Ryan hissed, pulling his feet back.
“I want to know if anyone else in the clan is in league with you,” Renata said. “Someone powerful enough to get you the only open slot in Thorndike’s senior class.”
“There’s no one!”
“Ryan, your whole body is on fire,” Falkon said.
Ryan cried out in pain. He jumped up from the bed and crashed into an end table, demolishing it on his way down. He landed on the floor and rolled side to side, as if trying to put himself out.
“Please!” Nicky said. “Please stop this!”
“The pain is growing, Ryan,” said Falkon. “The worst you’ve ever felt.”
Ryan was thrashing on the floor, waving his arms at imaginary flames. Nicky was about to open her mouth and tell them anything that might make them stop, when Ryan shouted, “Don’t…tell…them…anything!”
Falkon let out a cackling laugh. “Well, would you look at that?” he said. “Mr. Jenson wants to tough it out.”
“It’s in my mind,” Ryan growled. “It’s all in my mind.”
“It’s not in your mind,” Falkon said. “Ryan, the pain is excruciating. Every nerve in your body is exploding with it.”
“It’s in my mind!” Ryan yelled. “Don’t tell them a thing, Nicky! They’re going to kill us anyway!”
“Yes, we are,” said Renata, “but it doesn’t have to be this painful. You can go with dignity. Give me names, Nicky. How did you get into Thorndike? Who is helping you?”
“We don’t work with vampires!” Nicky yelled. “We kill them!”
Falkon raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Ryan quit yelling. He lay on the floor, breathing as if he’d just run a marathon.
“Why did we stop?” Renata asked.
“The boy was on the verge,” Falkon said. “Much longer and we would have killed him. You need him alive for the ending of your little contest, don’t you?”
“Yes, but…the interrogation.”
“She is telling us the truth,” said Falkon. “We have nothing to fear. None of your clanmates are in league with her.”
“But how did she get into Thorndike?”
“We hacked the admissions database,” Nicky said. “We made sure the committee didn’t want anyone but me.”
“A likely story,” said Renata. “And I’m supposed to believe you broke into one of the most secure computers in the world and somehow arranged everything so we had no choice but to choose you?”
“We did it twice,” said Nicky. “Once to get me into school, and once to make Karmela the princess for the Ransom.”
Renata’s eyes opened wide.
“She said something of interest?” Falkon said.
“Just today,” said Renata. “The Regents called me today while I was on the plane! They were unanimous in their recommendation of who to choose as princess! They all wanted Karmela. They fought with me when I told them I’ve chosen someone else.”
Falkon smiled. “I think we’re done here,” he said. “Come along, Nicky. Back to your cell.”
Chapter 20
Renata returned from Italy a day later and raced to complete the final preparations for the Rose Ransom kickoff party.
The ballroom was an array of banquet tables set up in front of a stage. Renata tinkered with the centerpieces on each table, and checked that the projector was working properly.
In the foyer, she made some final adjustments to the indoor forest her servants had created. There were forty-eight potted trees in all, spaced in a way that their branches came together some seven feet above the ground. Renata had her servants string lights all throughout the branches. When the party started, the house lights would dim, leaving only the strings of white lights in the trees to illuminate the place.
It would look and feel like they were having a party under the stars.
The only décor she allowed that was not part of her forest theme was her grandfather clock, which had been in Renata’s family for a hundred years by the time her parents died and bequeathed it to her. On the night of the party, Renata stood in front of that clock for a while, thinking. She was about to change everything. They were on the cusp of a new era, one where an immortal could be created at will. They could create thousands of new immortals if they desired, all of them loyal to Renata and Falkon. All the politicking and backstabbing and general nuisance of being in the Samarin family—Renata was about to end it. She would handpick a few of her most loyal brothers and sisters who could remain in her new clan. The rest would have to go. Melissa and Dominic were just the first.
The clock read five minutes to eight. A little over an hour and her guests would arrive.
She went through the kitchen and into the garage, where a team of servants were washing the vans. She found Frankie standing behind one of the vans, his long arms stretched out over the hood with a towel in each hand.
“Frankie,” she said. “How are you tonight?”
“I am good, Master,” he said. “What may I do for you?”
“Put down your things and walk with me. I have a job for you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She led him into the yard behind the garage, where they walked along a vine-covered fence.
“In an hour, we will be hosting a party at the mansion,” Renata said.
“Yes, the head of house has assigned me to the wait staff,” Frankie said.
“That’s fine, Frankie. You can be on the wait staff for the first twenty minutes or so. But before the cocktail hour is over, I’m taking you outside with me for a more important job. We will have a dozen immortals in attendance at tonight’s party, and while the students sit down for their dinner, we immortals are going to play a game. It’s a game we play using our servants. Tonight you are going to play the game for me, okay?”
“If that is your wish.”
“The game will require you to fight with other servants. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.”
“Every immortal coming tonight is bringing their strongest, toughest servant to play the game. In our house, the strongest servant is you, Frankie. But are you the toughest?”
