The Merciless (The Merciless #1)(10)

“You want me to spy on her?” I ask.

“Come on, Ri, don’t ask her to do that.” Grace throws a piece of popcorn at Riley. “It’s weird.”

“I guess it does sound like spying.” Riley’s shoulders slump. “Sorry, Sof, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just thinking it’d be cool if we could help her.”

“Right, of course,” I say, but the idea sticks in my head. I chose Riley and her friends over Brooklyn, and I definitely prefer Nutella and red wine over animal mutilation and locker room séances. Still, I wonder what Brooklyn’s really like.

Suddenly, Alexis sits up, dropping the rest of her caramel corn on the floor.

“Guys, let’s do something else,” she says, wiping the popcorn dust coating her fingers onto one of the sleeping bags. “Sofia’s going to think that all we do is sit around and gossip about Brooklyn.”

“Speak for yourself,” Grace says. “I barely even knew that psycho.”

“Hand me that.” Alexis points to the wine bottle I’m still holding, and I pass it to her. She takes a deep drink. “Okay, so this is a game Ri and I used to play all the time when we were kids. It’s called concentration.”

“Ugh! No.” Riley groans, making a face. “That game is so stupid, Lexie.”

“Shut up. It’s perfect,” Alexis says. “Come on, Grace. I’ll do you first.”

Grace crawls over to Alexis and sits in front of her, clenching her eyes shut. Alexis knocks on the top of her head, then slides her fingers over the back of her neck and shoulders. Grace snickers.

“After I finish speaking, you will be put into a trance,” Alexis continues, walking her fingers up and down Grace’s spine. “This trance will allow you to see the most important moment of your life, past or present.”

“Oh, god,” I groan. Riley laughs through her clenched lips.

“Shut up,” Alexis says. “This is totally scientific.”

“Ignore them. I’m ready,” Grace says.

“Good. Now concentrate,” Alexis whispers. She knife-chops her hands against Grace’s back and kneads her fingers against her neck and shoulders. Grace’s head drops in relaxation, and her eyes close. “What do you see?”

“I see . . .” Grace sways back in forth. Her eyelids flicker, and her lips part in a faint smile. “I see a beach. It’s long and white. Stretched out in front of it is the most beautiful, sparkling blue ocean.”

“Good,” Alexis whispers. “What else?”

Grace’s smile fades. “I’m not alone,” she says. There’s a chill in her voice now. I shiver. “There’s someone there. Someone I can’t see.”

“Turn around,” Alexis says. Grace nods. She stops swaying, and her whole body goes rigid. “Look at who’s standing behind you, Grace. Now . . . describe him to me.”

Grace’s eyes shoot open.

“It’s Tom,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows. “He’s spread out across a beach towel, shirtless. He wants to help rub suntan lotion on my back.”

Alexis smacks Grace on the arm, and Grace snorts with laughter. “Loser,” Alexis says, smiling. “Okay, who’s next? Riley?”

Riley takes another drink of wine, shaking her head. “No way. I’m protesting.”

Alexis rolls her eyes. “Sofia, then. Come on.”

“Fine,” I say, cracking a smile. I slide over to Alexis, and she sits up on her knees, putting her hands on my arms. She digs her knuckles into my shoulders, then drags her fingers down my back.

“Concentrate,” she whispers as I close my eyes. “Listen to the sound of my voice. . . .”

With my eyes closed, I notice how warm it is in this room. Heat hovers around my skin and presses against my arms. I sway a little, then release a bubbling giggle. I’m a lightweight—the wine has already made me drunk.

Alexis’s fingers dig into my back, and I try not to laugh again. It tickles. The other girls have gone silent. I want to open my eyes and see what they’re doing, but my eyelids are so heavy. My mind spins. Jesus, how much wine did I have? I’m starting to feel dizzy. . . .

“Concentrate,” Alexis repeats, and to my surprise something does flicker against my eyelids. It’s a memory from my old school.

“Tell me what you see,” Alexis says.

? ? ?

A sharp elbow jams into my side, and I stumble into a row of puke-green lockers. My books fall from my arms and slap against the floor.

Whoever elbowed me snickers as he continues down the hallway. I drop to my knees to gather my things, not bothering to lift my head.

“Let me help you.” Karen kneels to pick up my books. Karen is barely five feet tall, with bobbed blond hair and freckles—the kind of cute-pretty that makes her less likely to be a total bitch, unlike all the other cheerleaders at this school. Even so, I’m sure she wouldn’t talk to me at all if we weren’t lab partners in biology.

She hands me my textbook. “You excited?” she asks as we walk into class and slide onto the rickety wooden stools next to our lab table. “The big experiment is today.”

I roll my eyes. All week, our bio teacher, Mr. Baer, has been talking about our class “experiment” like it’s this huge event. Really, we’ll just be swiping the countertops and trash cans with Q-tips to see if we can collect some germs to grow in a petri dish. “Oh yeah. I’m so excited.”