“Sure.” She stayed put. I shot her a can you get out of here look, but she remained.
“Did they also tell you to watch me as I read this?”
“No, but I’m curious to know if you’re going to be one of them. Or are. And like, which society is it? Quill?”
I blinked. She was seriously not going to leave until she got an answer and what was I supposed to say? I didn’t know their names. I didn’t know whether or not I was officially one of them yet. I didn’t know what they looked like. I literally knew as much as she did. I shook my head after a moment.
“Honestly? They’re trying to play a prank on me. I don’t know their names, who they are, what they look like, what they do, so your guess is as good as mine.” I shrugged. “It’s probably Quill though.”
“Oh. Well, they publish their member’s names in the paper, so the cloaks and secretiveness is kind of overkill.” She frowned, looking at the envelope. I nodded my agreement. The cloaks were totally overkill. She hesitated, idling for another beat before shrugging and walking off.
I exhaled, though I didn’t know why I was relieved that she’d left it alone. It wasn’t like I knew what was in this envelope. I stared at my name written on it. Their calligraphy was really on point. I had to give them credit where credit was due.
Amelia,
We trust you have not told anyone where you were last night. For this, you get a point. Two more and you’re in.
X
I stared at the black X. It was long, scripted, and looked as if it had been added quickly to the bottom of the page. I re-read the note again. One point. That was what I’d gotten for being locked in a dungeon and not telling anyone about it, which was what a sane person would have done. I put the note back in the envelope and pushed it aside. I went back to Lana’s computer, which was running out of battery, and of course, I’d left my own computer charger back home so I couldn’t do anything about it.
April 25th—
He invited me to a dinner party. He’s the kind of man that you just don’t say no to. Sex in the car, while driving? Sure, why not? Dinner with senators and mayors who know damn well I am not his wife, but speak to me with respect, as if I’m supposed to be there? Again, yes. These are things I would have never done before discovering this little club. I mean, these are things I still hesitate doing, but every time I hear his voice now, I cave. When I see his name on my texts, I give in. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d be that girl. He’s my friend’s father, for God’s sake. Which is another story all together. He’s onto us and I don’t know what to do about it. I keep denying it, but I wear my heart on my sleeve so it’s hard. Maybe I’ll stop.
I sat back after reading that entry and stared at the screen. Discovering this little club. What club? Did she mean the octopus people? Was this secret society some sort of sex club? That would be my next question to them, no doubt. If it was, I was out. I did not want to be tossed around from person to person for their enjoyment. What would Logan think of this whole thing? I shook the thought away quickly. He’d told me to stay away from the cloaks. Also, he was not my boyfriend. It didn’t matter what he thought. I clicked on another one, skipping the rest of April and going straight to the last one she’d written in May. With the computer about to die, I needed to focus on things that may have answers.
May 25th—
The people around us were making it virtually impossible for us to see each other. I don’t blame them. Each of them have their reasons for not wanting to see us together. The one that bothers me most is Ella. She acted like my friend for so long, a mentor, an amazing boss, and the minute she saw me walk into that party with him it was like a light switch went off. All of a sudden, she’s in every restaurant, every event, and every bar we visit. We try to be inconspicuous when we’re together. We keep a safe distance when we’re out in public, but somehow she knows. She knows that behind closed doors we’re more and she seems to be going to great lengths to keep us from being together. I hate that it bothers me. I didn’t set out to be part of this. I wanted to expose the hidden secret societies around campus and now I’m stuck under their thumb because I fell for the one person I shouldn’t have.
I met a friend though. I won’t say her name here in case this gets into the wrong hands. She’s helped me see that my feelings for him are valid, that I belong with him, so that makes me feel less crazy. That doesn’t mean I’m an idiot. I know he’s going to leave me soon. I’ve seen the pictures of him with past girls in my situation. I’ve looked them up, too. He wasn’t lying when he said he could help build my career. Two of those girls have been in Forbes Magazine already. I’m trying not to think about it, but I know I’ll just have to lick my wounds and move on. Who knows, maybe I was right all along. Maybe the societies wield too much power and need to be exposed. I just don’t think I can do that to him. Maybe his son is right. Maybe I need to be the one to walk away from this.
I re-read the letter three times. Whoever she was having an affair with was obviously linked to Ella. My father was the first person who came to mind and I hated that. A chill rushed through me. Could he be the one? Her mentor? Could Lana have gone that far and slept with my father? No. Not Lana. Maybe this was someone else’s notes. Maybe someone else was doing this research and sent it to her. I thought of the pictures of my brother with her. I needed to see them again. I needed to see them after reading this and really pay attention to how they looked. With that thought in mind, I gathered my things and left the library.
Chapter 21
I was looking over my shoulder, thinking about the letters I’d just read. God, was Lana having an affair with my father? Could he do that? I knew he wasn’t a saint. My parents seemed to be on the brink of divorce every five years, and a lot of their arguments stemmed from him being unfaithful. It was something they would never discuss in front of us, but we weren’t stupid. Lincoln had almost come to blows with dad last Christmas. That made me pause and stop dead in my tracks. Could it have been about Lana? She’d started writing those entries in April. It was possible that she was with whoever she was writing about in December. She disappeared in May though. This was all too much. I started walking again. Obviously, Lincoln was involved with this secret society, but was dad?
Even if I didn’t manage to get the two points I needed, I’d find out. Evidentially, as secretive as they thought they were, a lot of people knew about the money. They must have dangled it in front of countless people. I wondered how many chomped. Most of us were wealthy kids from wealthy families, trust fund babies who knew under very rare circumstances they’d end up poor and wanting, yet that money called to us for some reason. Maybe because despite what was promised to us by our last names, what we really wanted was something that was wholly ours. What I wanted above anything else was a way to help Lincoln. A way to understand what he’d been through and why he’d ended up the way he did. I needed answers because I absolutely knew he didn’t try to kill himself. He’d said it himself, but even if he hadn’t, I knew my brother.
“Boo.”
I shrieked at the sound that came out of the darkness and braced myself for a fight. When he walked out in front of me, it wasn’t a cloaked figure, but Nolan, laughing at my reaction. Laughing so hard, in fact, that he doubled over. I pushed him as hard as I could, hard enough that he fell over onto the grass and continued to laugh.