A macabre suggestion, not entirely out of reach sucked the words out of their mouths like fire consuming oxygen. Its weight lays on them. Even the hum of the light above seems to quiet to allow them to ponder. After all, what good is coming to Hawkwood except to think?

Tom does not want to be expelled from Hawkwood, and murder seems like a decent reason for expulsion. However, so does crossing Poppy, and he is already one step away from getting on The Divide's shit list. These trials can't go on, or he'll surely ruin his future. Maybe The Divide will drop them all if Poppy dies.

Hawkwood was always a reach for Jetta. She doesn't have parents who support her, she doesn't have anything other than music at which she excels, she has friends who could help her, but she would never be as successful as she could be after graduation. The secrets are important, but her future is at stake. How could she risk it?

Vieira wishes she was more confident. Otherwise, she would shout everyone down. This is a bad idea. Poppy hasn't gotten them killed yet, and a threat is an empty promise. Vieira doesn't need to go to school here. She could make it on her own. Yet, not even Tom seems to be on her side. The only way this goes down is sideways.

Felix has wanted to get rid of Poppy, albeit not in this regard, for a long time. She's painfully obnoxious, downright malicious, and at worst, cruel. She needs to be gone, and if she's six feet under then he'll have the pleasure of skipping her funeral. Poppy Prevost needs to go and she needs to go now.

A horrific feeling overcomes Roman. Their first thought is not to ask if it is ethical to kill Poppy. Instead, they wonder if it is ethical to let Poppy live. After all the pain she brings, the destruction she causes. She's taking a toll on everyone. Her death will bring relief. When Roman realizes they are falling for it, they begin to feel guilt.

Ellie wants to know if they will get away with it. Their fingerprints are all over the place unless The Divide wiped it down. She has questions, surely, but imagines they will be answered. Then, the horrific nature of the idea takes place. Murder. A suggestion so simple that the only pause she had was practicality, not morality.

It's not a want that Briar expresses when she says she wants Poppy out of her life, it's a need. Poppy was pleasant enough at first, but she has just taken over. She's like an invasive species. If Poppy doesn't go under, they will. Briar is nothing if not a survivor.

Luis checks the faces of those around him. He's always been a kind of go-with-the-flow guy, and this is where the flow has brought him. If everyone else is content to have Poppy dead, then so is he. It's a casual thought, like settling on pizza for dinner when you really wanted a burger. Then again, it's a bit more normal to eat pizza.

This is just like every book Ez has read, only now, he is the centrepiece. Poppy needs to be gone. She needs to be completely removed from their lives. His only question is how The Divide will react when surely they find out. If they cover their tracks well enough, The Divide won't be able to prove a thing.

Evelyn wants to stand. Poppy was always nice before the drugs. Murder is harsh, and Poppy may have been meaning once, but murder is a severe punishment. Evelyn only now considers how sheltered she is from the real world.

Kai doesn't like to get his hands dirty, which is why he suggested alcohol poisoning as the preferred method of removing Poppy from their lives. He knows who's on board, he can count them, just by looking at their faces.

Felix, Ez, and Briar are spearheading the charge along with him. Ellie and Luis, bless them, will follow through. Jetta, Tom, and Roman won't argue the point. Vieira won't say a word, whether she wants to or not. It's just Evelyn that needs convincing.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Evelyn asks. "I'm not so sure. I think..."

Evelyn raises a hand to her mouth, makes a gagging sound, and runs into the hall. Kai chases after her.

Felix and Ez share a look. Ez has seen the way Evelyn looks at Kai. He knows that if anyone will convince her, it's him.

"What about fingerprints?" Ellie asks, letting the planning overtake her.

"There are probably dozens of fingerprints in that house," Felix points out.

Roman wiggles their toes in their thick boots, "it's a common initiation practice on campus to get students to break into the house. I bet it's covered in at least two dozen fingerprints."

"We can just wipe down the absinthe bottle," Ez continues. "Place it in Poppy's hand to get her fingerprints all over it.

The first of Ellie's problems has an apparent solution. She doesn't like how easy it seems. Practically, and Ellie thinks about everything practically, it's feasible. It appears that way anyway.

"What reason would Poppy have for drinking alone in an abandoned house?" Briar asks.

"She's a rich white girl, the police will actually give a fuck about her," Jetta adds. She isn't sure this will work but doesn't want to come outright and say it. She isn't even sure how bad of an idea it is. Nobody will get between her and music.

