Atone Read online

  “Hey, Lizzie,” she says, her words coming out slow and full of suspicion.

  I don’t blame her for being wary. I have never been the least bit interested in getting to know her. Always by Fiona’s side, always laughing at her misery. My breath hitches a little, thinking about Fiona. I’d broken off our friendship the previous night via text message. It was a terrible way to end more than a decade of constant companionship, but Brother Earl said it was the only way. I have to distance myself, or Savanna will never trust me.

  “Can I sit with you guys?” I ask.

  I see her eyes flit toward the table where Fiona sits before focusing back on me. I flip my dark, curly hair over my shoulder and lean in close to her, whispering behind my hand despite the fact that I know they can all hear me anyway. Alts have enhanced hearing abilities.

  “These boys are fine,” I say dramatically. “Are any of them available?”

  Her eyes widen as she looks at each of the brothers. I follow her gaze. One has an arrogant smirk plastered on his face, the second is grinning ear to ear, and the third is staring at his book, a pink hue tingeing his cheeks. I have no idea how she even tells them apart. Maybe she doesn’t care.

  “Maybe you should ask them,” she whispers, holding up a hand to block her mouth.

  The grinning one coughs but it sounds like he’s covering a laugh. The reader’s head snaps up from his book, his expression slightly incredulous. I turn my head to look at the arrogant one when Savanna does. He is smiling, and it grows as she stares at him.

  “I’m Lizzie,” I offer, breaking the awkward silence.

  “Lizzie, meet Wyatt, Beckett, and Jett Patton,” Savanna says, pointing to each of them in turn.

  “They are so identical,” I reply, injecting as much enthusiasm as I can into my voice. “How can you even tell them apart?”

  “They might look alike, but they are each so different, so unique, I could never confuse one for the other.”

  The boys smile, so big and brilliant it almost blinds me. It’s obvious how they all feel about her and vice versa. I don’t know how I haven’t seen it before. Apparently, I haven’t been paying close enough attention.

  Gross. What a slut. How could she let one Alt touch her, much less three? She must really hate herself.

  I slide off the bench and stand beside the table. I have to get out of here before I lose control of my facial expressions and reveal my true feelings.

  “I have to bounce, but it was very nice to meet you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”

  I catch Savanna’s frown at the tone of my voice, which I’d intentionally made husky and suggestive. I can’t move too far, too fast with my fake offer of friendship. I have to keep her on her toes and keep my own eyes on the end game. I am in this for the long haul.

  As I leave the cafeteria, I catch sight of Fiona. She looks hopeful, her big eyes brimming with unshed tears. I stick my nose in the air and ignore her. I am surprised at how easy it’s been to let her go. Despite being best friends since kindergarten, we really aren’t that close. She has always treated me like a lapdog, and I’ve followed her around like one. It’s just the way it’s been.

  But no more. I am a woman on a mission. And I will not fail.

  Once I’m alone out in the hall, I pull out my phone and text Brother Earl.

  Step one complete. Olive branch extended, I type out before tapping on the arrow to send it through.

  The response comes back almost immediately.

  Excellent, my dear. Did she believe you?

  She’s wary, I type back, but I’ll win her over.

  I know you won’t disappoint me, Lizzie. Do not appear too eager. Leave them be for a few days.

  Yes, sir.

  I assume I’ll see you at church on Sunday?

  Yes, of course, I tap out, my fingers flying rapidly over the screen. I wouldn’t miss it.

  Good, my child. I am proud to claim you as a member of my flock and I see bright things in your future. Keep your eyes and ears open and report anything unusual involving my nephews and Savanna.

  Yes, sir. Thank you.

  He doesn’t text back, but that’s okay. I tuck my phone back into my purse and walk down the hall, my face still warm from Brother Earl’s compliments. I believe in him and in his teachings.

  And I’ll do whatever it takes to serve him and make him proud.

