Smoothing her dress one last time, Jayla turned toward the mirror as her lips inched up with a confident smile. Tonight was all about reminding people where she stood, and for once, it wasn't just her sisters who had underestimated her to their cost but those outside of the bloodline. Axel's invitation had been totally out of the blue, yet the answer was immediate. It was her night, some sort of moment when she showed Jasmine, Jade, and even Axel who was big. "I own the night," she whispered while turning, heels clicking down inside her room.Downstairs, Jade and Jasmine sat in taut silence, each pair of eyes riveted to Jayla taking the stairs. Jasmine felt her heart seem to clamp in its exasperated spasm. Ever since the near-accident, she had been treading on eggshells, suspecting everything Jayla did. Now off Jayla went to this exclusive party, looking like she was beyond anything that could scrape a mark on her from this world. Why did she act so untouchable?“Look at her,” Jasmine
The next morning, Sarah leaned against the kitchen counter in her sleek apartment, sipping her coffee. Her phone whirred with a new message, breaking the early-morning stillness. She set her mug down and unlocked the screen, reading Axel's cryptic text from the night before.Axel's Message:"There was a hitch, but that need not affect a thing. Tomorrow, let's meet. We must make certain next steps are understood."A small, knowing smirk curled her lips. She wasn't surprised that Axel's plan had hit a hitch. He was methodical but reckless in the execution. Still, it didn't matter: the damage was done - Jayla's paranoia would fester and she'd doubtless lash out at her sisters.She sent him a reply right away.Sarah's Message:"11 AM, usual place. Won't tolerate your latecomer stunt."The next step of their scheme whirred in Sarah's mind. Jayla's ordeal at the party had gone just far enough to stir the pot. Now it was time to double down. They needed to widen the divide between the triple
Jayla's Brewing StormAs Jade furiously set into her notebook-her plotting mind piecing together how to bring the sisters down-Axel had set the stage for the next act in this dark theatre of theirs, and that was the playground: an exclusive party. Paranoia, for Sarah, was not good enough; she wanted to see annihilation, the bond between them sisters completely devastated.At the cafe, Sarah drummed her fingers on her coffee mug as Axel outlined this elaborate scheme for the public humiliation of Jayla. But Sarah had a whole lot more in her ambitious tank than Axel did: She wanted them to do worse than just fight-she wanted them to destroy each other.She took a step forward as she smirked, her voice a purr. "Axel, good, the Jasmine look-alike idea, but it's too. Tame. In case Jayla wakes up somewhere strange, humiliated, sure, she will suspect Jasmine. But what if we go further?Axel's eyebrow arched, intrigued, yet a tad guarded. "Further how?The smile now spreading on Sarah's face
Jade paced around her room, her bare feet silent on the plush carpet. The dim light emanating from her night lamp itself had a slight flutter to it, casting eerie shadows across the walls. Her fingers toyed with one hanging thread of her cardigan, telling all the turmoil brewing inside. The mayhem of the party had left her restlessness, yet exhilarating all the same. Well done: Jayla's embarrassment was all but choreographed to the poetic script of events. Of course, Jade wasn't feeling all that happy. Not just yet, anyway.It still echoes within her mind from the call of tonight, a haunting melody-a symphony of smooth calculations thrown across. It would revert to the voice in her brain to confirm everything apparently working for her and let Jade know that she was indeed no pawn but at play as a puppeteer.Jade had been in the middle of rearranging the books on her shelf when her phone buzzed on the desk behind her. She let it ring twice before answering, deliberately slow.“Hello?”
