All Chapters of Her: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Someone's moving around in my room, but I can't turn away from my task. Robotically, I continue delivering CPR to Sparkle's still form. As long as I keep going, her chest keeps rising. She keeps breathing. She isn't dead until I let her be.Harriet's arms are gentle but firm as she pulls me back."Not yet.""You've been at that for too long, Joan," Harriet says. "You have to go."I shake my head. Her words don't make sense. I just found Sparkle. I have to save her. I lean back over Sp

It's the final day of shooting for the Strand promotional vid, an event that I planned to skip to avoid bumping in to Lexi and facing her wrath. She must know that I escaped Adam's clutches, and she is definitely aware that I was planning to use the video footage I collected to expose her and the headmaster for their illegal prostitution ring. But she's made no effort to find me, so Crew thinks it's safe for me to assume that she's leaving me alone for a reason.For the Circe Night plan to work, I need to be sure that the vid is polished and that my invitation to the screening is still valid. That means showing up on Strand's set to tape any final footage needed f

Three days of frantic planning blur together. I hole myself up in the Chrysalis, rehearsing every part of Crew's plan exhaustively. I work, eat, and even sleep there, only leaving twice, both times to secretly meet up with Justus so he knows what's happening.The level of coordination that goes into prepping for Circe Night astounds me. There isn't a Throwback in the building who isn't dedicated to some part of the plan.Dennis is making me practice hacking an encrypted video feed for the umpteenth time when Elizabeth joins us.

Somewhere far away, Harriet is yelling at me, tugging on my arm, and dragging me down the hall. All of the sounds around me blend together in a hum. The headmaster's empty eyes stare at me. I'm a murderer."Joan, please!" This voice is new, and it calls to a place inside of me that hasn't gone dark."Justus?" I whisper, registering the panic in his kaleidoscope eyes. "I killed him. I killed him."He's shoving a blue uniform at me. "You have to leave. There wil

Saying goodbye to a friend is never easy, even if that friend is made of metal and plastic instead of flesh and blood. For the last time, I slip my motorcycle into manual controls and hit the open road. The smell of asphalt, warm in the sun, burns my nostrils as I merge onto the highway. For once, my mind is blank, one with the sky and the wind and the road crunching beneath my tires.The buyer lives in Shoreline, a quiet suburb north of Seattle, and the ride is over before I'm ready. I pull off the highway into a small neighborhood with neat white houses. I'm glad it isn't some rich douchebag who will be owning my baby. My eyes scan house numbers, and I stop at a freshly paved driveway.