  Several days pass while I keep my distance from the Alts. I go to church with my family, and Brother Earl’s sermon sets fire to my blood and makes me more determined than ever to complete his mission successfully. These… creatures are not of God.

  They need to be dealt with. Locked away. Or placed in communities where only Alts live so they can’t hurt normal people with their persuasion and thirst for blood.

  After they are sterilized, of course.

  Alts cannot be allowed to have children. That is the main theme behind all of Brother Earl’s sermons. The offspring of these unnatural beings would be the downfall of the human race. That is the fundamental teaching of the Purist movement. It’s why I am doing what I’m doing.

  If Savanna James is the key to stopping the procreation of the Homo Altiorem species, then I will do my part to make it happen. Whatever it takes.

  It’s Monday, and I am in the midst of a group project when I spot Savanna heading toward her locker. Alone. Knowing it would be an excellent opportunity to bond with her, I walk up behind her.

  “Hey, girl.”

  Her locker door flies shut. The sound of it slamming echoes up and down the hall. She turns, her palm pressed against her chest like she’s trying to hold in her heart.

  She arches a brow. “Hey Lizzie. What’s up?”

  She looks suspicious, and rightfully so. I need to tread lightly. Make my friendliness as believable as possible while keeping my disgust hidden.

  “I’m supposed to be in U.S. History,” I say, throwing in an eye roll for good measure, “but Ms. Halibut sent a few of us out on a scavenger hunt to find these.”

  I hold out my hand, revealing a copper coin. Ms. Hallicutt, otherwise known as Ms. Halibut by most of us, loves a good scavenger hunt. She likes to hide Civil War relics all over campus and send kids out in pairs to follow the clues and find the treasure.

  “Hey, S-s-s-s-savanna.”

  Savanna groans, closing her eyes as Jonas Wiggins saunters up, a vicious grin on his face. He ties with Fiona as being one of Savanna’s chief tormentors since kindergarten. He’s going to ruin all my progress.

  “What are y-y-y-you d-d-d-d-doing out of class?” he says, mimicking Savanna’s stutter from elementary school.

  Maybe I can use this…

  “Knock it off, Jonas,” I say, making my voice sound angry, “or I’ll tell the whole school about the river incident.”

  With a red face, he huffs, “You wouldn’t.”

  I nod. “I would. Now go find the next coin.”

  He stares at me for a moment, his eyes hard, before turning on a heel and stomping away. We watch him go before I turn back to Savanna with a triumphant grin.

  “What happened at the river?” she asks, curiosity lighting her blue eyes.

  “I can’t tell you the details,” I say with a conspiratorial grin, “or I’ll lose my leverage over him. But let’s just say, it involved a strong current, a broken drawstring, and a less than impressive reveal.” I raise a pinky into the air.

  “Oh my God,” she says, flinching a little.

  “Anyway, I better get going, or else Ms. Halibut will give me detention. See ya later,” I say, sauntering off with a small wave.

  “Bye,” she responds, sounding unsure.

  Mission complete. She is obviously unbalanced by my new and improved attitude and that’s just where I need to keep her. In limbo.

  On to phase two.

  5

  Present day…

  The sky starts to lighten as I drive across the Connecticut state line. Nerves start jumping in my belly, but I tamp them down. W
hat I’m about to do…

  But there’s no turning back now. I have to do what I know is right, not what’s been drilled into me over the last few years by Brother Earl and my parents. My face screws into a grimace at the thought of my mom and dad.

  I can’t believe how far off the deep end they’ve gone. They’re like those crazy cultists you see on television, the ones who’d drink the Kool-Aid with gusto and lay down their lives if the man in charge said to do it.

  All in the name of God.

  This feeling of disgust is new to me. Until a few weeks ago, I’d followed Brother Earl just as zealously, doing anything to earn his favor.

  And when I say anything, I do mean anything.

  6

  Three months ago…

  Okay, this is it.

  I walk slowly across the cafeteria, my eyes trained on the Alts as they speak, keeping their heads close together. I’m nervous. My whole plan and Brother Earl’s belief in me depend on this conversation going the way I need it to.

