9. Carey
Carey
“So we all got one?”
I peered around the group as we huddled over our lunch trays. Zach, Brooke, and April nodded and replied in unison. “Yup.”
“It has to be a prank, right?” I said, unfolding the letter again. “It looks so over-the-top.”
An emblem featuring a singular eye filled with printed Latin words and enigmatic symbols took up the top third of the page. Below was the so-called party invitation.
Dear Carey,
It is with great pleasure that the Galileo Society extends to you an invitation to an exclusive gathering at our esteemed headquarters. We are always keeping a watchful eye on potential members, and we believe you possess the qualities required to join our society.
Please arrive at 4 Sutherland Drive at 8:15 on the 28th of September. Ensure your discretion in this matter, as we value secrecy above all else.
During your stay, our top-ranking members will conduct an interview to gauge if you are indeed a true candidate. If it is determined that you are destined to be one of us, we will provide you with insights into our society’s goals and principles. A formal initiation ceremony will then be held.
Should you accept our invitation and successfully pass the initiation, you will join a lineage of individuals dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom and the protection of ancient truths.
The dress code for the evening is casual, as we are far more interested in your mind than your appearance. All personal belongings, including electronic devices, shall be surrendered upon arrival, and they will be returned to you at the end of the night.
If you accept our invitation, kindly confirm your attendance by the 24th of September via this email address: [email protected].
We eagerly anticipate your response.
Yours in secrecy,
The Galileo Society
“Definitely a prank,” April said, nodding emphatically. “I’ve never heard of a secret society at Babylon.”
“I have,” Brooke said. She raised her brows and leaned forward, lowering her voice. “My mom was a student here back in the early 90s. She said there was a secret society that ended up getting banned by the administration. Apparently they were doing all sorts of crazy shit.”
“Seriously?”
“Yup.”
“But you said it’s gone, right?”
Zach lifted a hand. “If it’s a secret society, how can the school really ban it? They can say it’s not allowed, but realistically, they can’t stop it. Not if all the members are good secret-keepers.”
April nodded slowly. “Fair point.”
“Also,” Zach went on. “If it’s a prank, what’s the point of it? I don’t get it.”
“Maybe it’s Maverick. Or Hudson,” I said, stomach flipping. “Trying to lure us all somewhere to mess with us.”
“I don’t think so, because we aren’t the only people who received these invitations,” Brooke said.
I frowned. “You saw other people get them?”
“Yes. I got mine in first period math, and I saw Courteney Phang get one at the same time. I’m pretty sure Evan Holt got one too, but it was hard to tell because there was so much shit on his desk.”
“Hudson wouldn’t have any reason to mess with Courteney or Evan,” Zach said, brows furrowing. “I don’t think Maverick would either. So I really don’t think it’s a prank designed to fuck with us.”
“Okay, but if it’s real, why did we get invited?” I asked, forehead wrinkling. “Out of anyone in the school, why us? And why Courteney and Evan?”
“Well, it sounds like they’re looking for smart people, given that line about being interested in our minds over our appearances,” Brooke replied. “And not to brag, but I’m number one in chem. Also, I remember something about Courteney being good at geography. Or maybe it was geology. Something like that.”
April sat up straight, face brightening. “That must be it!” she said. “I’m top of the class in trig. And Carey, you’re really good at coding and robotics. You’re probably at the top of that class, right?”
“Er, honestly… I didn’t know we could check class rankings,” I admitted.
“I bet you’re number one. That would explain it. The society wants the smartest students.”
Zach sighed and looked at the ground. “I’m not number one in anything.”
“But you’re so good at history. You always get the best marks there.”
“I’m only number two in the class.” He paused and scratched his chin. “Actually, I think I totally bombed last week’s test, so I might have slipped to three. I’ve been too afraid to check, to be honest.”
“Two or three is still really good, so I think Brooke is right,” April replied. “The Galileo Society probably invites the top three students in every subject. That way they get a large selection of smart kids as potential members.”
“Are you guys going to go?” Brooke asked, looking at each of us in turn with wide eyes.
“I’ll go,” Zach said with a light shrug. “Might as well see what it’s about.”
April’s lips thinned. “I don’t know if I will. My interview time is 7:30, and I’m pretty sure I have a family dinner that night. It’s my cousin’s birthday.”
“Just make an excuse to get out of it!” Brooke said. “Mine is 9:45, and that means I’ll have to sneak out of the dorms and risk getting in trouble. But I’m totally going to do it, and so should you! I mean, aren’t you even a little curious about this stuff?”
April twisted her lips in contemplation. “I guess so. I can probably come up with an excuse.” She turned to me. “Carey, what about you? Are you thinking of going?”
I hesitated. Part of me still wondered if this invitation was a prank orchestrated by Hudson or Maverick to mess with me and my friends.
The thought of Hudson being behind it troubled me the most. As I said to my friends earlier, I was worried he was planning something to destroy me, and I knew a nasty guy like him wouldn’t hesitate to include the three of them in that destruction.
Then again, Zach had informed me earlier that Hudson was an asshole but also a total idiot. Coming up with a fake secret society was probably a bit beyond his planning capabilities. Also, there was the matter of other students being invited. Courteney Phang and Evan Holt had nothing to do with me. I’d never even met either of them. There could be other students invited, too.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized it probably wasn’t a prank or trick of any kind. It seemed far too elaborate, even for Babylon bully standards.
Another aspect I needed to consider was the potential benefit for my life if the Galileo Society was real. I’d read a lot of books about real-life secret societies, and the common thread amongst them was the way they aided their members with opportunities and connections. My future was already looking brighter with the help of the Babylon Foundation’s scholarship, but an elite secret society membership could make all the difference between a good future and a seriously great future.
That thought alone sealed it for me.
I took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m going.”