We could pass for cousins now. Easily.
“Final touch,” Cherry said, crossing to her desk. She opened a small wooden jewelry box, and I heard the clink of metal before she turned back to me, two delicate silver necklaces dangling from her fingers. Each had a simple 'C' charm.
“I told the facility our names are Caroline and Charlotte,” she said, her voice suddenly softer. Less playful. “These should help sell that.”
Something in her expression made me pause. “Were these—”
“Mine and Calista’s?” she cut in, voice hitching. I nodded, and she went on. “Yeah, they were. I bought them a couple of weeks before she died, but when I showed them to her, I noticedthe clasps were bent. Manufacturing defect or something. So I said I’d take them back to the jeweler and get them fixed.” She swallowed hard. “I did, and I got them back about a week later. But by then..."
She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.
“Oh, Cherry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”
A tear slipped down her cheek, cutting through the carefully applied makeup. She laughed shakily, swiping at it with her free hand. “God, I'm sorry. I keep doing this. Every time I think I'm okay, something just—”
“Don't apologize,” I said firmly, reaching for her. “You're allowed to fall apart sometimes. She was your best friend.”
“But you're her sister.” Cherry's voice cracked. “It's so much worse for you. So I really shouldn't be losing my shit every time we—”
“Stop.” I grabbed both of her hands, the necklaces pressed between our palms. “You loved her, and you're allowed to miss her. You're allowed to cry about her for as long as you want.”
Cherry's face crumpled, and for a moment I thought she might break down completely. But she took a shuddering breath and squeezed my hands instead, composing herself with visible effort.
“I think you should keep this one,” she said, pressing one of the necklaces into my palm. “You can say the C stands for Calloway. Plus, you know it was originally Calista’s, so maybe…” She hesitated, searching my face. “Maybe it’ll help you feel closer to her. Or do you think that’s totally corny?”
“No, I’d love to keep it. Thank you,” I said, my throat tight with emotion. “And by the way, just so you know, I’msoglad I met you. If I hadn’t run into Jeremiah that day, I might not be friends with you now, or any of the others, and then I wouldn’t have all this help in finding out what really happened to Cal. Ithonestly feels like kismet. Just like we said at the Midsummer party.”
“Yeah, it really does feel like fate.” Cherry nodded quickly, blinking hard against fresh tears. “Okay, okay, we need to stop before we ruin all this eyeliner.” She let out a laugh that was half-sob, fanning her face with both hands. “I spent twenty minutes on this makeup. I amnotdoing it again.”
I laughed too, watery and weak, and we stood there for a moment in her small dorm room, doing our best to catch our breath and mentally prepare ourselves for what came next.
“Ready?” Cherry finally asked, fastening her necklace around her neck. The 'C' charm settled against her chest, catching the light.
I fastened mine too, feeling the cool metal against my skin. “Ready.”
Her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh my god, I almost forgot to show you the fake ID I got,” she said, hurrying over to her desk. “I figured the hospital might ask to see some, and I know a guy from the theater who used to do side work making fake licenses for students.”
As she spoke, she reached into one of the desk drawers and produced a license. It had Cherry's photo but listed her name as Caroline Marie Albright, aged twenty-two, with an address in Seattle.
“Did you get one for me too?” I asked.
“James only had time to make one, given the time crunch,” she said, shaking her head. “But it should be fine. I’m the one who made the appointment, and I’ll be the one doing all the talking when we get there, so they’ll probably only ask me to show them ID. You can just hang back behind me looking… cousin-ish.”
“Cousin-ish.” I laughed softly. “Got it.”
Twenty minutes later, we were halfway to Lakeside, cruising down the highway in Cherry’s Jeep. Anticipation crawled under my skin, my mind a restless tangle of questions for Jennifer Albright, along with a hundred other thoughts and feelings clawing at the edges.
“Do you think Jennifer might’ve known Roman Valcourt?” I asked, glancing over at Cherry. “I know she’s a year older than him, but they still could’ve bumped into each other at some point, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s possible. Especially if she was at the Dionysus estate for two months after the hunt,” she said. “We can ask her when we get there.”
I sighed, slumping as I stared out the window. “I still can’t believe Calista fell for Roman,” I muttered. “She was usually good at weeding out assholes.”
“Honestly, I can’t blame her. He’s super charming,” Cherry replied. “Did I ever tell you that I went on a date with him once?”
I straightened in my seat and snapped my gaze back to her. “Wait,what?”
“It was all the way back at the start of freshman year. Before I met Cal, or any of the others. I was at an orientation event, and I met him there,” she explained. “He asked me out, and I said yes because I thought he seemed pretty nice. Plus, he’s handsome as hell. I hate the guy, but I can admit that.”
