by J. E. Taylor
Jennifer put her arm around Tracy’s shoulders. “I promise everything will be just fine.”
Tracy sniffled and stood without meeting Jennifer’s gaze. She headed into the bathroom to wash her face.
Thirsty and wanting to wash the peculiar metallic taste from her mouth, Jennifer headed into the living room and scrounged under the bar for a soda. “Want some?” she asked, holding up a can when Tracy walked in.
Tracy nodded, still subdued.
“Are you going to see Bill tonight?” Jennifer crossed and handed her the soda before parking on the couch.
“No, he has some pledge stuff to do. They’re deciding what the initiation ritual will be this year.” She rolled her eyes. “Like it ever changes.”
“You know what the ritual is?” Jennifer asked.
Tracy smiled a little. “Yes, but I was sworn to secrecy.”
“Come on, I promise I won’t tell,” Jennifer said.
“The fraternities and sororities that have been here a while all seem to do the same thing,” Tracy began. “So it’s not really a big secret, but it’s how far the pledge is willing to go that matters.” She looked at Jennifer and shrugged. “Some chicken out and others, well, they drop out all together.”
Jennifer’s interest was piqued. She’d never pledged a sorority. “What do they do?”
“They tell the pledges about the legend of Paradise Cove and send them there,” Tracy said, picking at the tab on her soda can. “They’re supposed to get a picture of their reflection. That’s what’s required to get in, but I guess there’s a bonus as well. If you follow the stream and get a picture of where it ends, you don’t have to pay dues.” She looked up at Jennifer. “Didn’t you ever wonder why I wasn’t in a sorority?”
Jennifer shook her head slowly. “No.”
“Well, I wasn’t willing to get the picture and I certainly wouldn’t follow that stream. You don’t know what’s back there.” She took another sip of her drink. “Bill did it and he must have chickened out on the second part because he still pays dues.” Tracy looked at Jennifer, tilting her head in thought for a moment. “I wonder if they’ll make Steve go through initiation. He doesn’t have to go through the pledge process because he transferred from Yale, but they may make him do something for initiation. If they ask him, tell him not to go,” she said.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jennifer took her last sip and heading to the kitchen sink.
“You have to tell him not to go,” Tracy said, this time with more urgency.
“I’ll mention it.” Jennifer rinsed the empty can and dropped it in the recycle bin. She had no intention of telling Tracy he had already been there countless times. She wiped her hands and looked at the clock. “I need to get ready for class.”
She went to her bedroom, stripped and stepped into the closet. Shuffling through her clothes, she tried to decide what to wear for Steve. The closet door closed behind her. The click of the latch startled Jennifer. She turned and the bulb above her popped, plunging her into darkness. The temperature plummeted and she began to shiver. Fumbling for the door, she suppressed her growing panic, her breath hitching in short bursts from her chest. “It’s just a closet,” she said, trying desperately to keep calm. A hand reached out and grabbed the back of her neck, causing her to yelp in surprise. She clawed at the door, missing the doorknob by inches. The scream finally reached her vocal cords and barreled out, echoing in the darkness.
Tracy threw the door open, her eyes wide. Jennifer watched as Tracy’s expression changed.
Tracy began to laugh, lightly at first, and wound up until she folded on the floor, gasping for breath between the gales.
Jennifer glanced in the mirror and saw what had grabbed the back of her neck. It was one of her teddy bears that fell from the shelf. Heat crept into her cheeks and she peeled the bear from her shoulders, flinging it to the back of the closet. She flipped the light switch on and off as the laughter simmered out of her. “The bulb must have blown.”
“The bear got you!” Tracy pointed through the laughter.
“Do we have a light bulb?”
Tracy nodded, her laughter calming. “You scared the daylights out of me. When I heard you scream…” she trailed off and headed into the bathroom. In the pantry, she pulled a light bulb out and grabbed one of the stools.
“Sorry, I kind of freaked out. It was so dark and cold in there and when the bear fell, I guess it sent me over the edge.” She laughed as she took the stool and stood on it with Tracy spotting her. Jennifer unscrewed the dead light bulb, handing it to Tracy in exchange for the good one. When she stepped off the stool and hit the light switch, bright light filled the closet. “Thanks.” She smiled and looked back at her clothes.
“I’d wear this.” Tracy reached across and pulled out a blue sundress with spaghetti straps. She handed the dress to Jennifer and walked out with a smile.
Jennifer reached down and grabbed her flip-flops, slid them on, and stepped out of the closet. She flipped off the light and started to close the door behind her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a flash of red and opened the door again, peering into the darkness. There was nothing there but the damn draft drifting over her legs and making her shiver. She shut the door.
Jennifer put the dress on, combed her hair, and refreshed her makeup. She stood back in the dressing room and scanned herself with a critical eye.
“He’s going to love that on you.” Tracy glanced in at Jennifer. She had changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, and carried her textbook for her Law of Libel and Communications class.
“Homework already?”
Tracy shrugged. “I got my books today and I figured this is the class that’s gonna be the most difficult and I’d better get a jump on it if I want to keep my GPA up there.” She shrugged. “I’m going to park myself on the couch, watch some scary movies, and do a little studying tonight. I don’t think Billy will be coming by.” She took a breath. “Are you coming home tonight?”
