Page 88 of Sinister

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PETRA

Daphne is not your typical Mean Girl; she doesn’t bully openly or oppress people in ways that can be directly traced back to her. No, she likes to play with her prey and make them second-guess her intentions till the last moment.

I’m no exception, it seems.

“Oh, Sin, I didn’t know Petra was sick!” she cries out dramatically as Sin hovers over me, inspecting my body for any signs of distress.

“I am not sick,” I correct her furiously before turning to Sin. “And you can’t be in here.”

Behind him, a gaggle of girls loiter near the door of the washroom, some looking interested and enraptured by the whole debacle, while others look uncertain and uncomfortable at Sin’s presence.

Perhaps all the eyes boring into him do leave a mark because Sin straightens up and looks around, and I can see him put on one of his disarming smiles.

“Sorry ladies, just checking up on a friend!” he says gallantly. “I’ll be out of your lair pretty soon.”

“The expression is ‘out of your hair,’ Sin,” I mutter slyly.

He gives me a dazzling smile and a wink.

Then he finally acknowledges Daphne’s existence. “I need you to leave, Daphne darling,” he tells her.

At this turn of events, the group near the restroom door starts murmuring. Daphne looks like she wants to punch someone in the neck.

“I’m not done, Sin,” she says with a pout.

“Yes, you are,” Sin replies firmly. And that’s that.

Daphne throws me a vile look and saunters out of the restroom.

In a few more moments, the small group near the door has also melted away, and I am alone once more with Sin.

The relief of not having the cover blown off my secret is short-lived because Sin is saying something. I force myself to pay attention and hear.

“. . . really sorry about everything. Look, can we have a do-over?”

He’s almost pleading now.

“Please, Petra. I know I’ve been a lot to handle, but I can do better. I want to be a good partner to you.” My head snaps up at those last words, so he hurries to add, “A good project partner to you. I know I have been delaying our work on Ms. Matthews’s assignment⁠—”

“A do-over?” I finally manage to get some words in. “Sin, after everything⁠—”

“Please,” he says again, his expression quite earnest. “I know of a place where we can conduct research. It’s quiet, secluded, and it honestly might help us get an outright A+. Do you know how rarely Ms. Matthews gives those out?”

“What place? What are you talking about?”

“The crypt of St. Anselm Hall.” Sin’s eyes glitter with real delight, as if he has pulled the cover off the most original magic trick.

“The crypt,” I repeat in a scoffing tone. “Like the crypt where the infamous Ouroboros Society used to meet underneath the school? You expect me to fall for that?”

“I know everyone says it’s just a rumor, but the place is real! It dates back to the late 1800s.”

Sin’s face is as animated now as it had been cold when he warned the entire school against bullying me.

“It’s mostly sealed off, but there are ways inside for those who know the Ouroboros Society’s true history.”

“True history?” I snap back in complete disbelief. “That would apply to an actual cult or secret society.”