"You wanted her gone so you could take our dad," Nico spat, each word dripping with accusation. He shrugged his left shoulder as if the whole thing bored him, but his eyes were black with hate.
Their hatred carved into me, deeper than any wound.
As I struggled on the floor, desperately trying to brush the ants off my body, my skin burning, my dignity shattered, Lucia suddenly stepped closer.
Her expression softened. She tucked her hair behind her right ear and tilted her head, the picture of gentle concern.
"This is unfair, guys," she said, her tone almost sympathetic. "We can't just leave her like this."
For a moment… hope flickered.
"Let's help her," she added.
Relief flooded through me so suddenly it made me dizzy.
Finally… one of them. One of them still had a heart.
I lifted my trembling hand toward her, reaching out, desperate for even the smallest kindness.
"Psych!"
Her laughter exploded in my ears.
Before I could react, she shoved something into my hand.
A sharp, immediate sting followed.
Confusion flashed through me, then realization.
A beehive.