The silence that followed Alex's words was the calm before the stench of a trap that had been years in the making. I felt my lungs constrict, the expensive cedar-scented air of the guest house suddenly feeling as thin and toxic as the smog of the Outer District.
"Don't let them see you sweat, Waverly. They're sharks. They smell the blood in the water. You have to be stone." Pia tried to hide the vibration in her voice and encouraged me.
I tried. I clamped my jaw shut and stared at Alex, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a flinch. "I don't know what you're talking about, Alex. You've always had a vivid imagination when it came to making my life miserable, but this is a new low, even for you."
Imogen leaned forward with a wicked glint in her eyes that made her look older. "Oh, don't be like that, darling. We're all family here. No more secrets. Alex, show her. Show her the 'souvenir' we found."
