Page 79 of Revelation (Private 8)
was music coming from inside. All
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the lights were on in the foyer and the parlor. Someone on the first floor had cracked a window,
and in addition to the music I could hear laughter. Laughter and talking and music.
The Billings Girls were having a party. I saw Portia and Shelby sweep through the foyer, dressed in
jewel-toned cocktail dresses and grasping flutes of champagne.
Just walk away, Reed. Don't do this to yourself.But I couldn't help it. I was drawn to Billings like a
junkie in need of a fix. I crunched through the untouched snow, ducked behind a tree, and peeked
around the trunk. From there I could see through the huge bay window in the parlor, and the
smaller windows in the foyer. And what I saw made me abysmally sad.
They were all there. All the Billings Girls. Everyone dressed to the nines. Fires blazed in both
fireplaces and a Christmas tree was decorated in reds and silvers in the corner of the parlor. As I
watched, Rose passed out presents from under the tree and a tuxedoed waiter offered a tray of
hors d'oeuvres. Everyone looked so happy. So peaceful. So warm. And here I was, staring in from
the cold, my shoes filled with rapidly melting snow and tears threatening to turn my lashes into
icicles.
Memories of the holiday party Cheyenne had thrown last year flooded my mind. That was the first
night I had gotten to know her good side. The first night I had really felt connected to all the
Billings Girls, not just Noelle, Ariana, and Kiran. Taylor, of course, had left for home by then. But
this used to be my life. This revelry, this decadence, this warmth. It should have still been my life.
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Suddenly, two girls stepped in front of the parlor window and sat in the wide window seat, their
backs to me. My already cold heart instantly froze over. There was a brunette and a blond. The
dark hair and the light. The black dress and the blue. Noelle and Ariana. What was she doing here?
Why would they--
No. I closed my eyes and shook my head against the blood rushing through my ears. It couldn't be
Ariana. Of course it couldn't.
I opened my eyes again and the girl turned to the side to speak to Noelle. My heart started beating
again. It wasn't Ariana after all. It was Amberly Carmichael.
