Chapter 20
TWENTY
Lo
Lo finished washing up and climbed out of the pool.
She had felt nothing but euphoria while in the warm, golden liquid, but as soon as she spotted her bloodied gown, the feeling faded.
Brownish red spatters stained the delicate pink fabric.
There was no way to hide it. People would see when she returned to the game.
Mayté would see. Lo couldn’t bear the thought of her best friend screaming in horror like Sofia had, or staring accusingly like Sera.
Unsure of what to do, Lo turned away and gasped. Hanging from a rack was a towel and a black gown.
That definitely hadn’t been there when she got in here.
The house knew. And yet … instead of judging her, it was helping her hide her sins. Like an old friend in on the secret. With a smile, Lo dried off before slipping on the gown.
It was beautiful. The most beautiful thing she had ever worn. The long sleeves flared out like chiffon flowers at her forearms. The collar was made out of raven feathers, and the plunging bodice was gilded in gold. She admired her reflection in the pool. She looked like the queen of Fortune’s Kiss.
She turned to leave, but paused and dipped the letter opener in the pool, washing the blood off. She slipped it back down her bodice.
She was ready for the next round.
The house no longer felt like an impossible maze or an ever-changing labyrinth. Somehow, Lo knew exactly where to go. She strode the hallways with confidence, but paused when she heard voices.
Whispers leaked from a cracked door. Mayté’s whispers. Lo could recognize her best friend’s voice from anywhere. She grinned and moved closer to the door, just about to push it open.
“Are you sure about this?”
The sound of a deep voice made her stop.
Who was Mayté talking to? Lo leaned closer to the opening in the door and peeked just in time to see Mayté rush over to someone.
Her long robes spilled out behind her like moonbeams as she hugged the person.
Holding her breath, Lo squinted, nose inches away from the cracks. Alejandro.
“Yes, yes, I’m positive!” Mayté’s voice rang out with absolute joy. The kind that was infectious. Lo found herself smiling. Mayté was surely using Alejandro for hints at surviving this next round. Smart. “Once I use El Beso de la Fortuna to win, I’ll get you out of here. I promise!”
Lo’s heart stopped.
She was planning on escaping with him? What about everything they had been through? Their promises? Their pact.
No. This couldn’t be real. This was an illusion from the house. It was trying to make her hate her best friend.
But no matter how hard she squeezed her eyes shut and bit the insides of her cheeks, it wouldn’t end. She fought against the thought that wormed its way through her skull.
This is real.
A stab of betrayal and shot straight to Lo’s heart. She swore that she felt the blood draining from her body, leaving behind an empty cold.
Was Mayté just going to leave her here to die? It was impossible to wrap her mind around it. This couldn’t be, yet the truth shone before her. The girl she’d thought was her best friend was plotting with some worthless boy behind Lo’s back.
Behind my back.
“Don’t look at me like that!” Mayté grabbed Alejandro’s shoulders. “We’re doing this. It’s going to work! It has to.”
“Mayté! Oh, Mayté!” Alejandro suddenly lifted her up in the air. Mayté shrieked and the two burst into laughter. Then they kissed.
Lo backed away, shaking. She was too numb to feel the achy lump in her throat.
“As soon as we get back to Milagro, I’ll teach you how to paint.”
“I think I’d much rather see you paint. But I can show you my drawings.”
“Perfect. We’ll make art together.”
Lo stormed off, unable to take any more of it. With every step, the walls swayed.
How could Mayté do this to her? How could she let herself fall for him? Was it because he was the first boy to show her the least bit of attention? Was Mayté that pathetic? That desperate? Didn’t she realize men couldn’t be trusted, especially the ones here?
La Sirena was right, Alejandro was going to shatter Mayté’s heart the first chance he had.
But maybe she deserved it.
Lo reached the elevator and smashed her palm against the button.
“Lo?”
Lo bit down on her lip and clenched her fists, before turning to see Mayté rush over.
“I … I’m so sorry.” Mayté’s eyes filled with tears.
Sorry?
“I shouldn’t have been so dismissive about your mother. I never wanted to be right about her.” With a small whimper, Mayté hugged her.
The hug should have been warm and comforting.
Just hours earlier, it would have been something she desperately needed, but now Lo stiffened and didn’t return the embrace.
A silence lingered between the two. But it wasn’t the normal kind of silence.
The kind on cool summer mornings where Mayté toiled away trying to paint the distant mountains as Lo lay in the grass.
This silence, in the midst of lies, deception, and betrayal … this silence was deadly.
“It’s fine. I’ll get over it.” And she would, once she destroyed everything.
Mayté pulled away and looked Lo up and down. “Your dress,” she said with a frown.
“That other gown was becoming too stuffy,” Lo answered simply.
Mayté’s eyebrows knit and her eyes slowly grew as if she were looking at Lo for the first time.
Lo’s stomach sank. Mayté was making her nervous. Why was she acting like that? It was almost as if she were frightened.
Did she know what Lo had done? She couldn’t have, and yet …
Ding.
The elevator doors opened. Lo waited for Mayté to step inside, but she didn’t. “What’s the matter?” Lo asked.
Mayté slowly backed away. Each tiny step chipped further and further into Lo’s already wounded heart. “I should probably change out of my nightgown. You go on without me.” She wouldn’t meet her eyes.
A part of Lo wanted to tell her no, but another part of her, the part that was numb, wanted to just leave without her. That was the part she listened to. Without a word, she turned away and stepped into the elevator to head to the second to last round of Fortune’s Kiss.
She should have been scared. Terrified, even, yet her pounding heart calmed. It didn’t matter. Mayté talked about El Beso de la Fortuna. She said getting that would help her win. It was a card. Lo felt it in her gut. She would get it, and bringing the house down would be her winning wish.
And she wasn’t going to let any worthless people get in her way.