Page 31 of The Bleak Beginning

I mean, we were supposed to be trying to make Prescott leave Altair, not make her stand out more by covering her in thousands of glittering sparkles. It looked like a galaxy had exploded across her skin, for crying out loud. But then again, standing out was something she didn't need any assistance with.

Prescott was a sight to behold, with her hair shimmering like a blend of silver and gold, framing her face. Her lips werefull and always ready with a sharp, sarcastic remark, adding to her already striking appearance. Every time she opened her damn mouth, my dick seemed to betray me, twitching with a jolt of excitement. But it was her eyes that truly held my attention - a warm honey color that seemed to hold secrets and mischief within their depths. They were both fierce and fragile, a combination that could easily get her into trouble.

Gossip on this campus flew through like wildfire, especially when it came to new students. And I could admit, Prescott was easy on the eyes, making her a hot topic for discussion. Which is why I volunteered the boys and myself to give her some help on the night of the assembly. It was a calculated move, like the first great move in a game of chess, designed to ward eyes away from her. I wanted her gone, and showing up at the university assembly covered in dirt and mud was an effective way to keep other nosy students at bay.

“Hey, it was the only thing we could find on short notice,” Sly protests, brushing some of the offending sparkles off his shirt.

“Yeah, and you have to admit, it did get a reaction,” Cam chimes in.

My nerves jump beneath my skin. “A reaction for who? Because from what it sounded like, you had help.”

Sly shrugs. “Cam spotted that weirdo who spends too much time practicing magic heading in after Alex, so we improvised.”

“Besides,” my other friend adds, “it’ll be our word against hers if she says anything, and no one will take her side after what happened at the assembly.”

“We need to continue to make her life miserable,” I say. “So miserable that Prescott has no choice but to leave and head back to wherever she came from.”

“You don’t think the glitter helped?” Cam asks scratching at his scalp, which is only making things worse as the sparklesfurther embed themselves on his head. “I’m starting to feel it and I only got a smidge of her leftovers.”

I ignore his discomfort; he spends too much time on his hair anyway.

“I say we start spreading rumors,” Cam suggests, pausing from messing with his dark locks. “Nasty ones that’ll ruin her reputation.”

“That’s child’s play,” I scoffed, disappointed at his lack of creativity. “No, we need to hit her where it really hurts. We need to figure out her weaknesses.”

“We’re working on it.” Sly groaned, tugging at his blazer, more glitter falling to the ground.

“Well, work faster,” I gripe. “I want her out.”

Sly shoots me a scathing look in response, but stays quiet otherwise.

Prescott may be new, but she’s already making waves. Too many for my liking. I won’t lose control over this place.Ourcontrol. Her father decided to ditch our families at one of the most important times in their lives, and I wasn’t about to let her do the same to us and make us look like fools again. The Altair games set a standard for everyone; the Legacy families were strong. Aligned. She wasn’t one of us.

“What about her family?” Cam suggests, back to futilely trying to brush glitter from his hair. “Everyone’s got family drama.”

He was correct, but our conversation wasn't about my personal problems or theirs. We were strategizing how to turn everyone against Prescott.

“Go on,” I encourage.

“Actually, I did overhear something in the mail office. Alex was getting into an argument with the person behind the counter about a letter needing to be sent out immediately.”

“Did you see the name?” Sly asks.

“Clara,” Cam confirms. “Some sort of relative, if I had to guess. She seemed pretty desperate to get it out.”

A wicked grin spreads across my face. “Perfect. It’s a start, we can work with that.”

“How?” Cam asks, looking skeptical.

“Think about it,” I say, lowering my voice. “How do we get someone to leave?”

“We make them miserable,” Sly says.

“Yes and no,” I agree. “We find her weakness and make it impossible for her to stay. We find her vulnerability and exploit it.”

“Right,” Cam says, catching on. “We figure out who this Clara person is in relation to our little problem, and use them to our advantage.”

“Blackmail?” Sly asks.

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