“I think this is it, I shouted, picking up glass jars of holy water and empty bowls and placing them sloppily on the floor. When the shelf was empty, I ran my hands around the edges of the frame, looking for some give.
Valentina was the first to reach me, her hand going straight to my arm.
“It does look big enough to fit through.” She said excitedly. Her enthusiasm was palpable, and my heart rate kicked up a notch. Nina and Adan came up behind us and busied themselves with moving the crap I’d already piled by my feet.
When my fingers didn’t find a latch, I grabbed one of the wooden shelves and pulled as hard as I could. I felt something give, and the shelf eased open, revealing a dark hole the size of a panic room.
“Yes!” Nina shouted, and Adan high-fived her.
Without waiting for me, Valentina climbed in, pulling out her phone and illuminating the space. It was much larger inside than the opening indicated and could probably fit six people comfortably. To my surprise, Valentina reached out a hand to pull me inside with her. After climbing in, she turned and shone her light on the wall opposite the cabinet’s entrance. There, welded to a wall made of stone, was, in fact, a large metal latch. Without discussing it, we both grabbed onto the handle, phone still in Valentina’s hand, and twisted firmly. A click sounded, but nothing happened.
“Maybe now we pull?” I suggested, and we did.
A hunk of stone wall the size and shape of the cabinet released from the wall as we pulled, creating a wide opening into the night air.
“Aw, yes!” I heard Adan yell, the sounds of the outdoors filtering in.
“And look!” Nina said, sticking her head into the priest hole. “The scrolls!” Eight perfectly shaped scrolls lay in a row on a shelf built into the wall of the room. “The Order must have left these for anyone who finds this place. And it looks like we’re the first ones!” She shrieked.
“The only ones,” Valentina said with a satisfactory smile.
“Not anymore!” Someone shouted. I heard Nina make an “eek” sound as her body was pushed away from the hole's entrance. Before either of us had a chance to react, Shane and his friends shoved their way inside the hole two at a time despite its apparent lack of space, scooped up all eight scrolls, and dove outside the exit.
Valentina grabbed at one of the guy's collars, but instead of stopping, he kept going, his shirt ripping and leaving a piece of fabric behind. The boys laughed and ran, never looking back.
All the boys, that is, except one. The last of the group was Jamie, looking as miserable as usual and holding onto one scroll. He slowed his pace and looked back at us, taking the verbal hits as Valentina spat them, one exploitative after another.
“Shh,” I said to Valentina, and she looked at me like I was crazy.
“Were they following us?” I heard Nina ask Adan. They’d climbed in the hole behind us.
I kept my eyes on Jamie, wondering what his next move would be. Just as I thought, with a paranoid glance at Shane and the boys now miles ahead of him, he turned and jogged back towards us.
“Here,” he said, shoving his scroll, and probably the only chance he had at moving ahead in the Order, into my hand. “My cousin is a dick.” And with that, he turned and caught up with the rest of them, the sound of car engines roaring to life and the peel of tires grinding on my last nerve.
SEVEN
“The Order of the Six”, I read aloud as I typed the words into a search engine on my laptop. I bit my lip and leaned forward, hitting “search” as my stomach met the hard edge of my grandfather’s mahogany desk. When I’d visited for the summers, I tended to stay out of his office, worried the sight of my grandfather’s personal space would bring up waves of sadness I was constantly trying to forget.
And yet, here I was. Being a part of something in Newport gave me a second chance here, something to hold onto besides memories of how much I’d lost. Still, if the Order really was responsible for manipulating my move out here, I needed to know more about this group I was willingly attempting to join. So far, all I really knew about the Order was that a bunch of teenagers dumped money into fancy events and challenges for their own entertainment. But if the society was as powerful and important as Nina said it was, there must be more to it.
The computer screen took only seconds to load before revealing about a million search results using the words “order” and “six”, but none with any resemblance to a secret society or the six families. My next attempt included Jack Cunningham’s name, which turned up nothing beyond his many academic achievements and family charity projects.
