“No idea. But I thought I’d take the opportunity to rattle his cage a little.”

“You’re gonna blow the door right off his cage looking like that,” Anna declared.

Lily dug around in her footlocker and emerged with a flat metal box that Sherri recognized as a high-end makeup palette. “Would this help?”

Sherri didn’t quite dive on the makeup, but she came close. “Ohmigod, Lily. You’re a lifesaver. Where did you get that?”

“What’s a little contraband between friends?” Lily murmured, flashing her dimples in a mischievous smile.

Since when was Miss Prim and Proper willing to smuggle anything? Would wonders never cease? Maybe Lily wasn’t quite as, well, pure as she came across.

Anna held a hand mirror, and Lily held a flashlight on her as Sherri did her makeup with quick efficiency. She gave herself a smoky eye that wasn’t too dark for her fair coloring and used liquid eyeliner to give her eyes an exotic cat slant. Thankfully, her skin didn’t need much coverage to be smooth and even. She added a bit of blush, a glow powder, and a rose-gold lipstick that didn’t draw attention away from her dramatic eyes.

It was a look worthy of a pageant. Now she felt fully weaponized.

“Umm. Just wow,” Lily murmured. “I knew you were pretty, but I had no idea you cleaned up like that.”

Anna also was hushed, maybe a bit awed. “How come you’re not a model or an actress?”

Sherri shrugged. “I’ve been offered both. But I want to be more than a pretty face. I want to do something important with my life.”

Still eyeing her, Anna and Lily both nodded in mild understanding.

“All right. Get out of here,” Anna told Sherri, breaking the spell. “Captain Hottie Pants is waiting for you.”

Lily called after her as she hurried out the door. “We want a full report when you get back. All the juicy deets!”

As if.

“Don’t wait up!” Sherri called back over her shoulder.

When she stepped into the mess hall, she was startled to see it deserted except for Griffin. Alarm coursed through her. “What is this?” she asked. “The ‘Thanks for playing but you don’t have what it takes’ speech?”

For his part, he stared at her as if he’d seen a ghost. His jaw actually hung open a little.

Yes. Score! For once, she relished the effect her looks had on a man. “You okay there, Sparky?”

“Umm. Yes. Fine.” He seemed to shake himself. “Get some food.”

Griffin was wearing a black Reapers T-shirt tonight, and it hugged his body like skin. He, too, had pulled out the big guns for this little rendezvous of theirs.