Inheritance by Malinda Lo

she looked uncertain, not badass. And maybe messy: Loose strands of dark brown hair were escaping from the ponytail she had tucked through the back of the baseball cap.
    “Sometimes,” Madison said. “It’s not a bad look for you. Just wear your hair down and put on a nice bra. David will like it.”
    “A nice bra? Are you going to make me go shopping for that too?”
    “I’m not going,” Julian declared.
    “Don’t freak out, Julian. You’re on your own for that, Reese. I don’t have time. After I drop you guys off, I have to go babysit at the Chens’.”
    Reese sat down to put her sneakers back on. “I’m going to get the boots.”
    “Nice,” Julian said, and when she looked over at him she saw a tiny smile cross his face. The sight of it loosened a bit of the tension inside her, though she still felt as if there was something off between them.
    Madison leaned against the wall by the mirror, crossing her arms. “Don’t tell Bri I said anything, okay? I don’t know if she wanted you to know.”
    “Sure, I won’t tell her,” Reese said.
    “She’s dating that girl Sara now anyway and it probably doesn’t matter, but—just don’t tell her I told you.”
    “Yeah. I won’t.” Reese picked up the boots to head to the cash register. She wondered if she should have come out to Madison. But what would be the point of that? Amber was the only girl she had ever been attracted to. Reese didn’t think there would be another.
    Just as the store clerk handed Reese her purchase along with a fistful of change, Madison decided to buy a pair of earrings from a rack marked 50 percent off. “I’m going outside for a cigarette,” Julian said as Madison got in line to pay.
    “Do you care if I go with him?” Reese asked Madison.
    She shook her head. “Go ahead. I’ll be done in five minutes.”
    Reese put on her sunglasses and picked up her bags to follow Julian outside. He walked to the edge of the sidewalk and leaned against a parking meter as he lit up. She was about to ask him about the weirdness she had sensed between them when she saw a black town car pull into the loading zone a few feet away. The rear window rolled down to reveal a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair who was looking directly at her.
    “Miss Holloway?” the woman called.
    “Who’s that?” Julian asked.
    “I have no idea,” Reese said, startled.
    “Miss Holloway, do you have a moment?” the woman asked.
    Reese glanced at Julian. “I’ll be right back.” He nodded and she walked over to the car. The woman was wearing a dark blue suit and looked altogether ordinary—except that she was in a shiny black town car with tinted windows, and she knew Reese’s name.
    “I have a message for you,” she said.
    “Who are you?” Reese asked, not moving any closer to the car.
    “I work for Charles Lovick,” the woman said. “He would like to invite you and David Li to meet with him Friday evening at six o’clock, if you’re interested in learning more about the Imria and what they did to you.” The woman extended a business card out the window, held between two manicured fingers with nails painted the color of pearls.
    Reese stepped forward and took the card. The name
Charles Lovick
was engraved on the thick, cream-colored stock. Sheflipped it over, looking for some indication of who Lovick was, and on the back was a handwritten address:
88 Variety Store, Stockton Street
.
    “May I tell Mr. Lovick you’ll be there?” the woman asked pleasantly.
    “Who is he?” Reese asked.
    “He’ll explain on Friday. I’ll tell him to expect you both.” The window began to roll up.
    “Wait a minute. We don’t know him. We’re not going to meet with a total stranger without any other information.”
    The tinted window stopped halfway up. The woman leaned closer to the open half. “If you want to know who the Imria truly are, you’ll go to the meeting. You won’t be offered this opportunity again. Six o’clock on Friday. Don’t