The Inheritances Game (Jameson Hawthorne)

A person stopped breathing when they were awestruck or terrified. When they were hiding and any sound could give them away. When the world around them was on fire, the air thick with smoke. 

Jameson and I scoured every single smoke detector in Hawthorne House, while Avery was forced to go to an event with Alicia. "You're smiling," I told him, disgruntled when the last one turned up nothing.

"I like a challenge." Jameson gave me a look that reminded me that I'd been a challenge for him. "And maybe I'm feeling nostalgic for Saturday mornings. Say what you will about our childhood, but it was never boring." 

"You're right," I replied, a hint of amusement in my voice. "Our childhoods may have been chaotic, but they were definitely never boring. I guess that's what made us who we are today."

Avery's Pov

Don't breathe. We didn't solve the clue that night. The next day was Monday. Oren cleared me to go to school so long as he stuck to my side. I could have called out sick and stayed home, but I didn't. My game had proven an effective distraction, but Toby was still in danger, and nothing could keep my mind off that for long. I went to school because I wanted the paparazzi—that my opponent had so kindly set on me like dogs—to take a picture of me with my head held high. I wanted the person who had taken Toby to realize that I wasn't down. I wanted him to make his next damn move. 

I spent my free mods in the Archive—prep school for library. I was almost done with the calculus homework I'd ignored over the long weekend when Rebecca came in. Oren allowed her past.

"You told Thea." Rebecca stalked toward me.

"Is that such a bad thing?" I asked—from a safe distance.

"She is relentless," Rebecca muttered. 

Proving the point, Thea appeared in the doorway behind her. "I was under the impression that you liked relentless." Only Thea could make that sound flirty in these circumstances. 

Rebecca grudgingly met her girlfriend's eyes. "I kind of do."

"Then you're going to love this part," Thea told her. "Because it's the part where you stop fighting this, stop fighting me, stop running away from this conversation, and let go."

"I'm fine, Thea."

"You're not," Thea told her achingly. "And you don't have to be, Bex. It's not your job to be fine anymore." Rebecca's breath hitched. I knew when my presence wasn't necessary. "I'm going to go," I said, and neither one of them even seemed to hear me. In the hallway, I was informed by an office aid that the headmaster's office was looking for me. The headmaster's office? I thought. Not the headmaster? 

On the way there, I made conversation with Oren. "Think someone tipped the school off about my knife?" I wondered how seriously private schools took their weapons policies when it came to students who were on the verge of inheriting billions. 

But when Oren and I got to the office, the secretary greeted me with a sunny smile. "Avery." She held out a package—not an envelope, but a box. My name was scripted on the top in familiar, elegant writing. "This was delivered for you."

Oren commandeered the package. It was hours before I got it back—and by the time I did, I was safely ensconced inside the walls of Hawthorne House, and Eve, Libby, Catalina, and all the Hawthorne brothers had joined me in the circular library. 

"No note this time," Oren reported. "Just this." I stared at what looked to be a jewelry box: square, a little bigger than my hand, possibly antique. The wood was a dark cherry color. A thin line of gold rimmed the edges. I went to open the lid, then realized the box was locked. "Combination lock." Oren nodded toward the front edge of the box, where there were six dials, grouped in pairs. "Added recently, I would guess. I was tempted to force it open, but given the circumstances, preserving the integrity of the jewelry box seemed like a priority."