Lily searched the page, trying to figure out which one had the more interesting activities. Most were the same—all the kids would be visiting the Capitol, the Lincoln memorial and Georgetown before the week was done—but there were a few unique activities, too. Lily would much prefer a trip to the Smithsonian over an art gallery. “A?”
“Sounds good. I’m not too bothered either way—I’ve done it all before. Is this your first school trip?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“You do look like a fish out of water,” Paige said, laughing. “But you’ll soon settle in.”
Would she? Lily’s gaze flitted to Eva. She appeared to be paired with Daphne, and Lily wondered if either of them were happy about it.
Lily didn’t think she’d feel settled at all, not when she knew who would be sleeping beside her when they arrived in the capital. She hoped to God they had separate beds—sharing a double was the last thing either of them needed.
The arrival of the bus served as a distraction, and they gathered the kids into their groups. Hannah from the GSA was in A with her, so at least Lily knew one of her charges, and Lily had a feeling she’d soon learn the others. They all seemed to be the chatty type.
Carly was the only other student she recognized. She hovered near Eva, clutching her bag close to her chest and looking as out of place as Lily felt. Lily was glad to see her there—Carly was one of the kids who would benefit the most, and she deserved it after working so hard throughout the year.
Wrangling all forty kids onto the coach was a mammoth task, and Lily wondered, as they began to drive toward O’Hare, what exactly she’d signed herself up for.
Stress, Lily decided, as she tried not to lose a teenager in the departures lounge. Ten years off her lifetime, as she herded them onto the plane. She’d never been a fan of flying—being crammed into the seats, breathing the same stale air, the turbulence. The only part Lily did like was hitting the runway on the other side and knowing it was over, but today even that carried a pointed edge, because she knew what awaited her.
Which was: clearing security, baggage claim, and another bus ride taking them toward the glittering city lights of the nation’s capital. And to Lily’s doom.
At least the sights were beautiful, the Washington Monument standing tall in the distance. Their hotel was a convention center in Penn Quarter, a stone’s throw away from the White House, though they reached it faster than she’d like.
By the time a room key had been pressed into her hand, Lily was exhausted. A combination of her sleepless night and the stress of the day had her feet dragging over to the elevator.
“You okay?” Paige said as she pressed the button for the fourth floor.
“Tired.”
“I don’t think you’re the only one.” Paige glanced toward the handful of kids crammed into the elevator with them, some of their earlier enthusiasm dimmed. “I think I’ll grab something from the hotel bar to eat, if you want to join me?”
It beat eating alone, so Lily nodded. “What about the kids?”
“So long as they’re back in their rooms by nine, they’re allowed to do what they want,” Paige said, and Lily followed her out onto the fourth floor. “I’ll meet you back here in an hour?”
“Sounds good.” Lily could use some time to relax. Maybe she’d have a shower to wash the stench of traveling from her skin.
At least if Lily was sequestered in the bathroom, she wouldn’t have to face Eva.
Their rooms were spread over two floors, and Lily made sure all the kids on hers—four to a room—were safely inside before she turned to room 443. Her own personal hell for the week.
Not that she was being dramatic, or anything.
Lily opened the door to find Eva already in there, her suitcase in the middle of one of the two queen-size beds.
“You can have the room tonight,” Eva said, barely looking at Lily as she tossed her jacket onto the unclaimed bed. “I’ll be out late.”
Lily supposed that shouldn’t be surprising. Eva had, after all, used to live here. The hotel wasn’t too far from Georgetown—maybe she was going out to visit her old haunts. Maybe she had people out here, though the thought of Eva having anyone resembling a friend was hard for Lily to believe.
Lily wasn’t going to complain, though, able to breathe easier once the door had shut behind her.
* * *
“I need a drink,” Eva said, when Kate opened her front door.
Kate glanced at Eva’s face as she ushered her inside. “Christ, you look terrible. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Eva shrugged out of her coat and hung it up beside the door.