“I will be tough if that is my master’s desire.”
“Yes, I really think you will. I understand you weren’t born on the Farm, but were taken up after being found on the streets. Isn’t that right, Frankie?”
“I do not know, Master.”
“But you will. That’s going to be our secret weapon. Later tonight, when all the immortals set their slaves loose to fight, I’m going to allow you to access some of your memories from your youth. You’re going to recall what it feels like to be in danger, to be in a fight. It will give you a huge advantage over the other servants.”
“I will do my best to serve you, Master.”
“Here’s how it will work, Frankie. When the students head into the ballroom for the banquet, the immortals will come outside with their servants. You will all get weapons. Our master of ceremonies will shout the word, ‘Go,’ and you will fight to the death. The last servant standing wins the game. Do you understand the rules?”
“I do, Master.”
“Good. Here’s something else to understand. I really want you to win, Frankie. We immortals place a friendly wager on this game, and I could use the money. You must kill everyone else before they kill you. Can you do that for me?”
“I must kill everyone before they kill me. I will try my hardest.”
“No, Frankie. You will win. You know why?”
“I do not.”
“You will win because you will use your instincts.”
“I will use my instincts.”
“Yes. Your body is a brilliant killing machine. Did you know that, Frankie?”
“I did not.”
“Every human was born to kill. It’s an instinct buried in the most primitive parts of the mind. But your competitors tonight won’t be accessing that instinct. They’ll be programmed instead. Do you understand, Frankie?”
“I was born with the instinct to kill.”
“Right! And tonight, while the other slaves will be obeying their programming, you will be obeying your instincts.”
They had reached the woods outside of her property. Frankie was so tall he had to duck under the branches of a nearby tree.
“The master of ceremonies tonight is an immortal named Bernadette. When Bernadette says go, you are to forget all your programming. Do you understand, Frankie?”
“When Bernadette says go, I am to forget my programming.”
“Every command you learned at the Farm, everything I’ve told you before now, everything any other immortal has put into your brain--you will drop all of it from your mind when Bernadette yells go. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“With your mind empty of commands, you will instantly recognize the danger you are in. You will see that the other servants are trying to kill you. You must kill them before they kill you.”
“I must kill them before they kill me.”
“You’ll be full of fear, confusion, and anger. You will use all of that. You will trust your instincts. They will make you into a killing machine. You won’t even be aware of what’s happening. You’ll just be a hunter, staying quiet until it’s time to strike, killing swiftly when your prey draws close. Do you understand?”
“I understand. I must kill everyone before they kill me.”
“Good. You should have no problem winning the contest tonight. When it’s over, I will speak your name. When you hear me say your name, you will once again be my slave. All the programming you lost will immediately come back to you. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Good. Let’s go inside, Frankie. The party’s about to start.”
Chapter 21
Jill stepped through Renata’s front door a minute before nine o’clock. Mattie Dupree was the first one to greet her.
“Incredible, Jill! You look incredible!” Mattie said.
Jill put an excited look on her face, and allowed Mattie to give her a gentle hug, both of them being careful not to touch the other’s hair or makeup.
Tradition required both Jill and Mattie to come to the Rose Ransom ceremony in the same color they wore to the Homecoming Masquerade. In Jill’s case, that meant dark green; in Mattie’s, royal blue.
“Can you believe we’re here?” Mattie said. “Can you believe this place? I don’t know if it’s ever looked this good!”
“It’s pretty amazing,” said Jill.
“Look at the lights! The trees!” said Mattie. “It’s like we’re in a forest. What an incredible night. And I can’t wait to see the play. I’ve heard it’s absolutely life-changing!”
Mattie was referring to a performance Renata would put on at the end of the night, a sort of one-woman show in which she acted out the legend of the Rose Ransom. Jill also was eager to see the performance—of all the events in the Coronation contest, Renata’s performance of the Rose Ransom was the most mysterious. No one in the Network had ever seen it, and the Network knew only the very basics of the plot. It seemed like students at Thorndike were reluctant to give many details about the performance, saying only that it was amazing and changed my life.
But Jill didn’t know if she would be watching the play with the rest of the class or not. She didn’t know if she would be there for the banquet, or how much longer she’d hang around at the cocktail party.
Half-way through the cocktail hour, when the vampires go outside to play one of their games, you’re going to slip away from the party.
Tarin’s instructions rang in her mind. She hoped they were real. A part of her felt like her late night meeting with Tarin was a dream. It seemed genuine enough, but it was so strange. He just showed up in her bedroom, dressed as a slave from Renata’s mansion, and told her about this crazy plan to hack into Renata’s phone.
“The decor really is something,” Jill said, forcing a smile onto her lips.
“It just makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” said Mattie. “I mean…to be immortal. To live in a house like this. To throw this kind of a party.”
Overcome with her own happiness, Mattie threw her arm around Jill and said, “It’s just a great time to be alive!”
“Okay, okay, what’s going on over here,” came a playful voice from behind them. Jill turned to see Annika approaching with a glass of wine in each hand. She gave one to Jill, then insisted she and Mattie join her in a toast.
