Read Online The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray - Free Book Online

cocks her arm like she’s about to swat him on the rear when it hits me. “We’ve all been renamed.” I can’t believe I missed this before.
    Bee nods, and Eloise’s date is howling like Eloise just caused him searing pain. He’s smiling, though.
    “So that’s why he wants me to meet you all,” I tell Bee over the mock howls of pain. “There must be something important about our names—like a tie to literature, since I’m Persephone.” A higher meaning . That’s why I love Teo; it’s always like that with him.
    Bee rubs her hands together like she’s brushing them clean, stands—her red dress has an intentional slit, unlike Ana’s—and pulls me up. I’m a little sad to leave the comfort of the couch. But Bee keeps me focused when she says, “That’s just what I’ve been thinking. Maybe you can help us figure it out, and we’ll all be one step closer to receiving that vaccine.”
    Exactly what I’m thinking, and I love how Bee spells it out.

5
    When I explain to everyone that it will be easier for me to learn the names if we place everyone in numerical order like on the streets, with the girls standing across from the boys, everyone grumbles. One of the Doublemint twins keeps spouting off random acronyms, and I wonder if Cleo’s eyesight is failing, because she seems to be fluttering her eyelashes an awful lot at Marc.
    Apparently, I’m the only outlier; the only student from Khabela, while the others all went to Griffin. It makes me wonder what they’re good at—if they sing or dance, draw or paint, or if anyone plays a musical instrument. The pink-and-green-haired boy looks like he might be in a band, and Bee mentioned dancing. I’d love to see her perform. Maybe Teo could arrange something. There is probably a reason why he invited these kids over his other students at Khabela. Even so, seeing them sort of makes me wish I had gone to their school. After spotting one of their flyers once, I asked Mom about going, but Mayor Tydal convinced Mom that Khabela was the more prestigious school. I always liked Mayor Tydal more when he and Mom were broken up. She listened to me better then.
    Bee claps her hands, drawing everyone’s attention. She told me she was the student-body president, and she must have been a great one, because they all seem more than willing to jump to their feet. She even fist-bumps Eloise’s dreadlocked partner and glares at her own, gray jumpsuit-wearing partner for being too slow getting in line. What would I do without Bee?
    Beginning at the back of the room, with its large windows decked out in golden drapes, I can’t help smiling at the uniform lines of couples splitting down the center of the room. This shouldn’t take much time at all. I’ll be back to Teo in an hour, tops.
    I face Bee’s partner—it was his and Bee’s homes I was closest to when Teo left me outside. I’m going to recite everyone’s names out loud in the order in which I saw the men’s signs.
    “Ramus,” I say, studying his Middle Eastern, diamond-shaped face. I can still see the scrawl of his messy handwriting on the sign on his door. Wanting to get to know him a little better, but not always at ease with idle chatter, I say, “So, how do you like Elysian Fields?”
    Ramus only stares at me. I thought artistic people were supposed to be expressive. I try waiting for a response, but after a while, he looks away. Only a little hurt, I turn to Bee, laughing, mostly because I don’t know what to do.
    “No worries, Persephone,” she says. “This one,” she wheedles her arm through Ramus’s, “is a bit frosty. But he’s full of sunshine and daisies if you dig around deep enough.” She winks at Ramus.
    Ramus’s cheeks darken; I think he’s blushing. But when he looks up, he gives Bee a sidelong look, his eyes softening around the edges. It looks like Ramus doesn’t mind being paired up with Bee. Not at all.
    Not wanting to embarrass Ramus any further, and because I need to memorize the