The question, what is a secret society, filled the search box as my fingers typed out my next inquiry. “A secret society is an organization who actively conceals their activities and/or membership.” I read from the screen. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that,” I muttered in annoyance, rolling my eyes.
I wondered if the Order had someone on retainer to wipe the record clean of their existence. I sat back in my chair and kicked the inside of the desk with my boots, making a hollow banging sound.
I pulled my grandfather’s lighter from my back pocket and moved it back and forth so it caught in the light. How many Fontaine’s had been in the Order of the Six over the years? Could my grandfather have been one of them?
My phone rang, and I jumped, startled.
“Dom?” I pressed the phone into the space between my shoulder and my ear to free up my hands, then slipped the lighter back into the pocket of my jeans.
“Hey, you.” Dom’s throaty voice sounded in my ear, a pang of familiarity striking me. “Haven’t heard from you in a bit. Wanted to check in and see how your first week in Newport is.” I leaned back in my chair, the settling wood making a loud creaking noise.
“Well,” I sighed. “It’s been… interesting.” My fingers traced the edge of the desk as I spoke.
“No way, don’t tell me my girl has already found herself a girlfriend? Don’t lie. I can hear it in your voice. When do I get to meet her?” His voice was light and playful, the same easy-going guy I spent so much time bumming around with after school.
“Um, hold on. I didn’t say anything about a girlfriend, much less a girl. I literally only said this place was interesting, and not even in a good way.”
“Come on,” he said. “You sound exactly the same as you did when you were hooking up with Shelby Summers behind everyone’s back three years ago.”
I laughed. “She wasn't out yet! Why don't you tell me what’s going on back home instead of giving me the third degree? How are the guys?” The silence that filled the space between us gave me a weird feeling. “Dom?”
“Yeah, actually, that’s kind of why I called.” Gone was the playful attitude, and in its place was a tone way more serious than I was used to hearing from Dom. “See, it’s about Ezekiel.”
My brows drew together. “Zeke? Is he okay?”
Dom sighed. “Listen, I wanted to be the one to tell you. This whole thing with the fire, when I told you we didn’t know what happened, that was true. I didn’t. Me and the guys left not long after you.” I stood up abruptly, my pulse quickening. “It’s just that, apparently, Zeke was approached by some guy after we all parted ways. Someone paid him a huge amount of money to… burn down the gym.”
I gasped. “What?”
“You know his family has been struggling. He’s been doing his part for his family and has even stayed away from dealing drugs so he doesn’t end up in jail like his brother. But I’m telling you, Harper, the amount they paid him was insane, even by your standards.”
I tried not to take offense at that last part. He wasn't wrong. A couple of hundred dollars wasn't much for me. Thousands even. How much were we talking here?
I breathed out a shaky breath. “Dom, I can understand him needing to take care of his family. It’s a little sketchy, but I get it. Just tell me one thing. Is it Zeke’s fault I got kicked out of school?”
I could almost
picture Dom pacing in his bedroom, his hand running through his dark hair a couple shades deeper than his skin tone. “Here’s the thing, Harper. You’re right. It was sketchy. The problem was, Zeke thought he’d get away with it. There were no security cameras in that area. No one was around. But the next morning, he was contacted anonymously by the guy who paid him. He told Zeke to step up as a witness and blame you. The blackmailer was clear about that. It had to be you. They threatened him, Harper. The guy had photos of Zeke lighting the fire. If he didn’t point the finger at you, they’d throw him under the bus.”
My mouth dropped open. “Zeke was blackmailed?”
“Yes. The rest of us didn’t know what was going on. You have to believe me.”
I pressed my hand to my forehead. “I can’t believe Zeke framed me for this.”
“Look, Zeke knew you’d be fine. Since there was no real evidence, he was certain you wouldn’t get into any real trouble.”
