Chapter 12
Violet
“Holy fuck, guys.”
Jeremiah’s eyes widened, and he held up his phone. Four sets of eyes turned to stare at him.
Our group had claimed a little island of a table in the dining hall for dinner earlier, and now we were onto dessert; plates half full of crème br?lée and chocolate mousse, spoons clinking and voices low so we didn’t annoy the students still hunched over laptops despite the late hour.
“You know my step-cousin?” Jeremiah went on. “Jessica?”
The other three nodded in unison. “Is she okay?” Cherry asked.
“Physically, yes, but emotionally… she’s freaking the fuck out.” He paused, brows knitting as he looked at his phone again. “She lives in the Arlington building, down in the city. Violet, have you heard of that place?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
“It’s one of those ultra-exclusive Upper East Side apartment buildings.
You know the kind; doormen in uniforms, twenty-four-seven concierge, private everything.
So basically, it’s the sort of place you’d expect to feel uber-safe,” he said.
“But the craziest thing happened there a few hours ago. Jessica said the whole building is on lockdown while the cops check everything out.”
“What happened?” Ginny asked.
“There was some sort of glitch in the security system. While the staff were rebooting it all, some burglar got in and shot a guy dead in the apartment right across from Jessica’s place. All for a few Rolexes, apparently. And get this: Jessica said the dead guy was the lieutenant governor.”
“Holy shit, that’s insane.” Dylan’s eyes were wide as saucers. “That building is meant to be the ultimate fortress. How the hell did someone get in?”
Jeremiah shrugged. “Jessica says the burglar must’ve noticed the cameras were down and started knocking on doors until someone answered. The guy who died probably thought it was a delivery or maintenance. It’s chaos there right now.”
“Sounds pretty staged to me,” Ginny said, one brow arched. “I mean… the system just happens to stop working right at the exact time an armed robber is walking around the area? And the guy who died just happens to be a political figure?”
“Jessica said she heard the cops talking in the hall, and right now they think it’s just a robbery gone bad.
But who knows? Maybe it was planned by some political opponent, or a crime ring that targets the elite.
Or maybe even a disgruntled Arlington staff member,” Jeremiah replied in a grim tone.
“Either way, Jessica is freaked. She’s worried that next time someone knocks on her door, it’ll be some masked guy with a gun. ”
“God, it feels like literally nowhere is safe these days,” Dylan said, head shaking.
An uneasy silence fell over the table, and I felt a chill creep down my spine as I thought about Calista's fall from the clock tower. Another death that looked like one thing but might be something else entirely.
Cherry finally broke the silence a moment later.
“Guys… I don’t mean to sound all woo-woo, but I’m starting to think this might be a warning sign from the universe,” she said.
I tilted my head. “A warning about what?”
“That tunnel thing we were talking about earlier,” she said, eyes bright with anxiety. “Breaking into the Dionysus estate is super dangerous. I mean, no matter how careful we are, we could still end up like that dead guy in the Arlington. Here one minute, shot to death the next.”
“But that happened down in the city, and it’s always been more dangerous down there,” Jeremiah said.
“Besides, it wasn’t the burglar who got shot there.
It was the apartment owner. And we’re the burglars in this scenario.
I mean, not that we’re planning to steal anything or shoot anyone.
I just mean… we’re the ones who want to break in. ”
“Yes, I know that,” Cherry said in a testy tone. “But just think about it. Think about everything we’ve heard about the Dionysus Club. Do you really think that estate isn’t armed to the teeth? We could step out the other end of that tunnel and have twenty guns pointed at our faces.”
“Good point,” Ginny murmured.
“I doubt they’d guard an old tunnel that intensely,” Jeremiah said, shrugging. “No one knows about the entrance in the ossuary except the members, presumably. And now us, which they don’t know. So why would they expect anyone to find it?”
“Just in case someone does, like you did,” Cherry said. She rubbed her forehead and sighed. “I mean… you could be right. There could be nothing at the other end. But I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”
Dylan looked torn. “I know what you mean. It would be cool to check it out, but it does seem really risky at the same time.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Vee,” Cherry said, looking at me again. “I still want to help you with the overall plan. But I think we should stick to safer things. Things we can control more easily. Like the Jennifer thing.”
“Jennifer thing?” Ginny said, head tilting slightly.
Cherry’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, my brain is so scattered today. I completely forgot to tell you guys about this earlier!” she said, gaze whipping around the table. “I found her today. Jennifer Albright!”
