Chapter Seven #2
Allegra by Farjana.
I turn to Allegra. “Your mom is Farjana Khan?”
She unwraps the mascara. “I got my own line for my thirteenth birthday, which is a bit much, but it does mean my makeup is always perfectly suited to me.”
“And that you’d never wear other brands.”
“Yes. But they’re all good, so take whatever you want.”
She hands me the wand. “Just a quick flick. Don’t overdo it or you’ll be leaning into the goth.”
I apply it like Mom taught me.
“That works,” she says. “Keep it light.”
I glance over. “Can I ask about Polly’s dad? She mentioned him a couple of times, so I feel as if I should know who he is, but I hate to look him up online.”
Her nod says I’ve earned a point for my discretion. “Polly’s father is Owen Culpepper.”
I blink. “The…uh, I mean…”
A humorless smile. “Whatever you were about to say would offend no one at Westdale, least of all Polly. Yes, that Owen Culpepper.”
Culpepper is one of those guys people love to hate. My dad used to joke that he hated him before it was fashionable. Culpepper is a tech billionaire who shifted into politics, where he courts modern-day Nazis.
I think of Polly, bouncing her ponytails.
I also think of her worrying about people thinking her queerness is performative, meant to needle her father.
And I think of what she said about those trolls being sent by him.
“Polly’s from his first marriage, right?” I ask.
“Yes, and to receive proper child support, her mother had to sign an NDA. Polly is the youngest. Once she’s eighteen, her mom’s free.
Until then, Polly is very careful. Not that it matters.
Her father sees insult in everything from her dating choices to her charitable efforts.
Fortunately, her mother is a wonderful and supportive parent. ”
“Is her dad a Westdale grad?”
“Hardly.” That quirk of the lips. “I can only imagine how much he fumes, having Polly invited to a feeder school, when his own very wealthy parents couldn’t even get him into one.”
She walks into the other room, and I surreptitiously pass the drafting board to see drawings of dresses.
“You’re a designer,” I say.
“I design. I’m not yet a designer.” She looks at my dress again. “As I said, that works, but it’s not quite right for you. We can do better. I’ll send you sketches.”
She says this so casually, just like she offered the makeup. Not a favor. Not even a gift. That would imply effort and obligation.
She picks up a pencil and starts sketching as she talks. “What do you know about the Liliths?”
I consider my next words and then decide not to play coy. “I know they’re the top society here. Girls only. They produce nearly half the Westdale Optimas. And my mom was, uh, Lilith Dux. Like you.”
“Yes.” Again, no inflection as she works. “Each society has its angle, so to speak. Their path to success. Do you know the Liliths’ specialty?”
“I do not.”
“I believe our founders had a very sharp sense of humor. I also believe they knew they were better than the male students. That is no shade on the boys—only that, in their era, to get to here, Westdale women had to be better.”
“They named themselves after Lilith, the so-called she-demon whose great sin was that she refused to obey a man.”
Allegra finally looks up, meeting my eyes. “Yes. As for our angle, it’s something women are usually condemned for. And not sex, though that would also be a correct answer and also associated with Lilith.”
“The great seductress. So what else are women vilified for? That’d be a long list. I may need a hint.”
She smiles at that. It’s a Mona Lisa smile, but still definitely a show of amusement. “Old women, sitting around talking, sharing…”
“Gossip.”
“Correct. If it were old men, they’d be trading information. But if it’s women, it’s gossip. That is what the Liliths specialize in. Secrets.” She sets the pencil down with a clack. “That is the cost of entry to the Liliths. A secret.”
“I…don’t understand.”
Her look says she may have overestimated my intelligence. “If you want to be a Lilith, you need to provide me with a secret. About yourself. It proves loyalty.”
My eyes narrow. “You mean it secures loyalty. Blackmail.”
Her brows rise. “That would go against our code. We don’t use secrets on each other.
It is simply tradition. You provide the Dux with a secret, and she puts it into the vault.
It’s like…” Her lips purse as if searching for a word.
