring session had left her feeling the slightest bit encouraged.Neverhadsheeverbeenabletosharehergiftwithanyone,aside
fromhersmallfeathertrickwithArmaan,andthoughheropinionofJason
was far from decided, the arrangement itself was starting to feel a little less likeaburden.Hewasintrusive— God,washeintrusive—buthewaswitty,and evenkind.Yes,maybeJasonwasn’tsobad,andmaybeBillingtonUniversity
was the right decision after all. She rarely allowed herself to let go of her stressors,butshewasbeginningtothinkshecouldseeafaintlightattheendof
thetunnel.
AssheopenedthedoortoRutherfordHall,thatlightquicklyflickeredout.
InfrontofherstoodHeather,Hayden,andMadison,allthreewiththeirhands
plantedfirmlyontheirhipsasifreadyforbattle.Madisonstoodinthecenter
astheleader,herposethreateningandhereyesfilledwithrage.
“Yousuckgasmic ASS-sack!”shespat,lungingtowardEve.
Haydensquealedandclappedherhands,entrancedbythefussinfrontofher.
Heatherremainedsilent,butadevilishsmilespreadslowlyacrossherlips.
Evestaggeredbackward.“What isthis?Whatthehellisgoingon?”
“Whydidn’tyou tellme?”Madisonbarked.
“Tellyou what?Whatareyoutalkingabout?”
“Oh,don’tplaydumbwithme,youstupidlittle shit.”
“JesusChrist,Madison,whatthehellis wrongwithyou ?”
Theheiressthrustherfaceforward,closeenoughforEvetotasteherhot,foul
breath.“I know,Eve.”
“Youknow what?”
Madisonbitherlipandballedhermanicuredhandsintotight,quivering
fists.
“I know you’vebeenseeing Jason.”
CHAPTER5:THELACEPANTIES
“Wakeup,slophole.”
Evegroanedandopenedhereyes.Madisonhoveredaboveherbed,herarms folded,hergazeascriticalasthatofadisapprovingparent.Aweekhadpassed
since their confrontation in Rutherford Hall, but the heiress’s resentment was stillfreshandlingering,muchlikethescentofheroverpoweringperfume.
Thetwogirlshadhashedouttheirdifferenceswithasmuchmaturityas
Madisoncouldmuster—whichwashardlyanyatall—andthebustyblondehad
remindedEveofhersupposedbetrayaleverydaysince. Timehealsallwounds
—itwasacommonsaying,butapparentlyMadisonwasunfamiliarwithit,for
witheachpassingdayshewastednotimereopeningthewoundandjabbingat
itwithallofherverbalmight.
“God,Eve,Idon’tknowhowyouexpectmetoevertrustyouagain,”
Madisonwhinedastheusualthreesomemarchedtowardthebusinessbuilding.
Everolledhereyes;thetortureseemednever-ending.
“Imean,howcouldyoukeepsuchahugesecretfromme?Theseprivate
rendezvouswith theJasonValentine— myJasonValentine—”
“Hold it right there—‘private rendezvous?’” Eve interrupted. “I told you a thousandtimes,I’mtutoringhim.It’sassimpleandboringasthat.”
“HowdoIknowifIcanevenbelievethat?”
“You can’t. She has secrets. Who knows what else she’s hiding?” Hayden snarled.
“Shut up, Hayden,” Madison grumbled. “Look, Eve—if that is, in fact, your realname—ifyourconnectiontoJasonisas simpleand boringasyouclaimit tobe,thenwhycoveritup?Whythelies?”
Madisonhadapoint—shewassmarterthansheappeared. God,Evehatedthat about her. Even more than that, she hated the deceit—the excuses, the fiction, the lies on top of lies on top of lies. Was the guilt and worry an appropriate pricetopayforsomepeaceandsolitude?Afterall,shefeltfarfrompeaceful;
in fact, she felt as if the whole campus was watching her, waiting for her to slip,tofall,tocomeclean.Sheaskedherself:isitworthit?
