Page 69 of Whispers of the Water

I immediately went to question the whole bowing thing, but Dallas spoke first. “Imani here just did the corn maze, too.”

My voice got hung in my throat, and I quickly met Imani’s eyes. She chuckled and rubbed the back of her head nervously. Her grin was apologetic, and I immediately knew that she had been a witness to what happened.

“Oh my God,” I groaned, hiding behind my hands.

“Don’t worry,” Imani said as she patted my shoulder. “I didn’t see anything. Just, you know, heard some stuff. I was in the next trail over from you.”

Heat climbed my neck and ears until I felt painted completely red. What a great first impression, catching me being salacious at a public family event.

“I can’t believe you heard that,” I mumbled.

“Me neither,” Dallas huffed, glaring at me. “You’ve totally been holding out on me. If you did that here, in a corn maze of all places, I know you’ve done more. You’d better give me all the details later.”

I glanced at her finger, which was currently pointing in my face, then met her green eyes. “Details later. Promise.”

Her lips tilted up again, satisfied with my answer. A toilet flushed from one of the stalls farther down, and Imani and Dallas took that as their cue to leave. Dallas pulled her ball cap down closer to her face while Imani glanced out to be sure Rune and the others weren’t looking this way. With one final quick hug, Dallas and Imani ducked out of the restroom.

I turned back to the sink and mirror again to finish washing my hands when the stall door at the end unlatched. I kept my head down with my eyes trained on the soap slipping from my hands down the drain as I fought off the heavy hand of embarrassment. The stranger had no way of knowing what exactly Imani, Dallas, and I were actually talking about or that I was the one who had been heard in the maze, but it still left me flustered.

As I washed away the last of the suds, I noticed the stranger’s footsteps moving in my direction until they turned on the sink directly next to mine, bypassing all the other open ones.

Despite my better judgment, I glanced over at the stranger. My heart fell through my stomach when my eyes met hers.

It wasn’t a stranger.

“Well,” Yasmine said as she held my eyes through the mirror. “I didn’t realize you had friends out here in Massachusetts.”

I swallowed hard as I stared at Aidan’s companion. “I don’t. They’re friends from my school. We’re on fall break.”

She raised a brow. “Interesting. Convenient how they’re out here, too.”

My nerves started to get the best of me. “Why? Is Massachusetts a members-only place? Loads of people come here, especially during fall.”

Yasmine gave me a humorless smile. “Of course.” She paused, then added, “Your Highness.”

I worked to keep my face blank. I bit the inside of my cheek and gripped the faucet to turn off the water. I was starting to panic, and I didn’t need the call of the water to make the situation even worse. She’d overheard Imani call me “Your Highness,” and my mind grappled for an explanation.

Thinking on my feet, I turned my back on Yasmine to get a paper towel to dry my hands. “It’s an inside joke between my friend and me. She must’ve shared the story with Imani, and Imani was playing along.”

I threw my paper towel away and turned back to Yasmine. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I found her standing directly in front of me, glaring down into my eyes. I held my breath as she reached her arm past my shoulder, leaning in closer to me as she did.

Her face was inches from mine as she whispered, “I don’t believe you.”

She swiped at the paper towel, and the sudden snap of the material ripping made me jump. Yasmine held my eyes as she finished drying her hands, and once done, she left without another word.

My feet were rooted to the spot, and my heart pounded fast in my chest. Things were getting risky here. I’d come closer to being caught just now than I had so far. I had to be more careful. Being found out by anyone outside of my friend group would mean a death sentence. At least, I hoped that ending wouldn’t be my fate where my friends were concerned, but until I actually came clean, that was all I had.

Hope.

As soon as I stepped out into the fall air, my fears heightened. Rune and the rest of our group were across the walkway, but my stomach soured when I saw they weren’t alone. The very gorgeous Aidan leaned against the counter as she talked to Rune, who looked as amused as a person fighting off a fly. To make matters worse, Yasmine had just joined them.

I quickly raced to reach them, jogging up to Rune.

As soon as his eyes found mine, they brightened. He reached out his hand for me, and I took it for him to pull me close to his side. I tried to smile at him, but my worries got the better of me. I glanced at Aidan and Yasmine.

Yasmine’s gaze tracked me, and her blatant mistrust and loathing came rushing up to the surface like a shark after blood. “Where’d your friends go, Bria?”

Unease gripped my throat. “My friends are right here.” I gestured to our group who’d quieted since Yasmine and I had arrived. They watched our exchange with nervous glances, but I knew none of them were as nervous as me. Yasmine was trying to dig a hole for me that I wouldn’t be able to climb out of again.

---