RULING CLASS

by Huss, JA

  I nod my head because he appears to be waiting for me to respond.

  “Good. The girls are already busy washing Elizabeth.”

  “What? I said no!”

  “It’s not up to you, Cooper. Maybe one day, ten or fifteen years from now, you will be an actual King.” He smiles at me. It’s not even a mean smile. More of an understanding one. “But right now, son, you are nobody. Didn’t your father talk to you about this?”

  “About what?”

  “Your place, Cooper. He told me he went to visit you at the old inn the day Dane died. That you two had a long talk. That you were on board.”

  I squint my eyes, trying to remember this conversation. “He did.”

  “Good. Then…” Mr. Huntington pauses. “Why are you being so difficult? You’re going to lose them both if you’re not careful, Cooper.”

  I let that sink in. You’re going to lose them both.

  What the hell did my father and I talk about that day? Little bit of Dane, little bit of Cadee, little bit of Cadee’s mother and father. But mostly we talked about—him. My father when he was my age.

  I look at Mr. Huntington. Stare him straight in the eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  He smiles at me, nodding. “I know, Cooper. We all know how hard she is.” It takes me a moment to realize he’s talking about Isabella. “And we appreciate how much you’ve helped us put her in her place. If it wasn’t for you, Cooper?” He shakes his head. “She would be wild. Out of control. With all kinds of crazy notions in her head.” He pauses again. “I don’t know what I would do without you. That’s why I’ve been sticking up for you these past three years.” Suddenly his hands are gripping my upper arms and he’s shaking me. Not violently or anything. But still, it’s fucking weird. “I want you two to be together. I’m rooting for you, Cooper. I really am. And you’re close, son. So close. If you can just make it to New Year’s Eve, she will be yours. And Jack won’t be able to slap her around anymore.”

  “What?”

  “New Year’s Eve, Cooper. Just… get there.” Then he nods and lets go of my arms. “You can do it.”

  He leaves me there. Everyone leaves me there. I can hear the girls down the hallway. They’re in the bathroom presumably washing Elizabeth.

  But I tune out everything but the last few words that came out of Mr. Huntington’s mouth. If you can just make it to New Year’s Eve, she will be yours. And Jack won’t be able to slap her around anymore.

  I wander down the hall and stand in the open door of the bathroom.

  Elizabeth is clean now, wrapped up in a towel. Both Isabella and Cadee’s dresses are wet down the front from their effort. Neither Leela nor Jack are here.

  “Isabella?”

  She sucks in a long breath, then turns to me. “Yes?”

  “What did Jack and Leela tell you to do with Elizabeth when you were done?”

  “They didn’t say. I think they left, actually. For the hospital. I think Jack needs stitches.”

  She and I stare at each other for a few moments. Then I nod. “OK. Then leave her here. She’s none of our business.”

  “That’s not fair!”

  I think all three of us are equally stunned when Elizabeth speaks. Because we just look at her for a few moments, unsure what to say.

  “It’s not fair, Cooper. And you know it! They killed Dane! This isn’t my life!”

  I look at Cadee and she’s already shaking her head. But we’ve been practicing for weeks now. And she does not speak.

  “This is your life, Elizabeth. You signed up for every bit of it.” Then I turn to Cadee and Isabella. “Let’s go home. We’re done here.”

  We sneak out like cowards, using a back door reserved for staff to make our way outside, because if I have to listen to Mr. Huntington shame his daughter one more time, I will send him to the hospital next.

  I’m sure I’ll have to pay for what I did to Jack. And I’m sure that punishment will be severe. But I can’t think about it now. The only thing running through my head is the idea that I didn’t take it far enough. Didn’t hurt him nearly enough.

  Because I think Mr. Huntington just admitted, in some roundabout way, that my brother Jack has been hitting Isabella for a very long time.

  And this thought is enough to boil my blood. I see red on the drive home. In fact, I don’t even know how we get home. I don’t even remember getting in the car.

