by Huss, JA
That was everyone’s job but mine. I’m the only one who has to do something in this plan.
Dante was privy to some serious inside information because his Aunt Laurie was my father’s assistant for a lot of years. She’s gone now and someone else has taken her place, but she got a lot of secrets out of that office before she quit.
The storage unit where I found all those boxes last summer was just the beginning. She also found my Capstone project.
Not the fancy blue and gold folder my father handed to me that day in his office. An outline, mostly. Detailing a discovery mission at the tomb.
“They are looking for something,” Dante said. “And they are looking hard. We need to find it first.”
We all have suspicions about what that ‘something’ might be. I mean—you have a tomb in the woods, you have young people called ‘pledges’ or sometimes ‘initiates’. This leads you straight to ‘cult’. And from there… well, anything goes.
There was a reason Cadee bought this inn. I mean, there were lots of reasons, actually. It was affordable, close to campus, had the right number of bedrooms, a lake view… but it also used to belong to Fang and Feather.
Long time ago. Like over a hundred years ago. Then they got the tomb and all the secrets were moved out there.
But it might still be holding some secrets they’d forgotten about.
“That sounds dangerous,” Lars had said when Dante informed us that we had to pretend to go along and we couldn’t talk to each other about it. “We’re gonna lose trust in this plan—and each other—really quick if we do this.”
“Good,” Victor said. “Good. Because if we do, then they’ll really believe it.”
“You don’t understand,” Ax said. “We’ll stop believing it too. This is all psychology. It’s all about mind control. Trust me, I know how they work. I know all the tricks. And they are gonna bring them out in force if they get one inkling that we’re all working together. Shit, they already know. How many conversations did we have in that inn before Ivan found the cameras and mics? They know.”
“Then we just have to be smarter than them,” Valentina had said.
“Smarter than them?” Ax had laughed. “They have two hundred years of secrets, Valentina. Not only do they know how to play this game, they invented it.”
Dante turned to Ax. “So what’s your idea, smart guy? Hmm? Beat the fuck out of them? Think that’s gonna work?”
“No,” Ax said. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, Dante. I’m just telling you”—and then it was Ax’s turn to point his finger at everyone—“if we start lying to each other we’ll lose track of the truth pretty fucking quick. So all of this has to be done on faith. We cannot stop trusting each other. No matter what anyone says, or does, or appears to be—we cannot stop trusting them.”
“That’s just as dangerous,” Sophie said. “Because that means we can’t question anyone’s loyalty if they do something suspicious.”
Dante was quiet for a while after that and we all waited for him to form some kind of conclusion. I wish I could say I was the brains of this operation, but I’m not.
I’m pretty much following orders.
And now I’m tired of it.
Finally, Dante said, “OK. I understand that it’s a risk, but it’s the only chance we have to buy the time we need to find what they’re really hiding. So we’re going with divide and conquer. But with the express understanding that no one’s loyalty can be questioned.”
There was some grumbling, but everyone agreed.
Or—and this is what’s troubling everyone right now—we all just agreed because we knew it was falling apart.
We all just agreed so we could drop the subject and concentrate on something else.
We all just agreed so we could get back to our normally scheduled lives.
Cadee is already in bed when I go back inside. I change into a pair of shorts and get in next to her, hoping she’ll do something that will make me feel better about where all this is going. But she just makes it worse. She turns her back to me and says, “Good night, Cooper,” then reaches over and clicks the light off. Not even caring that I didn’t say good night back.
The next day is Cadee’s party. Well, was supposed to be her party.
No one shows up.
We cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner and in the end it’s just me, Cadee, and Isabella.
Even Ax stays away. Like he’s making a point not to interact with us.
“Divide and conquer,” Dante said.
Well… mission accomplished.
We are officially divided.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - CADEE
Nobody eats in the Hunter Building dining room.
Of course, only three people are allowed in there since my whole cult baptism and subsequent pledge to be Cooper’s Maiden. But in the week that’s passed since we all came back from Thanksgiving break, Isabella has decided to make Sophie her new project—whatever that means—so Isabella and Sophie eat in the High Court cafeteria on the other side of campus for meals. And Cooper hasn’t been home before two AM all week. He’s always over in the woods by the tomb doing… whatever the hell fake geological engineers do.
That’s kinda bitchy of me. Cooper is actually pretty smart in some ways.
But I don’t even know if he came home last night. I gave up waiting for him and just went to sleep. And he didn’t come into my room, so who knows? Maybe he’s dead? Maybe they sacrificed him out at that tomb?
I’m exaggerating. I know that. But I’m mad because no one will talk to me. No one.
Well, that’s not true. One person is still very much interested in me.
Leela Valcourt.
She’s been texting me daily since Thanksgiving. She even texted to ask how my dinner party went. Which, of course, was a complete failure because no one came.
Ax didn’t even come. And he fucking lives there.
But Leela has been suspiciously absent outside my classrooms all week so when I come out of life drawing on Friday and find her waiting for me, I’m surprised. But also happy.
