Page 9 of Dead Girls Don’t Forget

We lined up. I took the outside lane.

“Go.”

The wolves surged hard, frantic and territorial. I let them burn ahead for the first quarter mile, then settled in. My breathing stayed even. Theirs did not.

By the second mile they started to crack. I passed them one by one. Naomi held on longest, jaw locked, form breaking. I pulled up beside her, matched her stride for a few steps, then moved ahead.

Her quiet growl followed me.

I crossed the line well ahead of the pack and slowed to a walk. Coach checked his stopwatch, eyebrows lifting.

“New team record. By forty seconds.” He made a note. “That’s the standard now.”

Cassidy stumbled across the line a full minute behind the wolves, bent over gasping. When she straightened she shot me a tired grin. “Okay. You’re officially terrifying.”

I did not answer. Behind her the wolves regrouped, whispering.

Cassidy leaned closer. “Told you. Extra petty today.”

Day two of classes ran like I expected. I sat in the back of each room, clocked the exits, and took notes. By the time lunch rolled around, the cafeteria was packed. I grabbed a roasted chicken salad and a sandwich, then headed for an empty table near the back. I had just set my tray down when someone slid into the seat beside me. Cassidy dropped her own tray and smiled like she had been invited.

I gave her a look that said, Really?

She only smiled wider.

Across the cafeteria, the wolves sat together. I happened to catch Naomi’s eyes and watched her expression sour. The girls around her followed her lead, their glares sharp and synchronized.

Cassidy did not seem bothered. She took a bite of her sandwich, chewing happily.

I tipped my head toward the wolves' table. “Have they always been like this?”

If she wanted to sit here, she might as well give me something useful.

She nodded, still chewing. “Naomi has been like this since forever. All the way back to middle school. She decides who’s in and who’s out.”

I took a sip of water, letting her talk.

“She’s got this whole thing about Jackson,” she added, lowering her voice. “Most popular guy on campus. Star athlete, rich family, the whole package. She’s been obsessed with him for years.”

“Mm,” I said.

“They had something for a while, or almost did. It was never entirely clear. Now Naomi takes it out on anyone who gets within ten feet of him.” She paused, picking at the edge of her sandwich. “Also I’m fairly certain they’re in a cult.”

I looked up. “What?”

“A cult,” she said, with the calm certainty of someone who had thought about this extensively. “You know that gated community on the east side of town? With the high fence and the guardhouse?”

“I’ve seen it.”

“That’s where a lot of them live. Jackson’s family, Naomi’s family, a bunch of the others.” She gestured vaguely toward the wolves’ table. “They have their own grocery store inside the gates. Their own gym. Their own school for the younger kids.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Cult behavior. Jackson’s dad runs the whole place. Thomas Black, the developer. You’ve probably seen his name on signs around town. Loaded. And Naomi’s family’s been tight with his since forever, so she’s spent her whole life acting like she’s going to marry Jackson and run things one day. Nobody ever tells her differently.”

I kept my expression neutral. What Cassidy was describing was a pack compound. The alpha’s territory. Naomi’s father was the beta, second only to Thomas. That explained the entitlement. Some wolves chose to live inside the gates, others kept their distance. Colt and Richard lived outside the compound. John and Thomas lived inside. Colt was already handled. The others would have to wait.

“Anyway,” Cassidy said, moving on. “Jackson’s family is very much inside the fence. Senior members of whatever the whole operation is. Which probably explains the disappearing at the start of every school year.”

“Every year?”

“Every year. Like clockwork. Shows up around day four, never explains it, nobody asks.” She shook her head. “Cult behavior.”