  I am nothing but rage and I want to let it all loose on Jack.

  Ax’s Camaro is in the driveway when I pull in, but the house is dark.

  We go inside, flip on the lights, and then Cadee and Isabella head upstairs, talking about showers and clothes—all too willing to put this day behind them—when I see Ax down at the end of the long hallway that leads to the side door of the inn.

  He looks at me, kinda lifts his head up in a nod, then disappears through the door.

  I follow him. Then find him in his favorite place, pacing the length of the top terrace of that weird mini-amphitheater on the lake shore.

  I pass him, then hop down the other terraces until I reach the bottom where there’s still a little bit of stage left over from better days. The lake water creeps up over it. And on very windy days, sometimes this little platform is completely covered.

  But tonight, everything is still. So I stand there in the middle of the semi-circle, and stare up at Ax.

  He lets out a long breath. “Well. I hear you guys had quite a fucking night.”

  “Dude. You have no idea.”

  “I saw Valentina today.” He looks over his shoulder at the inn, then back at me.

  “And?”

  Ax shrugs. “We’re pretty much just all hanging in there. They don’t trust you anymore. And they really do not trust Cadee.”

  It’s my turn to shrug. “OK. Anything else?”

  “That’s it for me. I’m just doing my thing.”

  “You don’t go to school anymore.”

  “Nah. No fucking point. But don’t worry, I’m turning shit in. Online portal. My Capstone paper is coming along.”

  “OK. Good, I guess.”

  He hops down one terrace. Points to the ground. “How’s your project coming?”

  I nod. “Yeah. I’m making progress. Did the echolocation.”

  “And?”

  “Nothing. As expected. But Victor and I are setting up the seismic scanning. Should be able to shoot that shit off in about a week.”

  Ax raises his eyebrows at me. “So soon?”

  “Yeah. I can’t delay. Jack is on me all the fucking time. And I beat the shit out of him tonight, so trust me. A week is pushing it.”

  Ax sighs. “What do think you’ll find?”

  “I have no clue. But whatever it is they’re looking for out there? It’s fucking big.”

  Back inside, I stop by Isabella’s room first. I tap my knuckles on the door, then open it without waiting. Isabella is lying on her stomach on the bed, tapping on her phone. She looks over her shoulder at me, then goes back to her phone. “What’s up, Coop?”

  “Are you… OK?”

  “I’m fine. Why?” She doesn’t even look at me.

  “Because Jack slapped you across the face tonight.”

  She shrugs. “It didn’t really hurt.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  Now she looks at me. “Then what is the point, Cooper?”

  “He hit you, Isabella. Right in front of me. And no one seems to think that’s weird.”

  She gets up and walks towards me. She’s wearing a pair of light blue shorts, a white tank top, her face has been washed, and her wet hair is piled on top of her head. Obviously, she is done with this day.

  When she reaches me, she places both her hands on my chest and pushes me backwards until I stumble back out into the hallway. Then she says, “Go away, Cooper. I don’t need a prince.”

  And then she closes the door on my face.

  I stand there for a moment, wondering if I should go back in and make her talk
this through with me, but then I give up.

  So much shit has happened today, I’m having a hard time processing it.

  When we arrived at my family home, Jack intercepted us. He told me to follow him and bring Cadee with me, then directed Isabella to go find her parents in the great room.

  So we followed him up to that room. Which I only vaguely knew existed. I think there’s some long-ago memory of this being my mother’s quiet room. And when I was a small child, I imagined that was where she took naps.

  Yeah. I can’t go there now. Whatever purpose the quiet room had, it most likely had nothing to do with sleeping.

  But now the room is just an ordinary den. A few chairs, two loveseats, a small table in the corner near a wet bar, and a big TV over the fireplace.

  Elizabeth was already in position when I got there and the smell coming off that girl was enough to make me gag.

  But Cadee seemed fine. Up for the challenge. And Jack’s words were running through my head. Give her the ability to rise and succeed.

