There was a knock at the door. “Shit,” he said. He looked me over quickly before catching his own eye in the mirror. He ran a hand through his hair and then went to open the door. It was Dominique, in a pretty brown dress I’d never seen her wear before.

“Oh,” she said, seeing me there. I’m sure we were both thinking the same thing.

“I forgot to leave Olivia a note about rota,” Luke said. He smiled down at me the way he might at a small dog. “No need to go back to the garden, just take some extra free time now.” Dominique nodded, casting her eyes around the room, as if searching for clues. Whatever she saw, or did not see, it was enough. She stepped through the doorway, and we changed places. Over her shoulder, Luke winked at me, but as soon as I had crossed the threshold, I heard the door lock.

I walked back to the empty garden. I had the urge to throw myself against the looming electric fence, to climb it and hang on while the shocks ran through my body. I imagined myself held aloft by its power, my body frozen, limbs akimbo, like one of those cartoon cats who’ve stuffed their fingers into sockets, my skeleton lighting up and darkening over and over again. Then nothing about me would stay hidden. Then I would not be ignored. Then my outsides would be my insides, everything shot through with light, and everyone, everyone would see.

Then I reminded myself: that fence didn’t work. Serena had proved that much. Its power was no match for ours. Luke was wrong. I was not a peach.

8

I couldn’t go back to the dormitory. I was trembling, as if I really had become electrified. Everyone else would be in rota for another hour at least, and the empty lawn looked scalped, like a trap. I elected not to be caught, not yet. I started up the mountain, toward Serena. For this instinct, I have no explanation, except to say that I have always felt compelled to carry anything to its logical extreme. I’ve mentioned the thing with horses. More, more, more, sang my stupid little heart.