“What is this?” she snapped, the polished softness gone from her tone. “This is inappropriate. Marcus wasn’t thinking straight. He—”

“Oh, he was very clear,” a new voice said.

Richard had not spoken.

I stepped out from behind the sliding shelves and walked into the library.

The Girl They Tried to Erase

It is a strange feeling, walking into a room full of people who believe they will never see you again.

For a moment, silence crashed down so hard it buzzed in my ears. A few people gasped. Someone’s pen dropped and rolled across the table.

Vanessa’s face lost all its color. She didn’t scream. She just made a small, strangled sound and gripped the edge of her chair.

Colby stood so fast his chair tipped backward and hit the floor. He stared at me like I was something that had crawled out of his worst dream.

“This isn’t real,” he said, his voice breaking. “This is some kind of trick. Marcus is gone. We saw—”

“What you saw,” I cut in, “was exactly what you planned for everyone else to see. A man who had been pushed just far enough that his body finally gave out.”

I stepped closer.