“Yes. I’m not staying at the frat house,” she said. She had done that once with Tom and didn’t want a repeat of the morning awkwardness. Only one bathroom for a dozen guys was ludicrous. “Do you mind if Steve comes back with me?”
“Yum, eye candy.” Tracy grinned, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
Jennifer chuckled. “He looks particularly good in the morning.” She headed out, swiping her notebook, pocketbook, and keys off the hall table and closed the front door behind her.
Chapter 16
Steve caught up with Bill. “I don’t intend to hurt her.”
Bill stopped and turned toward him. “I hope not. Because she’s special.”
“I’m aware of how special she is.”
Bill softened a little. “You know, I should kick your ass for what you pulled on Tracy and me.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the entry wall.
Steve shrugged. “Yeah, well, blame that on the actress.”
Bill raised an eyebrow. “You did some first class acting yourself.” He looked at the bruise on Steve’s face. “You should have told me.” He started to walk away.
“Why?”
“Because I’m your fraternity brother,” he said, facing Steve and taking a few steps backward before he turned away. “There are no secrets here,” he said over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.
Steve went to his room, threw the notebook on the desk, and collapsed face-first on the bed. Reaching over to turn the radio on, he closed his eyes. Just for a few, he thought and drifted to sleep, listening to the soft music and the distant conversations in the frat house.
Chapter 17
Jennifer gently ran her hand over his back, startling him out of a sound sleep. He looked up at her and then around the room in surprise. “What time is it?” he asked, his tone groggy with sleep.
“Twenty after ten.”
Steve’s head turned sharply to confirm what she had told him. The green numbers of his alarm clock read ten twenty-two. “Holy
shit.” He sat up straight. He hadn’t even heard her come into his room. “I never sleep that soundly,” he grumbled and looked around as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
“I guess I tired you out today.”
Steve shrugged and got up. “I’ll be right back,” he said, grabbing a toothbrush and toothpaste before he disappeared down the hall. Quiet permeated the fraternity and he stopped, listening to the nothingness before continuing. He slipped into the bathroom and threw cold water on his face to wake himself up. He brushed his teeth, getting rid of the pasty sleep taste he woke up with.
“Where is everybody?” he asked when he returned.
“I don’t know. One of the pledges let me in and pointed me to your room.”
Steve sat down next to her. “I haven’t slept that soundly since I was in high school.” He rubbed his face. “I didn’t hear everyone leave or you come in either.” He glanced at her. “That’s not good.”
Jennifer scanned the room. It was neat and organized. Nothing was out of place except the notebook, which had been carelessly tossed on the desk. It wasn’t the same organized chaos as the cottage, and she wondered which one was the real Steve. “This is a little more organized than I expected.” She looked back at him.
Steve smiled and leaned over, biting her earlobe. “I’m more organized in my job than in my private life,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. He ran his lips over the corner of her jaw and turned her face toward him so he could kiss her.
Time stopped with the kiss, the world around them disappearing as they floated on the intensity of their shared emotion. Breathlessly, they pulled away and the room came back into focus.
“What if I told you I wanted to run away to Vegas with you,” he whispered, his voice husky from the heat rushing through him.
“And do what?”
“I was thinking about one of those cheesy wedding chapels,” he answered, nipping at her neck. “You know, the ones where the justice of the peace is dressed like Elvis.”
Jennifer giggled and he pulled away from her neck and raised an eyebrow.
“Is that funny?”
“Yes, very.”
“Why?” Irritation started to crawl up his spine.
“You don’t remember?”
She’d stumped him and he bit the side of his lip, wondering what she was referring to.
“When we were kids, you promised to marry me in Las Vegas when I turned twenty-five.”
His eyebrows shot up and the past flooded in like the tide. “Shit, that’s right. I forgot about our little pact.”
“And we sealed it with blood,” she said and looked at her finger.
His index finger tingled with the memory and he smiled. “So do you still want to?” he asked and returned his lips to her neck, the question hanging on the air like a thick bank of fog and his heart jumped into hyper drive, waiting for an answer. The answer.
“We’ll see,” she said as his lips trailed down her neck.
Steve stopped. “You used to say that when we were kids,” he said, pushing her away. “When you didn’t really want to do something.”
Jennifer shook her head. “No. I said it when I wasn’t ready to make a decision.”
Steve sat up, frustrated. “Do you feel the same way I do?”
“I’m reasonably sure I do,” she answered, sitting up.
“Reasonably sure? That’s like reasonable doubt. It’s hardly the answer I wanted to hear.” He stood and went to the window, looking out at the backyard of the fraternity house. His attention snapped to the expansive lawn.
“I want to be absolutely sure before I answer you, Steve,” she said, but he wasn’t paying any attention to her. “I don’t want to confuse the chemistry we have with love.” She touched his arm and for the second time that evening, he jumped at her touch.
“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” His eyes drifted back to the bizarre scene.
Jennifer followed his gaze. “What is that?”
