Chapter Thirty

The next day, murder doesn’t seem so difficult to comprehend. My eyes watch Daniel, and as they do, his flit to mine. When they lock into position, I see them sparkle with dark laughter, laughter that is sinister, that is full of ill intent. We are on opposite sides of the cafeteria, but still I can see them shine. Still I can spot their wickedness.

“Is everything okay, Eve?”

I look at Hunter and nod. “Daniel’s over there. That’s all.”

“Too bad Wren isn’t here,” says Maggie as she cranes her neck to see.

“I don’t need Wren to defend me,” I insist, and my voice is sharp. Maybe I’m afraid that I do.

“Okay,” she says slowly. “Well, that wasn’t what I meant.” She sighs. “So, is everyone getting excited for tomorrow night?” Her voice is strained with effort. Normally, it is light and airy, but lately it has been heavy, bogged down with reality. “We could all use a fun night,” she adds.

Hunter gives her one of his shy smiles. “How come ever since school finished, life’s been…”

“Shit?”

He adjusts his glasses and frowns. “Not shit. Just…tough.”

“Hopefully it isn’t a sign of what’s to come,” mutters Emerald. “You know, in the real world. On our own.”

“We’ve had a run of bad luck, that’s all,” I say, and I sit straighter. “And if we let it get us down, they win. The Daniels and Kyles and Anitas of the world win.”

“Wow, Eve,” says Hunter. “I think that’s the most positive thing I’ve heard you say in ages. No wait, eons. Literal eons.” His eyes comb the ceiling like he is counting, and he nods. “Eons.”

I kick him under the table. “Very funny.”

“What’s going on with you lately?” Hunter continues. “You’re hardly ever around.”

Maggie’s eyes snap to mine, and I look sideways. I feel Emerald glance at me, too. Both of them know; they know where I’ve been. With Wren. And if I am being more positive lately, it probably has something to do with him, too. I think of kissing him, of the feeling of his arms wrapped around me, skin to skin, and I smile.

“Hello?” Hunter calls. He waves a hand in front of my face. “You’re grinning like a fool. I think you need to take a hiatus from the Bowl before you do any permanent damage.”

I kick him again, harder this time. Both of us are laughing. “Maybe I’m looking forward to letting loose tomorrow night after all.”

“Know what I’m thinking, Eve?” asks Maggie. Her lime green eyes twinkle.

“Don’t say it.”

“Makeover!”

I roll my eyes. “I told you not to say it. What happened last time?”

Half of Emerald’s mouth twitches into a smile. “Oh yeah, I remember. You looked like a poodle.”

“She looked fantastic,” Maggie protests. “But okay, fine. I won’t touch your hair. I’m just thinking a little makeup. That’s it.”

“It’s not a bad idea, Eve,” says Emerald. She winks. “I’ve seen you attempt it, and you really could use a few pointers.”

I shove her.

“She doesn’t need makeup,” says Hunter between bites. “She looks amazing just like that.”

I stare at him, but before I can respond, I am shoved from behind, and the cafeteria table digs into my sternum. I swing my legs around, but Daniel’s hand lands on my chest, collecting the fabric of my shirt and forcing me to stay seated.

It reminds me of that night—his face alone reminds me of that night, but for him to grab me…

“Looks like your face has healed up okay, Eve. Too bad.”

“Get out of here,” Hunter says sharply from the other side of the table. Emerald jumps to her feet, but I hold up a hand to stop her. This is something I need to deal with on my own.

“What do you want, Daniel?” I whisper.

“Here’s the thing. What your bodyguard did to my best friend is something I take personally—very personally. Do you understand?”

“Take it up with him, then. I’m sure he’d love to chat.”

He shrugs. “I’d rather hit him where it really hurts, and I think I’m looking at just that.” He sneers. “Why he cares about the likes of you, I can only guess, but no doubt your Lower Mean charm will wear on him soon enough. In the meantime, consider yourself warned.” He bends down so we are eye to eye. “I’m coming for you.”

Then he is gone, and I am left with my heart thudding through to my feet. Whatever clout I had with Daniel has evaporated. I don’t know if it was Wren fighting my fights for me that did it, or the attack itself. But if Daniel was ever intimidated by me, he is no longer. I’m a walking target.