Yes.Itis.
“Answerme, Eve.”
Shecouldn’tanswer.Notbecausetherewasnoanswertogive,which
certainlywasthecase,butbecausehermindhadbeentransportedelsewhere—
about ten yards away, to the front of the business building, where a small swarmofstudentshadbeguntoform.Theyhuddledinclumps,theireyes
panic-stricken and mouths racing, producing an incoherent jumble of words that Eve couldn’t decipher. It was gossip, most likely—petty, inconsequential ramblingsaswastypicalacrosscampus—butthepalenessoftheirskintoldher
thatsomethingwasterriblywrong.
AtinybodywriggleditswayfromthegroupandglaredatEve;shehadbeen
caughtstaring,hergapingmuchmoreobviousthanshehadintended.Even
worse,itwasJJwhohadnoticed.
“Didyou needsomething?”JJglowered.
“What’sgoingon?”Eveasked.
JJraisedhereyebrows.“I’msurprisedyouhaven’theard.Guessthenews
hasn’ttraveleduptoyourpedestalyet,princess.”
“Look,asmuchasIlovetheridicule,ananswerwouldbenice.”
JJlookedstraightthroughEve,consumedwithsomuchmoreanimosity
than usual—with hate. Her lips parted slightly before she spoke, and in that momentEvesensedtheslightesthintoffragility.
“Anotherchimerawasdissected.”
Likeapunchtothegut,thewordsleftEvebreathless,motionless,and
stunned.ShehadforgottentheInterlopers,havingbeendistractedbybickering
blondesandtutoringduties,asifsuchdisturbancestookprecedence;butthere
was a war going on, all across the planet—and Billington was the eye of the storm.
“Ishe—”
“She’s alive,butbarely.Herchestwasslicedopen,justlikethatJasonguy.”
Evechokedslightly,herfaceflushedandbodyhot.“God—”
“DoIdetectsomecompassion?”JJsneered.“AndhereIthoughtall
Rutherfordiansweresoulless.Howutterly human ofyou.”
Eve didn’t speak. Instead, she stared at the ground as she thought of the Interlopers,
of chimeras, of people like her being ripped to shreds, of their screamsandsufferingatthehands,ortalons,ofsuchcalculatedcruelty.
Aquickslaptothearmawokeherfromherspell—itwasMadison,of
course, accompanied by Hayden, the two girls waiting less than patiently for theirwithdrawnthirdmember.
“Youdone?”
JJlaughed,lookingoverthetwoblondeswithoutahintasubtlety.“Is thisyour gang?”Sherolledhereyes.“Figures.Threepretty harpiesallinarow.”
MadisontuggedatEve’sarm,draggingherawayfromJJandthroughthe
double doors of the business building. And just like that, Eve was welcomed
backtothepedestrianrealityofherdailylife—thepitifultrivialityofbeinga Rutherfordian.
“Whowas that?”Madisonsnorted.
“Yeah,andwhydidshecallusallherpes?”Haydenmumbled.
“Is she another secret friend? God, I hope not. Did you see what she was wearing?”
Eveignoredtheirprattle.“Didyouhearabouttheabduction?Ihadno
idea…”
“Who cares? What, have your dates with Jason turned you into a chimera sympathizer?”
EveyankedherarmfromMadison’sgripandglaredatherdormmate.“I’ve
already explained myself to you, and I won’t do it again. I’m tutoring Jason, andthat’stheendofit.Fromthispointforward,we’regoingtoforgetabout
thewholethingandmoveon.”
“You wouldlikethat,wouldn’tyou?”
AvoicechimedinfrombehindEve.Reluctantly,sheturnedtofacethesmug
grinofHeatherMcLeod.
Eve didn’t bother to mask her revulsion; it was, after all, Heather who had divulgedhermeetingswithJason. Justsomecommonsenseandabitofdigging
around was her method of uncovering the truth, or so she’d boasted between self-satisfiedsmirks.
