Page 123 of Disharmony

“You’ll do great,” I say, hoping it’ll put her at ease enough for us to return to the party.

“I can’t let anything stand in my way,” Tiffany says. “Nothing is going to stop me from getting a place in Popstarz.”

Tiffany reaches into her purse at her side. I hope she’s getting a tissue, but when she looks up again, her expression has changed entirely. There are no tears in sight, only a devious glint.

“That is why I had to do this!” She grins like a crazy fucking psycho. She holds an empty syringe in her hand. “This is already working its way through your body.”

I look at the needle in her hand, but it’s already too late.

I try to stand, but my legs want to give way. My head is spinning, and my vision is blurring. Someone bumped into me dancing… fuck, it all makes sense! Dad gave me a lecture once about how there are different ways to spike someone—not everything is done through slipping something in your drink.

“What the fuck—”

I manage to haul myself to my feet and attempt to stagger away. My arms reach for a tree in front of me to steady my balance, but I almost fall flat on my face. The tree isn’t there or, if it is, it’s a lot further away than it looks. The sudden movement isn’t helping my head.

“You’re not going anywhere, Ashley,” Tiffany hisses. She gets up to follow me, wiping away her fake tears. “Jacqueline noticed you tonight, which means the judges might too. You’re just another Riley.”

The name sounds familiar… Riley… why?

I can’t think straight.

Branches crack and trees rustle as a flood of bodies descend upon me. Hands tug at my clothes, but I’m helpless. I can’t make out any faces. Everything passes in swirling images. My body floats as I have no choice but to let the faceless monsters drag my feet through the dirt. I look up and see the stars twinkling. The breeze is cold against my skin, then…

forty-five

Ripper

Everyone knows what happens after the final rehearsal. It’s camp tradition. One I used to enjoy myself. A way to celebrate the end of another year. I lurk in the trees, watching. She seems to be having fun; dancing and joking around with her friends after stealing the show.

As soon as she stepped through the fog, she captivated the audience. It wasn’t the Ash I know that lurks under the surface, but her voice is special even when she’s pretending to be someone she’s not. Voices like hers don’t come around often, and I wasn’t the only person to notice. Jacqueline’s clapping infuriated me. I remember what it was like to be one of Jacqueline’s special favorites… if she’s set her eyes on Ash and wants to sign her with Starnote, I can’t stand by and let that happen.

Zed and Venom would be mad if they found out I’m here. I slunk away after the show, desperate to see more of her. On the camp stage, everyone’s eyes are on her, but here, I’m the only one. I watch her dance. I want to be the person holding her hand and twirling her around, then I’d pull her close and whisper what I’d like to do to her later. Zed keeps giving me blue balls, and I can’t wait much longer.

A first-year staggers toward me and vomits against a tree, forcing me to retreat for a few minutes. Stupid fucker. I’m not just pissed about the smell, but that I had to step away from Ash.

I stalk through the woods, doing a loop to find a new spot. I pull my baseball cap down lower. It’s dark, but it’ll help if anyone spots me. Even if they do, I can pretend to be a chaperone. I have it all figured out.

I rescan the figures from my new viewpoint and see Cookie, the crazy chick with the rainbow-colored hair, she’s too distinctive to miss. She’s in the middle of a dance-off and is kicking ass. I look at the people surrounding her, but there’s no sign of Ash. Where did she go?

My heartbeat quickens. There are a number of likely scenarios: Ash could have started speaking to someone and broken off into the woods or decided to head back to her cabin. For the next ten minutes, I stalk through the trees. My cover is blown as I stray closer to the party, but I don’t give a shit. I smile politely at the drunken calls of my name but keep walking.

I can’t find her anywhere.

Shit.

Zed will be furious about what I’m gonna do next, but I can’t help myself. My compulsion is too hard to ignore. I need to know where she is and be sure she’s safe. Loud whispers and stares follow me as I join the party, and the dance floor parts.

“What is he doing here?”

“Is he here to shut the party down?”

“Oh my gosh, it’s Damon! Hey!”

Their remarks wash over me as I approach Cookie, who is busy high fiving the twins and another girl with large headphones around her neck. Cookie wipes her brow, out of breath from throwing shapes, but buzzing to have won the battle.

I clear my throat and they all turn to stare like I’m an alien.

Shit. I haven’t planned what I’m going to say next, but I think on the fly.

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