“Sonali, your turn,” Dahlia said. An elegantly dressed South Asian girl who’d been fiddling nervously with her gold bracelets ever since she sat down nodded with surprising assurance. The moment she chose her card from the deck, the candle’s flame reappeared and started to grow, just as it had before. But this time, instead of a phoenix, the flames formed a glowing cloud that drifted through the darkness toward the ceiling.
That’s impossible, Vivi thought, blinking rapidly. But no matter how many times she refocused her eyes, the glowing image remained the same. After a few seconds, a lightning bolt made of flames shot through the cloud, and it turned to a shower of sparks.
“Place your card on the table, Sonali,” Dahlia said calmly. The girl turned her card over and Vivi suppressed a gasp. The card featured another beautiful woman, although this one was dressed all in white and held a glowing blue sword. In the tarot, each suit was connected to one of the elements. Swords were associated with air, hence the thundercloud. But how on earth could someone have arranged that? Even if the candle was some sort of hologram, how could the Kappas have known which cards the girls would choose?
“The Queen of Swords, the Air sign. Welcome to Kappa Rho Nu, Sonali.”
Vivi’s heart had begun to race, and she braced herself for a rush of fear. But to her surprise, tingling excitement filled her chest instead. Her fingers practically itched to pick a card.
The chatty, dark-haired girl who’d been talking to Jess was next. Hesitantly, she reached for a card, and Vivi leaned forward so she could see better. But the flame didn’t appear when the girl touched her card. Nothing happened.
After a long, tense moment, Dahlia broke the silence. “Well, that’s a shame.” She stood, practically snatched the card out of the girl’s hands, and shoved it at Mei. “Come with me, honey.”
In a daze, the girl rose shakily to her feet and allowed Dahlia to lead her out of the room. Vivi looked from Mei to the other Kappas, but none of them appeared particularly concerned. A minute later, Dahlia returned and sat back down. “Who’s next?”
“What happened to her?” asked Bailey.
“Don’t worry about her,” Dahlia said airily. “Once she stepped through the door, she lost all memory of tonight. She’ll be none the wiser. Now, let’s continue . . . go ahead, Ariana.”
Ariana seemed paralyzed by fear until Vivi nudged her and whispered, “You can do it.” Although she had no idea in hell what “it” meant.
Ariana chose a card, her fingers trembling. A few seconds passed, then the candle flame grew into a cresting wave.
“The Queen of Cups, the Water sign,” Dahlia said after Ariana turned over her card. “Welcome to Kappa Rho Nu, Ariana.”
The process was repeated three more times for girls who also failed to create a flame. With each exit, Vivi felt her excitement and dread grow in equal measure.
“You’re up, Vivi,” Dahlia said, nodding at her.
Vivi stared at the cards on the table, arms at her sides. She didn’t want to be shunted into the night and leave all this behind. She didn’t want to forget what she’d seen. But that’s impossible, she told herself. A sorority president can’t wipe someone’s memory. She inhaled deeply, then extended her hand toward the table and let her fingers hover over the cards.
She hesitated, unsure how to decide. But then she felt something tug on her wrist with such force that she thought someone had grabbed her. Vivi looked up, but all the other girls were in their seats. No one had moved.
Vivi relaxed, letting the force pull her like a magnet until her fingers brushed against a card. The moment she touched it, the tugging sensation disappeared. Her hand trembling, Vivi grabbed the corner of the card and pulled it from the fan.
A second later, a flame shot up from the candle’s wick, nearly reaching the ceiling. Vivi gasped as her skin began to buzz. It felt like a current of energy was rushing up her arm, almost as if she were being electrocuted. But there was no pain. Just the opposite, in fact. She felt powerful, alive.
Except that the energy wasn’t running up her arm. It was the other way around, she realized. The energy was flowing from her. Vivi gasped again as the flame split into five streams that danced and curled through the air before forming a five-pointed star.
This time, the exceptional sight didn’t cause a surge of confusion. Vivi felt a wave of calm pass over her, sweeping away knots of anxiety and uncertainty she hadn’t even been aware of.
“Place your card on the table,” Dahlia said. A note of smug satisfaction had crept into her voice.
Vivi turned her card over and found herself staring at an image of another woman. She wouldn’t describe this one as beautiful, exactly. Her pale face was slightly too long, her expression much too fierce. But Vivi hardly gave it a passing thought, for what was beauty compared to this woman’s power? In one hand, she clasped a large golden disk carved with a five-pointed star. Thick vines and flowers curled around her other arm, and it was clear that the woman was causing them to grow. She was surrounded by creatures of all sorts—birds, snakes, deer—magnificent creatures drawn to her energy.
“The Queen of Pentacles, the Earth sign. Welcome to Kappa Rho Nu, Vivi.”
Vivi felt Ariana squeeze her hand, but she was too numb to do more than shoot her a vague smile before turning her attention back to the proceedings. Another girl was rejected, and the redhead named Reagan, a Fire sign, was the last pledge to be accepted.
Once every pledge had been tested and the failures had all been escorted out, Dahlia swept the cards up and placed them back in a neat stack. “Welcome, pledges, to the oldest, most prestigious, and most powerful sorority in the country. We’ve been waiting for you. Whether you realize it or not, your destiny has led you to Westerly and to Kappa Rho Nu.”
“What are you?” Ariana asked hoarsely.
Dahlia grinned. “We are witches.”
Witches. The word seeped through Vivi, as slow and sweet as Dahlia’s honey-thick drawl. Witches. For a moment, it felt more comforting than strange, as if a part of her had always known it. But then Vivi forced herself to return to reality. This had to be an elaborate prank, part of the hazing process or, worse, some sort of stunt to put on YouTube. Yet Vivi had spent most of her life observing charlatans like her mother, and even she was hard-pressed to imagine how the Kappas could’ve pulled off a trick like this.
“You were born witches,” Dahlia continued. “But tonight you’ve taken your first step toward becoming something even more important—a sister. Kappa Rho Nu is much more than a sorority; it’s the oldest, most powerful coven of witches in the country. It was founded in the seventeenth century to help women escape persecution, and over the years, it’s become one of the most influential organizations in the world.” She looked around the circle with a meaningful expression. “Witches are powerful on their own, but together, we’re unstoppable. Over the next four years, we’ll teach you how to harness and control your magic, how to unlock abilities beyond your wildest dreams. But you have to work for it.” She looked at each new member, one after the next. “To become a full Kappa, you’ll need to survive Hell Week. Then you must continue to impress your sisters over the weeks that follow. It’s not enough to have magic; you have to become one of us.”