Anger brewed inside her like a silent storm as Jayla stared at the screen of her laptop, her fingers frozen above the keyboard. The voice message replayed in her head like a tape, each word lighting another spark to the ones that had already been lit. Jasmine and Jade had teamed up, didn't she. Her sisters. She bit into her teeth as humiliation replayed in her head, giggles, murmurs, and judgmental stares. They had planned her downfall, and now they were going to pay. But not with the petty games they had gotten so used to. This time, Jayla would play for keeps. Her eyes had fallen on the anonymous message displayed on her phone: "Time to even the odds." Shivers ran down her spine, as that just fed determination she simply could not avoid. Whoever this was, he certainly seemed to understand the amount of anger and needed some payback; it sounded almost like a voice into her most hidden soul part. A plan was beginning to formulate in Jayla's mind-the crystallization of her thought
Jayla paced her room; her thoughts were turbulent as the storm raged within her heart. She had fisted her hands by her sides, her jaw set tight in anger as memories of that party replayed themselves in her mind like a broken record. The smugness radiating from Jasmine grated on her like fingernails on a chalkboard, as did Jade's incessant trying to play mediator. It was infuriating how Jade always came off as the calm, neutral sister, yet somehow she had a knack for keeping them all under her thumb, pretending she wasn't part of the chaos she secretly fueled.Jayla sat on the edge of her bed-no, perched, like a predator waiting for exactly the right moment to strike. Her gaze flickered toward her laptop, the messages glowing on the screen, anonymous. "Do it right, and no one will suspect you." In her mind, those sounded like a whispered encouragement for her plan. The tension in the house had built up, like a pressure cooker, over weeks, and Jayla knew just how she could use that.Jad
Jayla's hand had been shaking the whole time as she finally hit the lock on the screen of her phone and buried it deep in her pocket as if it would make the message go away. She stepped out into the chill late evening breeze that bit into her skin as she entered the parking lot of the hospital while passing headlights blurred into a kaleidoscope of color as her mind whirled with two questions: Who? How?She had planned it down to the last letter. The timing and the setup were all supposed to be perfect. Instead, that message, dripping with sarcasm, whispered against the back of her neck, as if someone had begun to unwrap the layers of her plans and were giggling at what lay beneath.But who could it be? Sarah? No. Jayla hadn't caught any hints that Sarah was suspicious of her, and she had always seemed more focused on Jasmine anyway. Axel? The thought sent a ripple of doubt through her. He was cunning enough to play a double game, but why?Jayla clenched her teeth, forcing herself to
Sarah's heels clicked loudly against the floor of her dark apartment as Sarah tread back and forth, holding tightly onto her phone, with the cryptic messages seared into her brain. "Jayla isn't the only one with secrets." Words cut into her like a knife through confidence so laboriously built. And she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her every move, someone dangerous.The possibilities swirled in her mind. Who was behind these messages? Axel? Not likely. He did not need to spook her like this, not when he also benefited from their arrangement. But the idea that someone else, someone outside her control, pulled the strings left her cold.Her glass of wine remained untouched on the counter; she didn't dare pour another, not now, not when her head needed to stay sharp. Whoever this unknown force was, they were playing a dangerous game, and Sarah would be damned if she let them win.Her phone buzzed again within the grasp of her palm.Unknown Number: "Tick tock, Sarah.
Golden sun streams came through the window into the Johnson mansion to bathe the great dining room with its warmth. Three days since the accident had happened, and it is within the atmosphere brought along by such a situation in life. All was well but the surface of each heart seated on hot coals -and burned so much more under Jasmine's skin than any person could imagine.She sat at her vanity, brushing her hair in slow, deliberating strokes while her mind replayed events of the past week: screeching tires, the near miss with the car, and now Jade getting into an accident. The doubt in her mind as to Jayla's involvement in it all was first just a murmur, one she dismissed for paranoia. But now? Now it was a scream she could no longer ignore.The hand closed on the hairbrush in a grip that was almost crushing as the signs turned stark: Jayla had tried to kill her with the "accident" on the street and, failing that, had gone after Jade, tampering with her brakes. In Jasmine's blood, the
Jayla sat cross-legged on the plush velvet couch in the living room of the Johnson mansion, a smirk twisting her lips. The dim light from the antique chandelier above outlined features that were almost sinister. She swirled the wine in her hand absently, as if it was the glass that was the perfect metaphor of the chaos she had unraveled.She leaned back and blew a harsh breath, the thought running like sugar on fire in her head. It was almost too good. Jade lay in the hospital after that near-fatal car accident. She hadn't died-unfortunately-but was shaken enough to keep her off-balance."Not dead yet," Jayla muttered to herself, a hard smile tugging on her lips-" but shaken. That's good enough for now."She was pleased with that image of her sister being helpless, lying in that hospital bed-so meek and weak. The whole neighborhood had thought of Jade for all those years as the "peacemaker"-way too sweet and far too good. But Jayla knew better. Jade does have ambition, and with each p
Sarah's heels clicked loudly against the floor of her dark apartment as Sarah tread back and forth, holding tightly onto her phone, with the cryptic messages seared into her brain. "Jayla isn't the only one with secrets." Words cut into her like a knife through confidence so laboriously built. And she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her every move, someone dangerous.The possibilities swirled in her mind. Who was behind these messages? Axel? Not likely. He did not need to spook her like this, not when he also benefited from their arrangement. But the idea that someone else, someone outside her control, pulled the strings left her cold.Her glass of wine remained untouched on the counter; she didn't dare pour another, not now, not when her head needed to stay sharp. Whoever this unknown force was, they were playing a dangerous game, and Sarah would be damned if she let them win.Her phone buzzed again within the grasp of her palm.Unknown Number: "Tick tock, Sarah.