  Rise. Right.

  So I barked some orders, put on a good show. As far as I know, Jack bought it. And we left them up there to wait for us—their masters—to come back.

  I felt like a complete dick all through dinner. How could Jack eat knowing that Elizabeth was upstairs in that room basting in her own filth? And Leela kept asking me questions about the wedding.

  The wedding?

  And I wanted to say, First of all, I give no fucks about the wedding. Even if I was in love with Isabella, I would still give no fucks about the wedding. Second, we’re not getting married. Third, you do remember that you have a little slave woman upstairs chained to a chair with a collar around her neck. Right? Ringing any fucking bells here?

  But I didn’t say that.

  Instead I concentrated on the voice of Cadee in my head, talking me down to a more rational plane of existence. Just be the bully king, Cooper. It’s not that far of a stretch.

  And I get it. I had some moments in the past that would put Jack to shame. Not just with Cadee, either.

  I just don’t like being that guy. The whole reason we bought into Dante’s plan—or at least the whole reason I did—was to make up for past mistakes. To try to put things right.

  I feel like I’m just wading in deeper. Slowly. Ever so slowly. It’s one step here, another there. And now I’m up to my fucking waist in dark water and the shoreline looks very far away.

  I walk down to the end of the hall to the room Cadee and I share when we’re at the inn, but when I open the door, it’s completely dark. I have a moment of pure panic filled with several dozen kidnapping scenarios when I realize the room is freezing and the screen door to the porch is visible.

  She’s in the hammock, bundled up in a blanket.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Waiting for you.”

  I walk out onto the porch, pulling the heavy door closed behind me so our room won’t be ice cold when we go back inside.

  “Come down here. I have something for you.”

  “You do?” I grin at her. I doubt she can see it—it’s dark tonight. But I grin anyway. And then I carefully lower myself into the hammock and she makes a big deal about sharing the blanket. Then she reaches down, grabs a stainless-steel bowl, and balances it on her hip.

  We are face to face. Eye to eye. She’s smiling at me. I can see it, even in this gloomy darkness.

  She presses something very cold against my eye and I wince. Ice. She brought up a bowl of ice for me. “Does it hurt?”

  “Yeah, a little.”

  “Did you tell Ax that you channeled him tonight?”

  I chuckle. “No. We were talking other shit.”

  “More important shit than ass-kicking?”

  I chuckle again. “It’s not funny. I think Jack has been hitting Isabella. And I don’t think you should hang out with Leela anymore.”

  “Why?”

  “You have to ask?”

  “We’re making progress.”

  “Are we? Because from where I stand we’re spinning our wheels. No one knows what the fuck we’re doing. I mean, when is the last time you talked to Mona?”

  “Not that long ago, actually. She bumped into me about a week ago.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She was… you know. Typical Mona. Kinda bitchy. Said I was falling for it.”

  “Are you falling for it?”

  “No.” She says it with a huff. “Of course not.”

  I don’t believe her. I don’t blame her—I mean Leela is playing her fucking A-game. Taking Cadee to the city. Buying her presents. And she makes sure that everyone in the dorm knows that Cadee is getting special treatment.

  “Well, they’re getting pissed, Cadee. And I don’t blame them. It’s one thing to say we’re all on board, but we have to go our separate ways and play our own parts in Dante’s plan. But that was two months ago. And now you and I are…”

  She pulls the ice away from my eye. “We’re what?”

  “Don’t you see? Jack and Leela are trying to make everyone hate you.”

  “So? They’ve always hated me.”

  “Well, now they don’t trust you, Cadee. You need to stop seeing Leela.”

  “No. I’m close now. I’m not going to fuck it up.”

  “Close to what?”

  “To my answers. To their secrets. That’s the whole reason I stayed last summer and I’m not going anywhere until I get them.”

  “I thought you wanted justice?”

  “I do.”