Happy because meeting creepy Leela Valcourt is the first social interaction I’ve had in five days.
“There she is!” Leela beams as I walk towards her. “How was your week?”
“Fine. I guess. What are you doing here?”
“Checking in. Wanted to see if you were OK. Make sure you didn’t need anything.”
I wonder if she’s the reason no one will talk to me? Cooper said people don’t trust me because of Leela. Which I get. But it’s a game. I understand that we’re all kinda going in different directions, but the deal was that we would still trust each other. And I know that there are cameras everywhere. But they could grab me between some random building and pull me into the woods or something, just to prove they care.
Hmm. Maybe I should tackle one of them?
“Cadee?”
“Hmm?” Shit. Was she talking that whole time?
“I asked what your plans were tonight.”
“Oh… probably Coop and I will go out to eat.” This is wishful thinking. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even know it’s Friday.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jack is over at the tomb right now. That’s not a secret, right? You know about Cooper’s project?”
I shrug. “Some of it. I guess. I know it’s at the tomb.”
“Well, Jack is over there now checking on his progress. He texted a little while ago telling me Cooper is woefully behind and I should check in on you to see if you were OK.”
That was creepy of him. “How nice of him. Yes, Leela. I’m fine. But thanks for asking.”
“Well, since Jack and Cooper will be busy tonight, I thought we could go into Monrovia and get some dinner.”
“Hm.”
“Is that a no?”
“No. Not a no.” I sigh. I do not want to spend time with Leela. I kinda wish this whole pledge thing ne
ver happened. I kinda wish I had gone to North Dakota. Of course, in this fantasy Cooper comes with me. I’m not sure how that would work, since I learned about North Dakota when Cooper still hated my guts. And the Chairman said it was a lie when he admitted to setting me up for the summer so I would still be around when the building was completed, so none of this is even possible anyway.
“Then what is it?”
Jesus Christ. She’s still here. Can this woman take a hint? “Fine. I’ll have dinner with you.”
She raises one eyebrow at me.
“What?”
“You are very distracted tonight.”
“Sorry. I’m just thinking about Cooper. He’s… busy.”
“Oh.” She pauses to smile at me. “I understand. Well, let’s have dinner and we can talk it through.”
I force myself to be nice and hook my arm into hers, tugging her towards the parking lot like I’m eager. Because right here, in public, in front of people—Leela is pretty much a nobody. But the minute we get in her car she morphs. I don’t know any other word for it. She turns into someone important. Someone deserving respect.
She goes in and out of these two versions of herself depending on who is around. For instance, the minute Jack appears she’s back to being nobody. She slips into the background like wallpaper. When he walks away, she’s suddenly flesh and blood again. In command of things.
It’s weird. I’m sure there’s some detailed handbook out there on how to be a good cult wife, but no one ever offered me a copy. This is also weird. Not that I haven’t gotten a copy yet, but that Leela is even bothering with me.
Why?
I’m the Maiden in this arrangement. And it’s not even her arrangement. So why is she investing so much time in me when she should be investing it in Isabella?
I don’t get it.
But I don’t have any better offers tonight, and there’s no real way to tell Leela no once she gets it in her head that she and I are spending time together. Trust me, I’ve tried. So there’s no point in fighting it.
We end up at the restaurant in the Monrovian Hotel.
Predictable.
I’ve been here with Leela so many times now, the maître d’ greets me by name and the server asks if I’d like my usual drink to start.
My usual drink is water. Because I’m eighteen years old and my booze normally comes from cult rituals or college parties.
God, I’m very cynical tonight.
“Snap out of it, Cadee.”
Leela is creepy intuitive. Sometimes I wonder if she can read minds, that’s how on she is. “I’m fine. Honestly. I think the stress of the semester is finally catching up with me.”
This is also a lie. And I’m sure Leela knows it’s a lie, because I fucking love school. I haven’t missed a single day, I haven’t skipped a single assignment, and I aced all my midterms.
“Well, I know what could help with that.”
“With what?”
“Your stress.” Then she leans over the table, places the drink menu on the side of her face so the other diners can’t read her lips, and says, “You need to get fucked.”
Then she leans back in her chair and smiles.
I just stare at her.
“Am I wrong?”
“No. Not really.”
“Cooper is ignoring you, isn’t he?”
I shrug. “He’s a little distracted as well.”
“It’s your fault, you know.”
“Is it?” I laugh.
“Of course. If your man loses interest it’s your job to bring him back.”
I ponder this. She’s being a total bitch, but she’s not wrong. In some ways. I’m not trying either. And then, before I can stop myself, I blurt, “I feel like everything is on hold.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… he’s busy with his project. That’s the most important thing. And I don’t blame that on him, I already know that Jack is breathing down his neck. So I feel like once that’s out of the way he’ll be back.”
Leela cocks her head at me. “Does he see Isabella?”
“I don’t know. Why?” I squint my eyes at her.
