There Can Only Be Six

by Andrea Levesque

  She laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m the queen of the no-friends club here. I don’t really fit in with the snobs at Wellsley.”

  “What, they’re too stuck up?” I joked, and we both laughed.

  “That’s why I’m so glad you’re here.” She said quietly. “You’re way more down to earth than the other kids our age.” Ironic, I thought. Maybe Nina liked me, but she was just desperate for friends. I still didn’t fit in here. I didn’t fit in anywhere.

  I caught my breath and moved back into my bedroom, shutting the French doors and letting the blasting heat warm me back up.

  As I turned back around, positioned to jump back on my bed, I stopped. There, poised on my bedspread, was a rolled-up piece of paper tied with a red ribbon, and no, it most certainly had not been there when I stepped outside.

  “Woah.” I said, “hold on.”

  “What?” Nina said, her voice muffled by the wind.

  Ignoring her question, I set the phone down beside it and picked up the paper. I turned it around, examining it before pulling off the red ribbon. My heart rate picked up as I pulled open the scroll. On one side was a geometric-looking symbol of what seemed to be a compass with a rose replacing the top of the arrow where North should be. I flipped the paper over.

  The Order of the Six cordially invites you to the Cunningham’s Annual Christmas Party, where the challenge begins, and the horizon is always clear.

  Saturday, 10 pm

  There Can Only Be Six

  I picked up the phone and pressed it tightly to my ear. “Uh, Nina? I just got some weird invite with a crest on the back? It’s like, some sort of compass with a rose in it?”

  I heard the sharp intake of breath from the other end. “Oh my god, you didn’t!” She screeched, and I heard the banging of her own French doors open and shut carelessly behind her.

  “Eeh!” Another screech. “Oh my god!” She said, “I can’t believe we both just got an invite!”

  “An invite to what?” I asked skeptically, the thin piece of paper dangling from my fingers.

  “The Order of the Six. They’re a super prestigious secret society around here. Everyone who's anyone in this town wants to be a part of it.”

  I sat down on the edge of my bed, scroll in hand. “Why?”

  She gawked. “Why? Because! Because the Order is powerful. Plus, it’s like a major cool factor. Technically your participation in the Order is a total secret, no one really knows for sure who is actually in it unless they’re a member, but people speculate. Those that we know of have gone on to the top schools in the country when they graduated and have done some totally amazing things! Ugh, it’s so cool!”

  “I don’t know, Nina. I don’t really want to join some elite society full of snobby assholes who throw around money for fun.”

  “Harper! Come on. You have to join. With that mark on your permanent record, you’re going to have a hell of a time getting into college. Especially a good one. Unless you ask your dad -”

  “No.” I cut her off. “I don’t want my dad to buy my way in. He pays for my mom’s whole life already, and that hasn’t been good for her. She’s obsessed with making sure people see her as wealthy and important. I don’t want to end up like that.” I looked up, my ceiling, familiar and comforting in its own way, but not really mine.

  I hated to admit it, but maybe Nina was right. Expulsion from school wasn't going to go over well on college applications. And right then, I was starting over.

  “Okaaay.” Nina said. “Then you absolutely must join the Order of the Six. With them, you’d never have to rely on your parents again.”

  “Right, I’d be relying on a totally different group of millionaires.”

  She sighed loudly. “It’s not like that. And listen, this isn’t an invitation to be inducted into the society. It’s just a recruitment. They’ll have to run you through a series of tests and stuff to see who is a good fit and who isn’t.”

  “Sounds like hazing to me,” I said.

  “Harper, please? You don’t have to join if you don’t want to. Just come with me, I don’t want to go alone. You can always decide later.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. “Fine, but I’m going to need an outfit. If the meeting is at a party, I’ll need to borrow something since my mom hasn’t shipped any of my formal stuff yet.”

  “Yes!” She howled. I heard her opening another set of doors, probably to her walk-in closet. I thought about when I first met Nina seven years ago on the shared beach behind our houses, her thin black glasses and Harry Potter T-shirt a far cry from the aspiring trendsetter she’d become.

