There Can Only Be Six

by Andrea Levesque

  “Oh my god, did you get cut? Are you hurt?” Still on top of her, I moved her arms and examined them for cuts. My hands started searching other parts of her body to check for blood before she growled again, and with a strength I didn’t know she was capable of, she shoved me off her.

  “Are you guys okay?” Adan jogged over and reached out his hand. Valentina stuck her own hand out to take it, but Adan’s grip landed in front of me. His sister’s eyes narrowed at the both of us, and her anger went from rage to fuming. I flushed and took Adan’s hand if only to get this entire situation over with.

  Valentina pulled herself up, her lace dress falling back into place around her. She looked to Adan with betrayal in her eyes. When he started to speak, she turned and stormed off, leaving Adan with his hand still wrapped around mine.

  “Do you want to get some air?” He asked me, and I nodded. As we stepped out onto the balcony, the brisk ocean air hit my face.

  “Actually,” I said. “Can you just take me home?”

  ***

  “Look, all I’m saying is, you can’t just ditch me. Sure, your dad’s super-hot and if I tried, I could probably pretend he and I were on a date or something but -”

  “Nina!” I said, not wanting to hear her finish that sentence. I leaned against my closet doorway as Nina hung dresses sealed in garment bags on an empty rack. It had been hours since brunch, and Nina hadn’t stopped talking about it.

  “But,” She continued. “It’s still not cool to abandon me like that. Like, ever. I don't know how things worked in Manhattan, but you can’t just come and go as you please anymore. Maybe the guys you hung out with didn’t give a shit if you ditched them, but here in Newport, I’m your bestie.” A zipping sound filled my ears as Nina opened one of the garment bags. “And with that role comes all kinds of privileges. Borrowing clothes, for example.” She waved to a silky red dress that went to the floor in front of me. The cut was gorgeous, but the way it tightened at the chest and waist before flowing out dramatically was way too feminine for me.

  I groaned. “Nina, I’m not wearing that. That’s too much.”

  “Harper!”

  “No.” I crossed my arms. “You should wear it; it would look better on you anyway.”

  Nina held the dress up to her body. “You think?”

  “You're curvier than me, and I think the dress needs that. You know, accentuate the hips and all that.”

  “Hmm…” She considered this, then moved to the other garment bag. “If the red is a no for you, how about this one?”

  “That’s fine.” I nodded approvingly at the other option and tried not to think about what heels she’d decided to bring over.

  “Fine? More like, breathtaking.” She muttered. She spun around. “Speaking of breathtaking! You didn’t tell me Adan was like, in love with you!”

  I rolled my eyes. “No, he is not.”

  “Um, oh my god, the way he looked at you at brunch? Holy hell. And then that whole savior thing he did when you fell on top of his sister?

  “Ick.” I said, at the same time as she said, “So sweet!”

  “Oh, come on,” she gushed, “He’s like the nicest, most genuine person around here. Just wait. You’ll see the way he takes care of V, always putting her first and worrying about her. Imagine him as a boyfriend. He would totally do the same thing.”

  “Nina.” I pointed to my chest. “Gay.”

  She sighed. “I’m just saying. He’s such a good guy.” Too bad I don’t want a good guy.

  “Sounds to me like maybe you like him,” I said, raising my eyebrow in her direction.

  She waved me away. “Oh please, I do not.” Yet still, she blushed.

  My mind wandered away from Adan and to the one thing I’d been trying not to think about. “As for Valentina, is she…?” I left the question open, hoping Nina wouldn’t make me say it.

  “A bitch?” Nina answered. “Yes, and she’s startlingly good at it. I’d stay away from her if you want to survive. She won’t take kindly to Adan paying attention to you, especially since he rarely pays attention to any girl.” Lovely.

  I pulled the silver spoon from earlier out of my pocket and used my shirt to rub away any new stains. I examined it for a minute before walking over to the massive trunk pressed up against the end of the bed, then opened it. I placed the spoon inside with all my other collectibles, old and new.

