"Itās just one article," Ivy argued. "Itās still not enough to draw Elsieās supporters to our side. Elsie Lancaster will marry one of the cardinal alphas after graduation. That alone is enough to keep people loyal to her, bitch or not." She made it clear to Violet.
"A shift is a shift," Lila countered. "People are beginning to see Elsie for who she is, and thatās a good thing. A little drop makes an ocean. Not to mention, graduation is months away. So many things could happen in that span of time."
Everyone caught the implication in Lilaās words, and their faces reflected varying degrees of shock. Violet didnāt let herself get carried away, she quickly schooled her expression.
She wasnāt trying to knock Elsie off her pedestal so she could take her placeā Moon Goddess forbid she accept such a twisted fate, even if Elijah himself, in a world of impossibility, agreed.
She wasnāt a prize to be fought over by the cardinal alphas. No, this wasnāt about status or recognition. This was about justice. About taking down a tyrant. The alphas included.
"As much as I need the studentsā support to rise up against the injustice humans especially face in this school," Violet began, her tone steely, "my plan doesnāt depend on their backing."
At once, all three girls perked up, eyes alert, hearts racing. They knew that look in Violetās eyes.
"Parents Week is happening this week. Itās the perfect opportunity to strike."
"Whatās your plan?" Daisy asked, her sharp mind already spinning through the possibilities, prepared to dissect, analyze, and fine-tune whatever Violet had in store.
"Micah and I were talking, and he might have hinted that Elsie is harboring a dirty secret."
"What secret? Does he know the secret?" Lila asked quickly.
Violet blinked, the realization hitting her. "I... I donāt know. It didnāt cross my mind. But from the way he spoke, if he does know, he probably expects me to find it out myself."
"Or it might be a ruse," Ivy interjected. "You werenāt exactly in the best state of mind yesterday. He might have said that to comfort you."
Violet frowned as the doubt crept in. No, it couldnāt be. She remembered the look in Micahās eyesāhow deeply he had meant it. Micah wouldnāt lie to her. But then if she could remember clearly, he was half-demon and they were tricksters by nature.
Still, Violet shook her head. "No. I think heās telling the truth." Her voice was sure now. "And now that I think about it, Elsieās record is too clean for someone with such nasty behavior. She has to have a weakness."
"Even if she does," Daisy said slowly, "this is Tuesday. We donāt have much time to dig into anything, let alone expose it. Iām all for your plan, Violet, but this might not be it."
"I thought about that,"Violet replied, locking eyes with each of them. "Which is why weāre going to bug her room and spy on her."
"Oh, come on!"
"Thatās invasion of privacy!"
Daisy and Lilaās protests overlapped, both of them clearly uncomfortable with the plan.
But Violet didnāt flinch. Her voice hardened as she stepped forward. "Elsie didnāt play fair! She didnāt care about my privacy when she leaked those videos! You heard the Oracle, she fought dirty. Iām not going to fight fairer. Iām going to fight dirtier."
"You donāt have to pull yourself down to Elsieās level," Daisy tried again, turning to Lila with a desperate look. "Please tell your princess sheās about to sully her royal prestige."
But Lila only shrugged, smiling wickedly. "The princessās decree is the law."
"Ugh!" Daisy groaned, curling her fingers like claws, as if she were imagining wringing Lilaās neck in frustration.
Gods help her. How had she ended up with this bunch of chaos incarnate? She pressed her fingers against her temples, already feeling the headache brewing.
"Fine," she muttered, exhaling deeply. "But how do you even get a recording device? Jamesonās locked down the school. No one leaves or enters without her permission, unless youāre a wolf or an elite." She rolled her eyes at the injustice. "Even if you could leave, what would your excuse be? And even then, there are too many eyes on us. Weāre rogues. They expect us to cause trouble. Theyād search us, and if they find a device? Weāre screwed."
"We donāt need to go through all that," Violet said with a sly smile. "Natalie will help."
"Have you lost your damn mind?!" Ivy and Daisy exploded in unison.
"Natalie is an elite!" Daisy snapped.
"Sheās practically Elsieās ally! Why would she betray her?"
Violet calmly lifted her phone and opened the comment section under the Oracleās latest article. There it was:
NatalieAvax
:
Oracle servinā it pipin hot āš„š„š„
Ivy and Daisy blinked at the screen.
"That doesnāt prove anything,"Ivy protested. "She couldāve just liked the post."
Violet smiled knowingly. "You might not notice the little things, Ivy, but I do. Also, you said it yourself, Natalie and Elsie are allies, not friends. And allies shift with the tide. Iāve studied Natalie and she different from the others. No one hates Elsieās ass more than she does, but she just hides it well because sheās elite. Elites supposedly has to support Elites, well, Elsie to be precise."
"But she doesnāt have to do much in this case," Violet continued. "All I need is a recording device. Her familyās a tech giant, so getting one would be like breathing. Thatās why I need her." She finished, letting her words sink in.
Daisy dragged a hand down her face. "I donāt know, Violet. This is one hell of a crazy and risky plan. We havenāt even thought about the fallout especially not after what weāre planning to unleash during Parents Week. Jameson would skin us alive if she finds out itās our doing."
"That is if she finds out." Lila said with a conspiratory smile. The Fae probably had a lot of tricks up her sleeve.
Violet placed a hand on her shoulder. "Fear not, friend. They branded us rogues. Letās show them these rogues are not to be messed with. "