Bitter Demons by Sarra Cannon Page B

the party, right? Mom’s been working like mad to make sure everything is perfect,” she said. The three of us walked together into the locker rooms. “We hardly ever use the lake house since Mom was elected mayor. She just doesn’t have time to go out there with us. It was full of dust and stuff, but we got it aired out and it’s looking good.”
    “That’s so sweet of her to host us all there,” Brooke said. She sounded sugary and fake. I hardly recognized her anymore. One minute she was talking about me behind my back and the next she was trying to be my best buddy again.
    “Yeah,” Lark said, making a face. She obviously noticed the weird tone of voice, too. “My mom’s a sweetie.”
    “Do you guys want a ride over there?” Brooke asked. “I can take at least four people.”
    “I’m riding out there with Mom as soon as I can get changed,” she said. “We’ve still got some stuff to set up before the crowd descends.”
    Brooke looked to me.
    “Actually, I’m planning to ride out there with the two futures from Cypress,” I said. Mrs. King had asked me earlier to be their host, so I couldn’t very well say no.
    “Fine,” Brooke said, her shoulders tense. “I’ll go see if Allison wants a ride.”
    I was relieved when she walked away. I didn’t like her energy lately. I wanted the old Brooke back, but I knew that was never going to happen. Either her demon was changing her from the inside or the power of being part of the Order was going to her head.
    I changed quickly and ran out to meet the futures from Cypress. Mrs. King had offered to give the three of us a ride out to the party. She thought it would be good for us to spend some time together. Meredith and Caroline were already waiting outside the gym. They’d both changed into jeans and sweaters. Every detail of Meredith’s outfit was very precise. Her earrings had a stone that exactly matched a stone in her belt buckle. The brown leather boots she wore exactly matched the brown of her sweater. It was all a little too matchy matchy, and I wondered if she was using a glamour. For all I knew, that was standard training for a future.
    “You look great,” I told her. “I like your belt.”
    “Thanks,” she said. She put one hand on her hip and studied my outfit with both her eyebrows raised. “As a future, you know you really should spend more time on your appearance. You’re a public figure now.”
    I nodded and gritted my teeth. I probably should have used a glamour tonight, too, but I was afraid I was using magic a little too much lately. “I’ll work on that,” I said.
    Caroline caught my attention and rolled her eyes. She stood slightly behind her sister so Meredith couldn’t see her face. I stifled a giggle.
    “It’s like when celebrities like Britney or Lindsey Lohan get photographed wearing awful baggy shirts or no make-up or something. Everyone notices.”
    We made our way toward the parking lot and Mrs. King’s car.
    “I hardly think anyone’s going to be photographing me,” I said.
    “Yes they will,” she said. “Not the press or anything, but people around town will begin to see you as a sort of local celebrity. You’ll start to see your picture in the paper and the yearbook and all around. And once you become the Prima, you’ll be a real leader around here. If you want some tips on how to dress or how to put together an outfit, I’d be happy to help.”
    “I think I can handle it,” I said, tired of the conversation about my fashion. It was like a flashback to Brooke telling me I had to stop wearing so much black when I first got on the cheerleading squad. I wasn’t really a big fan of people criticizing my fashion choices, but I knew I couldn’t exactly tell her to stuff it either.
    “I mean, I know you don’t really have a lot of money or whatever,” she said. “But there are other ways.”
    I glanced at Caroline and she smiled.
    They had to know about glamours. What other way could Meredith mean?