[Lily]On our way back into the main school, Atticus outlines a plan for how we can be friends while also circumnavigating Evie's wrath. It involves a ridiculous amount of subterfuge and feels more like a spy game than a friendship. He is convinced it will work, while I know it is going to fail. "This is a stupid plan," I scoff under my breath, looking up at him from the corner of my eye trying to maintain some form of dignity as we walk through the halls. Unlike any of the times I have moved through these spaces, today everyone's eyes are on me. I'm not just walking to breakfast, I am walking there with Atticus Preston. "You mean it is a brilliant, ingenious, and wonderful plan," he praises himself. "Why thank you, Liliana, for your confidence in me. I promise I will not let you down," he adjusts his blazer as if he was just given an award. I almost expect him to bow and give a speech for his excellent performance. "Evie is an ass, but she isn't an idiot," I hiss, looking over m
[Nyx] *Click* I love Lily like a sister. I would do anything to protect her, even from herself. Seeing her standing on the Legacy stairs just behind Atticus makes my stomach clench. He is up to something, I just know it. There isn’t a kind, considerate bone in his body. This is why I don’t trust his sudden sense of guilt over how he has treated Lily these last three years. Atticus is a snake. Once a snake, always a snake. Last night something happened. I don’t know what exactly but whatever it was upset Lily so badly that she spent the night crying. Asking her about it would not only embarrass her but open up an unnecessary wound. I already have an idea of the source of her misfortune--My old friend Ace. Lily is growing close to him at an alarming rate. He went from Public Enemy #1 to Boyfriend material in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, this means her guard is down, her eyes are closed, and she has no idea she is falling head-first into a den of vipers. It won’t be enough
[Lily] “Are you sure this is necessary?” “Do you want to be a legacy or not,” Atticus laughs. “Trust me, this is necessary.” “But how often am I going to need to walk in 6” heels across a slippery floor,” I try to turn to face him but I can’t. We have been working on my posture for the last three days and each time he comes back with even higher heels. I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen shorter stilts. “The key is to tighten your core and bend your knees,” Madison coaches. “Step on the front of your feet and think tall thoughts.” I am trying so hard to not roll my eyes at these instructions, but I’m also exhausted. I’ve been a legacy for a week, and already I’ve been given instructions on how to dress, how to talk, how to eat, and how to sit. Now it’s how to walk like a circus performer on a tightrope. Okay, maybe not. But walking in these ridiculous heels sure makes me feel like a clown. Especially since the entire Legacy Seven is here to watch me fall on my face. A few of them ar
[Lily] As he holds me tightly to his chest I feel safe, even though my brain says that I shouldn’t. My brain is smart but my heart is an idiot. So to appease the warring parts of me, I keep my eyes open while I take comfort in how it feels to have his arms wrapped around me. I am, after all, only human. And although he is a total bully and a complete jerk, right now he is treating me with so much tenderness and care I don’t know what to think. Could I have possibly misjudged him this entire time? No. Nyx wouldn’t lie about her story. I am sure every word of what she said about her pain and her suffering was absolutely 100% true. Looking up at him, the sunlight from the high windows in school makes his hair glow with bright golden light but casts his face in a dark shadow. Much like his personality--part angel, part devil. This makes his expression hard to read, although, from the set of his jaw, I can see that he is worried. Worried about what? He's a Legacy--he can do whatever he
“Follow my lead,” Atticus whispers as he pulls away from our awkward kiss. “Trust me, I’ll explain later.” Seeing my angry look of confusion, the doctor laughs. “Oh that’s right, he did tell me you had a bit of a temper. I’m sorry, you prefer to be called Evie, correct?” I scowl at Atticus. He laughs. “Don’t mind my girlfriend, she’s just in a lot of pain.” She chuckles. “Of course, Mr. Preston. It doesn’t bother me.” The doctor is swift and professional, touching my leg only as much as needed to assess the damage without causing me unnecessary pain. When she was done, she turned to me first, which earned her immediate brownie points with me. I was afraid she’d just tell Atticus what I should do instead of confirming with me first. “You need to stay off this leg until the cast is ready to come off. Usually, with a minor ankle injury, I’d ask you to stay off your feet for 2 weeks, but this is a big injury and you are a young, active person,” she gives Atticus a brief look before g
[Lily]“Explain this to me.” Nyx points at the bright pink cast. “Oh this,” I look down at the one signature on it so far, a large valentine style heart drawn in black permanent marker with the word “Ace” in big block letters, the arrow in the heart pointing conspicuously upwards. “He just wanted to be the first one to sign it.”Nyx rolls her eyes and keeps them pointed upward for a few minutes while she takes a long, deep breath. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”I sigh. I know she isn’t going to like it. “So you know how they’ve been giving me lessons on how to be a Legacy? Well, this kinda happened during one of those.” I give a very loose explanation of what occurred, hoping she wouldn’t pry. There is so much about today that she’d find worrying, and I just can’t take another lecture from her. Our relationship has been more than a little shaking since I joined the Legacy Seven. As I spend more time with my “friends” I have less time to spend with her. The others warned
[Atticus] Liliana Adare. I can still smell the fresh scent of her hair from carrying her back to her room. It isn’t perfume, it is more like the smell of her, light and sweet. My heart skipped a beat when I watched her trip and I don’t know what came over me, but I felt an urge to take her away from there, to protect her from the rest of them, even though I am the worst of them. I knew something was going to happen. Evie was too happy with herself, Simon was too quiet, and Laz, well he couldn’t look me in the eye. That means alliances have started to form. The true game is going to begin soon. I need to clear my thoughts. It’s time we tallied up and prepared for the next phase of our plan. As I made my way up the stairs and through our private floor, I let every Legacy know that we’d be meeting in the library in about an hour. The only person I couldn’t find was the one person I wanted to find the most--Evie. She’s like a drug. The meaner and crueler she is, the more into
[Evie] Something is wrong with Atticus. He can be a jerk, but he is a passionate, physical creature. He needs sex like some people need air, and yet… It isn’t my problem. I did everything he liked. We’ve been exploring each other's bodies since we were children and nobody knows better than I how to play that boy like a fiddle. Liliana Adare. Something tells me she is behind this with her simpering smile and basic looks. She brings out a side of him that I’ve never seen before. The way he came to her rescue like a knight in shining armor…he’s playing the hero for her. But has he forgotten that it is all an act? So much for our fearless leader. My clothing is a mess. That stupid jerk tore my shirt and ruined my hair without even giving me what I needed. I pull a pure white bodycon dress out of the back of my closet. I had put it away because it was a bit too tight for me to sit in without risking it tearing. The front is so low that my nipples are barely covered after I squeeze