Sacrifices Read Online Free Page A

counter. As she walked back into the Refectory (looking for her assigned seat, they all had assigned seats now, too) she saw the doors open again.
    They’re supposed to be locked by now, unless … Oh.
    Muirin came sauntering in, looking like she was doing them all a favor by gracing them with her presence. Spirit stared. Muirin was wearing a black vinyl jacket over a hot pink mesh t-shirt, and a denim miniskirt with black fishnet stockings and black knee-high boots. Nothing could be further from the Oakhurst Dress Code. She’d even gone back to dyeing her hair a couple of weeks ago. Muirin had flaming red hair most girls Spirit knew would kill for. It was short (because it had been blue when she’d gotten here, and Oakhurst made her cut it) and now it was streaked with black.
    “See what you can get if you play by the rules? Fewer rules!” Muirin sang, walking over to Spirit and striking a pose right in front of her. Her mouth was twisted in a mocking sneer, and it was pretty hard to miss the fact that she was wearing green lipstick and more eye shadow than the Oakhurst Code would ever have allowed. Anybody would think she and Spirit were enemies. It was a great act. At least, Spirit hoped it was an act.
    Except for a few brief meetings, when Muirin passed on some piece of Breakthrough gossip, or a warning about a new school policy, Spirit had seen little of Muirin since the February dance. Addie and Muirin had been friends before Spirit came to Oakhurst, and Muirin was avoiding her too. Or … not “avoiding” so much as spending all her time with her new best friends—all of whom happened to be important Breakthrough people.
    Muirin said she was spying on Breakthrough to protect them. Spirit hoped that was the truth.
    “Hi, Muirin,” she said unenthusiastically. “I didn’t think—” I didn’t think you’d be here at all.
    “Demerits are a thing of the past!” Muirin singsonged tauntingly. She blew Spirit a theatrical air-kiss and turned away, walking with an exaggerated hip-swing. Ovcharenko had come in while Spirit was in the kitchen, and Muirin made a beeline for him.
    “That’s because none of us is going to live to graduate,” Loch said quietly from behind Spirit. Spirit did her best not to yelp. Loch’s main Gift was Shadewalking—it wasn’t invisibility, exactly, but it was close. He brushed against her as he passed, and Spirit felt a tug at her pocket. Loch had just passed her a note. It must be about the meeting tonight. She’d see what it said later. When it was safe.
    They’d all done their best to pretend they didn’t want to know each other anymore. She didn’t know who Addie was hanging out with these days—if anyone—but Loch’s new “friends” were a bunch of boys Lachlan Spears might have known back in the real world; he hung with some of the ultrarich trust-fund kids. Spirit didn’t really hang with anyone, and acted shy and intimidated. It was an act—like Loch’s, like Burke’s, like (she hoped) Muirin’s. They were all acting these days.
    As she sat down at her table, she saw Muirin giving Ovcharenko some serious face time. Ugh. He’s almost old enough to be her father. That’s just creepy. That was another thing Spirit hated about the way things were now. When Breakthrough had showed up here, Ovcharenko had started making a big play for Muirin, even though he was years older than she was. At first Muirin had discouraged him—but that was a thing of the past now. She didn’t know how Muirin could stand it.
    Of course, consider the alternative, she thought, as she picked up her fork.

 
    TWO
    “Hail, hail, most of the gang’s all here,” Loch said quietly as Spirit entered.
    The backstage area of the school theater smelled of dust and paint. Scenery for plays that hadn’t been performed since Spirit had been here (and now probably never would be) was stacked against the walls. A couple of flashlights standing on end in the middle of the floor gave the only