Chapter 6
6
A strangled scream makes its way out of my mouth before I figure out it’s Dominic and not a secret-society-monster-hit-man here to steal my kidney.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” I say, clutching my heart and collapsing back against the doorframe.
“I’m sorry about scaring you. I…” His eyes drop to his hands where he holds a bag. “I have something for you. A welcome to Oxford present. I didn’t want Li to see.”
Gulps of the cool night air aren’t doing much to settle my racing heart, but I nod and push my hair back. All this secret society stuff has me seeing monsters and mysteries everywhere. Those girls didn’t disappear , they left of their own volition. I will not get kidnapped and chopped up into pieces. I’m a valuable student taking part in a long-standing fraternity at one of the oldest colleges in the world.
“That is so sweet of you,” I say, tossing my own bags onto my bed before turning to face him. “Do you want to come in?”
He shuffles his feet. “No, thanks. This is a present for outdoors, anyway.
The bashful thing does me in. “Did you buy me a rowing outfit?” I tease him. Over dinner, I’d divulged my distinct distaste for deep water.
He laughs as he reaches into the bag. “No, definitely not. I saw you looking at it in the store, and I knew you needed it. From one coat person to another.”
I gasp.
He holds out the emerald green wool coat.
I reach out finger tips, and touch it reverently. “You shouldn’t have.”
“I should. A coat says a lot about someone.”
I step toward Dominic, and take the coat from his hands, slipping it on. The silky lining on the inside of the arms is chilly and raises goosebumps on my arms. Dominic doesn’t back up…he doesn’t crowd me, but he is very much in my space.
“What does this coat say about me?” I ask, looking up at him, feeling bold.
“You desire to fit in yet also be noticed. You honor quality, and care about taking good care of people and things.”
Wow. That’s deeper that I expected.
“You stand out to me,” Dominic says, reaching out and fiddling with the lapels of the coat.
My heart races now for a different reason. My pulse sings in my ears. A girl could do a lot worse than this: a hot man giving her a first British kiss on a lamplit street in Oxford. Everything I’ve waited for. Everything I dreamed for myself is coming true so quickly, it’s almost unnerving. My earlier life as a nobody in a small-town American school seems a small penance to pay to arrive at this: Helena 2.0, dressed in an emerald green coat, courted by an elite secret society, and now showered with gifts by a beyond-beautiful Englishman.
“And now,” Dominic says, pulling me closer under the guise of turning the collar up so that it brushes my heated cheeks, “you are properly British. Coat and all.”
His nose brushes mine.
My hands reach out and grasp his solid forearms. For a scholar, Dominic is stacked.
My gaze drops to his lips, parting. Expecting. He’s going to kiss me, and I want him to.
“OY!” Li calls from up above, through her open window. “Do you know what this means?”
Dominic steps back, hiding his embarrassment by smoothing the coat over my shoulders.
Stepping onto the street, I glance upwards. Li is squinting at us, her expression unreadable.
“What?” I ask, wondering if now I’m about to hear the English equivalent of “get a room”.
“It means you need a makeover. A proper one. Can’t wear that coat with frizzy hair. Come over early on Friday.”
And with that, she shuts her window, and I turn to face the space where Dominic inhabited just moments before.
He’s gone.
It’s just as well. I have an active mystery to solve.
My coat and I sweep into my room and close and lock the door behind me. I’m unsettled by these cards appearing. Does someone else have a key t o my room? Being kidnapped pops back up in my brain as a potential.
The card stock is the same smooth stock and silvery lettering as before. I’m to report to the charity ball at 7pm on Friday as a volunteer. Dress code is Black Tie. There’s no other information.
I go so far as to pull out my UV toothbrush cleaner and wave it over it. Just in case there’s a secret message in invisible ink.
Nothing.
Surely volunteering at a charity auction isn’t my first test? What will they test me on? My ability to serve drinks? Only the best coat room helpers get the cash payout? It’s exceedingly pedestrian.
And then there’s Li and Dominic. I’d just agreed to attend the charity ball with them for fun. I’ll need to come up with an excuse and potentially make Dominic regret the coat and near-kiss.
Two roads split in front of me. If I take the road on my left, I’ve got my classes, and an extremely hot , sweet, smart British guy. Literally everything I’ve ever wanted. And on my right…a secret society with vague rules and volunteer hours, but it funds my stay here.
As someone who would have been seen as the least likely candidate for induction into a prestigious secret society in High School, I’m not exactly sure how I’ve arrived here. Sure, I’m a person who picks up litter off the streets and gives money to panhandlers. In high school, I sat and contemplated how to make the world a better place. I did a fundraiser for the local homeless shelter every year at Christmas. My virtue is apparently what brought me to Oxford. But it’s like putting on an ill-fitting sweater. It looks good on the hanger, but I’m not sure it’s actually something I should buy.
Money to finish my education here is essential. Whatever clout comes with being backed by a prestigious fraternity could only help in my endeavors. The question is: what am I willing to do for an advantage? Secret societies don’t always have the best reputation. Hence the secrecy.
I’m of one mind to quit, to not respond to the card. Dance the night away with Dominic and steal a kiss at the end. It would be so easy. It would also be the very last term—perhaps the last night—I spent at Oxford. I’ll be a girl that disappeared.
I’m left with the murkier path, where the moonlit trees seem menacing. There might be wolves down that path. But, I must accept that risk to remain here.
Despite my belief that it might be smarter to make an option three and run for the hills, I steel myself and plan for Friday. Whatever this test is, I’m going to be ready for it.