irritation in her voice. “Although I’ll be going back to my dormitory once we reach an intersection.”
“Oh? Sorry to hear that.” Stephanie tugged Sophia, leading everyone into the glass tunnel. “I was hoping that maybe you and I could get to know each other better. You are Brendan’s sister after all. I can’t believe I didn’t catch on to that sooner.” She covered her mouth, sheepish. “Stupid of me, right?”
Lyrica was the first to laugh, also making certain to flank Angela’s left while Stephanie flanked her right. The other sorority members followed them, silent except for the occasional murmur or whisper.
She’s acting way too nice. And she knows someone told me that she and Brendan are a couple. I don’t like this.
Angela glanced back at Nina, who was still standing in a dark corner, watching everyone file out through the tunnel. She gave Angela the slightest wave and trotted away in the opposite direction, her figure fading into the smoke of the evening. Soon Angela was walking on glass, escorted by Westwood Academy’s most influential student, and ahead of her Luz continued to glow like a skewed paradise, its lights blurred by the water dripping along the contours in the panes. A shadow passed over them, another. Crows were soaring to their evening roosts. Night seemed to arrive earlier every day.
“Anyway,” Stephanie said, as her boots tapped across the transparent floor, “I’ve been curious about you for a while, Angela. Your brother’s told me a lot about you and your family.”
“Like what?” Angela conjured up a memory of the flames, racing up and across her old bedroom curtains, burning their satin drapery to ash. Why couldn’t the floor just crack, sending all of them to their deaths together? Would that be too easy?
“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing,” Stephanie said, her grip on Sophia’s arm tightening noticeably. “Well, I wouldn’t worry. He had only good things to say about you.”
“Like what ?” Angela repeated.
Stephanie paused in front of a door, a hatchway, set into the glass. She was examining Angela’s tights and arm gloves with furtive shifts of her eyes, and the skin around Sophia’s arms practically puffed around her fingers. Sophia, though, barely had a word for Angela. She would look at her once in a while, but otherwise, she was acting like they’d never met.
“By the way,” Stephanie continued, a hand on her hip, “have you seen my boyfriend lately, Angela?”
A trick question. It had to be. Was she referring to Brendan or Kim?
“I haven’t talked to Brendan since I’ve arrived.”
“Really?”
“He’s nowhere to be found. Like he never even existed.”
“Have you asked any of the other novices?”
An even worse trick question. Sophia’s breath caught in her throat, like she’d planned on saying something. Would she get in trouble too if Stephanie found out? Angela took the hint and diverted the topic. “I’ve been considering it. Is there anyone in particular I should ask?”
Stephanie sighed, rubbed a hand on the glass. A channel to the ocean roared beneath them, dampening a rumble of thunder. “You’re not a bad liar.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She gestured toward the blonde with the braids, holding out Sophia to her. “Just for a minute,” Stephanie whispered.
The blonde sighed in annoyance.
Then she opened the hatch, grabbed Sophia by the back of her blouse, and before Angela could completely understand what was happening, shoved her forward so that she leaned dangerously into the night. If it weren’t for the blonde’s hand, twisted inside her shirt fabric, Sophia would have already plummeted into the channel. Wind whipped through the hole, blasting Angela’s long hair from her face, flapping it behind her like a red banner. The sea crashed beneath them, almost more deafening than the thunder. Churning. Merciless.
If Sophia didn’t plummet, it would be a
“Oh? Sorry to hear that.” Stephanie tugged Sophia, leading everyone into the glass tunnel. “I was hoping that maybe you and I could get to know each other better. You are Brendan’s sister after all. I can’t believe I didn’t catch on to that sooner.” She covered her mouth, sheepish. “Stupid of me, right?”
Lyrica was the first to laugh, also making certain to flank Angela’s left while Stephanie flanked her right. The other sorority members followed them, silent except for the occasional murmur or whisper.
She’s acting way too nice. And she knows someone told me that she and Brendan are a couple. I don’t like this.
Angela glanced back at Nina, who was still standing in a dark corner, watching everyone file out through the tunnel. She gave Angela the slightest wave and trotted away in the opposite direction, her figure fading into the smoke of the evening. Soon Angela was walking on glass, escorted by Westwood Academy’s most influential student, and ahead of her Luz continued to glow like a skewed paradise, its lights blurred by the water dripping along the contours in the panes. A shadow passed over them, another. Crows were soaring to their evening roosts. Night seemed to arrive earlier every day.
“Anyway,” Stephanie said, as her boots tapped across the transparent floor, “I’ve been curious about you for a while, Angela. Your brother’s told me a lot about you and your family.”
“Like what?” Angela conjured up a memory of the flames, racing up and across her old bedroom curtains, burning their satin drapery to ash. Why couldn’t the floor just crack, sending all of them to their deaths together? Would that be too easy?
“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing,” Stephanie said, her grip on Sophia’s arm tightening noticeably. “Well, I wouldn’t worry. He had only good things to say about you.”
“Like what ?” Angela repeated.
Stephanie paused in front of a door, a hatchway, set into the glass. She was examining Angela’s tights and arm gloves with furtive shifts of her eyes, and the skin around Sophia’s arms practically puffed around her fingers. Sophia, though, barely had a word for Angela. She would look at her once in a while, but otherwise, she was acting like they’d never met.
“By the way,” Stephanie continued, a hand on her hip, “have you seen my boyfriend lately, Angela?”
A trick question. It had to be. Was she referring to Brendan or Kim?
“I haven’t talked to Brendan since I’ve arrived.”
“Really?”
“He’s nowhere to be found. Like he never even existed.”
“Have you asked any of the other novices?”
An even worse trick question. Sophia’s breath caught in her throat, like she’d planned on saying something. Would she get in trouble too if Stephanie found out? Angela took the hint and diverted the topic. “I’ve been considering it. Is there anyone in particular I should ask?”
Stephanie sighed, rubbed a hand on the glass. A channel to the ocean roared beneath them, dampening a rumble of thunder. “You’re not a bad liar.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She gestured toward the blonde with the braids, holding out Sophia to her. “Just for a minute,” Stephanie whispered.
The blonde sighed in annoyance.
Then she opened the hatch, grabbed Sophia by the back of her blouse, and before Angela could completely understand what was happening, shoved her forward so that she leaned dangerously into the night. If it weren’t for the blonde’s hand, twisted inside her shirt fabric, Sophia would have already plummeted into the channel. Wind whipped through the hole, blasting Angela’s long hair from her face, flapping it behind her like a red banner. The sea crashed beneath them, almost more deafening than the thunder. Churning. Merciless.
If Sophia didn’t plummet, it would be a
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