  “No,” I said, still facing the trunk. “I mean, yeah, she’s definitely a bitch, but like, is she…” I thought for a second. “Does Adan ever get jealous when she dates anyone?”

  I shut the trunk and turned to watch Nina’s expression. Her eyebrows were pinched in thought.

  “Mm, well, she doesn’t really date anyone at Wellsley. Like anyone at all.” Bingo. “The rumors say she mostly dates college guys.” My heart thudded. “I don’t know if Adan meets them first or what.” I sucked in a breath.

  “Yeah, right,” I said before I could stop myself. “From what you’re telling me, Valentina doesn’t date anyone, and when she does, no one has ever actually met them?”

  Nina shrugged. I stared at her, waiting for her to pick up my meaning. When my implication finally clicked, her mouth dropped. “You think she’s gay?”

  I nodded.

  She shook her head. “No way, Harper. I know she’s like, swimsuit model hot and everything, but that’s just wishful thinking. I’m telling you she’s had boyfriends and stuff. They’re just too cool to be our age. Can you imagine a girl like that dating the sloppy, immature adolescents at Wellsley? Forget it. Ask Adan about it. I bet he’ll tell you.”

  Before I could respond to that, she spoke again. “Or, actually, don’t. That might be kind of awkward, being that he’s all goo-goo eyes for you.”

  I played with the shoelace on my boots. “Can we talk about something else? Apparently, my dad promised Macy we’d go pick her up at their house tonight. I think I’ll get enough of Adan and Valentina then.”

  Nina dropped her hands from her hips. “Right! And the party starts at 9 pm, so we should probably start getting ready. Oh! And since we’re splitting up, don’t forget we have the first Order of the Six meeting tonight.”

  “Yeah, at 10 pm.” I said, “How could I forget? Where is it again?”

  “Um, let’s look at the paper again. Do you have it?”

  I stuck my hand in my trunk and pulled out the scroll, unrolling it and flipping it to the side with the invitation. “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.” I read aloud. “So…?”

  Nina smooshed her shoulder up against mine and peered at the writing. “So, the first part of the challenge is to actually figure out the first meeting place. Sounds like we basically need to meet everyone ‘where the horizon is always clear’.”

  “Well, that’s easy.” I said, “The Cunningham’s are one of the houses on this cliff, right?” I asked.

  “Mmhmm,” she answered. “A few down from me.” Her green apple shampoo wafted into my nose, and I took a step away from her, lowering the scroll.

  “Okay, well, that’s the horizon.” I pointed out towards my balcony, the ocean sparkling in the darkness. “And my guess is, it’ll be clear around 10pm when they expect us to meet them.” I pulled out my phone and pulled up the weather app. “Yup, it’ll be totally clear at 10.”

  “So, like, we meet on the beach?”

  “Yeah,” I said, tugging at a strand of hair. “That’s my guess.” I shrugged. “And if that doesn’t work, we follow someone who looks like they're sneaking off somewhere.”

  She grinned. “Ooh, good one.”

  “The question is,” I said, slowly unlacing my boots and dreading the pampering Nina would undoubtedly be putting me through in the next hour. “What is the Order going to have us do?”

  THREE

  I reached down to untwist the strap of my four-inch heels, my
fingers pulling aggressively at the buckle digging into my skin. My dad grabbed my elbow to steady me.

  “You look beautiful, honey. Stop fidgeting,” he whispered.

  I dropped my hand and straightened. Heels simply weren't meant to be comfortable. I felt my dad pat my hand, which was tucked affectionately into the crook of his elbow. We stood at the entrance of the Vasquez Estate, and with my father wearing a freshly pressed tux, we looked entirely too much like teenagers waiting for their prom dates.

  “Ms. Vasquez, the Fontaine’s have arrived,” the housekeeper spoke into the intercom. With that, I heard rather than saw Macy arrive at the split staircase, her heels clicking as she walked. I wondered if they taught that at finishing school - how to command a room's attention with the appropriate footwear.

