Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Yes, and I needed a singer. But I needed to ensure she would also be willing to sell herself. So I devised a little social experiment. I wanted to see what you would do if push came to shove. And you performed flawlessly.”
I swallow. “You’re making this up.”
“The mirage of power. I’ve been controlling every move you’ve made, Bianca, ever since”—her gaze darkens—“our days playing in our family’s basement.”
I almost lose my footing at her words.
She’s right. She’s been playing me like a fucking fiddle from my birth.
And she did it so flawlessly that I never had a damned clue.
I’m devastated. My life has never been my own.
But I’m more than upset. I’m angry as all hell.
“Fuck you, Rouge! Fuck you for everything you’ve done. To me, to May, to Svetlana… To Alissa and Maddox, to Vanya! To Harrison! And every other anonymous voice you’ve silenced in your ascent to power. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure you see justice for your crimes.”
“Oh, Bianca.” Rouge taps the dagger against her palm. “So foolish, even now. Tell me. If you were in my position, would you undo everything I’ve done? Would you reverse the fates of the Seven of Spades, the Nine of Diamonds, the Jack of Hearts?”
“Of course I would.”
A grin splits her face. “Well, then, I suppose justice must be served after all. And its first casualty must be the man who stole the heart of an innocent young woman.”
My breath catches in my throat, and my feet freeze to the floor. “Wait, that’s not what—”
But already Rouge has raised the dagger and is plunging it toward Lou’s unprotected chest, right over his heart.
“I can’t believe that!” said Alice.
“Can’t you?” the Queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.”
Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
38
HARRISON
I’m not ready to start middle school.
Mom and Dad have told me horror stories from when they were that age. How mean the kids were, how rough the adjustment is from elementary school, and how you’re dealing with the onset of puberty all at the same time.
But their sweet little Leprechaun can handle anything. We’re Irish. Our people have been through a lot.
I wish Maddox and I were going to the same school.
He’s going to a fancy private school. The Hathaways offered to pay for my tuition to go there as well since I saved Maddox’s life in the ravine last summer, but Mom and Dad refused to take their charity. I think Harold got in their heads after Henry Hathaway showed up at their door. He certainly got into mine.
But I’ve gone on the scheduled playdates—complete with a photographer present—with Maddox. Though the whole thing was clearly staged to make the Hathaways look good for Maddox’s dad’s bid for mayor, I do like hanging out with him.
And he likes hanging out with me.
His dad won the election in a landslide, and even after that Maddox still wanted to hang out with me.
He legitimately likes me. At least, I think that’s the case. We’ve been inseparable for three years now, probably to his parents’ annoyance.
Sometimes he sneaks away and we meet at the ravine—the same one I pulled him out from.
Guess we like danger.
He sits on the bank. He’s wearing athletic shorts today, so it doesn’t matter if he muddies them up. “I can’t believe it’s been three years since it happened, Harry.”
“Yeah, it’s crazy.” I shrug. “Time flies, I guess.”
“For sure.” He stares at the rushing water in front of us. “You excited for middle school?”
I swallow. “Not at all. A skinny kid like me, with my big ears? I’m going to be fresh meat for the bullies.”
“I’m not looking forward to it, either,” he replies. “Like, I know I’m going to this fancy school in the city, but rich kids can really be merciless. If they do something bad, their parents can make it go away. They don’t have to face consequences for their actions. So they let their imaginations go wild.”
“Huh. I never thought about it that way.” I lean back on the soft grass, watch a few fluffy clouds pass by. “Maddox, can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Are you… Are you only friends with me because I saved you?”
He chuckles. “Harry. We met because you saved me. Because you acted quickly and pulled me out the ravine. But we’re friends because you’re good people. I like you, and I like your family a lot.” He gazes toward the clouds. “You guys are real. You do the right thing because it’s the right thing. You don’t do good things just for the clout, like my dad.”