“I didn’t know you were friends with him,” I say, surprised.
“I’m not,” Lyle replies. “I mean, I wasn’t before. But since my brother knows him, he’s been cooler to me. And he’s not terrible. Not like Garrett.”
Things seem to be falling into place. A party where I can get books about the protests and talk with a boy I’ve been trying to get closer to … It’s almost too perfect.
“Why are you inviting us?” I ask. Sydney crosses her arms over her chest like she’s been thinking the exact same thing.
Lyle’s cheeks glow red. “Because … Because you’re the only girls who talk to me. And I thought it’d be nice to have girls there.”
My lips part at his honesty. We’re a status symbol—pretty girls—but at least he’s admitting his intentions.
“We have to check in at home first,” I tell him. “But thanks for the invite.”
Lyle says he understands. He gives us his address in case we can make it. He can barely contain the smile on his face; his hands are shaking. It’s almost endearing.
Just as we finish, the security guard appears and tells us we’re not allowed on campus. Sydney mutters that we don’t want to be here anyway. We say goodbye to Lyle and we leave, glad that we’ll never, ever have to come back to Ridgeview Prep.
There’s an unfamiliar car parked outside our apartment—a black BMW with a man in the driver’s seat, taking a photo of the house with his phone. I try to see who he is through the back window, but before we get close enough, he sets his phone aside and pulls away. Sydney glances sideways at me.
“Probably something to do with Winston Weeks,” I murmur. Sydney groans, saying she’s sick of hearing about him, and we head up the walkway.
When I get to our apartment door, I hear Raven’s voice carrying out from the living room. I rush inside to find her and the other girls settled around her computer.
I’m so relieved that she’s here. Although none of us has had another incident of hearing Anton’s voice, or any voice for that matter, we know we need to protect ourselves.
“Hey,” I call and set my backpack on the table.
Raven smiles at me. She’s not wearing red lipstick today, and the effect is a bit startling. She looks raw, vulnerable. Worried.
“How’s it going?” I ask quickly.
“Well, the good news is I read over the paperwork about the shutdown program,” Raven says. “There was no indication that the initiative was ever taken. I saw no evidence in Annalise’ssystem either. I’m guessing your friend didn’t know what he was talking about.”
She sounds a bit hostile when referencing Jackson, and I see Brynn shift uncomfortably. She may have overshared my business with Raven.
“That … That is good news,” I agree, wondering why everyone is looking so somber. “And the voice we heard?”
Raven bites her lip and looks back at me. “That is less-good news,” she says. “I evaluated Annalise’s programing to check for changes and … there was a small anomaly. It’s not dangerous, nothing active. But it sends out a remote signal when receiving messages. Sort of like when a phone pings a cell tower. I’m not sure it’s strong enough to track across the country, but we need to shut it off. Just in case.”
My heart catches, and I look over at Sydney.
“So theyarelooking for us?” she asks.
“I’m sorry,” Raven says, sympathetically. “But … yeah. It appears so. I combed the internet and didn’t see any news associated with the academy. Nothing beyond an obituary from a couple weeks ago. They’re keeping a low profile.”
Sydney and I round the couch to sit with the others.
“Annalise mentioned that you don’t plan to stick around after you find the investor,” Raven says. “That’s a good idea.”
“How much time do you think we have?” Sydney asks. “Until they find us?”
“I’m still not sure they can track you,” Raven says. “But on the off chance, I’d guess a few days. Maybe less.”
“So we have to wrap this up,” I say, looking around at the girls. They nod. It’s almost a bit of a relief. It means this is nearly over.
“We need a plan,” I say. “Who’s got an idea?”
Behind us, there’s a knock at the front door.
