What would you do in her situation? Go out with the bully or wait to see what Nyx's plan is?
[Lily] By now, Atticus knows I received the invitation. There is no way that I didn't not with how everyone else at school is chittering in corners about it. Which is why I'm not surprised to see him waiting for me at the base of the legacy stairs. "Liliana," he stands, reaching for my books. "We need to talk. About the invitation, about everything." "Then talk," I say a bit more gruffly than I had intended as he follows me up the stairs. "Not here," he gives me a meaningful look and I shake my head. There is no way I'm going back into his bedroom. If he gets me in there, I'll end up in his bed, and then he'll find ways to distract me. I need to keep my mind clear and I can't think straight when his hands are on my body. I wish I never knew what it felt like to be kissed by Atticus Preston. "I don't think it is a good idea for us to be alone together," I wait for him to reach me at the landing and then lean in and hiss, "Somebody saw us this morning, Atticus. We weren't care
[Atticus]I am in no mood for this meeting. Especially not with the way Evie is acting, like she's already won something.She has a plan, I know she does. She hasn't set it off yet, but it feels like I'm waiting for something, something big to happen. I promised Liliana that I'd protect her. But how do I protect her while still following the rules of the game? One of the biggest rules is that we do not tell anyone else outside of our tight circle of seven what is happening.This is why we are meeting in Laz's room, the room furthest away from Liliana's, to have this final meeting before the Equinox Ball."Alright, the first order of business," Laz starts. "Does anyone have anything to report?"Evie is the first to raise her hand. "I'd like to give Simon kudos as far as gluttony," Evie points to Simon who grows very red in the face, I'm not sure if it is from embarrassment or some other emotion. He almost looks mad. "His work at the club was a prime example of gluttony. Of course, it w
[Lily]Atticus has been conspicuously absent this week leading up to the ball. I haven't once seen him enter or exit his room, nor is he taking meals with the rest of the legacies. "Does anyone know what happened to Ace?" I asked the crew the second morning he didn't show up. Nobody responded with words, but Evie gave me a whithering look, and Veronica's eyes opened wide with warning. The message was clear enough, even without anyone saying a thing: Don't ask. That afternoon, I responded to his invitation and slid it under his door. By now, I'm sure he's seen that I will not be going with him, but that I am also not going alone. Instead, I'll be tagging along with Nyx and whomever it is she is taking as a date. Nyx has been so secretive about the identity of this date, that I can't help but bubble over with anticipation and curiosity. I can easily say I am more excited about the idea of who she is taking than I am about whatever little surprise she has in store for me. Friday nigh
[Lily] My mother said she loved me, but then she died when I was 13 and left my care to the devil. I'm supposed to call him "grandfather" but "devil" suits him better. Grandfathers are supposed to be compassionate and kind but Andrew Adare doesn’t understand the concept of kindness. I didn’t even know he existed, or that my real last name was “Adare” until he came to me at my mother’s funeral and claimed to be my family. He didn’t even give me a chance to say goodbye to my friends or my old life, I wasn’t even allowed to take a single memory with me. He just swept me off in his private jet, and as soon as he could, shipped me off with little explanation. “You look so much like her,” was all that he said to me. The only words that I heard from his mouth before disappearing and leaving me to the care of nannies and cooks and butlers. I don’t know why he bothered to take me if he doesn’t really want me. He hates me so much that he can't wait to get rid of me. As soon as summer ends
[Lily] “Hello Ms. Adare,” he purrs, his smile growing sickly sweet as he grins almost too brightly. He must be up to something because he’s a little too happy to have me in his arms. “I’m so glad to have run into you this morning.” He looks back at the other Legacies who nod in agreement, except for Evie Carter, Atticus’ girlfriend, who is staring daggers at me, her face growing red with repressed rage. Bending down low, he places his lips on my ear as he brings me in closer as if what he has to say is a secret between the two of us. Wrapped in his arms it feels too intimate as he murmurs, “We have much to discuss. I hope you will join us for breakfast.” My body freezes. Breakfast? Did he just invite me to dine with him, and the Legacy Seven? I must be mistaken. “Meet me at the stairs tomorrow at 8 am sharp,” he instructs me quietly yet firmly as if I have already agreed to this arrangement and he is just seeking confirmation. “I’ll expect to see you waiting for us at the base o
[Atticus] “Let me go, Ace,” Evie screams. Even after dragging her away from Ms. Adare, she is bubbling over with the heat of her anger. “I am going to scrape her eyes out and then I’m going to shove them up her….” I laugh as I hold onto my girlfriend. She’s always had such a short temper. When we first started dating in middle school, she almost got suspended for hitting another student in the head with an algebra book because she didn’t like how she ate her taco. It’s a good thing that she has me to help keep her balanced. Otherwise, she would have already burned the school down by now because she didn’t get exactly what she wanted when she wanted it. “Easy there, Tiger,” I joke as I loosen my grip just enough that she doesn’t feel confined while also keeping my arms around her in case I need to clamp down again. “She tripped and I caught her. Nothing else happened.” “That’s not what it looked like to me!” her beautiful blue eyes are sparking with anger. With her long black hair
[Atticus]Laz records the results, documenting this decision in the meeting log and we move on to the next element of the game--choosing the method. As last year’s winner, I get to choose. “I thought we’d go a bit ‘old school’ for this year’s game,” I announce as I stand and pull an old deck of cards from the pocket of my jacket. “My father told me about this one year where he just picked 7 random cards from a simple deck, labeled the cards with a word related to the theme, and then everyone picked a card. Because there are always seven of us, they’d try to pick a theme that had seven options. One of their favorite themes was a game they called the ‘Seven Deadly Sins.”I separate out 7 cards and a pen. Laying them out before me, I write a sin on the top of each card, putting “LUST” on the ace card and going in order from there. “Just like in previous games, our actions will be scored by the other 6 Legacies based on a simple point system. I pause, to make sure everyone understands
[Lily]The rest of my day was completely uneventful and went by quickly, thankfully.By the time Nyx and I woke for breakfast the next day, everything from the day before felt like a distant memory, something we could laugh about now that we had survived it. “Did you see how her eyes bulged,” Nyx acts out Evie’s face from the morning before and I try not to laugh too loudly as we make our way to the counter holding all of the dishes and cutlery. “I honestly thought she was going to kill you.”“You’d think that the school would have kicked her out by now,” Nyx carefully looks both ways before she mumbles almost incomprehensibly beneath her breath. “Everyone knows she is a danger to herself and others. How she has managed to stay out of prison is a miracle.”“Miracle,” I snort, rolling my eyes. “More likely it was a deal with a lesser-known demon.”Nyx laughs loud enough to make some poor freshman drop his glass of milk.“Sorry,” Nyx winces, feeling bad. Nyx is my best friend, and I lo