"Nobody even knows that we know Poppy," Luis points out. "Nobody knows that we know each other, aside from a few connections in classes."

"The Divide would never let their secret come to light," Ez agrees. "We couldn't be caught. To even entertain the notion is absurd."

Tom looks around, "we're talking about murder, here."

"She'd be the one overdosing due to her own negligence," Ez shrugs.

Tom blinks, "murder."

"I could be lying in a ditch now, thanks to Poppy," Briar says. "I could be dead."

Vieira cannot possibly justify this. Tom's tone is too lighthearted in her opinion. There's almost a laugh to his voice. You cannot take back death. It is even less forgiving than watercolours. Even ink on a page you can crumple and throw away. No metaphor can explain it. Death is not art.

"So," Ez pauses. "Is it majority rules or do we need to be unanimous?"

In the hallway, Evelyn begins to catch her breath. Kai moves up in front of her, trapping her between the wall and the rest of the world. Evelyn doesn't mind. She cannot be mad at his soft face.

"I'm so sorry for embarrassing you in front of your friends," she manages.

Kai avoids smiling, though his lips crave the movement. This is going to be easier than he thought.

"No, I should be apologizing," he twirls a strand of her hair in his fingers. "I was too drunk that night. I should've stood up for you."

Evelyn glances around the hallway. There is no one around. It is three in the morning, after all.

"You know, you're quite beautiful Evelyn," he points out. "When I first met you, I couldn't even talk to you. I was too nervous."

Evelyn can only barely imagine Kai nervous. It makes her cheeks flush, "really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you," Kai lies. "I just... I'd like to go out to dinner with you, but I need to know you have my back."

"Dinner?" Evelyn asks. "I'd love dinner!"

"I don't want the others to know just yet, since I think Jetta's got a thing for me and I don't want to have everyone pick sides," Kai rests his hand on Evelyn's upper arm, feeling the material of her pink blouse. "You think you can do that?"

Evelyn bites her lip and nods. The two reach the room just as the vote is about to occur.

"You're back," Roman says. "We were asking if the vote should be unanimous or majority."

"Unanimous," Kai says. He's confident. "We'll go in a circle and I'll start. I'm in favour."

To Kai's right sits Luis, and he worries for a second that he will have to speak, unsure of his answer until he hears everyone else's, but instead Evelyn stands up.

"I say yes," she says, looking at Kai. She wants him to know that she has his back. She's done with the drugs Poppy gave her, and Poppy herself.

Next to Evelyn is Felix. He's confident, and before he speaks everyone knows his answer, "I agree."

Ellie thinks to herself for a second. She cannot let anyone know about the Adderall that she abuses. No one can know she likes women, and women alone. She's entangled in a blanket knitted with her own secrets. She feels sweaty, a terrible feeling, bad for one's pores. If Poppy knows even one of her secrets, and word gets out, she will never meet her parents' expectations. "I'm in favour."

"As am I," the anger has shed from Briar like a snake's skin. She is back to normal as if the attempted assault had never happened. Poppy needs to go down for not taking Briar to the hospital, for not bringing Briar to the police, for letting her offender run loose. If Ellie's got her back, then Briar is confident voting yes.

Jetta thinks about it for a second. She cannot lose her scholarship. She cannot let people know about her transition. Over the next four years of her life, she is sure to at least once cross Poppy. What then? "I'm in favour."

Roman wants to ask the others if they've thought about the long-term implications. Have they considered every possibility? Is this amoral? The discussion with a philosophy major could last for hours, if not life. Surely someone else will reject the idea. Roman doesn't want to make a room of killers their enemies. "I find myself in favour."

"I agree wholeheartedly," Ez nods his head. Poppy is insufferable. Soon, they will no longer have to suffer her.

Tom looks up. He too is thinking about everything he has to lose. He's already so close to expulsion. If Poppy says one thing in his disfavour, he's done for. "As do I."

Vieira looks at Luis. She knows it all comes down to her. Yet, she cannot find a voice in her throat. She grabs it for a second, warming the muscles, and swallows. "I agree."

"Well then," Luis looks at the others. "I guess it's time to come up with a plan."

~~~~~

This is early and short. I didn't have anything to add though. There's only so much time you can spend in a blank room before it becomes miserable. Well, I hope you've enjoyed this and that you will continue to enjoy it.

If anyone is significantly out of character let me know and I will rectify this chapter. Things only get deeper from here.