I can’t be a walking target.

“I’ll see you guys later,” I say.

“Eve—” starts Maggie, but I shake my head.

“I’ll see you guys later,” I repeat, and my voice is firm. Hunter and Emerald eye each other, but already I am gone. I follow Daniel out of the cafeteria in time to see him board the elevator, and then I head for the stairs. Moving over steps that witnessed my own slice of hell makes my palms slick, but I push on. Determination and anger are my guide, and I step onto the fourth floor at the same time he does. The hallways are crowded, and he doesn’t see me.

I wait until he is half a hallway ahead, and then I follow. This time I am the cat and he is the mouse. Wren may have gotten revenge on Landry, but Daniel’s blood is all for me. It is time he paid for his sins. It is time I see whether I have the stomach to kill.

I think I do.

He turns down a hallway that is quieter than the first. Still, there are too many people about, and the next hallway is the same. The one after that, though, is perfect. It is dead empty, and one of the lights is missing its fancy Upper Mean case. That means the bulb is glaring and uncomfortable. Bright. So I will be able to see his anguish in detail.

My heart doesn’t thud anymore; it hammers with excitement. I jump on the balls of my feet, and I feel like I do in the Bowl. I haven’t worked out much since the attack, so my muscles are fresh; they are looking for an excuse to engage. And I am not injured anymore, or tired, either. I’ve always thought I could beat Daniel, and now I will see. He is larger than me and in decent shape, but he doesn’t have experience fighting.

I stare at the back of his head, at the brown curly hair cut short. It would be almost cute, that hair, if it didn’t encase pure evil. It’s strange; neither he nor Landry looks particularly troubling. But scratch beneath the surface, and their veins run black. I am about to find out just how much.

Right now I could do one of two things. I could run up behind him and attack, or I could call his name, make it a fair fight.

I am the kind of person who is fair, but he isn’t. He wouldn’t extend me that courtesy, and so I won’t for him. I smile, and then my leg muscles twitch and I am sprinting as fast as I can, and by the time he hears me and turns his head, I’m on top of him. I knock him to the ground and punch him three times in a row, three quick bursts of rage that loosen his eye sockets. He is awake now, and he pushes me back with considerable force. His eyes streak red; the fight is on.

His first punch, I block, but the second I am not so lucky. I land in a heap on the floor. Normally I would jump to my feet again, but not this time. No, this time my fingers stretch into the lip of my boot, where they brush cool metal. Daniel is moving toward me, and my fingers plunge deeper, snatch the knife, tuck it into my fist.

“I hate dirty little bitches like you who don’t know their place,” he says under his breath, and I let him drag me to my feet. I let him shove me into the wall. I wasn’t planning on killing him today. I just wanted to see if I could. But the more vitriol he spews, the more I begin to think that now is the time.

“So what, Daniel?” I say, and my voice is remarkably calm. “What, you think you’re going to be the one who finally puts me in my place? Is that it?”

“Yeah, something like that”—and he releases me, then shoves me against the wall with all his force. The impact stuns me, and it burns the back of my skull, but only for a moment. I kick him between the legs, and he doubles over in pain, into a position of weakness.

I knock him quickly to the ground, and my fist unclenches. The knife is warmed through from my palm, and the blade springs open. His eyes find it; they widen. The hate that lurked there a second earlier is replaced by fear.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing? I’m getting even. For when you tried to kill me!” Tears burn behind my eyes, and my breathing is ragged. Below me, he struggles to free himself, to push me off him, and if I’m not quick, he will. My fingers are deft, and they shove the blade to the side of my fist, and I punch him across the face. The blade slices into his skin as I do.

He screams.

His warm blood is everywhere, and panic overtakes his senses. But that was just a taste of what is to come…

I must act quickly. I must kill him now, or he will get me off him and he will be gone. I must act now.

My pulse races, and all I see is red.

I am a monster, and I am cruel, and I can’t wait to see the light leave his snake eyes forever, a small payment for all his sins. I am a killer.

But more than anything else, I am a liar.