The fraternity members wore black robes and stood in a pattern that was unrecognizable unless you were looking down on them like they were.
“It’s a pentacle,” Steve answered. “Pentagram,” he corrected with a slight shake of his head.
Bill stood in the center, surrounded by a circle of candles. He was reading from an old leather-bound book, the members repeating his words. Steve recognized the language—Latin, although he had no clue of what was being said. At the end of the incantation, Bill reached into his pocket and pulled out an egg, cracking it into the challis at his feet.
Even from a distance, Steve and Jennifer saw blood run out of the eggshell. Steve pulled her away from the window when Bill looked up, away from the prying eyes of the fraternity, praying no one saw them. He held her to him, pressing his back against the wall next to the window trying to disappear into the shadows. “Jesus.” He looked at her.
Footsteps of the Beta Theta Pi members filtered into the house.
Steve pushed her down on the bed, yanked the straps of her dress over her shoulders and lay on top of her. He buried one hand in her hair and put the other one at her waist tugging a little on the dress, kissing her. His heart hammered in his chest, praying this would be enough to keep the wolves from attacking.
Jennifer seemed to understand the moment his lips found hers, and wrapped one arm around his neck, tugging on his shirt until her hand found skin.
Seconds later, his door swung open. Bill stared at Steve and Jennifer and faltered. “Sorry.” He closed the door on Steve and Jennifer’s surprised faces looking at him from their compromising position.
They came out of the room a few minutes later. “Sorry about that,” Bill said, awkwardly waving his hand toward Steve’s room.
Jennifer blushed, looked down, and then over her shoulder at Steve.
Just the right amount of embarrassment, Steve thought as their eyes met. He glanced back at Bill. “Yeah, well, we’re going to her place, where the doors have locks.” He grinned and winked his good eye at Bill.
Bill’s face fell as he looked between the two of them. The slackness in his features morphed into a hardness Jennifer had never seen before. His eyes narrowed as they landed on Steve.
“It’s all right Billy,” Jennifer said, obviously mistaking the look for over-protectiveness.
Steve knew better. Bill wasn’t being overprotective, he was angry, bordering on rage. He caught the way Bill stared at Jennifer when they walked out of the room. Bill wanted his girl. He put his arm around her, drawing her close—a protective reflex. All the while, his smile never faltered. “I’ll catch you in the morning,” he said, leading Jennifer away.
Chapter 18
Bill watched them leave, his eyes sending imaginary daggers into Steve’s back. The sting of jealousy bloomed to something else altogether. He walked to his room and dialed the familiar number. “Hi Trac,” he said when she picked up.
“Hey, hon,” Tracy said. “You all done with your fraternity stuff?”
“Not quite, we still haven’t finished discussing the initiation rite,” he said. “We just took a quick break and I thought I’d give you a call.” He closed his eyes, feeling guilty for the lie. “I saw Steve and Jen a little while ago, looks like they are heading your way.”
“Will you be over later?” she asked.
“Nah, I think we’re gonna be late,” he said, feeling a measure of relief. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Ok, I love you.”
“Love you too,” he returned the usual salutation and hung up the phone. He crossed the hall to Steve’s room, looking around. There was nothing unusual about the room, or his personal belongings. When he flipped open the notebook, Bill chuckled, amused to see Jennifer’s name doodled all over the first page of the notebook. He flipped through the pages. Steve hadn’t taken a single note from class in the notebook. He started to close it and noticed a loose paper in the front. Ah, he did take notes, Bill thought. He flipped through the empty notebook again.
Fanning the empty pages, he sighed. Just as he began to close it, he saw a small circle of red appear out of the corner of his eye. He opened the notebook again and almost dropped it.
Bring her to me
Bill closed the notebook and then opened it up again. The words were still there. He flipped through the pages and the words leapt from every sheet except the last. Instructions scrawled onto the page while he stared at it. Big, looping script, blood red, described the exact details of the initiation ceremony right down to the rules he was expected to play by. He inhaled sharply as the last two names appeared along with specific commands. This year, his marching orders were very different from the past, and he glanced out the window, thinking of the bloody egg. Goose bumps traveled up his arms as he looked back at the notebook, reading the parameters for this year’s sacrificial rite, shivering.
The penalty for not following through scrolled beneath the instructions and Bill dropped the notebook, stepping back. The air froze in his lungs and his hand flew to his mouth. He stared at the warning, understanding the ramifications if anything went wrong. Snapping his eyes away from the meticulous description of his painful death, he scanned the rest of the instructions. One particular caveat kept his attention and he inhaled, nodding. He could do that. He definitely could do that and so could everyone else in this fraternity. Hell, they’d all be salivating over the thought. “Ok, I’ll do it.”
A small smiley face scribed into the bottom of the page and Bill snorted. The bastard’s fucked up sense of humor. Bill tore the page out, folded the paper, and stuffed it in his pocket. He closed the notebook, replacing it on the desk before he walked out of the room.
Chapter 19
Steve glanced at Jennifer as he pulled the car out of the parking lot, his hands tight on the wheel. His foot ached to floor the pedal and peel out, but he tempered his urge.