  “Hey,” I say, sliding onto the bench seat next to one of the boys. Jett, I think.

  Savanna coughs, her face turning red. Grabbing her milk, she gulps it down.

  “You okay?” I ask, transforming my expression into what I hope is a look of friendly concern.

  She nods, waving a hand around. “I’m fine.” She pats her throat. “You just scared me and it went down the wrong pipe.”

  “Oh, sorry,” I say, offering her a smile. “I’ll give plenty of forewarning next time.”

  “Thanks,” she replies, her lips turning up but the expression looks more like a grimace than a smile.

  She isn’t any more comfortable accepting my overtures than I am giving them.

  “Lizzie,” the one next to me says, drawing my attention. Definitely Jett. I can tell by the arrogance pouring off of him. Once he has eye contact with me, he asks, “Why are you being so nice to Savanna?”

  I don’t move. My breathing becomes shallow.

  Oh, Lord! He’s using persuasion. Brother Earl was right. That injection of Savanna’s blood made me immune. Locked in on those silver eyes, I speak in hushed tones, making sure to keep my voice as calm as possible.

  “Because I am a nice person,” I say, my voice slightly monotone. “I don’t like the way Fiona has always treated her and I finally broke free of that bitch. I want to start over. I want to be friends.”

  “Forget I asked,” Jett orders, then breaks eye contact.

  “So, what are you guys doing Friday night?” I ask, making it seem as though I have no idea what Jett just did. “My parents will be out of town and I’m throwing a party. It’s going to be epic.”

  I hold my breath for a moment before I realize what I’m doing and let it out slowly. My parties are wildly popular and everyone wants an invite. I hope I can include Savanna and the Patton brothers in that “everyone.” My plan depends upon it.

  “Epic, huh?” one of them says, drawing my attention.

  I think it’s Wyatt. I’m pretty sure he’s the one that smiles all the time. His eyes are shining with excitement. He looks over at Savanna, obviously attempting to maintain a neutral expression, but failing.

  “What do you think, Savanna?” he asks, unable to keep the hope from his voice.

  She turns to look at the third one, question in her eyes. Has to be Beckett, the reader. He shrugs like he doesn’t really care one way or the other. She glances over at Jett, and I do, too. His face gives away nothing.

  “It’s up to you,” he says, keeping his eyes locked on Savanna.

  “Come on, Savanna. It’ll be so much fun,” I plead.

  “Okay. We’ll come,” she says.

  I clap my hands, a huge, cheesy smile on my face. “Great,” I say. “Give me your phone and I’ll text myself so we have each other’s numbers.”

  She digs through her bag for a moment before pulling out the device and handing it over to me. She looks nervous, like she isn’t sure if it’s actually a good idea or not.

  She has pretty good instincts.

  After a few taps of the screen, I hand the phone back across the table and pick up my own. My fingertips fly across the screen as I type out my address and hit send. Her text alert chimes and she looks down at the screen.

  I stand up and step away from the table, adjusting the hem of my skirt. “The party’s at nine. Catch you later,” I say, wiggling my fingers at her as I turn and walk away.

  I don’t turn back as I leave the room, but I’m sure if I did, I’d find them staring at me. I have a strong feeling they’re debating whether or not to actually show up at my party. I need them to show. The whole idea was cooked up by my parents and Brother Earl. They planned it, from start to finish, even buying booze and ordering a keg.

  I feel like I’m living in some sort of alternate universe. Whose parents buy them alcohol and demand that they throw a party for the sole purpose of setting someone up? All in the name of God?

  A twinge of guilt shoots through my chest. What they want me to do is…criminal.

  Thinking of Jett’s attempt to persuade me, I push away the guilt. These Alts need to be stopped. Sure, what Jett did was harmless, a simple quest for the truth. But the next Alt’s agenda might not be so innocent.