“Real trouble? Dom, I was expelled!” My left hand shot out in front of me, gesturing passionately to no one. “I couldn’t get into any other schools in New York. My mom made me move. Zeke’s actions had consequences!”
“At the end of the day, Harper, Zeke was right. I don’t want to sound like an asshole or anything, but you’re doing just fine. Wellsley Prep is one of the top schools in the country. People call it the Harvard of high school. The consequences are much steeper for Ezekiel. For him, it’s not a matter of moving schools. You don’t have to forgive him. I just wanted you to understand.”
I was quiet for a minute, processing everything. My eyes were fixed on the window to my right, but I didn't really see whatever was outside.
“There’s one more thing,” Dom said, his voice shaky. Normally I would have groaned or made a sarcastic joke, but the tightness in his voice kept my mouth clamped shut. “It turns out. There was a witness after all. A real witness. I don’t think it had anything to do with the blackmailer. In fact, I’m guessing the blackmailer wouldn’t be too pleased to find out Zeke took the fall for the fire anyway, not after they tried so hard to pin you for it.”
I shook my head. “Wait, what? What are you saying?”
“Zeke is in juvie. As I said, there was an actual witness. Someone saw Zeke light the fire. They turned him in, and he was arrested.”
“No,” I said, my hand shooting to my mouth. That was not what I wanted. Not even if it meant…
“You’re exonerated.” He said as if reading my mind. With Zeke proven guilty, the school has to cancel your expulsion. You can come back to New York.”
I was silent for one beat. Then two. My feet pulled me out of my chair and closer to the window. I let my gaze fall on the lighthouse across the water, the tiny house attached to it sitting lonely on the island.
Dom sighed. “Call your mom. Call the school. Talk to your dad or something; I don’t know. Just come back, and we can figure out about Zeke from here. Maybe we can get him a lawyer or something. I can’t lose both of you.”
I pressed my lips together. “Let me think about it,” I said. Guilt crept uncomfortably up my spine. I knew Zeke wasn't going to be freed if I went back. It was just a coincidence he’d been caught, despite the blackmailer's best efforts to pin everything on me. But he had been, and even though he was willing to sell me out to save his ass, I almost didn’t blame him. He did have it worse off than I did, and if I was honest with myself, the only reason Zeke was caught up in all this was because of me. There would be no witness, no fire, no blackmail if it weren't for whatever I was caught up in.
The only real chance Zeke had at getting out of juvie was finding whoever got us wrapped up in this mess in the first place and forcing them to undo the damage they’ve done. Whoever it was that blocked me from getting into every other school in New York City could surely pull some strings with my old public school and get them to drop the charges against Zeke. Of course, they needed a reason. If I leveraged my staying in Newport with freeing Zeke, they’d have to agree, wouldn’t they?
The only people I knew that could afford to throw around a ridiculous amount of money to blackmail some high school kid were the kinds of people who lived here in Newport. Maybe my suspicions about the Order getting me out here were true after all. But this was bigger than Zeke.
I bit my lip. “Don’t worry,” I said to Dom. “I’ll figure this whole thing out.” I wanted to say something about Zeke, to tell him I forgave him or that it was all going to be fine, but I wasn't sure if I believed that yet. I hung up and clutched my phone in my hand.
This wasn't some stupid game anymore. If the Order wanted me, I had to find out why. That meant finishing the riddles and getting some real answers.
EIGHT
Gather where the hens nest and the jaguars prove their worth.
Wednesday, Noon
Find 1923
As I stood on the Newport Country Club balcony, the taste of salt hit my senses. I wished I’d answered when Nina called last night. I was certain she wanted to talk about the new riddle we’d gotten from the scrolls in the priest hole. Unfortunately, after my phone call with Dom, I couldn’t focus on anything except Zeke and the possibility that I could, if I wanted, leave all this behind and go home.
Of course, that was a mistake. We were walking into a challenge with only half the riddle Nina solved without me, which meant I’d be stuck in another high society event for the next couple of hours in formalwear. Well, semi-formal this time, but still.