  “Macy.” My dad’s voice echoed up the stairs as he took a step away from me. My hand was pulled from his arm with the movement, and I let it drop. Though I’d expected Ms. Vasquez to take the stairs slowly to show off the wildly formal train she was sporting on her Christmas red gown, she altogether flitted down the steps and into my father’s open arms. I was grateful once again that I had gone with the emerald green dress Nina had brought as a backup instead of the red.

  I smoothed my hands over the satin fabric and wished I’d had something interesting to fidget with for something to do besides watch the sickly-sweet gushing happening to my left. Of course, there was no room to fit anything inside this dress, not with it fitted tightly from the waist up. I looked down at my chest. There was a tiny bit of room in there, but I doubted Nina would approve. My god, when was the last time I even wore a dress?

  More feet shuffled on the landing above. My heart rate quickened. Adan and Valentina descended the other staircase, this time at a speed fitting of someone in formalwear. As the twins often did, Adan’s black tuxedo contrasted perfectly with Valentina's stunning champagne gown. I licked my lips, suddenly dry, and shifted a little in my spot. Adan kept his attention on Valentina, making sure she didn’t trip on the hem of her dress. I quite literally had to refrain from mumbling, “holy shit”, because either the twins would think I was talking about Valentina, which I most certainly was, or even worse, they’d think I was talking about Adan.

  When they finally made it to the landing, they looked first to my dad, then to me. I offered up a small smile, not really sure which one of them to look at, and then looked down. I heard shuffling, only to see my dad and Macy approach the door beside me, ready to go. Finally, I thought.

  “Adan,” Ms. Vasquez said with meaning. I felt Adan’s heat as he stepped in beside me, holding out his elbow. I glanced over my shoulder at Valentina, who was using both hands to lift the hem of her dress, her knuckles white. Her eyes burned a hole into me. I hesitated.

  I wasn't a lady. Even if I was, I didn’t need a man to take my arm and lead me to some fancy party. I didn’t need a woman either, for that matter. I could just as easily make my way to the limo parked out front by myself. Of all things I didn’t need, someone’s mother telling them to take my hand was one of them. And yet, Adan was nothing but kind to me. From what I knew of Adan, he wasn't offering his arm because someone told him to; he was simply a nice guy.

  As I lifted my hand slowly towards Adan, I felt a jab in my left shoulder.

  “Ouch,” I said automatically as Valentina brushed past me, her head held high. She just couldn’t be left behind, could she?

  “Valentina,” Adan growled, his voice low. I looked up at him. I’d never heard him use that kind of tone before, especially not with her.

  Valentina whirled around slightly, her dress moving with her. “Don’t, Adan.” She replied, then quickly turned back around and found her way to the limo.

  “Sorry about that.” He said, looking sheepish.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, taking his elbow. Tonight was going to be a long night.

  When we arrived at the Cunningham mansion, everything started clicking into place. Of course, the Cunninghams were the family to throw the “social event of the season”, as Adan had called it; they were by far the showiest family of the Six. While their property was slightly larger than the others on this cliff, stretching at least three stories, they boasted expansive gardens on either side of the walkway entrance. For the holiday season, they sported two massive Christmas trees as the garden’s centerpieces, both decorated professionally and towering over the lot of us.

  But it was the building’s entrance that truly loomed over us, four sturdy pillars supporting intricate moldings, only to be outdone by the fountain in front. The entire building was the color of stone, and if you looked closely, you were sure to discover another extraordinary piece of architecture.

  The inside was just as spectacular, with expensive decorations lining the halls and rooms without managing to be gaudy. Gold and silver glinted from every room, high-end jingle bells, garlands and Christmas lights twinkling in the soft lighting. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say there was at least one Christmas tree in each room of the house. But it was the ballroom that was the most impressive, with high ceilings and a vintage trim that reminded me of what I’d likely see inside a European castle.

