“Omigod, this is so not good.”

Sydney Duke heard her identical twin sister, Lauren, whisper fearfully as the twon car bringing them home from school slowly stopped in front of their awaiting mother and stepfather, Altimus.

Sydney felt the rush of her heartbeat pounding in her ears and tried to accept that these could very possibly be the last moments of her life. Well, it’s been a good run, she thought morbidly. There weren’t many people who could say that they’d lived as fabulously—or as dangerously—as the Duke twins. For the past 10 years, the two had been the reigning “it chicks” of Atlanta’s young, beautiful, and progressive African-American social circle: Sydney was the more reserved, politically connected tastemaker and Lauren, the outgoing devil-may-care fashionista. Designer clothes, hot shoes, expensive jewelry, fast cars, exotic vacations—say the word and, thanks to their superwealthy stepfather and social-climbing mother, the Duke twins both owned it and worked it. However, recently, the walls of the glass castle had started to crack.

“Here we are, ladies, home sweet home, and a whole five minutes ahead of schedule,” their driver, Caesar, happily chirped in the rearview mirror. The normally outspoken Lauren groaned weakly in response. “Just give me a second to get your gym bags out of the trunk and I’ll open your door,” he continued before hopping out of the car.

Sydney thought about the events of the past couple of months. First, the girls’ biological father, Dice Jackson, was released from the federal prison. Then Sydney’s so-called perfect boyfriend of four years impregnated Lauren’s former best friend, Dara. Add to that Lauren falling in love with Jermaine, a cutie from the wrong side of the tracks, and the combination set off the biggest scandal Broookhaven Prep (and its vicious student-run gossip blog, YoungRichardTriflin.com) had seen in years. Just when it seemed things couldn’t get any more complicated, Jermaine’s brother was suspiciously murdered…and the girls suspected Altimus might be involved.

“Are you ready?” Lauren whispered fearfully as she looked past her sister and out the car’s tinted window.

Keisha and Altimus were standing together, filling the arch of the doorway.

“Of course not,” Sydney replied with a small shake of her head. Despite the distance, she could see her mother clenching her jaw. Sydney briefly wondered exactly what pictures they would use to eulogize her in the yearbook. She hoped her best friends, Carmen and Rhea, picked one from her parents’ anniversary party—that silver Ungaro dress had done a great job making her butt and thighs look super skinny that night.

“I can’t believe they found the number of the phone Jermaine gave me,” Lauren whimpered as she looked down at the small cell in her hand. “Did I tell you they called twice from the house? I knew I should’ve gotten rid of it when Jermaine disappeared from our party, but I was just hoping that he might call...If you want, I’ll tell them you didn’t know anything about it.”

“Shh, Lauren, stop. There’s nothing you can do about it now. Just put it away. Everything’s going to be okay, I promise. Remember, we’re in this together,” Sydney said softly as she stroked her sister’s trembling hand. She hoped her words sounded more reassuring than she truly felt. In reality, after the melee that broke out at the girls’ holiday party over Thanksgiving break, her parents had made it very clear that Lauren was to cut all ties with her boyfriend or there would be hell to pay.

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