“Wait… is that the girl who totally snapped after she got caught in the Selection?” Dylan asked.
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“You found her already?” I asked, brows shooting up. I’d expected it to take weeks of calling around, not mere days.
“Yup. She’s in Lakeside Psychiatric Center, about thirty minutes north of here.
And by the way… I got us in for a visit this Thursday afternoon.
” A small, triumphant smile was playing on Cherry’s lips now.
“I faked the family angle like we talked about. I had to improvise a whole backstory, but it worked. You and I are now distant cousins visiting from Seattle, Vee. How’s that for commitment to the plan? ”
“Oh my god,” I breathed, feeling the small, fierce thrill of forward motion. “That’s amazing.”
“I know, right? I can’t believe I forgot to tell you,” she said. “I guess the whole tunnel thing blew it right out of my brain.”
“Which I’m not done talking about, by the way,” Jeremiah interjected. “If that tunnel really leads to the Dionysus estate like we suspect, then it’s by far our best shot at figuring out what those guys actually do over there. Way better than visiting some crazy girl in an asylum.”
“Okay, firstly, Jer, that’s super offensive to people with mental health issues,” Cherry said, eyes narrowing.
“And secondly, something bad obviously happened to Jennifer after those guys hunted her, and that’s what made her develop all these issues.
Also, look what happened to Calista! The Dionysus Club is bad fucking news, full stop. ”
“I get that.” Jeremiah lifted his hands, backing off a little. “And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to downplay it all. It’s just… I really think this tunnel thing is our best shot at figuring stuff out.”
“Not if it comes at the expense of our physical and mental health,” Cherry replied, slowly shaking her head.
She turned her attention back to me. “I mean, no offense, Vee, but it’s obviously affecting you pretty badly.
You’ve only been here a week and a half, and already you’re constantly on edge.
Always looking over your shoulder like the Devil himself is stalking you. ”
“Okay, now you’re the one being offensive,” Jeremiah said in an acid tone. “Vee is totally fine.”
“Guys, please…” I rubbed my temples. “I really don’t want us to argue like this.”
Cherry drew in a slow breath and reached across the table, resting her hand on mine. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just worried about you.”
I let out a sigh. “It’s okay. And honestly, you’re not wrong about me being on edge,” I said. “Something actually happened to me a few days ago. I just… didn’t tell you.”
Jeremiah frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Slowly and haltingly, I told them about the message written in blood in my dorm room.
“I only went back to my dorm this morning,” I added, eyes fixed on the table.
I couldn’t stand to see their horrified faces.
“I’m really sorry I kept it from you. I was just scared something would happen to all of you if I made a big deal out of it and dragged you into it.
I guess… I thought if I kept quiet about it, maybe it would stop with me. ”
“I knew it,” Cherry whispered, her voice trembling. “Looking into this Dionysus stuff is not safe.”
“I totally understand if you guys want to stop,” I said, forcing myself to meet their eyes again. “Not just the tunnel thing. All of it. But… I can’t stop. I need to know what happened to Calista.”
Cherry rubbed her forehead again, letting out a deep sigh. “You’re going to go into that tunnel alone if we don’t go with you, aren’t you?”
I hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, I’m still in,” Jeremiah said quietly. “I’m not letting you deal with this shit alone, Violet.”
“Me neither,” Ginny added, looking at me. “I mean, yeah, it’s dangerous. But I can’t just sit back and let you do it all by yourself.”
Dylan murmured in agreement, and after a long pause, Cherry finally sighed and said, “I’m in too.”
“I thought you said—”
She lifted a hand to cut me off. “I still think it’s insanely risky, but if we’re doing this, we’re doing it together. No way I’m leaving you on your own.”
My chest tightened with emotion. “You guys really don’t have to put yourselves at risk for me.”
“It’s not just for you,” Jeremiah said, giving me a small, crooked smile. “It’s for Cal, too.” He leaned back in his chair. “So… when do we want to do this? Tonight?”
“Jer!” Dylan shot him a horrified look. “You can’t be serious!”
He laughed. “Of course I’m not serious. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit,” he replied. “Obviously, we need a couple of days to come up with a proper plan. So… not tonight or tomorrow.”
“I’m free on Wednesday night,” Ginny said, glancing around the table. “Does that work for everyone? Assuming we actually have a decent plan by then.”