“Missed you too. It’s hard to sleep anymore without all your snoring.”
She grinned and glanced at Nervosa. “Hello, Alex.”
“Sarah. Lovely to see you again.”
I took a step sideways, getting out from between them, and stared. “You know each other?” I looked at Sarah, frowning. “I thought you said you’d only heard rumors.”
She grimaced. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t exactly honest.”
“Don’t beat her up, Melanie,” Nervosa said, smiling widely, with a knowing look in his eye. “She meant well, and besides, there are plenty of rumors about me.”
“How, exactly, do you know each other?” A sinking, disgusted feeling lodged in my stomach. How many people colluded to make sure that I had as little agency as possible? It was bad enough that my brother sent Palmira. What else had he done?
Sarah looked uncomfortable. She glanced at Nervosa, frowning deeply, and shook her head. “We should tell her.”
“Tell me what?” I looked between the two of them. I felt sick. Had Nervosa been messing with me from the beginning?
“Go ahead,” he said, nodding at her.
Sarah turned to me and took a deep breath. “My full name is Sarah Venture Quest. Liam Quest is my older brother.” She hesitated, blushing, embarrassed. “You know. The Oligarch?”
I took a step back. “Are you joking?”
“I wish I was. I mean, no, I’m not. Liam told me I would be rooming with you and I thought it was great, but he made me swear not to tell you who I really am. I guess Nervosa knew about it? I’m so sorry, Melanie, I really am. I can’t make a promise to my brother and not follow through. I just can’t. I didn’t think we’d end up friends.”
My brain spun in circles, trying to process. Sarah was Liam Quest’s sister, the daughter of an Oligarch family, just like me. That was how she knew Nervosa. That was why we were rooming together. Somehow, her brother influenced our dorm arrangements and got us placed in the same suite, and Nervosa had known from the start.
“I don’t understand why this is happening,” I said, backing away. “Why would Liam do that?”
“He wanted his sister to be protected,” Nervosa said as Sarah chewed on her fingernails. “He figured the safest place on campus would be in the same room as you, and I think he was right. I knew from the start, but I didn’t think it was my place to reveal the secret.”
I took a couple deep breaths and let them out. “Were you supposed to—do something? Spy on me? Hurt me?”
Sarah’s eyes went wide and she shook her head rapidly. “No, no, no, god, no, I swear Melanie. Nothing like that. He just wanted me close to you.”
“In case of what?”
Sarah glanced toward Palmira and back to me. “Mostly for her.”
It clicked into place. Palmira was there to protect me, but she was also keeping Sarah safe because she was my roommate. Liam must’ve known Redmond would send me with a bodyguard, and he reacted accordingly.
Which didn’t explain why Liam hadn’t simply given his sister her own protection detail.
“Look, I argued with my brother. I wanted to tell you from the start, but he insisted. He said that if I didn’t play along, he wouldn’t let me stay.” She sounded desperate and scared. “I’m sorry, Melanie. You’re, like, my only friend here. All I do is study. I’m so, so tired. But believe me, I would never hurt you or betray you, and I hated this stupid lie.”
“I need to think about all this,” I said, backing toward Palmira, who walked over to stand next to me. She loomed dangerously. “I need some time to think, okay?”
“It’s fine,” Sarah said, looking crestfallen. “I’ll stay away from the dorm until tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” I hesitated, feeling guilty. She needed a bed more than anything else. “Maybe just a few hours, okay?”
She brightened a little at that. “That’d be great. I could really use a pillow.”
I smiled tightly. “But give me some time. And you? Please go away. I’m not sure what I want from you.”
Nervosa laughed and put his hands over his heart. “You wound me, Melanie. I wasn’t the one that lied.”
“You knew.” I pointed, jabbing my finger in the air. “You stay away for a bit. I’ll figure out what to do about our situation.”
“Fair enough,” he said, raising his hands in deference. “I’ll see you in a while, Melanie.” And he walked off, whistling to himself.
Sarah stepped from foot to foot. “Sorry, Melanie.” She walked off, head hung low.
I watched her go, heart racing.
My first friend. The only person I’d ever really opened up to.
She was an Oligarch.
“Did you know?” I asked Palmira, not looking at her.
“No, I didn’t. But I should have.”
“It’s not your fault.” I turned and walked slowly to the dorm. “Did you have a nice couple days without me?”