“An initiation ritual. Being Liliths, we don’t do anything as silly as ask you to run naked through the school. ”
“Just give away a personal secret.”
She eyes me and then nods. “You’re suspicious because this is new to you.
If you’d grown up as a Chamberlain, you’d know all about Westdale’s societies and their rules, and you’d have come here knowing which one you wanted to join and, for the Liliths, the cost of joining.
Talk to Polly or Isolde if you have concerns.
Even Theo, who would gladly give a secret if it got him into the Liliths, poor boy. ”
“What if I don’t have a secret?”
“Impossible.” She continues drawing. “Everyone has done something. Stolen a friend’s boyfriend or girlfriend. Stolen a car for a joyride. Stolen a silk blouse from someone’s closet. You’re a teenager.”
“I’m a teenager who’s been too busy trying to survive to steal anything more than an extra apple from the healthy snack bin.”
The words come out harsher than I intend, and when she turns a slow, steady stare on me, I brace.
Seconds tick past. Then she says, “That was cavalier of me, and I apologize. However, I believe you do have a secret that would qualify. Why did your mother leave Westdale?”
I try not to exhale in relief. This is an easy one. “Because she was pregnant with me.”
“When were you born, Liliana? What month?”
“May.”
“So your mother left in April 2005 because she was pregnant with you, and you were born in May 2006? Thirteen months later?”
“I…” My cheeks heat. Allegra is right, of course.
“This is all new to me,” I say. “I didn’t even know my mom went to Westdale until yesterday, and I haven’t had time to work it out.”
“Understandable. But the story is that Rosalyn Chamberlain got pregnant and dropped out. Because no one knew about you, the dates didn’t matter. They still don’t matter to anyone who doesn’t do some basic math and realize the problem.”
“Which you did.”
An elegant shrug. “It’s my business to know what I can about a potential new recruit. But since you don’t know why your mother actually left, you can’t give me that secret. So, here is my offer. If you want into the Liliths, you’ll promise to find me that secret.”
“Like a layaway plan?”
Her expression says she has no idea what that is, because of course she wouldn’t.
“I’d get admitted now,” I say, “and owe you the secret when I find it.”
“I presume you can do that?”
I actually love challenges like this. I do well in school because I work my ass off, but my true talent is research. I adore solving mysteries, and in the business world, that translates into research. Digging up everything I can on a company, a product, a CEO.
Finding out a secret about my own past? I already planned to, right?
“Can I think about it?” I say.
“Of course.” She rips the paper from the pad and hands it to me. On it is a sketch of a dress similar to what I’m wearing.
“If you like it, I’ll have it made. My dressmaker comes this weekend, and she can take your measurements. She isn’t cheap, but it will be worth it. For the design, I’d only ask that I can take a photo for my portfolio.”
“Uh, thank you.”
A hand flap says that isn’t necessary. I promise to talk to her later, and then I slip out to catch up with Theo and the others.
I find Theo in the lounge, in a large group that I’m grateful to join.
By nine, it starts to break up. I doubt anyone really sleeps so early, which means this is when they sneak in more homework.
I leave with Isolde while Theo and Polly are deep in conversation.
Isolde’s room is on the second level, so I leave her there and continue up to the third.
As I’m using the keypad on my door, someone says, “You must be the new girl.”
I automatically assess tone before responding. I can’t tell with this one, so I turn with a pleasant smile.
Behind me stands a girl from my math class, meaning she definitely knows I’m new. She has light brown skin, short dark hair, and piercing golden-brown eyes that make me feel like I have something stuck to my face.
She isn’t alone. Jayden has one foot on the landing and the other on the step below it as he leans against the wall, as if still deciding whether to come up.
“Liliana Chamberlain,” I say as I thrust out my hand to the girl.
She looks at it like I’m offering a dead fish and says, “I hear you’re going for Optima.”
I frown. “Who said that?”
“Don’t pull that shit. Everyone knows it.”
“But you said you heard it. That implies someone said it.”
