Unplugged by Donna Freitas Page A

theirs.
    How strange that the next one would also involve a Holt.
    Inara leaned against me. “What are you thinking?”
    I adjusted the top of my dress. There was a reason I never wore clothes like this. “The cathedral is pretty. Maybe a bit overdone.”
    The other guests milled around us. They talked and gestured excitedly. There were women in elaborate gowns that belled out to three times their wearers’ width or had long trains of silky fabric dotted with tiny roses and peonies that trailed after them as they walked. Hair cascaded in waves down backs or was piled high on top of ladies’ heads, tendrils artfully hanging around their faces. Men wore black suits, some so shiny they looked to be made of vinyl. And these were just the conservatively dressed funeral goers. A woman walked by wearing a gown that seemed made of the ocean itself, with silvery fish swimming across it in hues of orange and green and blue. Another looked like a great peacock had loaned her its feathers. More than a few women and men had downloaded Apps that turned them into models on top of the outrageous costumes they’d chosen to wear.
    Inara’s eyes followed a woman in head-to-toe black lace, a black bridal veil framing her face and falling all the way to her feet. She held a large snow globe with a statue of Rain at its center in her outstretched hands.
    â€œAnd I thought Jenna was going to look like a fool,” I said.
    â€œI did too,” Inara said quietly. Then her attention wascaught by Simon Best, who’d just arrived with his parents. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
    â€œSure.” Mr. and Mrs. Sachs were nearby talking to some friends, but I felt alone in this crowd. I watched as people shrieked and air-kissed. I was about to go up to Inara and Simon when I almost tripped on the hem of my gown. Carefully, I bent down to extract my shoe from the delicate fabric. When I straightened up I was staring into the eyes of Lacy Mills.
    Lacy blinked back her surprise. “What are you doing here?”
    She wore an emerald-green dress, skintight and long. Draped across her arms, her wrists, and her neck were long strings of diamonds, the kind that only come from downloading the Tiffany App. She was so laden with jewels it looked as though she shouldn’t be able to hold up the top half of her body.
    I felt dull next to so much beauty and glitter. “I’m going to the funeral, same as you.” All I could think about was the pain of last night, the way Lacy so carelessly broke into our minds. “Should you even be talking to me?”
    The left half of Lacy’s mouth curled upward. “Oh, I’ll just tell anyone who asks that I’m doing charity work. Bestowing niceties on the less fortunate. Gracing Singles with my presence.”
    It was difficult to believe someone so famous could be so consistently cruel. “We got your download.”
    Lacy laughed, like we were having a wonderful time. “Did you enjoy it?” Diamonds swayed as she moved. She wagged a ring-adorned finger. “You Singles shouldn’t be getting together without me. I just hate feeling left out.”
    â€œThis isn’t a game.”
    Lacy eyed me. “People keep saying that.”
    In my mind, I imagined raising one arm in the air and lashing out at Lacy.
    She immediately put a hand to her cheek. “Ooh, I’m so scared!”
    I licked my lips. Everything felt dry. “Stay out of my head, Lacy.”
    Her eyes grew cold. Tiny crystals of frost dotted her cheeks. “Listen up, Skylar. You don’t get to give me orders. And don’t flatter yourself. It’s not as though your mind is a terribly interesting place. I only go there when I must.”
    I swallowed, trying to maintain control of my emotions. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Inara looking around to see where I was. Her eyes got wide when she realized I was talking to Lacy, and she hurried