  “And Nina?”

  “Yes?”

  “Please remember who you’re dressing. I’m not as girly as you.”

  The sound of clinking hangers echoed into my ear.

  “You know, it’s weird that the Order would pick you. I mean, you are a Fontaine, so it’s natural they’d invite you as one of the original founding families. But like, you literally just arrived today. How did they even know you’d be here?”

  I fell back onto my bed, my socked toes keeping contact with the hardwood floor.

  Yeah, I thought. Why did they want me? And how did they know I was here?

  “The Order knows everything, I guess. They probably keep tabs on everyone.” Nina said in the background, but my mind had already wandered to what Nina had said about the fire. Either it was a mistake, someone really hated me, or… Or was someone trying to get me out here? It was a stretch, so much so that I wouldn’t mention it to Nina, but it was a definite possibility. No one I knew of in Manhattan hated me enough to get me kicked out of school for fun. Had someone brought me out here to join some mysterious secret society, or was I reaching? If going through with this recruitment meant getting some answers, I had to try.

  Either way, I couldn’t help but wonder, who was the Order of the Six, and what did they want with me?

  TWO

  “Why am I wearing this?” I whispered to Nina, who was sipping tea from a hand-painted teacup. She placed the delicate china onto its saucer and let it hover above the table as she leaned in.

  “Because, Harper, flannel isn’t a socially acceptable choice of wardrobe for the Newport Country Club.” She replied in a practiced whisper.

  “I honestly don’t think my dad cares what I wear,” I said, glancing across the round table at my father, whose brown hair was left uncombed but still managed to look charming as it fell down his forty-something-year-old face. His crisp white shirt was unbuttoned at the top. I smiled as he winked at me across the table.

  “Don’t worry. You still look like a lesbian,” Nina whispered nonchalantly.

  “Nina!” I hissed, attempting to kick her shin but getting tangled in the lace tablecloth instead.

  She shrugged. “What? Your dad knows. I didn’t know it was a secret.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled politely at the old lady with stark white hair sitting behind her.

  I shot her a look, then slouched down in my chair a little, as if the table could sufficiently hide me from prying eyes. “It’s not, but I don’t want my official introduction to this town to be as ‘the lesbian’. It’s not the same here as it is in New York.”

  A crumb fell out of Nina’s mouth as she took a small bite of her croissant. She caught it with her napkin, then gently dabbed at the sides of her mouth.

  “True, you already have the whole ‘girl who got kicked out of school’ branding.” She lowered her voice so my dad couldn’t hear. “Just one more reason why you should join the Order of the Six… status.” She winked.

  I tugged at the fitted cream cardigan Nina had picked out for me. Paired with my ash blonde hair and blue eyes, I looked like exactly the kind of girl I wouldn’t want to hang out with.

  “Nina, I look like a basic bitch.”

  She scoffed and set down her saucer. “Are you kidding? You insisted on wearing those.” She said, pointing to my ripped jean
s under the table, gaping holes torn into sections down my legs. I looked down and smiled a satisfied smirk.

  “True,” I admitted. “But next time, I’m wearing my own top.”

  My dad took a sip of his own teacup, filled with coffee. “So, Harper, I heard you met the Vasquez twins yesterday?” My dad said with a smile, his full attention on me. I heard Nina choke on her tea as a little bit spilled over the rim of the cup. Oops, I guess I forgot to mention that to Nina.

  “Yeah, I did... By the way, I could have just taken an Uber. You didn’t have to ask the kid next door to give me a ride. It was kind of awkward.” I grabbed a scone from a 3-tier cake plate and placed it in front of me. “And it was especially weird that he took your car instead of his. He obviously has enough to choose from.”

  “His idea.” My dad said. “He wanted you to be as comfortable as possible.” I nodded awkwardly. “It wouldn’t kill you to make an effort here, Harper. I don’t know if you realize it, but this is your last chance.” My eyes shot up at him, a scone frozen in my hand.

  “What do you mean?” My eyebrows furrowed impatiently.