Jayla's hand had been shaking the whole time as she finally hit the lock on the screen of her phone and buried it deep in her pocket as if it would make the message go away. She stepped out into the chill late evening breeze that bit into her skin as she entered the parking lot of the hospital while passing headlights blurred into a kaleidoscope of color as her mind whirled with two questions: Who? How?She had planned it down to the last letter. The timing and the setup were all supposed to be perfect. Instead, that message, dripping with sarcasm, whispered against the back of her neck, as if someone had begun to unwrap the layers of her plans and were giggling at what lay beneath.But who could it be? Sarah? No. Jayla hadn't caught any hints that Sarah was suspicious of her, and she had always seemed more focused on Jasmine anyway. Axel? The thought sent a ripple of doubt through her. He was cunning enough to play a double game, but why?Jayla clenched her teeth, forcing herself to
Jayla paced her room; her thoughts were turbulent as the storm raged within her heart. She had fisted her hands by her sides, her jaw set tight in anger as memories of that party replayed themselves in her mind like a broken record. The smugness radiating from Jasmine grated on her like fingernails on a chalkboard, as did Jade's incessant trying to play mediator. It was infuriating how Jade always came off as the calm, neutral sister, yet somehow she had a knack for keeping them all under her thumb, pretending she wasn't part of the chaos she secretly fueled.Jayla sat on the edge of her bed-no, perched, like a predator waiting for exactly the right moment to strike. Her gaze flickered toward her laptop, the messages glowing on the screen, anonymous. "Do it right, and no one will suspect you." In her mind, those sounded like a whispered encouragement for her plan. The tension in the house had built up, like a pressure cooker, over weeks, and Jayla knew just how she could use that.Jad
Anger brewed inside her like a silent storm as Jayla stared at the screen of her laptop, her fingers frozen above the keyboard. The voice message replayed in her head like a tape, each word lighting another spark to the ones that had already been lit. Jasmine and Jade had teamed up, didn't she. Her sisters. She bit into her teeth as humiliation replayed in her head, giggles, murmurs, and judgmental stares. They had planned her downfall, and now they were going to pay. But not with the petty games they had gotten so used to. This time, Jayla would play for keeps. Her eyes had fallen on the anonymous message displayed on her phone: "Time to even the odds." Shivers ran down her spine, as that just fed determination she simply could not avoid. Whoever this was, he certainly seemed to understand the amount of anger and needed some payback; it sounded almost like a voice into her most hidden soul part. A plan was beginning to formulate in Jayla's mind-the crystallization of her thought
Jade paced around her room, her bare feet silent on the plush carpet. The dim light emanating from her night lamp itself had a slight flutter to it, casting eerie shadows across the walls. Her fingers toyed with one hanging thread of her cardigan, telling all the turmoil brewing inside. The mayhem of the party had left her restlessness, yet exhilarating all the same. Well done: Jayla's embarrassment was all but choreographed to the poetic script of events. Of course, Jade wasn't feeling all that happy. Not just yet, anyway.It still echoes within her mind from the call of tonight, a haunting melody-a symphony of smooth calculations thrown across. It would revert to the voice in her brain to confirm everything apparently working for her and let Jade know that she was indeed no pawn but at play as a puppeteer.Jade had been in the middle of rearranging the books on her shelf when her phone buzzed on the desk behind her. She let it ring twice before answering, deliberately slow.“Hello?”
Jayla's Brewing StormAs Jade furiously set into her notebook-her plotting mind piecing together how to bring the sisters down-Axel had set the stage for the next act in this dark theatre of theirs, and that was the playground: an exclusive party. Paranoia, for Sarah, was not good enough; she wanted to see annihilation, the bond between them sisters completely devastated.At the cafe, Sarah drummed her fingers on her coffee mug as Axel outlined this elaborate scheme for the public humiliation of Jayla. But Sarah had a whole lot more in her ambitious tank than Axel did: She wanted them to do worse than just fight-she wanted them to destroy each other.She took a step forward as she smirked, her voice a purr. "Axel, good, the Jasmine look-alike idea, but it's too. Tame. In case Jayla wakes up somewhere strange, humiliated, sure, she will suspect Jasmine. But what if we go further?Axel's eyebrow arched, intrigued, yet a tad guarded. "Further how?The smile now spreading on Sarah's face
The next morning, Sarah leaned against the kitchen counter in her sleek apartment, sipping her coffee. Her phone whirred with a new message, breaking the early-morning stillness. She set her mug down and unlocked the screen, reading Axel's cryptic text from the night before.Axel's Message:"There was a hitch, but that need not affect a thing. Tomorrow, let's meet. We must make certain next steps are understood."A small, knowing smirk curled her lips. She wasn't surprised that Axel's plan had hit a hitch. He was methodical but reckless in the execution. Still, it didn't matter: the damage was done - Jayla's paranoia would fester and she'd doubtless lash out at her sisters.She sent him a reply right away.Sarah's Message:"11 AM, usual place. Won't tolerate your latecomer stunt."The next step of their scheme whirred in Sarah's mind. Jayla's ordeal at the party had gone just far enough to stir the pot. Now it was time to double down. They needed to widen the divide between the triple