If—a tiny voice in my head adds, making me stomp my foot. There’s noif. They’ll come back. I just need to let my brain heal... and that means no abrupt revelations.
Closing my eyes, I let out a shaky breath, dropping the phone into my bag before rushing out.
13
Hailey
The door to my room bursts open making me damn near jump out of my skin. For the past hour I was on the Orient Express, searching for clues with Detective Poirot, wondering whomurdered Daisy. My heart jackhammers and the book slips out of my grasp, face-palming the floor with a heartbreakingthud.
I swear, if a single page is damaged, Chloe will pay.
Dolled up to perfection, her winged eyeliner perfectly even and her hair in beach waves, she stops by the loveseat, hands akimbo, one hip jutting to the side.
“Well, look what we have here. Little Miss Slumber Party.” Her eyes sparkle with mischief. “It’snineinthe evening, grandma. What are you doing in bed?”
“Is knocking likeso two years ago?”
She snorts a laugh, bouncing her eyebrows. “Making fun of your hard drive failing? Nice. I approve. Now, out of those.” Sheflicks a dismissive hand at my PJs. “Like,yesterday. There’s a party happening tonight across the lake.”
“A party?” I echo, my brows furrowing. “Really? The dean made it sound like anything other than studying might be punishable by death.”
Chloe shrugs, rummaging through my closet. “She makes a show, acting all strict for the parents. If we keep our grades up and don’t do anything too crazy, F doesn’t give a flying fuck what we do after classes.”
I guess F is the dean. Dr.F.Harrison. Felicity? Freya?
Who knows, she didn’t mention her first name when we met.
“What about Dear Melinda?” I ask, recalling the robotic woman chastising two freshmen in the cafeteria this morning after spotting them with energy drinks.
“Dear Melinda? Oh, you mean F’s stick-up-her-ass assistant. Don’t worry about her. She’s only uptight during working hours.” She flicks through my hangers, dismissing one outfit after another. “Rumor has it, she woke up on a boat in the middle of the lake after last year’s graduation party.” She finally smiles and turns, hurling a jean pinafore dress at me, followed by a white, long-sleeve tee. “Seriously, Hailey, you need to change. Get moving!”
She carries on sifting through my clothes, holding some up for inspection before hanging them back. I lock myself in the bathroom, glad the dress is front zip, so it’ll be easier to put on.
I don’t know what altered my style so drastically and, as I stare at my reflection in the long mirror, I miss the clothes I hid behind for years. My style now is ninety percent dresses and skirts. Casual, cute, colorful, girly.
A far cry from what I used to love.
“You don’t have eyeliner, girl,” Chloe mumbles, barging into the bathroom. “Have you been living under a rock?”
“Possibly.” I tap my head, reminding her I have no idea.
She flips her tiny purse open, pulling out a black pen that must be the eyeliner she’s been hoping to find among my stage makeup collection. Its sole purpose is covering scars and bruises... eyeliner won’t do that.
With a huff, Chloe drags the desk chair into the bathroom, sits me down and starts arranging my hair into two French braids before moving onto makeup.
By the time she’s done, I no longer look as if I’ve been left for dead in the woods. My lips are peachy, eyes pop thanks to the winged, symmetrical lines drawn on my eyelids, and the dark patches are hidden under concealer.
“Okay, come on,” she urges, helping me slip into the sling. “Jensen’s waiting for us.”
Oh joy.
It’s not that I don’t like Jensen, I’m simply not a fan of his obnoxious attitude and lack of filter.
The party’s taking place in a derelict building on the other side of the lake, hidden behind a thick curtain of tall trees. It’s a twenty-minute stroll before we hear music and another five before what can only be described as a haunted house—requiring no decorations—comes into view.
From Jensen’s monologue on our way here, I gather that this place was a lab where doctors carried out unlicensed experiments on the patients.
Theater lights illuminate the weathered, stone façade and strobe lights pulse from the doorless entryway and glassless windows. At least half of the student body is in attendance, some inside, some outside, some squealing nearby, interspersed with occasional water splashes.