  “Well, that justice goes through me.”

  She snorts. “What the hell does that mean? Am I supposed to just sit back and let you take care of everything? Because from what I see, you haven’t done anything yet.”

  “I’m setting it up. It takes time.”

  “Well, then why can’t we both set it up? And then see who gets there first?”

  “Because you’re playing with Jack now, Cadee. And all these years I thought he was the good brother. Meaning, he wasn’t buying in to it. But he is, Cadee. I don’t even think my father is in charge anymore. I think Jack is. They’re dangerous. In fact—” I take a deep breath and then let it out. “I think we should just skip out.”

  “What?”

  “You, me, Isabella, Ax—anyone else who wants to come. I think we should just play along for a few more weeks until the semester is over, and we should all say we’re going on a trip for winter break and never come back.”

  “Are you insane?”

  “I’m one hundred percent serious.”

  “We’ve only been to one ritual, Cooper.”

  “We don’t need to know about the rituals, Cadee. Dante’s plan wasn’t about the rituals.”

  “Fuck Dante’s plan. No one even remembers what Dante’s plan was.”

  “See, here is my problem, Cadee. You think that because Leela has completely removed you from your social circle.”

  “What social circle?” She laughs. “Isabella is my social circle. You’re my social circle. I’m still here. You’re still here. She’s still here. My circle hasn’t changed at all.”

  “Yeah, that’s my point. We’re all on the inside with you. But you have no friends on the outside.”

  “I have never had friends on the outside. That’s why I’m doing this. My parents—” She stops. I don’t know what she thinks her parents were up to, but I have a good idea. I’m not gonna tell her because it’s pretty fucking sad. But I have a moment of hope that she’s figured it out too. “My parents were murdered, Cooper. And these people know why. I’m not leaving here until I know why too.”

  “I don’t think that’s it, Cadee.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course, that’s it.”

  “You want to know why they were killed only because you’re hoping that knowledge will tell you why they were here in the first place. And I’m trying to explain to you that you should just let me handle it.”

  She’s pursin
g her newly plumped-up lips. I cannot fucking believe that Leela talked her into getting lip injections. It blows my mind that Cadee said yes to that. I get the presents. I get the jewelry, the clothes, the chocolates, the flowers. Fine. She wants to keep that shit—whatever.

  But lip injections? How does she not see that crosses a whole new line?

  She gets up from the hammock and her bowl of ice crashes to the wood floor.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to bed, Cooper.”

  I reach out and grab her wrist before she can leave. “Why?”

  She yanks her arm from my grip and shakes her head. “I don’t need a prince, Cooper. I’m doing just fine on my own.”

  My mouth drops open. And she takes advantage of my stunned silence and goes inside. Pulling the heavy door closed behind her.

  I get up and look over the side of the railing.

  Ax is still down there. Still pacing the length of the top terrace. He pauses to look up at me, then shrugs his shoulders and goes back to his thinking.

  I don’t dare say anything else. I might’ve said too much, actually.

  We have known that they’ve been watching us since the second week we were here at the inn. Ivan found more than four dozen bugs and sixteen hidden cameras. They are everywhere. In the bedrooms. In the bathrooms. In the kitchen. Even right here on this porch.

  The only place they’re not is down by the water where Ax is right now.

  That day Ivan found them Elexa announced that she and Ivan were taking a trip up to the cabins at Poplar Lake and over the course of two days, the rest of us made our way up there too. Even Dante and Mona showed up.

  “Divide and conquer,” Dante had said. “That’s what they’re trying to do. So let’s make it easy for them. As far as they’re concerned, from this moment on, we’re not friends, we have no plan, we have no goal.” Dante pointed his finger at them. All of them. Hell, even me. “You will not talk about this. You will not utter one more word about any of it. You do not ask questions, you do not offer information, you do not do anything but the job you were assigned.”

  Their jobs were easy. They were nothing, actually. Go along. Be normal and don’t freak out.