Free Destined by Lanie Bross Page B

Ava. She’d learned everything she could about the girl—her habits, her friends, her dreams.
    And the people she kept close.
    Corinthe watched as Ava’s boyfriend, Nate Halley, walked up to her and wound his arm around her waist. He looked like a giant standing next to her; he was a whole foot tallerand was wearing a blue barracuda jacket with red flannel lining. Pulling Ava away from her friends, he called something over his shoulder with a wide, loopy smile on his face.
    “Grow up, Nate!” the girl in the pink dress yelled back.
    Ava shook her head and swatted his arm away. She looked upset.
    Corinthe snaked through the crowd and headed toward the patio. The property was huge. It belonged to Ava’s good friend, Jared Evans, a senior at Franklin High whose family owned as many tech companies as houses. It was a half-hour drive from the city, and during lunch Corinthe had overheard Robbie Annenburg, a junior on the wrestling team, mention that no one was planning to head back home tonight. “Everyone is gonna end up shitfaced on the free booze … plus, there’s like a million bedrooms to crash in.”
    Now Corinthe watched as Robbie scooped up a petite freshman and threw her over his shoulder. He was short, but Corinthe could tell he was muscular. “Someone dare me to do it!” he yelled as he moved closer to the pool.
    The girl giggled and shook her head, reaching behind to pull down the hem of her striped blue and white dress.
    “
I
dare you!” someone called from the patio.
    “One, two …” On the count of three Robbie jumped in, causing those nearby to dodge the splashing water. People laughed and cheered all around her, and Corinthe tried hard to blend in, which always proved difficult given her long blond hair and striking gray eyes. She bent her head down and kept moving. It was best not to be remembered.
    Walking up the three short steps to the patio, Corinthe crossed paths with Owen Miller. He had a kind face and wore black-framed glasses that were just large enough to seem out of place but not quite big enough to be hipster-cool. His dirty-blond hair brushed against his shirt collar. She knew exactly how it curled up in the back because she sat behind him in third period.
    She’d been watching him closely for several days, too. He was quiet and seemedactually to
like
being in school. He blogged about astronomy and grinned nervously when he was embarrassed. Corinthe felt a vague sense of kinship with him; she could tell he was someone accustomed to flying under the radar.
    Just like her.
    She’d read on his blog that Mercury was at its brightest tonight and that he planned to head down to the beach around midnight to view it. She reached into her pocket to check the time, but the emerald ring snagged on the fabric of her romper. She freed the gold setting from the thread, careful not to damage it.
    It had been easy enough to steal the ring from Kaitlin Nelson’s locker during PE yesterday. Corinthe had timed it perfectly, hanging back after everyone had left. When she’d broken into the locker for the emerald ring, she’d found another pleasant surprise: a strip of four photos, the kind taken in a photo booth at a fair, of Kaitlin and Nate kissing.
    This piece of evidence would make her job much easier tonight. Plus, she deserved a lucky break.
    She knew it was human to feel guilty for stealing, but she couldn’t worry about that. Fate restored the balance of the universe, and sometimes that meant her tasks required a blend of deceptions, a certain ruthlessness. It was all in the service of a greater good.
    Corinthe stepped onto the patio and pressed through the crowd toward Nate and Ava, who were deep in discussion. She leaned against a tall wooden railing by the bar, just a few feet away from them, then pulled out her phone and pretended to text someone. She watched as Ava fidgeted with her braid. Corinthe imagined the girl underwater, her hair fanning out around her face as she sank into the