Trinity pov
In the car Avery and Jameson were talking in low, hushed voices.
"If you're going to say something, you might as well say it out loud, I'll figure it out eventually"
"This is Jameson's letter : Better the devil you know than the one you don't—or is it? Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. All that glitters is not gold. Nothing is certain but death and taxes. There but for the grace of God I go. Don't judge.
—Tobias Tattersall Hawthorne. Any idea what it means?" Avery fills me in.
"Simple. Don't judge a book by its cover."
"Dynamite, this isn't your puzzle." Jameson's words are sharp, and it hurts.
I blink twice, to stop the tears that are quickly piercing them, and pull out my AirPods. I only put one in, so I can hear what they are saying.
"...maybe she's right, it's an idea"
"Fine, we'll try it".
A song comes on: Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Granddad and I used to listen to this all the time. I turn towards the window, so they won't see the tears. Thank god for waterproof mascara. Something else come to mind and I pull out my phone, going into messages
🙄 Thea
Avery's coming 2 school today
Okay, and...
DON'T bring Emily up
I promise I will
Thea, I'm serious
Since when do I listen to you?
You are impossible
Love you too!
(End chat)
I sigh. This is not going to go over well. Before I know it, however, we're in front of Country Day. Jameson has disappeared, and Avery looked like she was about to faint.
"Avery, let's go."
She swallows "Okay."
That's it. One word. So I plaster on the most genuine fake smile I can manage, and get out of the car. She follows. Everyone is not-staring and I can sense Avery notices it too. Oh god.
"Trinity!" Thea exclaims, her long black hair swinging wildly as she beckons us towards her.
"Thea." I return the greeting, only not as enthusiastically.
"Aww, come on, don't you have a warmer welcome for your cousin?" Thea questions with mock pain.
"Second cousin." I gently correct, well as gently as I can manage in the moment, which I'm sensing isn't enough, considering Thea's face.
Thea turns to Avery, "You must be Avery" not a question. "Let me show you to the office."
"I'll come with you two, because I have advanced physics theory and that's near the office." I lied. I don't have advanced physics theory today, and Thea knows it. Even if I did, it's nowhere near the office.
Avery pov
"The headmaster is Dr. McGowan. She's got a PhD from Princeton. She'll keep you in her office for at least a half hour, talking about opportunities and traditions. If she offers you coffee, take it—her own personal roast, to die for."
Thea seemed well aware of the fact that we were both getting plenty of stares now. She also seemed to be enjoying it.
"When Dr. Mac gives you your schedule, make sure you have time for lunch every day. Country Day uses what they call modular scheduling, which means we operate on a six-day cycle, even though we only have school five days a week. Classes meet anywhere from three to five times a cycle, so if you're not careful, you can end up in class straight through lunch on A day and B day but have practically no classes on C or F."
YOU ARE READING
The Glass Ballerina Who Danced On Knives
Fanfiction"Which one is she?" I ask as Trinity leaps gracefully through the air, ornamental knives strapped to her feet. "The Glass Ballerina or the Knife?" Nash cracks a smile. "Both of 'em and neither. Shes the glass ballerina, the knife, the player, and t...
