Climbing a set of stairs, he stopped at a tufted bench in an alcove on the third floor. The administration had made little seating areas here and there for students to rest. This one abutted a giant floor-to-ceiling window that showcased the rolling hills, but right then, all Grey could see was inky blackness. He looked at his reflection in the glass, his nostrils flared, his jaw hard, eyes wild like a horse that had been spooked. Pushing a hand through his hair, he jumped up and took off again. He needed to calm himself, and he knew where to go to do it.

Jaya

Jaya was lost. The bathroom by the rooftop had a line, so she’d wandered deeper into the building, trying to find a more deserted one. Now she found herself by a large spiral staircase, and not yet ready to go back to the rooftop, she began descending it. Her brain kept turning over the way Grey had disappeared; something was going on with him. This secret he was keeping… What was it? And why did it seem to cause him so much pain?

On the heels of those questions came another thought: How could she break the heart of someone who was already in so much pain? Jaya felt an immediate rush of guilt at the thought. How could she even think of abandoning the plan? What mattered wasn’t Grey or his pain, but her sister and her family. She was a Rao. The Emersons were not her problem. But then… why did she feel so unsettled? Why were her instincts telling her to pause, to take stock?

Conflicted, Jaya followed the main corridor of the third floor. It turned left and then right and left again. Lovely. She’d have to find a directory map and work out where she was if she wanted to get back to the mixer.

Jaya was just considering turning around when something caught her eye. Up ahead in a small alcove, a tall figure sat on a bench. It was difficult to see who it was from there, but Jaya walked forward quickly along the carpet—and stopped short.

CHAPTER 9

Jaya

“Daphne Elizabeth?”

Daphne Elizabeth spun around, her green eyes wide. She was wearing a beautiful vintage-style dress that was aggressively ripped up (on purpose?), and her fists were bunched around the tulle of the skirt. “Oh.” She put a hand on her chest. “H-hey. Hey, Jaya. I thought you were…” She shook her head. “Never mind. What are you doing up here?”

“I was looking for a bathroom.” Jaya smiled. “What about you?”

“Hey, I saw you dancing with Grey,” Daphne Elizabeth said, but her cheeks were now a bright pink and she wouldn’t meet Jaya’s eye. “That’s a first for him.”