Her eyes narrow. “It’s a figure of speech.”
“I have no idea whether I’ll be competing. I only arrived today. You must be Natalia. You are going for Optima, right?”
If her eyes narrow any more, she won’t be able to see. “Who told you that?”
“I was told who’s expected to run when we declare on March first. You’re not Theo and probably not Cosmo.” I look over at the guy, standing there, silently. “Also, I already met your boyfriend. That makes you Natalia. Now, while it was nice to meet you both, I—”
“No public school kid is ever going to win the Optima race. Not even a Chamberlain. If you really are a Chamberlain, and I’m not so sure. Kind of convenient, how you appeared from nowhere. I’m not buying it.”
I shrug. “Okay, you’re not buying it. Now, if—”
“I’m trying to be helpful, Liliana. You don’t want to run for Optima.”
“Oh! Can I guess the rest of this warning? That I don’t know what I’m up against, being a poor little public school girl, and the big bad private school kids will eat me alive?”
Her mouth opens.
I cut her off. “I haven’t decided whether I’ll run for Optima, but scaring me off won’t be that easy.”
“Maybe you want to make it that easy,” Jayden says.
His lips curve into a smile that has my fingers tightening on my doorknob. He moves up that last step and looms over me, so close I can smell dinner on his breath.
Jayden continues, “You know the real difference between public school kids and private school kids? Consequences. Kids at your old school had to face them. We don’t. We have the best lawyers money can buy and a school that’ll do anything to keep its reputation squeaky clean.”
“Hey!” a voice says, and Jayden flies backward down the first step.
Jayden recovers, fists rising. Maddox stands behind him on the stairs. He looks at Jayden’s clenched fists. Maddox moves to stand on the same step.
“You really wanna do that, sport?” Maddox says.
“Don’t call me—”
“Then back the fuck off or be prepared to use those.” Maddox waves at the clenched fists, which Jayden slowly withdraws, even as he glares.
“This isn’t like you, Moreno,” Natalia murmurs. “Taking an interest in…well, anyone.”
Maddox cuts his eyes her way and snorts. “Don’t pull that shit. I’ve hauled your guard dog away from his quarry before. You really need to tighten his leash, Natalia. He has a bad habit of cornering people half his size.” Maddox moves closer to Jayden; he’s leaner, but about an inch taller.
Jayden snorts and waves like he’s done with this. Natalia eyes us, her gaze going from me to Maddox, speculating.
Maddox purses his lips, blowing her a kiss, and I bite back a laugh as she flushes and quickly turns away to head down the stairs with Jayden.
As they walk away, I take deep breaths. I stood up to Natalia, and I’d been proud of myself for that, but Jayden spooked me. Now I’m flustered and also annoyed, wishing Maddox had given me the chance to regroup. But also, maybe, glad he had stepped in while being embarrassed that he had to.
Damn it.
When they’re gone, Maddox looks at me and shakes his head. “No, Chamberlain.”
“No what?”
“No, you couldn’t have won that round, and yeah, you’re pissed off at needing rescue, but you did. Deal with it.”
“I never said any of that.”
He waves at me. “Your face. Your eyes. They’re screaming it. Don’t ever play poker.”
“Jayden caught me off guard.”
“Yep, because that’s his thing. First week here, Natalia saw he’d be useful and snatched him up. She’s going to play dirty in the Optima race, and he’s her muscle, and he’s too clueless to realize he’s being used. Stay out of their way, okay?” He waves at the door. “This you?”
I nod.
“Well, go on in. Get some sleep. And…” He exhales. “Look, I heard some of that conversation. You snapped back good, Chamberlain, and I know that seems like the thing to do, but with some people…maybe not, okay?”
When my jaw sets, he sighs again and says, “And you don’t like that advice either. Fine. Whatever. Just…Jayden’s right. Nothing sticks here. Be careful, okay?”
He waits until I’m in my room, and I turn, wanting to apologize, to say I know he’s just trying to help, but he’s already gone.