Evescowled.“Whatdoyouwant,Heather?”
“Me?”Heatherpointedtoherself,innocently.“Well,Idon’twantanything.
I’mjustsaying,howcanwemoveonifweknowyou’renottellingthetruth?”
“Yeah,mypoint exactly,”Madisonsnapped.
“Oh,forGod’ssake,Madison,youdon’teven likeHeather.”
“Anotherlie!God,Eve,youdon’tquit,doyou?”
“WhatIdon’tunderstandisthis,”Heathercontinued.“Howcanyoupossibly
betutoringJason?Imean,you’reafreshmanandhe’sasophomore,afterall.”
“Thisiscollege.Thereareplentyofsophomoresinmyclasses.”
Heatherofferedanotherpatronizingsmile.“Thatmaybetrue,butJason
Valentine isn’toneofthem.”
Andwiththatonestatement,everythingchanged.Thehallwaygrewsmaller,
darker,andsuffocatinglyenclosed.Heatherlookedsoharmlesswithherpearl
headbandandpolkadotdress,butwithinhereyeswasadangerousdeceit.
“Yousee,volunteeringatthemedicalwardhasitsperks.Ihaveaccesstoall
sortsofdocumentsandrecords,thoughIusetheterm‘access’loosely.Ifound
yourentireclassschedulerightaway—sortofsurprisedtolearnaboutHand-
to-HandCombat,ifIdosaysomyself.”
“Don’tgetmestarted. Sogross,”Madisonmutteredunderherbreath.
“Ofcourse,IhadtocompareittoJason’sschedule.Thefunnythingis,he
doesn’thavea singleclasswithyou.”
MadisonandHaydengasped,andtheirmouthsdroppedopeninunison.Eve
clenchedherjawtightly,herentirebodysuddenlyconsumedwithcontempt.
“Thatdoesn’t—”
“Meananything?”theredheadinterrupted.“You’reright,itdoesn’t.You
couldsimplybetutoringhiminatopicthathappenstobeyourareaof
expertise,apossibilityInaturallyconsidered.Itmakessense—you didgetinto Billingtonsolelyonsmarts,rightEve?”Shewinkedandchuckledtoherself.
“ButIcomparedyourmajorsandcurriculum,andtheanswersIuncovered
were ratherdisconcerting.You’reabusinessmajor,andourMr.Valentine?
Why, he’s majoring in political science, a concentration you haven’t a single vestedinterestin.”
“We’veallseenhiminthebusinessbuilding—”
“OnhiswaytoLeadershipDevelopment,acourserequiredofall
sophomoresandoneyou’recertainlyunqualifiedtotutorforasafreshman.”
Heatherfoldedherhandstogether.“Andso,itappearswe’vecomefullcircle,
haven’twe?”
Evepaused,hermindinundatedwithfacts—factsthatweremostcertainly
true.FactsthatHeatherhadmeticulouslyinvestigated,andforwhatpurpose?
Evefelthertemperatureriseandherfaceredden.
“Well,you’veobviouslydoneyourhomework,Heather.”
“I’manythingbutimprecise.”
“You’reanythingbut mentallystable.”
Heathergiggled,pleasedwithEve’sobviousanger.“Howdoyouexplainall
of that, Eve? I mean, how can you tutor someone if you don’t even have the
sameclasses,muchlessthesamemajor?”
Evewantedtospeak;shewantedtocurseanddemeanHeather,butshe
couldn’tfindthewords.Shehadrunoutofexcuses,astherewasnothingleftto
tell—nothing but the truth, and she couldn’t possibly reveal that. Rage and humiliationbubbledwithinher,somuchsothatshehardlynoticedArmaan
approaching.Hestoppedathersideandlookedbackandforthbetweenherand
Heather,completelyperplexedbythesceneinfrontofhim.
“Um…”Armaanstammered.“Eve?It’stimetogo.”
despicableredheadinfrontofher.
