“Come to spy on us,” jokes Ian Carpenter when you run into him in the kitchen at the Carlson house. It’s about the warmest anyone has been to you all afternoon. Kendra is known by the Eastman set, even if they aren’t on good terms. Everyone has been guarded around you, presumably because, as Ian points out, they’re assuming you’re at the party at Chelsea’s behest.
“Please,” you smile, flashing Kendra’s brilliant white teeth. “We don’t need to spy on you. Frankly we go easy on you just save you some embarrassment.” Ian smiles and laughs. “Besides, I do have a life independent from Chelsea.”
“Could have fooled me,” mutters the girl leaning on the kitchen worktop at Ian’s side. You pretend not to hear her comment. From Kendra’s memories you recognise her as Alyssa Randall, the captain of Eastman’s cheerleading team. Like Kendra, Alyssa is African-American, but there the similarities end: Alyssa is more robustly athletic while Kendra is a little more delicate. There’s clearly little love lost between the two.
Since Alyssa isn’t really what you are looking for, and since Kendra’s personality wants to, you decide to stir the pot a little and smile at Ian. “I do have ways of making you talk,” you say, twirling your hair round a finger idly. Ian grins appreciatively, but Alyssa lets out an angry harrumph and storms out the room.
“I’d better go after her,” says Ian ruefully before following Alyssa. The part of Kendra’s persona that you’ve been playing like a puppet is well pleased with the mischief.
That leaves you alone so you continue your exploration of the house. The Carlsons are clearly very rich and the house is huge. You wander out of the kitchen and into a almost empty dining room. There are only two people here, and they are so engrossed in each other they don’t notice you enter. You back up and linger at the doorway to watch.
In fact they are exactly what you are looking for, even if they do seem a little out of place compared to the other guests. The two girls are locked in a gentle embrace, completely oblivious to your presence. The first is a petite oriental girl, her baggy hoodie and ripped jeans are a sharp contrast to the stylishness of everyone else you’ve seen today. The other girl is even more outlandish: Her short spiky hair has been bleached blonde and the tips dyed blue. It takes a moment to realise that it’s been done to match the Eastman colours of blue and white. Her plaid miniskirt matches too. They would never get invited to a party like this at Westside.
You are just wondering how to separate the two and grab the mind band you need when a soft voice at your side interrupts your thoughts. “I’d stay away from Summer if I was you. Alyssa is already pissed at you for that little scene in the kitchen.” You spin around and find yourself face to face with a blonde with a pageboy cut. She stares at you with steely eyes. From Kendra’s memories you recognise Lisa Rickover, effectively Kendra’s opposite number at Eastman.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” you protest. “It’s creepy.”
“More creepy that watching people making out,” she sneers. “Yeah, of course.” She pauses for a moment before grinning. “You like to watch, huh?”
You blush furiously before regaining your composure. “You know me Lisa, I like to listen. Keep my finger on the pulse.”
“So you do,” she replies. For a moment, you think you spot Lisa’s eyes flash down to the low cut of your dress and Kendra’s cleavage. It’s such a quick thing you put it down to your imagination acting up on you. “Information is currency, right? Except that Summer and Chris is hardly news, unless it’s a slow day over at Westside and Chelsea has too much time on her hands.” Her eyes flash down again quickly. This time you are sure of it.
“Well, if you have something useful for me,” you say, thinking furiously. “I’d be happy to share a couple of juicy titbits.” Kendra and Lisa are well acquainted, often trading information with each other in a mercenary fashion. However, Kendra never suspected Lisa to be anything other than a clever and exceptionally well connected gossip. On the other hand, your dress is fantastic. It certainly turned Ian’s head earlier.
Lisa’s mind would be an excellent choice for the girl you and Patterson are building – if you are reading the signals correctly. She’s almost a match for Chelsea in terms of raw cunning. If you’re misreading the signals, however, it might be better to pick one of the girls in the dining room.
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