“He does, Cadee. He has been seeing Isabella. She has brought him dinner every day this week.”
“She has?”
“Yes. Sophie has gone with her. And Michael. It’s almost a double date.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
Leela leans over the table and snatches my hand. I almost pull away, but catch myself just in time. “Because I care about you, of course. I’m in charge of your happiness.”
I make a face at her. “What do you mean?”
“I run all the Maidens, sweetie. It’s literally my job.”
“Oh.” Then I say it again. “Ohhhhh.” Because it suddenly makes sense.
“Would you like some advice?”
I shrug. “Sure. Why not.”
“Challenge him, Cadee. Give him an opportunity to rise to the occasion.”
And there are those words again. “How do I challenge him, Leela? What does that mean?”
“You want to see what it means?” She pulls her phone out of her purse, taps on it a few times, then hands it over to me. “Have a look.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - COOPER
Jack is not happy. Victor and I have done the seismic testing twice in the last week and came back with shit for results. Right now it’s seven at night, pitch dark out, and Jack and I are walking back to the family mansion for a serious meeting with Father about my research methods.
Inside, the house is quiet and dark and it suddenly occurs to me how weird it must be to live all alone in this giant house with no one to interact with except staff, who have all gone home for the weekend.
We find the Chairman in the kitchen. He looks pleasantly surprised to see us as he shoves the last bite of a sandwich in his mouth and chews through his smile.
Jack doesn’t wait for him to finish. “Nothing. He got nothing. Again. We’re wasting our time here. It’s somewhere else.”
My dad takes his time chewing. His eyes are on Jack, not me. And they’re narrowing down into slits in real time. I don’t say anything because it’s obvious that Jack is pissing him off. Finally, my father says, “Where do you suggest we look next, Jack?”
I interject. “What are we looking for?”
Jack glares at me. “Don’t start asking questions now, Cooper. It makes you look woefully uninformed instead of curious.”
I don’t even know what that means. And I do not care about this project. All I want to do is collect my data and pack this shit up.
“Are you going to throw a tantrum, Jack?” my father says. “Or did you interrupt my Friday night with a solution?”
“We do the Glass House next.”
My father shakes his head. “That place is only twenty years old. It’s not there.”
“You don’t know that. It’s in these woods and we need to find it.”
“Listen,” Dad says. “If you want Cooper to check the Glass House, make him check the Glass House. I don’t really care. Do you care, Cooper?”
“I give no fucks at all.”
I wait for my father to chastise me. Or, at the very least, glare at me. But I think I detect a slight smile.
“Great.” Jack looks at me. “You and Victor need to be at the Glass House at dawn. We will do the entire thing tomorrow.”
I’m fairly certain there’s no way in hell we’re gonna be able to do that. But I nod, then say, “Later,” and leave.
It’s Friday night, I’ve been working on this project non-stop all week, and Cadee texted just before Jack and I left the tomb. She’s got a surprise for me.
I’m actually excited about that.
There’s a party going on at the Hunter Building. This happens every single weekend. Both Friday and Saturday nights. It’s a lot of thumping, and strobe lights, and kegs lined up in the central courtyard. At least a hundred people drop by each weekend, which is near
ly half the school. But tonight, it’s so packed when I go inside, I have to push people out of my way to reach the elevator.
Once inside, I sigh a breath of relief and lean against the back wall as I ascend.
If there’s one thing I hate about this dorm, it’s the parties. Every fucking weekend with the parties.
But then again, the last few days at the inn over fall break were painfully quiet.
Something has changed and I don’t know what it is.
Probably me, since I’m gone all the time working on Jack’s project.
That’s what I’m calling it now. Jack’s project. Because it’s certainly not mine and my father seems only marginally interested in the results.
The doors open and I step out, ready to turn to my right towards Cadee’s room so I can let her know I’m here, but then I stop in my tracks and just stare out at the bridge that spans the length of the courtyard in front of me.
“Cadee?” I squint my eyes. I can’t tell if it’s her because the woman on the bridge directly in front of me is painted up in white. Her whole body flashes with the black-light strobe from down below, making her alternate between dark and light.
There are a lot of symbols painted on her body in what appears to be red, but which only show up when the light is black.
Triangles, and circles, and—I can’t quite see her face, but something about it is not right.
“Cadee?”
The length of the bridge starts and ends just outside the doors to our rooms. Like a pathway to each other. But when you get off the elevator, it’s in profile. I turn to my left towards my room, never taking my eyes off Cadee as I make my way to the entrance of the bridge. It’s lined with high-end tabletop torches. Real flames shoot out of tall, silver cylinder canisters. The night is cold, but here the air is hot and I begin to sweat under my jacket.
Cadee waits in the center of the bridge. Directly in the middle. Both hands braced on the railing, and now that I’m looking at her from another angle, I can see that she is slightly bent over. Her ass up in the air.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I take a few steps and stop. Because she doesn’t even look at me. Just… waits there. “Cadee? Why are you naked and painted up like a fucking freak?”