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“Gosh, youdoenjoy your conspiracies, don’t you,” Arabella says sarcastically. She tosses her long plait over her shoulder, a sharp grin spreading across her pale face. “The real world’s a lot less exciting than you give Antiro credit for.”
“That’s not what you claimed in the library. You said she was shot in the head by Antiro.” Rory raises a skeptical eyebrow. “Backtracking now?”
Arabella flushes scarlet. “I never said that.”
“Oh yes, you did. I remember it well, because isn’t your psycho death cult supposed to pretend the Queen died tragically of ill health? At least get your story straight before you pretend to be good.”
“You have no proof. You’relying.”
Although Rory says nothing to counter this, his smile widens so sharply that it’s as if he has fangs. It givesmechills and I’m the one safe by his side. Through my blurred vision, it seems as though every muscle in Arabella’s body tightens. As she glances away from Rory, she looks guilty as hell.
“Maybe you should start asking why Dr. Moncrieff gave us a key in the first place,” Rory murmurs as he slowly works on my ankle, massaging with gentle palms. “I know you think you’re the hero in this political disaster. You think everyone stands with you, instead of being too scared to confront you. But maybe it’s a question worth asking.”
Arabella’s eyes flash. “I don’t believe you. You probably stole it and lied about it.”
“Oh, but our reality’s a whole lot less exciting than you give the chiefs credit for,” Rory repeats mockingly. “Now where’s that unicorn?”
“Why?”
“Because I’ll cut you a deal. You say nothing about us, and we’ll say nothing about you.”
“I don’t need to take that deal. The entire Lochkelvin leadership supports me.You’rejust desperate.”
I grit my teeth as another strip of pain strikes my ankle.
“Belly, if my plans fall into place, you’re the one who’s going to end up desperate. You won’t be threatening anyone for a very long time.” Despite the pain lancing through my nervous system, the dark menace from Rory’s low voice is enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
But Rory just offers her a mysterious, unsettling smile. “The unicorn, if you please.” He pauses and adds, “See? I even used my manners that time.”
“Well,Idon’t have it! It’s a huge chunk of metal!” Arabella gives a dismissive little shrug, like she doesn’t understand Rory’s obsession. It’s so unimportant to her, it’s way down at the bottom of her list instead of straight at the top like Rory’s. “Baxter dealt with it. I don’t know where it is.”
Beside me, Rory curses softly while holding my ankle like a brace. “You’re such a little weasel, Belly. You could have been so much better in life if you’d used your brain.”
Arabella’s eyes narrow. “I’m going to tell Baxter about this.”
“Like we give a fuck,” Rory mutters for my ears only, the lines across his wrist bright red and painful. To Arabella, he says loudly, “Tell Baxter and we tell on you. That was the deal.”
“She’d never believe you.”
Rory is silent at that, likely because it’s one of the few fragments of pure truth Arabella’s divulged this whole time.
“So do it,” I manage to say through the burn igniting my body. “Tell her everything you think you know. Tell her everything that makes you look like the good victim and us the big nasty bullies. Warp the truth, over and over.” I take in air through my teeth. “You won’t bully us. I won’t let you. And I don’t think Dr. Moncrieff will anymore, either.”
His name is the magic word. Arabella puffs out her chest, looking like a particularly haughty pheasant, and hisses, “I’ll be talking to him about this. If what you’re saying is even remotely true, thenyoumust have twisted his mind.” She glares at me through vicious, narrowed eyes and whispers bitterly, “If you’ve drawn him away from the light by whatever…slutty voodooyou did to tempt the chiefs…”
Slutty voodoo. My God. I’d laugh if my ankle weren’t on the verge of cracking. When Rory rises, there’s a dangerous gleam in his silver eyes. “If you think I’m going to let you insult my fiancée, you can piss off.”
“Fiancée?” Arabella shrieks with delighted laughter. “Her?! Please. You’re delusional.”
I take a few deep breaths, trying to quell the rush of adrenaline pumping through my veins. Rory continues to stare her down, such weighty anger burning in his eyes that I imagine Arabella is suddenly grateful for the numerous desks in her way.
“Fine,” Arabella says coolly, as my ankle screams once more. “But you better learn from this. Call it a day and maybe practice some self-care, instead of picking on others. Because I won’t be resting until Lochkelvin achieves its ambitions of being a united, caring, progressive, anti-royalist, tolerant, hate-free, educational zone for the next generation of students so that they don’t have to suffer the way I have.”
She seems very aware of the rage sparking in Rory’s gaze. Her hand scrambles with the door. With the tilt of her head high into the air, Arabella spins on her heel and quickly leaves.
I’m so sick of idiots setting fire to the world and calling it progress.
