Page 6 of The Secrets of a Sin

“Shit.” She wipes at her face and quickly rises to her feet. I immediately notice her bloodshot eyes, swollen and a deep shade of red. I can tell she’s been crying for hours.

“Are you okay?” I ask observing her from a short distance, unsure of what to do. We weren't exactly friends, but we weren’t enemies either. Phoebe kept to herself most of the time, quiet and reserved like me.

“I’m… I’m fine.” She pushes some curls behind her ears as her eyes drop down to her feet. She starts to hurry past me and that's when I notice the necklace she forgot lying on the floor where she was sitting. Rushing over to the spot, I swiftly pick up the chain and spin around to catch her, but she’s already disappeared. Peering down at the necklace, I notice a small key hanging from the chains. It’s small compared to my hand and appears ancient as rust covers about half of the bottom end. I flip it over and notice a small engraving on it that's carved onto the side.

Nunc scio quid sit Amor.

I knew Amor meant love, but the other words were foreign to me. Possibly Latin, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure.

As I stared down at the words, I couldn’t help but wonder who gave this necklace to her. I’ve never seen her with anyone, man or woman. Maybe it was someone from back home, perhaps?

“Charlotte?” A yippee voice from behind me spoke, causing me to shove the necklace into my satchel and spin around. “I’ve been looking for you.” Annalise skips over to me with a wide grin plastered across her face.

“You were?” I raise a confused brow as she stops directly in front of me. Her grin widens as her teal eyes rake me over from top to bottom.

Annalise Chambers was basically the Regina George of St. Catherine’s. She was a vixen for all those who laid eyes on her. Everyone and I do mean everyone, bowed down to her like she was the Queen of England. Girls admired her power and beauty, but they were also envious and wanted nothing more than to be just like her. Some say she was molded out by Aphrodite herself, but her looks couldn’t save her from being sent here. She was damaged like the rest of us, but no one knew exactly what her issues were.

“Of course.” She tilts her head to the side causing her blonde ponytail to sway. “I was hoping you’d come to my room tonight.”

Huh?

Darting her hand out, she lightly brushes my shoulder with a smile, dragging her fingers softly down the side of my arm before pulling back.

“Sorry, you had something on your blazer.” She chuckles softly, while my head races with bewilderment and shock.

Is she…was she flirting with me?

“Why do you need me to come to your room?” I ask knowing Annalise has never made any attempt to talk to me outside of class.

“Oh, I’m just having a girls night. Movies, popcorn, and possibly some vodka we snuck in.” Her top teeth drag over her bottom lip as she tugs on the flesh with a watchful eye on me. “I thought maybe you’d want to come, get to know us girls a little better.”

“I uh… I’m actually busy tonight.” I stumble over the words, peering over her shoulder desperate to make an escape. “Lots to do.”

The sparkle in her eyes seems to fade out a bit but her grin deepens.

“Well, if you find tonight that you aren’t busy, come by.” Puckering her lips, she blows me an air kiss before scurrying past me. I suddenly feel like I can breathe again. My shoulders relax and my heart slows down to a regular beat again as I stand there in shock.

What the hell just happened?

My head turns in the direction that Annalise went, and I notice her stopped at the end of the corridor talking with two other girls. Priscilla Dorsey, a short brunette with an even shorter temper that had a talent for hurting men.

Like, physically hurting them.

If daddy issues weren’t enough, I heard that every time a guy looked at her the wrong way, she’d attack. She despised men-hated them with such a blinding passion that it nearly ruined her. Apparently at her previous school, she stabbed a pencil into some guy's arm because he accidentally brushed his hand across her ass.

Good thing there were no men at St. Catherine’s.

Then standing next to her was Verity Bell. Tall like Annalise, her ivory skin and fiery hair glistened under the sun rays that cast over her like an aureole. Like me, she suffered from an addiction. Hers was in the form of pills, though.

Far worse than mine.

As I continue to watch them gossip, Annalise lifts her eyes and catches me observing them. Her eyebrows lift in curiosity while Verity and Priscilla focus their stares on me as well. All three mouths raise in unison, their eerie smiles directed toward me as if they're beckoning me to come to them.

All three were captivating… If I were any other girl, I’d undoubtedly fall for their allure. But why me? What could they want from someone like me?

Swallowing the large lump in my throat, I quickly march in the opposite direction of them, hoping I’ll make it in enough time before the library closes.

With minutes to spare, I manage to snag a few books off the shelves and quickly check out before closing time. With the stack of books shoved against my chest, I saunter down the hallway until my door comes into view. I pull out my room key. Juggling the books and my weighed down satchel, I somehow manage to get my door opened and quickly drop the books onto my bed. The rooms at St. Catherine’s were small, just enough room for a bed, a dresser and few other necessities. The size never bothered me. As long as I had a room to myself, I was good.

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