Soomie returned to her work, and Maria sighed. “Let’s talk about something else. How was your date?”
“It was incredible,” Lexa said, giddily looking to Ariana for confirmation. All Ariana could muster was a tight smile. “I thought it was going to be tense, but I had a great time.”
“Yeah,” Ariana said. “Me too.”
“Ow! Sonofa—Shit!” Soomie cursed through clenched teeth.
Ariana looked up. There was blood everywhere. Soomie held her wrist tightly, a serious slice right across her palm. She’d dropped the X-Acto knife on the floor, and her meticulous blueprints were now spotted with blood.
“Omigod! Soomie! What did you do?” Maria demanded.
She looked around wildly and grabbed a clean T-shirt out of Soomie’s laundry basket, where perfect stacks of folded clothes waited to be put away in the closet. Maria felt to her knees and wrapped the T-shirt around Soomie’s hand. It was soaked through almost instantly.
“We have to get her to the infirmary,” Ariana said as Maria helped a shaky Soomie to her feet.
“No!” Lexa blurted. She dropped the heavy frame on the floor, where it cracked into three pieces.
“What?” Maria and Ariana said in unison.
For the first time, Ariana got a look at Lexa. She clutched her hair at her temples with both hands, knotting up her brown tresses into two little rats’ nests. Her eyes were like tiny pinpricks as she stared at the bloodstained floor. Her skin was as pale and translucent as white gauze.
“Lex, it’s okay,” Soomie said weakly. “It’s just a little blood.”
“Come on, Lexa. Why don’t you sit down,” Ariana said, hoping against hope the girl would listen to her.
“No!” Lexa screamed “No no no no no!”
She turned around and ran. Ariana took one look at Maria—who supported Soomie around the waist, and Soomie, who was bent over and looking faint—then took off after Lexa.
This is not happening, Ariana told herself, rushing for the doorway as the tail of Lexa’s red coat disappeared around it. This is not happening. It’s all a bad dream, and any second I’ll wake up safe and happy in my bed.
“I have to get out of here!” Lexa shouted, tearing down the north hallway and pounding on the doors and walls as she went, like a wild woman. “I have to get out of here! I have to get out of here!”
“Lexa, stop!” Ariana shouted. She grabbed Lexa’s arm, and Lexa whirled around, slapping Ariana dead across the face. Her eye exploded in pain, as if it was being ripped from its socket. Ariana’s knees hit the floor as she held her shaking hand to her face. But still Lexa kept running
“What the hell is going on?” Tahira demanded, opening the door of her room. The moment she saw Ariana on the ground she stooped to help her up. “Ana! Are you okay?” Tahira’s roommate, Allison Rothaus, stepped tentatively into the doorway in pajama pants and a tank.
“Lexa has completely lost it,” Maria said, helping Soomie into the hall.
“Oh my God! What happened to you?” Allison asked Soomie.
“I have to get out of here!” Lexa screamed before anyone could answer. “I have to get out of here!”
Ariana couldn’t have agreed more. She had to get Lexa out of there before she said something, anything that might incriminate either of them.
Down in the lounge, Lexa started to pound on the plate-glass windows with both fists. A large pane rattled angrily as the reflections in its surface bent and contorted.
“Shit,” Tahira blurted. “If she breaks one of those windows . . .”
Ariana, Tahira, and Allison raced to the lounge, where Tahira made a move for Lexa’s arms.
“I wouldn’t do that if you want to keep all your teeth,” Ariana said, which made Allison freeze in her tracks.
“Don’t worry,” Tahira told her, holding out one hand flat. “I got this.”
She took Lexa’s right arm from behind, then ducked when Lexa whirled around. With the deftness of a karate black belt, Tahira grabbed Lexa’s left arm as well and held her two arms clasped together at the wrist.
“It’s okay, Lexa. It’s just me,” Tahira said in a loud but soothing voice.