“And here I was worried we were going to match.” A voice whispered in my ear, sending tingles down my spine. Not the Vasquez I was hoping would bring their lips that close to my skin, but I still smiled when Adan joined me up against the railing, looking out at the ocean.
“Well, to be fair, we kind of do. If it were up to Nina, I’d be wearing something involving tulle or lace, but I’m pretty sure she has that covered.”
He laughed. “You look better in a blazer than I do. If you say we match, I’ll take that as a compliment.” He winked at me.
I tapped my lip in feigned thought. “You know what, my suit pants might be a little tight for you, now that I think about it.”
“I don’t know. It could work. I don’t think I could pull off the heels, though.” He said, looking at my shoes.
I made a show of checking him out. “True, let’s not rule the pants out just yet. I bet if we slipped you into a pair and put you up for auction on one of those display tables, you’d raise the most money here.”
He put his hand to his heart. “And make Mrs. Cunningham look bad? Never. She runs this charity auction for the hungry every holiday season. Whatever she puts up for auction always raises the most. One year it was a tropical vacation, another it was a signed painting by someone famous. Don’t ask me who, art is really not my thing.”
I bumped his shoulder. “In that case, it’s probably better I don’t risk the wrath of the Cunningham family. Man, they do a lot around here, don’t they?”
He nodded. “Yeah, they do. Even the kids. Look at Jack, leading the newest chapter of the Order.” Adan paused. The sounds of the water lapped below us. “He doesn’t make the riddles too hard, though. ‘Gather where the hens nest and the jaguars prove their worth.’ The hens are obviously the old biddies that come to these things, and the jaguars -”
“Are their rich husbands who like to show their money off by making high bids? Yeah, I saw about ten Jaguars in the parking lot. The car, I mean.” I finished. Man, Cunningham is really into animal metaphors. “And the event is at noon, as well as being apparently a Cunningham sponsored event, so it totally makes sense this was the challenge meeting place.”
“Did you guys have any thoughts on ‘Find 1923’?” He said, looking over at me.
I pressed my lips together. “I kind of took a holiday,” I admitted, hoping he’d buy that I needed a day off. “You guys?”
He stretched his arms over his head, his white dress shirt pulling up at the bottom,
threatening to expose the dips running down his torso and slipping below his belt. “Nah. We talked about it for a while, but there are just too many possibilities. I think the four of us should sit down soon and figure out a strategy for solving this. See if we can figure out a couple of places around here to look.”
I followed Adan’s gaze inside to an empty table covered in an ivory tablecloth, probably with a high thread count. Nina and Valentina were sitting together, their seats just a little too far apart. Neither girl looked at one another, and I figured we’d better get back inside to ease the tension between them.
Before I could turn to head inside, Adan spoke again. “I’m really sorry about the other day. At school.” He said. I blinked. When I didn’t respond, he continued, breaking eye contact. “I’m not sure why I freaked out like that. I guess I was just worried. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I licked my lips. Why did I always find Adan apologizing to me? “Don’t be sorry,” I said, and he looked over at me. “If you don’t recall, I was also freaking out inside the air duct.” I smiled, but the gesture was hollow. I couldn’t help but think about what Nina told me about Adan being aggressive.
Wondering if he’d choose to share anything about his past with me, I tried steering our conversation in that direction. “So, I didn’t realize you and Valentina were close with Nina as kids.”
He sighed. “Yeah, we were. Valentina and Nina more than me. God, you should have seen Nina when she was a kid. She was so…” His fingers went to his chin as he searched for the right word.
“Nerdy?” I offered. “Don’t forget, I met Nina when I was, I don’t know, ten? When my parents first split, I’d spent a few weekends in Newport here or there, but it was too hard without my grandfather. Eventually, my weekend trips turned into entire summers, and that’s when I met Nina. I think she felt bad for little loner me.”
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