But she can make all the faces and lob all the rebuttals she wants, the fact is, my work is done. I’ve gotten to her. Reminded her of her one big goal—to take Stacia’s place—and pointed out how from everything she’s just said, it was a total fail.
Figuring I may as well drive it all the way home when I add, “Because the thing is—” I raise and lower my shoulders casually, as though I have all the time in the world to explain it to her. “The thing about Haven—or at least this new and improved version of Haven—is that she’s really not so different from your old friend Stacia. No real difference at all. Except for one major thing—”
Honor inspects her nails, doing her best to appear bored, uninterested, but it’s no use. Her aura is blazing big and bright—her energy streaming toward me as though begging the words to come quicker. Like a mood meter she’s not even aware of and couldn’t possibly hide if she was.
“Haven is far more dangerous than Stacia could ever be.” My gaze locks on hers, watching as she sighs and rolls her eyes.
Addressing me with a major dose of pity when she says, “Please. That may be true for you, but it’s hardly true for me.”
“Yeah? And what makes you so sure?” I cock my head to the side as though I truly need to hear it from her, as though I couldn’t just look straight into her mind.
“Because we’re friends.” She shrugs. “We share a common interest—a common…enemy.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure you remember that it wasn’t all that long ago when Haven and I were friends too.” I glance back toward the window, watching as Haven continues to drink and talk, talk and drink, with no signs of slowing, no signs of ceasing. “And now she’s determined to kill me.” I turn to face Honor, my voice so quiet it was almost as though I just spoke to myself But she heard it. The way she sniffs and fidgets and tries so hard to act like I didn’t just say what I said, assures me of that.
Her posture stiffening, her resolve hardening, as she heads for the door and says, “Listen, Ever, despite what you may think, the only enemy I share with Haven is Stacia. I really don’t want to have a problem with you. Whatever goes on between you and her—stays between you and her. Which means I won’t tell her I found you out here spying—okay? That can be our secret.”
I pluck a stray leaf from the front of my dress, not believing a word she just said. Knowing all too well she’ll be unable to resist it, that she’ll divulge the whole thing the second she walks through that door.
But maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Maybe it’s time for Haven to get the long overdue message that her fun is now over—that, as of tomorrow, I’ll be back in full swing. She cannot continue to terrorize people—even when those people are Stacia. Or at least not while I’m still around.
“You know what they say about secrets, right?” My eyes fix on hers.
She shrugs, tries to act casual, uninterested, but it’s no use. Her face is marred by fear and confusion.
“That two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.”
She shakes her head, tries to shake off my words, but she’s troubled, that much is clear.
Reaching for the door and looking over her shoulder when I say, “So, if you do decide to tell her I was here, you can also tell her I look forward to catching up with her tomorrow at school.”
nineteen
If I were to make an assumption based solely on the look and feel of the parking lot, well, I’d probably assume that all is as fine and well and normal as it ever will be.
I’d also assume that this morning’s early training session/workout—the one that left all of my muscles quivering—was a total waste of time and that I should’ve just slept in instead.
But from everything Miles has told me, I need to venture a little farther than the overcrowded lot that looks more like a luxury car dealership than an area reserved for student parking.
I need to go past the wrought-iron gates and into the heart of the school, where, according to him anyway, the real story lives.
And even then, he says it’s probably only truly shocking to those in the know, since all of the teachers and administrators remain pretty much oblivious to the new social order.
“And, Ever,” he says, turning to me as I head for my intended space, the best in the bunch, the one Damen used to save for me that now, for some strange reason, has been taken over by Haven. “That’s not all. There’s a little more to it, something else you should know.”
“Sing it.” I smile, pulse racing as I focus on Roman’s shiny red Aston Martin that Haven now drives.
“Not everything is quite what it may seem at first glance.” He studies me, carefully, cautiously, making sure that I’m listening before he goes on to say, “So…just try to keep that in mind, okay? Don’t rush to judgment. Don’t make any snap assumptions should you…or, I guess I should say, when you…come across something like that. Okay?”
I squint, pushing my hair off my face, saying, “Spill it, Miles. Seriously, whatever it is you’re dancing around, just say it, simple and clean. Because, honestly, I have no idea what you’re getting at.” Narrowing my gaze and reading into his energy, his tremulous, wavering aura, a sure sign that something’s up, but still maintaining my vow to respect his privacy by stopping right there, not even considering trespassing on his innermost thoughts.
But it’s not like he knows that. All he can see is my deep, piercing stare, and it sends him straight into a panic.
“Hey, stop that!” he shouts. “You promised you wouldn’t do that without my permission. Remember?”
“Relax.” I dismiss the thought with a wave of my hand. “I wasn’t reading your mind. Not even close. I mean, sheesh! What does it take to get a little trust around here?”
Mostly mumbling that last part to myself, but for some reason, it prompts him to say, “Trust goes both ways, Ever, just remember that, okay? That’s pretty much what I was getting at earlier.”