The Sister Code (D.O.R.K #2) Read Free Page A

nation. Everyone looks to Spill! for the “true” story on celebrities. Whatever they say about Raven and me is about to become America’s opinion.
    The interviewer, a fiery redhead in a pencil skirt and silky sapphire blue top, holds a voice recorder in her hand and a printed list of questions. She starts with brief introductions, and then she plunges right in to our interrogation.
    “So tell us about this bond you two have. You’re obviously very close. How did it happen after being apart for so many years?”
    I glance at Raven, who nods and addresses the interviewer for us.
    “Well, I would have to say it originated in the womb. There’s an inherent connection between me and the girl who shares my DNA. When I first touched Madison’s hand, I immediately felt the link. It’s a bond that transcends time and space.”
    I gape at her in shock. That was such an honest, eloquent answer I don’t know what to do with it. She smiles at me, like, Confirm this, please .
    “It’s true. I felt it too,” I add. Raven slips her arm through the crook of my elbow.
    “Have you had any disagreements yet, or are you always in sync?” the interviewer asks.
    Raven’s low chuckle is ever so slightly sinister. “We have our differences, for sure, but so far we haven’t fought.”
    “Well, that’s good to hear!” The interviewer plasters a false grin on her face, but I can read in her eyes she was looking for more juice than that. I swallow against the tightness in my throat. I have a sinking feeling this is going to get ugly.
    She asks a few more random questions about adjusting to life as twins, and then she addresses me personally.
    “Madison, we have a question for you. This summer, you were seen with Giovanni Abate, who referred to you as his ‘crush.’ What happened?”
    Pain burns in my chest. I’ve done so well lately at pushing Gio from my mind, and now he’s front and center in front of someone who is likely committing my every facial expression to memory.
    Raven jumps in for me again after five seconds with no response. “She broke up with him as soon as she found out I was her sister and he cheated on me.”
    “Is that true, Madison?” the interviewer asks.
    I clear my throat. “Yes, that’s exactly how it happened. Family ties always come first for me.”
    “How did you deal with the fact that the two of you went out with the same guy?” she presses.
    “Um…” I glance over at Raven, and she nods to me encouragingly. “As soon as I broke up with him, we just sort of put it behind us. It really wasn’t a big deal.”
    “You didn’t fight over him or anything?”
    “No. Not at all.”
    “So did the relationship mean anything to you, or was it just a summer fling?”
    My eyes pop wide open. What the hell am I supposed to say to that? Raven’s sitting right here, and if I say, “he meant something to me,” she’s going to be all over me after this interview. I literally have no choice but to lie. I turn my attention back to the interviewer, feeling exposed and dumbfounded. Who even asks questions like that?
    “We were just having fun. We never put a label on it.”
    “Ah, I see.”
    Throughout the rest of the interview, amidst questions about fashion choices and favorite colors, I’m seething with anger. Raven didn’t get probed at this interview, so why should I? It’s almost like they were trying to set us up to fight. Luckily, they didn’t get their wish, and Raven and I don’t plan on letting that happen at all.
     
    ***
     
    After the interview, I head back to the hotel room with plans to shut out the rest of the world for the next sixteen hours. I’ve already settled into bed in nothing but athletic shorts and a spaghetti strap tank with a built-in bra when Raven texts me.
     
    Raven: I need you downtown. My New York friends want to meet you.
     
    Her demanding text ends with a random street address. My eyebrow pulls up of its own accord. She “needs me downtown”? She thinks