Beautiful Disaster (Privilege 2)

Ariana closed her eyes and breathed.

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In, one. . . two. . . three. . .

Out, one. . . two . . . three...

In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

Out, one. . . two. . . three. . .

She opened her eyes and was ready. The key slot made a low beeping sound as the door unlocked. Ariana winced. Luckily, Kaitlynn had always been a deep sleeper back at the Brenda T. Unless that, too, had been an act. Still, better safe than sorry. Ariana grasped the cold metal handle of the door and opened it as quietly as humanly possible.

The room was dark, save for a sliver of light coming through a crack in the blackout curtains across the way. Ariana felt a thrill of excitement at her luck. Kaitlynn hadn't decided to stay up to watch some pay-per-view movie or other. She was asleep. Ariana had been hoping for this. It would make the whole thing so much easier. Less struggle. Less mess. Less chance of being caught in the act.

As Arianas eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw that the closet door was open. Another stroke of luck. She grabbed one of the extra pillows off the top shelf and gripped it in both hands. Her heart started to pound and she felt sweat beads popping up along her hairline and above her upper lip.

Ariana savored her adrenaline. She would need it to help her overpower Kaitlynn, who was slightly bigger and probably stronger than she was. If she could just harness her anger, this could all be over in a matter of minutes. All she had to do was stay strong, stay focused, for that long. Then she would be free.

Tiptoeing ever so carefully, Ariana approached the bed. She could

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see the outline of Kaitlynn's slumbering form, turned on her side, away from the door. Suddenly, Ariana started to feel light-headed, and she realized she had no idea how long it had been since she'd last breathed.

In, one. . . two . . . three...

Out, one. . . two. . . three. . .

In, one. . . two. . . three. . .

Out, one. . . two . . . three...

Much better. She was at the very side of the bed now. Mere inches from Kaitlynn. Her fingers gripped the pillow even tighter.

Just think of the freedom. Do this and no one can touch you.

She took a deep breath, held it, and lunged. The pillow was about an inch from Kaitlynn's head when suddenly something wrapped around Ariana's neck from behind and jerked her back. Ariana tried to shout out in surprise, but her larynx was crushed and all that came out was a strangled choke. The pillow was wrested from her hands as her feet left the floor and she kicked out in a panic, taking down the bedside lamp with a crash. Still, the pressure on her throat only intensified. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. Couldn't shout for help. Ariana grasped for her throat and realized there was an arm clamped around her neck like a vise. She tried

to pry it loose, but all she could do was grasp in vain. Her vision began to blur over and she realized she was about to pass out. Then she was flung to the floor, the side of her head colliding with the corner of the dresser.

Pain radiated through her body as Ariana heaved for breath on all fours. The pillow she'd put so much faith in was tossed at her head

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and bounced off, coming to rest on the floor. The lights flicked on overhead, temporarily blinding her.

"Nice try, Ariana," Kaitlynn said. "But you're not going to get rid of me that easily."

Ariana's brain struggled for logic as she coughed painfully into the violet carpet. She pulled in a breath through her nose and sat back on her knees. Kaitlynn hovered over her, fully dressed in her punk-girl gear. Ariana looked at the bed, her neck muscles straining. Under the covers was a life-size stuffed doll. If there had been one more ounce of light in the room, Ariana would have realized it. Kaitlynn had tricked her. Again.

"You may be smarter than I thought, but you're not smarter than me," Kaitlynn said, sitting down on the corner of the mattress and patting Ariana on the back like a dog. "Nice touch getting me to put the room in your name so you could get the key, though. You do think ahead, I'll give you that."

Ariana sat back on her butt and finally got control of her breathing. She placed her hands on either side of her head, cupping her scalp. Every inch of her, save her burning throat, was numb. She had failed. Just like that. Two minutes ago her entire life was an open, endless book just waiting to be written. All she'd had to do was complete this one task. But she had been careless. Had thought herself lucky. Had gotten comfortable. And now, it was all over.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked, staring at Kaitlynn's horrid shoes. "Kill me?"