  He sighed. “Your mother did try and get you into other schools in New York, Harper. They wouldn’t accept you.”

  My mouth dropped, and I sat up a little. “Are you serious?” So, whoever brought me out here, assuming that theory is correct, went to great lengths. The thought was chilling, and I pulled my cardigan closer around me.

  He nodded, dropping his eyes from mine. “I don’t know why. I know the expulsion didn’t look good, but usually, it’s nothing money can’t solve.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. “Look, I know what you’re going to say. Your mother and I didn’t bring money into it until after we got told no. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Wellsley Prep took you, due to my, and your, notoriety in this town.”

  I kept my eyes focused on the tablecloth. “Lucky me.”

  “Yes,” he said, “Lucky you. If you’re going to recover from the incident at your last school, this is where you want to be. But you must try, Harper.” He looked up at the ceiling as if it would give him answers. “And the kids here are great. As I said, Adan is a sweet kid. And I’m sure his sister is too if you give her a chance.”

  I ripped off a piece of my scone and let it fall back onto my plate. I didn’t like sweets this early in the day. “I didn’t realize you were so close with the neighbor’s kids.”

  My dad took a sip of his coffee, then shifted in his seat. His usual air of confidence was wavering, and it was an uncommon look on him. The hum of mindless chatter died around me as I narrowed my focus on my dad, waiting for the words he was undoubtedly going to say.

  “I just want to help you make some friends, kiddo. You barely know anyone here.” He winked at Nina, and she waved a hand at him flirtatiously, like he’d just complimented her somehow. I rolled my eyes. “And…” He added, and my chest tightened. There it was.

  “And you have to leave for work already?” I leaned back, crossing my arms.

  “I’m only going to be gone for a week. I’ll be back before you even start school.”

  “Dad!” I shouted in a hushed whisper. “You’re going to miss all the holiday stuff. What am I supposed to do, move in with the Mullers?” At the mention of Nina’s family, she bounced up and down in her seat, making a little “eeh!” sound.

  Dad sighed and leaned back, matching my posture. “No, honey. I’ll be back before Christmas Eve, and we can get a tree and do Christmas and New Years and all of it. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

  Yeah, right, I thought. This was just like all the summers I’d spent out here, hoping secretly that my dad had finally decided to take some time off to spend with me. But somehow, even with summer vacation landing around the same time every year, my dad’s fancy engineering job had him flying out to God knows where to do God knows what. The last time I remembered either of my parents truly wanting to spend time with me, without some obligation or ulterior motive, was when my grandfather was still alive. He was the glue that held us all together and, without him, we stayed apart.

  My eyes went to the tiny silver spoon resting unused on my tea saucer. I picked up the shiny item and smoothed my fingers over it, the unfamiliar ridges and dips satisfying my need for a distraction.

  “What would mom think about all this?” I said with an edge, not looking at my dad.

  His jaw clenched. “Your mother isn’t here, so it’s not really up to her how I conduct my business.”

  “And if I tell mom that the minute I got here, you decided to up and leave me alone?” I threatened my voice light.

  He sighed. “Harper, the life you had with your mother requires money. To get that money, I have to work. If you want me to continue supporting your mother, you’ll need to let me.”

  “What?” I hissed, leaning up against the table, the fine china shaking at my forcefulness. A couple of people at the table next to us glanced over.

  “Are you saying you’ll stop paying my mom’s child support if I tattle on you?” I gaped.

  Guilt spread across my father’s features. “No, no, no. Of course not. But what I pay your mother is well above and beyond child support. I also buy you absolutely everything you want or need.” My dad leaned over the table and grabbed my hand. I let him take it. “All that I’m saying is, if I want to continue going that extra mile for your mother financially as well as supporting you here, I have to keep up with my business. You know that. I care about your mother, and I want to give you both the best.” The look on his face made me soften. I squeezed his hand.

  “I know,” I said, looking back down at my spoon. “I won’t mention anything to mom about it.”

  Nina cleared her throat. “Incoming.” She sing-songed to both of us.

