Biting down hard on her tongue, Ariana pushed her toes into her borrowed red sandals and gathered up the other garments Briana Leigh
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had chosen for her. As she placed them down on the counter, the older woman behind the cash register raised her glasses to her eyes.
"You've chosen some lovely things," she said to Ariana with a smile.
Right. If you want to walk around looking like a carnival nightmare, Ariana thought.
"I know," Briana Leigh replied haughtily.
Ariana smiled her thanks and reached for her purse. There was nothing inside but a lip balm and some other cosmetics.
"Oh my God. I'm such an idiot," she said, pretending to root through her bag.
"What?" Briana Leigh asked as the saleswoman paused in her ringing up.
"I must have locked my wallet in with the other things," Ariana said. "I thought this bag felt light."
Briana Leigh stared at Ariana, her eyes blank and hard. For a moment, Ariana felt the slightest twinge of fear.
"What kind of moron goes shopping without her wallet?" Briana Leigh asked, leaning her hand on the counter.
Ariana swallowed hard. This was not good. The girl was going to drag her back to the car to get her wallet. Ariana was going to have to use that credit card she'd swiped and just hope the old woman had yet to realize it was missing. Hope that she had enough credit to pay for hundreds of dollars' worth of hideous clothing.
"I'm sorry," Ariana said, glancing in embarrassment at the sales clerk. "I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I'll go change back."
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She started to turn, but Briana Leigh's hand gripped her forearm. "Stop. You're not going anywhere."
Her back to Briana Leigh, Ariana closed her eyes and said a quick prayer. That the girl hadn't figured out that Ariana was freeloading. That she wasn't about to snap. That she wasn't going to kill Ariana too, the first chance she got. When Ariana turned around again, Briana Leigh was reaching into her own purse and pulling out her wallet.
"I've got this."
She slapped her American Express Black down on the counter and pushed it over with her fingertips.
Ariana flooded with relief. "Briana Leigh, you don't have to do that."
"Whatever," Briana Leigh said, brushing her off. "It's either this or I keep walking around with you in last year's collections. Talk about embarrassing."
Ariana controlled her humiliated blush and glanced back toward the dressing rooms, where a floor clerk was just removing the Calvin Klein from the hook where she'd left it.
Soon, she told herself, narrowing her eyes at Briana Leigh. Soon you'll be free to do whatever you want.
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OVER
Ariana awoke early Thursday morning to the sound of a screaming wail and for a split second fully believed she was back in her cell at the Brenda T. She clutched the silky covers to her chest for a good long moment, waiting for her breath to return to normal. For her to realize that she was awake, alive, and still in Texas. Slowly, her mind focused on the noise. On the actual screaming, crying words."You have these people going through my things?" Briana Leigh wailed. "How could you?"
There was a response, but it was calm and even and at a much lower volume. Ariana jumped out of bed, grabbed a flowered silk robe from the closet, and slipped it on as she raced out of her room. In the hallway the commotion was much louder, and Ariana realized that Briana Leigh and her tormentor were standing in the great room downstairs. She paused at the end of the hallway where it opened up like a loft o
ver the cavernous room below, and peeked around the corner.
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The calm voice belonged to Grandma Covington. Ariana hadn't seen her in a couple of days--she'd been holed up in the guesthouse, nursing a cold. But she appeared to be better now. Sitting up in her wheelchair, Grandma C. was the picture of strength. She glared up at Briana Leigh with smoldering fury, as if she was facing off with the devil herself.