  We all have a part in God’s plan, and this is mine.

  I pull out my phone and send a text to Brother Earl before tucking it back into my purse.

  They fell for it. The plan’s a go.

  Even though only half the school day has passed, I feel the need to escape. I stop by my locker to grab the stuff I need for homework and stride to the front entrance of the school. I’d discovered long ago that if you look like you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, the staff don’t bother you. So I strut right out the door, head held high with confidence.

  My steps slow as I look over at my car. Or more specifically, the figure leaning against the driver’s side door. Letting out a sigh, I pick up the pace again.

  “What do you want, Fiona?” I ask, injecting as much impatience as I can muster into my tone.

  “Who are you?” she asks, stressing the second word to make the question rhetorical.

  “I’m Lizzie Williams,” I reply, opting to take her literally instead.

  “Cut the bullshit, Lizzie. We’ve been best friends since kindergarten and you think you’re gonna drop me,” she snaps her fingers, “just like that?”

  “Get out of my way, Fiona,” I say, twirling a finger at her. “I need to leave.”

  “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

  “Maybe I was just tired of being your little lapdog, following you around everywhere and hanging onto your every word.”

  “I never thought of you like that,” she whispers, her voice cracking with emotion. “You were the only real friend I ever had.”

  The ice around my heart melts a little. Maybe I’ve been wrong about her. Maybe she really is so self-absorbed that she doesn’t realize how our relationship has always looked to everyone else. I uncross my arms and let them hang loosely at my sides.

  “I just want things to go back to the way they were,” she says.

  “No,” I reply. “Things can never go back.” I soften my voice before continuing, “I had to end our friendship for a reason, Fiona.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just get in,” I say, motioning for her to go around to the passenger’s side, “and I’ll tell you everything.”

  I start talking as we pull out onto the road, telling her about Brother Earl and the church, his preaching against the Alts and the course of action he’d set me on. Fiona sits in stunned silence, never interrupting, which is completely out of character for her. She has always felt the need to be the center of attention, cutting people off to inject her own opinions or anecdotes.

  “What are you thinking?” I ask after a few beats of silence.

  “I’m in,” she says.

  “What?”

  “I said, I’m in. I want
you to take me to your church. I want to be a Purist, too. I’m in, one hundred percent.”

  “I don’t know, Fiona,” I start, unsure how to respond.

  “Please, Lizzie. I need this.” She looks at me for a moment, then whispers, “And I want the blood. I want to be immune to those bastards’ persuasion, too.”

  “I’ll talk to Brother Earl,” I offer, my voice low. “But if he agrees,” I add, making my tone as firm as possible, “no one can know.”

  “Okay.”

  “I mean it, Fiona. You have to pretend to be persuaded any time they try.”

  “I can do that,” she promises.

  “If Brother Earl does agree to give you the blood, it’ll break any persuasion that’s already been used on you, as well. You’ll remember things, but you have to pretend like you don’t. You can’t let anything slip.”

  “You think they’ve used it on me already?”

  I nod, keeping my eyes on the road. “I know they have. They persuaded us both to be nice to Savanna their first week here. I remembered it after Brother Earl gave me the injection.”

  “Those assholes,” she mutters.

  “They’re a blight on humanity. All Alts are, and it’s our destiny to help eliminate their hold over us.”

  She nods and I look over at her face. Her expression is one I’ve never seen before, a mix of awe, respect and adoration. From this moment on, things will be different.

  Very different.

  7

  Three months ago…

  I’m a nervous wreck. My party is in full swing and the Alts haven’t shown up yet. I keep checking the windows, watching for that big black truck they drive to pull up in front of my house.

  I pour a beer from the keg my parents bought, hoping the alcohol will calm my nerves. Getting Savanna and those boys to this party is my first big assignment. I can’t blow it.

  The roar of an engine draws me back to the window and my nerves quadruple as I watch the four of them climb down from the truck. I take a deep breath and release it slowly, letting the tension drain out of me.