once she found her voice. “What are you doing here?”
“Just coming to see the play with Penn,” Liv told her in a voice that was all peaches and cream. “How are you doing?”
“Who the hell cares how I’m doing?” Harper hissed. “What are you doing here?”
“Notice anything different about me?” Liv asked, then twirled around for her.
Harper gaped at Liv, and the color drained from her face. “You’re the new siren.”
“Sorry, Harper, I was gonna tell you,” Gemma offered lamely.
Harper stepped into the dressing room, deliberately leaving Liv alone in the hall before slamming the door shut behind her. Harper crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at Gemma, making her feel small and guilty.
“How long has my college roommate been a siren?” Harper asked, her tone harsh.
“Former roommate,” Thea corrected her. “She dropped out because she sucks.”
Gemma shrugged, trying to seem calm and nonchalant. “I don’t know when she became a siren. A few days ago?”
“It was on Friday,” Thea supplied.
“Harper.” Gemma took a deep breath and looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Liv being a siren sooner. But I have to be onstage in like ten minutes, so can we talk about this later?”
“Whatever. Fine.” Harper sighed.
“As soon as the after-party wraps up.”
“An after-party?” Harper raised an eyebrow.
Gemma waved her hands, trying to emphasize that it was no big thing. “Yeah, the mayor’s putting on this whole big thing because his son is in the play, and I’m going.”
“You can come, too, if you want,” Thea said. “Friends and family of the cast are invited.”
“Thanks, Thea, ” Harper said, giving Gemma a hard look since she hadn’t bothered to extend the invitation.
Gemma looked up at her, her eyes pleading with her. “Can you please go find your seat, and we’ll talk about this later?”
“Okay. Fine.” Harper tried to put aside her anger and took a deep breath. “You look nice. And good luck.”
“Thank you.” Gemma smiled up at her, and Harper left her to finish getting ready.
TEN
Revelry
This was the last place Gemma wanted to be. She should be at home, going through Thalia’s journal or trying to decipher the scroll. But even if there weren’t far more pressing matters waiting for her elsewhere, she still wouldn’t have wanted to come to the after-party.
“They have an ice sculpture?” Marcy asked, eyeing the frozen swan on the center of the hors d’oeuvres table. “Who has an ice sculpture at a summer event?”
“I don’t know,” Gemma said. “But you know the deal—we just have to stay here long enough for Penn to see us, so I look like I’m acting normal and having a good time. Then we can bail.”
Once the play had finished, and Gemma had gotten changed into her regular clothes, she and Marcy walked over to the hotel while Harper stayed behind to wait for Daniel. Mayor Crawford had rented out the ballroom and had it all done up for the party. It had been decorated with twinkling lights and bouquets of flowers on each table, along with the ice swan.
“Where is she anyway?” Marcy asked. “Or Thea or Liv, for that matter?”
“I don’t know,” Gemma admitted, and made her way toward the appetizer table, smiling politely at an older woman who told her she’d done a great job in the play. “With my luck, they’re probably not even coming, and I showed up for no reason. Maybe we should just bail.”
“No way. I just got a plateful of shrimp.” She held up her plate to show Gemma. “I’m staying. Do you think the drinks are free?”
“No clue.” Gemma’d picked up a plate, so she grabbed a couple crab puffs.
As she was leaving the table, a couple other people came up to congratulate her on her performance. She thanked them, but as soon as they were gone, she made a beeline for the edge of the room, where she could linger in the dim light without having to
“Just coming to see the play with Penn,” Liv told her in a voice that was all peaches and cream. “How are you doing?”
“Who the hell cares how I’m doing?” Harper hissed. “What are you doing here?”
“Notice anything different about me?” Liv asked, then twirled around for her.
Harper gaped at Liv, and the color drained from her face. “You’re the new siren.”
“Sorry, Harper, I was gonna tell you,” Gemma offered lamely.
Harper stepped into the dressing room, deliberately leaving Liv alone in the hall before slamming the door shut behind her. Harper crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at Gemma, making her feel small and guilty.
“How long has my college roommate been a siren?” Harper asked, her tone harsh.
“Former roommate,” Thea corrected her. “She dropped out because she sucks.”
Gemma shrugged, trying to seem calm and nonchalant. “I don’t know when she became a siren. A few days ago?”
“It was on Friday,” Thea supplied.
“Harper.” Gemma took a deep breath and looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Liv being a siren sooner. But I have to be onstage in like ten minutes, so can we talk about this later?”
“Whatever. Fine.” Harper sighed.
“As soon as the after-party wraps up.”
“An after-party?” Harper raised an eyebrow.
Gemma waved her hands, trying to emphasize that it was no big thing. “Yeah, the mayor’s putting on this whole big thing because his son is in the play, and I’m going.”
“You can come, too, if you want,” Thea said. “Friends and family of the cast are invited.”
“Thanks, Thea, ” Harper said, giving Gemma a hard look since she hadn’t bothered to extend the invitation.
Gemma looked up at her, her eyes pleading with her. “Can you please go find your seat, and we’ll talk about this later?”
“Okay. Fine.” Harper tried to put aside her anger and took a deep breath. “You look nice. And good luck.”
“Thank you.” Gemma smiled up at her, and Harper left her to finish getting ready.
TEN
Revelry
This was the last place Gemma wanted to be. She should be at home, going through Thalia’s journal or trying to decipher the scroll. But even if there weren’t far more pressing matters waiting for her elsewhere, she still wouldn’t have wanted to come to the after-party.
“They have an ice sculpture?” Marcy asked, eyeing the frozen swan on the center of the hors d’oeuvres table. “Who has an ice sculpture at a summer event?”
“I don’t know,” Gemma said. “But you know the deal—we just have to stay here long enough for Penn to see us, so I look like I’m acting normal and having a good time. Then we can bail.”
Once the play had finished, and Gemma had gotten changed into her regular clothes, she and Marcy walked over to the hotel while Harper stayed behind to wait for Daniel. Mayor Crawford had rented out the ballroom and had it all done up for the party. It had been decorated with twinkling lights and bouquets of flowers on each table, along with the ice swan.
“Where is she anyway?” Marcy asked. “Or Thea or Liv, for that matter?”
“I don’t know,” Gemma admitted, and made her way toward the appetizer table, smiling politely at an older woman who told her she’d done a great job in the play. “With my luck, they’re probably not even coming, and I showed up for no reason. Maybe we should just bail.”
“No way. I just got a plateful of shrimp.” She held up her plate to show Gemma. “I’m staying. Do you think the drinks are free?”
“No clue.” Gemma’d picked up a plate, so she grabbed a couple crab puffs.
As she was leaving the table, a couple other people came up to congratulate her on her performance. She thanked them, but as soon as they were gone, she made a beeline for the edge of the room, where she could linger in the dim light without having to
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