Read Online Privilege 3 - Perfect Mistake by Kate Brian - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kate Brian
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she have made sure it was something less . . . horrible?"
Brigit pressed her lips together in a knowing way that made Ariana's skin prickle. "Stone and Grave wants what it wants," she said cryptically, lifting her shoulders.
Ariana sighed. She hated when other people knew more than she did. But in this particular case, it might be better for her not to dig too deep. At least not yet. But why make a spectacle of herself, when all Brigit had to do was embarrass someone else? It seemed completely unfair.
"Hey Ana, can you come up here a sec?" Kaitlynn shouted from her place at the head of the group.
Ariana bit her tongue to keep from cursing the girl out.
"I'll be back," she said to Brigit.
She maneuvered her way past Tahira and Allison, who were also whispering to each other, and joined Kaitlynn at the front of the group. The trees were growing thicker, the underbrush encroaching on the dirt path, and Ariana was starting to seriously doubt that this was, in fact, the way they'd come.
69
"What do you want?" Ariana asked under her breath. Something tickled her ankle and she told herself it was just a twig or a weed, and not a spider.
"Y eah, listen, I obviously need to be in Stone and Grave so I'm thinking, to make it easier for everyone, you should just drop out of the running," Kaitlynn said quietly, her gaze dead ahead.
Ariana laughed. "Pardon me if I don't dignify that with a response."
"What's so funny?" Tahira asked from a few yards back.
"Nothing!" Kaitlynn sang in reply, upping her speed slightly so that Ariana had to jog in the dark to keep up.
"It's only fair, A," Kaitlynn continued, her tone diplomatic. She lowered her voice so that it was barely audible over the sound of their crunching steps. "Y ou're set. Y ou've got an identity, a trust fund, a future, but me . . . I've got two years to make connections that will take me beyond APH. I'm going to need these guys to help me do that."
"Y really think that once you're in and they figure out that Lillian Oswald has no background whatsoever, they're going to help you create one?"
ou Ariana asked. She struggled to catch her breath. Between the exercise, the nerve--racking darkness, and this conversation, she was starting to perspire. "They'll probably just boot you back to the BrendaT," she said through her teeth.
"Y heard what they said. If you're a member, they protect you. They shelter you. And they're insanely connected," Kaitlynn replied. "So yes, I do
ou think they'll help me."
70
Ariana sighed. This should be a platinum night for her. But instead, she was dealing with Kaitlynn's psychosis. Again. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one could hear them. The others were so far behind now that she could barely hear them, let alone see them.
"I'm not dropping out," she said flatly.
"Okay then, plan B. Who should we bump off?" Kaitlynn said, pushing a thick branch aside and letting it snap back in Ariana's face. The pain was sharp but fleeting. Ariana spit a few pine needles off her lips as she rushed to catch up.
"Bump off?" Ariana hissed. "Are you serious?"
Kaitlynn gave a look that told Ariana that she was, in fact, very serious.
"I'm not going to kill anyone," Ariana replied.
"Okay, then maybe I'll just kill you," Kaitlynn said with a shrug. Ariana's heart caught, and she misstepped, tripping forward and almost falling flat on her face. Annoyingly, she had to grab on to Kaitlynn, the very person who'd just threatened her life, to keep from going down.
"Watch it. There's a bit of a hill here," Kaitlynn said, a laugh in her voice.
Sure enough, the ground was dropping away beneath them, and their steps naturally quickened. If she shoved Kaitlynn as hard as she could right now, no one would see it. But Kaitlynn would have to fall just so in order to break her neck, and if she didn't, she would certainly tell everyone how she'd been pushed.
Why couldn't they just stumble upon a nice, convenient
Brigit pressed her lips together in a knowing way that made Ariana's skin prickle. "Stone and Grave wants what it wants," she said cryptically, lifting her shoulders.
Ariana sighed. She hated when other people knew more than she did. But in this particular case, it might be better for her not to dig too deep. At least not yet. But why make a spectacle of herself, when all Brigit had to do was embarrass someone else? It seemed completely unfair.
"Hey Ana, can you come up here a sec?" Kaitlynn shouted from her place at the head of the group.
Ariana bit her tongue to keep from cursing the girl out.
"I'll be back," she said to Brigit.
She maneuvered her way past Tahira and Allison, who were also whispering to each other, and joined Kaitlynn at the front of the group. The trees were growing thicker, the underbrush encroaching on the dirt path, and Ariana was starting to seriously doubt that this was, in fact, the way they'd come.
69
"What do you want?" Ariana asked under her breath. Something tickled her ankle and she told herself it was just a twig or a weed, and not a spider.
"Y eah, listen, I obviously need to be in Stone and Grave so I'm thinking, to make it easier for everyone, you should just drop out of the running," Kaitlynn said quietly, her gaze dead ahead.
Ariana laughed. "Pardon me if I don't dignify that with a response."
"What's so funny?" Tahira asked from a few yards back.
"Nothing!" Kaitlynn sang in reply, upping her speed slightly so that Ariana had to jog in the dark to keep up.
"It's only fair, A," Kaitlynn continued, her tone diplomatic. She lowered her voice so that it was barely audible over the sound of their crunching steps. "Y ou're set. Y ou've got an identity, a trust fund, a future, but me . . . I've got two years to make connections that will take me beyond APH. I'm going to need these guys to help me do that."
"Y really think that once you're in and they figure out that Lillian Oswald has no background whatsoever, they're going to help you create one?"
ou Ariana asked. She struggled to catch her breath. Between the exercise, the nerve--racking darkness, and this conversation, she was starting to perspire. "They'll probably just boot you back to the BrendaT," she said through her teeth.
"Y heard what they said. If you're a member, they protect you. They shelter you. And they're insanely connected," Kaitlynn replied. "So yes, I do
ou think they'll help me."
70
Ariana sighed. This should be a platinum night for her. But instead, she was dealing with Kaitlynn's psychosis. Again. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one could hear them. The others were so far behind now that she could barely hear them, let alone see them.
"I'm not dropping out," she said flatly.
"Okay then, plan B. Who should we bump off?" Kaitlynn said, pushing a thick branch aside and letting it snap back in Ariana's face. The pain was sharp but fleeting. Ariana spit a few pine needles off her lips as she rushed to catch up.
"Bump off?" Ariana hissed. "Are you serious?"
Kaitlynn gave a look that told Ariana that she was, in fact, very serious.
"I'm not going to kill anyone," Ariana replied.
"Okay, then maybe I'll just kill you," Kaitlynn said with a shrug. Ariana's heart caught, and she misstepped, tripping forward and almost falling flat on her face. Annoyingly, she had to grab on to Kaitlynn, the very person who'd just threatened her life, to keep from going down.
"Watch it. There's a bit of a hill here," Kaitlynn said, a laugh in her voice.
Sure enough, the ground was dropping away beneath them, and their steps naturally quickened. If she shoved Kaitlynn as hard as she could right now, no one would see it. But Kaitlynn would have to fall just so in order to break her neck, and if she didn't, she would certainly tell everyone how she'd been pushed.
Why couldn't they just stumble upon a nice, convenient
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