“Lookslikethey’resummoningyouforyour‘tutoring’session,”Heather
sneered.“Or whateveritisthatyoutwo dotogether.”
EvefinallybrokeawayfromHeather’sgazeandlookeddownatArmaan.
“Comeon,let’sgetoutofhere.”SheshotonelastglareinHeather’sdirection
andfollowedArmaanoutofthebuilding.
“Thisisn’tover,Eve!”Madisonshrieked.
“Yeah,thisisn’tover,Eve!”Haydencried,hervoiceshrillandpitiful.
“Shut up,Hayden! God,I justsaidthat!”
EvemarchedinsilencebyArmaan’sside,herfistsstillclenchedandher
mindracing.Shewasstuckintheexactplaceshehadfearedshe’dendupsince
hersessionswithJasonfirstbegan—andshehadgottentheresomuchmore
quicklythanshehadanticipated.
“Whatwas thatallabout?”Armaanasked,lookingoverhisshoulderatthe girlswhowerenowfarbehindhim.
“Theyknow.”
“Theyknowwhat?”Armaangasped.“Dotheyknowyou’rea chimera?”
“No.Maybe.Idon’tknow.”Evesighed.“Theyknowsomething’sup.They
knowI’mmeetingwithJasonandthatit’snotforschool.”
Thestresswasoverpowering,feedingoffofherstrengthlikeaparasite.Eve
appearedcomposed—shehadaknackforthat—butinsideshewasfranticand
scattered,atangledmessofemotionandpreoccupation.Asshemadeherway
acrosscampusandthroughthemedicalward,eachfacesheencountered—
Armaan’s,thesecurityguard’s,evenJason’s—seemedwarpedanddisfigured
untilitmanagedtoresembleHeather’s.Shetriedtoshakeit—Heatherw
ould
be so pleased if she knew she was lingering in Eve’s thoughts, and that evil smirkwasunbearabletoimagine.No,shecouldn’tgiveHeatherthe
satisfaction, she wouldn’t. And yet, even with the strongest conviction, she couldn’thelpbutthinkaboutthedramaticstocome. They’regoingtofindout.
The phrase rang in her ears like an endless taunt. It’s only a matter of time beforeeveryoneknows.
***
“Everyoneknows.”
“What?”Evesnapped.
“ThatDr.Dickhateschimeras.”Jasonremovedhiseyesfromhisspoon,
which was gracefully levitating in front of his face, and looked at Eve. “We
werejusttalkingaboutthis.”
“Oh,”Evemumbled.Shewasintheisolationwing,sittinginthefolding
chair beside Jason’s bed, far away from Heather ’s prying eyes. She let out a long,relievedbreath.“Sorry,Imust’vegottendistracted.”
Jasonsenthisspoonsoaringacrosstheroomandintothesink,hisbrow
furrowed.“Youokay,Eve?You’vebeenactingfunnierthanusual.”
EveenvisionedHeather’sduplicitoussmileandquicklyforcedtheredhead
fromhermind.“It’sjustbeenaweirdday…”
“Isthisbecauseoftheabduction?”
Eve’seyesabruptlyshottowardhim.“Youknow?”
Jasonhesitated.“Iheardthealarm,”heexplained.“Itechoesthroughthe
wholeward.Notsurewhosegeniusideathatwas.It’slikesomegod-awful
signallettingeveryoneknowthatanotherchimerahasbeenslicedanddiced.”
Evesighed;shehadn’teventhoughtaboutJason,abouthowthenews
affectedhim.Itwasincrediblyselfishofher,sherealizednow,butithadbeen
solongsinceshe’dhadtothinkofanyonebutherself.Ashardasitwasforher
toadmit,shewasn’toperatingonherownanylonger;shewasboundtoJason,
atfirstthroughforceandnowthrough—well,shewasn’tquitesure,buthehad
grownonherinanunfamiliarway.Perhapsthiswaswhatfriendshipfeltlike.
“Howareyou…”Shefaltered,fumblingtofindtheperfectwordstosay.“I