  A broad smile beamed across my dad’s face. I turned to see a woman my dad’s age in a cream wrap dress and matching ascot sauntering toward us, with Adan and Valentina in tow. My stomach did a little flip.

  “Macy,” Dad said fondly, setting the napkin from his lap on the table as he stood to greet her.

  I hesitated, but when I saw Nina shift to stand, I joined her, slipping the silver spoon into my jean pocket. “Ms. Vasquez.” Nina nodded politely.

  “Jake, Nina.” Macy nodded at them, respectively. “And you must be Harper. Lovely to meet you, darling,” She said, grabbing my hands and pulling them out to the sides to look at me. I let my eyes scan her as well, taking in how similar she looked to Valentina with her long, angled face and button nose. The biggest difference between the two of them was her blonde hair, which was like Adan’s in color except for the fact that it was almost certainly a bottle blonde.

  “You’re stunning, Harper. My god, how the years have gone by. I haven't seen you since you were a little girl. And you know Adan and Valentina, so I’ve heard.” She dropped my hands and gestured to the twins standing behind her. Adan was giving me that same wide grin I was starting to get used to seeing from him while Valentina studied her nails, looking bored.

  “Adan.” My dad greeted Adan with a handshake, fist bump combination that absolutely weirded me out.

  I nodded at Macy, fighting the urge to curtsy. When my dad suggested we do brunch at the club, I assumed it was so we could eat, not to entertain some sort of formal social hour.

  “Well,” She smiled. “I’ve certainly heard a lot about you. How are you settling in Newport?” I’ve heard a lot about you? From who? I noticed Valentina’s eyes snap up at me behind Macy, then dart between her mom and my dad.

  I sniffed. “Oh gosh,” I said, formulating an appropriate response. “Being by the beach 24/7, how could I complain?”

  Macy laughed and patted me on the shoulder. “Jake dear, you’ll give me a call later?" She asked, and he nodded.

  “Of course. Talk to you in a bit.”

  With that, Macy headed to an empty table in another section of the room. Thank God rich people valued space, I was about
to tear my dad a new one, and I didn’t want the Vasquez’s to hear a word of it.

  “So,” my dad said. “I thought you may want to change your room up a bit now that it’s more than just a vacation home for you. Any thoughts on redecorating? I have an excellent interior decorator that could get it all done before I’m back from my trip.”

  “You’re dating Mrs. Vasquez?” I hissed.

  “It’s Ms. Vasquez. Her husband passed away years ago. And well, you don’t miss anything, do you, Harper? My little detective, always seeing things other people don’t. Your grandfather would be proud.”

  “Dad!”

  My dad cleared his throat and met my eyes. “That was the other thing I was meaning to tell you.”

  I clenched my jaw. “And she’s totally fine with you traveling so much for work? Like, does she even get to see you?” Does she see you more than me?

  “Well,” he said. “She’s going to come with me on this trip.”

  “What?!” I scoffed. Why don’t I come with you? I wondered. But I knew he’d make up some excuse about my needing to settle in before school starts, so I didn’t bother asking.

  Nina leaned over to me and patted my arm. “What’s the big deal?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re not even going on this trip for work, are you? All that stuff about mom was bullshit. This is just a romantic getaway, isn’t it? Ugh, I bet you were bummed when I got shipped out here. God forbid I cockblock you two right during the honeymoon phase.”

  “Harper, that’s not -”

  I didn’t let him finish his sentence. I stood up from my seat abruptly and walked away as fast as possible without causing a scene. I looked back at my dad to see if he had decided to follow me and crashed immediately into something with a sharp thud. No, not something, someone.

  We were both knocked over, and I fell onto a lean body with a smack.

  “Ah, Harper!”

  I pulled my face off her shoulder, buzzing from impact, and locked eyes with a raging Valentina. A blush spread like wildfire over my cheeks, and I worked to untangle my limbs from her as quickly as I could manage. A shattered champagne glass lay broken on the rug next to us, yellow liquid telling me she’d been holding a mimosa. I sucked in a breath.