  My first move was to check out the upscale cookie display lining one end of the room since my dad was already pulling his new paramour out onto the dance floor. The gold walls behind them matched harmoniously with the ceiling mural of naked cherubs. A lively man in a suit threw his whole body into playing a shiny grand piano beside the dance floor, filling the room with an upbeat twist on Christmas classics.

  I picked up a perfectly decorated sugar cookie and scanned the room, which was absolutely buzzing with proper-looking people in evening wear. Many of the adults mingled around the vast space, whereas most of the kids around my age lounged at tables or in clusters. I started my descent slowly from one end of the table to the other, busying myself by picking up a variety of baked goods too fancy to ever be dreamed up by a public-school bake sale. A massive white cake decorated with green frosted mistle-toe sat untouched as the centerpiece to the table. I wondered for a moment if this was a buffet at all but figured they wouldn’t display the treats if they didn’t want people to eat them.

  Before I could take a bite of the far too realistic gingerbread man I was holding, an old man stepped up beside me, plate in hand. It struck me as odd that a man like him would be serving himself, what with his Armani suit looking like it was tailor-made for him and shoes that shined so bright they might as well replace the lightbulb in the local lighthouse.

  “Miss Fontaine, I presume?” The man looked down at me through thick gray eyebrows that matched his hair. Though his wrinkles were apparent, they were soft and smooth, the way only a life of absolute luxury could afford.

  I nodded. “Yes, sir. Harper.” I held out my hand and let him take it, fully expecting the firm shake he gave. He picked up some baked goods from silver dishes in front of him, placed it on his plate, and then spoke again.

  “Ah, yes. I heard you would be joining us here in Newport. Lovely to have you back. It’s been quite some time. I don’t suppose you remember me. I was a friend of your grandfather?”

  I opened my mouth, then closed it. No, I didn’t remember him, but I wasn't sure I should say that.

  “Allastair Cunningham,” he offered, releasing me from the awkwardness. “That over there is my family. Have you met my grandchildren Jack and Rebecca?” I turned to see a tall brunette boy and girl standing at the front of the room, greeting guests. Whereas Rebecca stood out in her silver gown, Jack looked like just about every other guy here with his black tuxedo. Though both were clearly the result of fine breeding with their shiny hair and high cheekbones, they probably blended in with the rest of the student body at Wellsley Prep without the fancy wardrobe.

  I smiled. “Not yet, though they do seem quite popular,” I said good-naturedly.

  He smiled back. “Ah yes, they certainly are. If you have a chance, do say hello to
them, will you?” I nodded. Allastair nodded back but left his plate sitting on the table with nothing but a couple of too-fancy sugar cookies on it.

  With the buffet line still as clear as ever, I continued moving down it once more, examining the spread and sampling anything that looked soft enough to bite into. I was sure not to rush, hoping to kill as much time as possible. As I finally hit the end of the table, Nina’s high-pitched voice rang in my ear. “Harper, where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you!” I swallowed the tart I’d been eating and angled away from the cookie display.

  Nina was standing in front of me with her hands on her hips. I was right; the red dress looked amazing on her, the princess seams accentuating her curves. She was just short enough that the hem dragged slightly on the ground, giving her a more regal appearance.

  “No, you weren’t!” I scoffed. “You’ve been gossiping with that boy over there for the last forty-five minutes!” I pointed a finger at a boyish-looking guy with short, cropped hair and soft features. “I figured you’d come and find me when you were done.” I shrugged and picked at my fruit tart.

  She batted a strand of curly brown hair from her eyes. “Only you would prefer to be alone at a party, Harper.”

  “What were you guys talking about anyway?” I asked, taking a sip from my champagne glass.

  “You.”

  “Nina!”

  “Oh relax, Jamie saw you walk in with Adan and V. He totally pegged the situation; I didn’t even have to tell him.”

  “Situation?”

  Nina grabbed a glass of champagne off a moving tray. “Oh, you know, Adan loving you, you being gay.”

  “Are we still on that subject?” I asked, downing my glass and reaching for another.