***
“Good news,” said Caroline, walking into Harriet’s room without preamble the next morning. “Ben got the card this morning. They’ve invited him to the Summer Party, which I guess must mean he’s made it to the final ten. He’s going to be made a Cavalier, I just know it.”
Harriet had been expecting this. After all, Ben had had some successes and no major slip ups, and his connection to her could hardly have hurt his campaign. Nonetheless, hearing the news made her sick to her stomach. At best, the Cavaliers would turn Ben into a vampire; at worst, they’d just kill him.
If the Cavaliers turned Ben, they’d make him drain Caroline to the death. Some of the committee would be no doubt be delighted with that. There seemed to be a belief, presumably originating with her stepfather, that it was good luck for a vampire’s first transforming kill to be someone they loved.
“You can’t let him go,” Harriet said, more sharply than she’d intended. “And you certainly can’t be his guest.”
“What do you mean I can’t?” said Caroline. “I thought you’d be pleased. Surely you’re going. I thought we could go shopping together and get ready in my room. I’ve already started scouring the internet for ball gowns.”
She still thinks of the Cavaliers as a normal dining society. She thinks that the party is going to be a bit of a laugh and something she can brag about. She wants Ben to be selected for the prestige, but has no idea what that means.
She could tell Caroline the whole truth, but she surely wouldn’t believe her. She’d struggled to comprehend it herself, even though Tom had told her about vampires in the aftermath of George’s attack, with his fangs showing.
“It’s too dangerous,” she said, after a moment’s hesitation.
“Dangerous? What do you mean dangerous?” Caroline asked.
“I’m sorry, I really can’t say any more than that.” If only she could, but there didn’t seem to be any sensible and believable way to warn her friend off.
“Do you know what I think?” Caroline said, her face turning red. “I think you love having a Cavalier boyfriend. I think it makes you feel all cool and important. And I think you don’t want anyone else, not even your best friend, muscling in on your territory.” She glared at Harriet and turned to leave.
“Caroline, wait!” Harriet shouted after her. “It’s not like that I swear. Surely you know me better than that. I’m not that much of a bitch.”
Caroline turned back around. “Well no, but what do you expect me to think? Ben’s been given a great opportunity and you’re making weird comments about mysterious dangers and begging me not to go. I realise you’re more familiar with the society than me, so if you know something, tell me about it properly, otherwise just leave it and I’ll see you there.”
Harriet took a deep breath. “People die, Caroline. Every year at those parties, people die.”
Caroline walked back into her room and closed the door. “People die. What do you mean? Do they overdose or something.”
Harriet wished it were that simple. “For goodness sake, Caroline, if it were just that sort of thing do you really think I’d be making such a fuss? I trust you and Ben to look after yourselves. What I’m saying is that people are killed.”
Caroline burst into laughter. “Killed? That’s ridiculous. Are you winding me up or has someone actually tricked you into believing this?”
“It’s not a joke, Caroline. They kill the unsuccessful candidates, and they kill most of the female guests. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear to you that it’s absolutely true.”
“Okay, Harriet darling, just calm down. I can tell from the way you’re shaking that you totally believe this, but it can’t be true. We’re talking about a student dining society, not MI6 or a crazy cult or something.”
Harriet looked around her room, stalling for time and trying to think of an answer. Suddenly, a photograph of her and Caroline in their Halloween outfits caught her eye and it gave her a flash of inspiration.
“Don’t you remember what happened the first time I met George?”
“Not really. You bumped into him in a club and then brought him back with you.”
Harriet stared at her. Had she really forgotten the rest of it?
“No, wait, I remember now,” Caroline said suddenly, her voice strained and odd. “You told me that he attacked you with a knife. That’s so weird, why would I forget that?”
“That’s right,” Harriet said, lifting up her hair to show what appeared to be a scar from the attack. The mark actually came from Tom’s recent feeding, but Caroline looked utterly horrified. “If he did that, is it really much more of a stretch of the imagination to believe that they’re all a bunch of maniacs?”
“I suppose not, but surely they wouldn’t be able to keep it secret. All the candidates are popular and successful. Most of them have powerful families. If they kept dying, questions would be asked.”
“I don’t know how to explain it, but I know it’s true. You and Ben need to stay away. If I’m wrong, the worst that happens is you miss a fun party. If I’m right, you’ll avoid being killed. It’s hardly a difficult decision.”
“This is all too strange,” said Caroline, opening the door to leave again. “I need to talk to Ben about it. We’ll both see you for dinner. If you can think of anything else to prove all of this, that’d be helpful. Right now, I’m off to rehearsals.”
With that, she walked out. Harriet hoped that Caroline had taken her message to heart and would avoid the party, along with Ben. That would be two less people to worry about, but it didn’t bring her any closer to a solution regarding how to stop the whole thing.
Oxford Blood (The Cavaliers: Book One) Page 48