“To good times and good friends,” Annika said.
“Here, here!” Mattie squealed.
They clinked their glasses and drank, Jill taking a tiny sip, Annika gulping down half a glass.
“Nicky’s not here yet, is she?” Annika said.
“Not that I’ve seen,” said Mattie. “Have you seen her Jill?”
Jill shook her head.
“That crafty little devil,” Annika said. “Just like the Masquerade. Waiting for the last possible moment to make her entrance.”
“She knows how to get people talking,” Mattie added.
Annika put her wine glass to her lips and downed a big gulp of it. “Mattie, would you be a dear and get me another one of these?” she said, shaking the empty glass in her hand.
“Yeah, I suppose I could do that,” Mattie said, clearly disappointed that Annika was dismissing her from the conversation.
“Jill needs one too,” Annika said.
“I’m good, actually,” said Jill.
“Nonsense,” said Annika. “The night is young, and it’s a tradition at the Rose Ransom to get sloshed before the play starts. Mattie, I saw a bottle of brandy at the bar. Get one of those for our dear friend Jill. Something sweet to take the edge off.”
“Brandy, sure. And a red wine for Annika. I’ll be right back.” Mattie was making no effort to hide her displeasure.
“The cabernet, not the merlot!” Annika called after her. “I don’t think she heard me, do you?”
“Who cares, Annika? Drink enough of those and they all taste the same,” said Jill.
Annika put her hand on Jill’s shoulder. “That’s my girl,” she said, then, in a more conspiratorial tone, “I saw our mutual friend in Brazil yesterday. I need to talk to you some time.”
“Sure thing,” said Jill. “But later, okay? Maybe we could get together tomorrow.”
“See that clock over there?” Annika said, nodding in the direction of a grandfather clock against the far wall. “Find me there in fifteen minutes.”
“Annika, I don’t know if we should talk about this tonight.”
“I’ll be quick about it,” Annika said. “I just wanna give you an update. Fifteen minutes.”
With that, Annika walked away. Mattie returned a minute later, with a glass of wine in one hand and a snifter of brandy in the other.
“Where’d she go?” Mattie said.
Jill shook her head. “Off to be fabulous, I think.”
*****
Kim Renwick stood in a doorway at the far end of the room, taking stock of the party. Thus far, she had observed that:
1) Jill looked nervous and out of place. Her hair, dress, and makeup were stunning—Kim had never seen that girl look so good—but her body language was that of someone who wished she could run away and hide.
2) Annika had said something to Jill about the grandfather clock at the far end of the room. Whatever Annika said made Jill upset.
3) Nicky and Ryan still weren’t here.
The third observation was the most troubling. What was Nicky Bloom up to?
“Maybe they bailed,” said Rosalyn. “They got in a plane and took off with no intent of ever coming back.”
“That’s impossible,” said Andrea. “Sergio dances with all the girls wearing black at the Masquerade. He tells them…er…he..”
She was stumbling with her words out of fear that she might offend Kim.
“He programs us,” Kim said. “There’s no shame in saying it. It was one of the best mome
nts of my life. I can’t even begin to tell you how magical it was to look in Sergio’s eyes and promise him I would see this through to the end, no matter what. Andrea’s right. Nicky didn’t bail.”
“But she should be here. The longer she waits to arrive, the ruder she’s being to our host.”
“She’s already shown a total lack of respect for decorum,” Kim said. “She does what she wants. That’s why people admire her.”
“You think that’s what this is about?”
“I don’t know what to think,” said Kim. “But I’m done underestimating her. Nicky and Ryan are up to something. Whatever it is, we need to be ready for it. Jill Wentworth is the key. We need to watch everything she does tonight. She knows something. She and Annika were whispering to each other just a minute ago.”
A servant approached with a tray of hors d'oeuvres. Bowing his head, he held out the tray. Kim grabbed a crostini with one hand. With the other, she tried placing her empty wine glass on the tray, but her eyes were on Jill and she missed the tray. The glass fell to the floor, shattering at their feet.
“What the hell?” Kim said.
“I’m so sorry, Miss,” the servant said. “I will clean this up immediately.”
He was a huge guy with dark skin and hair. The muscles in his arms and chest bulged against his polyester shirt. He had a silver nameplate on his breast pocket that said, ‘Frankie.’
“First day on the job, Frankie?” Kim said. “Good grief.”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Frankie said as he squatted down to the floor. He began picking up pieces of broken glass with his bare hands and putting them on the tray.
Kim turned her attention back to Jill, who was on the move now.
“Where’s she going?” Kim said.
She widened her view and saw that Annika was also cutting a path across the room. Annika and Jill were both headed for the grandfather clock.
“They were whispering earlier,” Kim said, “and pointing at that clock.”
“What are you talking about?” Rosalyn said.
“Hey Frankie, get up here and tell me something,” said Kim.
The Rose Ransom (Girls Wearing Black: Book Three) Page 17