VII
Tori
T here were no instructions given on where I needed to be, so at five minutes to eight, I go to the front door and stand there.
It’s early November, so outside, the temperature has dropped, and I’m standing near the only vent pumping warm air into the hallway. My coat disappeared at some point, and there’s no bag provided for me to put my phone in, so I’ve shoved that into my bra.
At what I’m sure is exactly eight o’clock, Syn, Royal, and Gemini descend the curved staircase like this is some reverse teen romcom, and they’re all dressed up for prom.
Even though Syn usually wears more formal clothes of these three, tonight, he’s got a suit on, and it almost pains me to admit how good he looks in it despite the red flags dancing all around him.
Royal is behind him, and with one smile, this guy turns into a Disney prince. Put him in formal wear, and even I would consider dropping my panties for him. Again. This one has held the title of most desirable guy on campus, for several years, and again, annoyingly, I can see why.
But of the three, it’s Gemini who has me doing a double take.
There might be a college uniform—even if it can be personalized—but saying Gemini dances the line of what that should be is being generous. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen him wear anything other than ripped skinny jeans. And even earlier in the year, when it was much warmer, his face was still hidden in the shadows of a hood.
Tonight, just like the others, he’s wearing a suit. There’s no tie around his neck, and there are enough buttons left undone on his shirt for me to half-wonder if they were missed when the shirt was made. But with his chin length hair pulled back into a stumpy ponytail on the top of his head, he somehow seems like a completely different person.
Penny told me he was adopted from Asia when he was a baby. Apparently, his mother made a big deal about saving him and his sister—adopted later from another country—from a life of poverty and destitution. He’s got beautiful, dark eyes that are deep-set beneath a monolid, his chin is pointed, and he has cheekbone structure I know a lot of people would die for.
If Syn walks around campus like he’s the one in charge, and Royal struts like a peacock, well aware of how good-looking he is, then Gemini’s whole aura is not that he doesn’t give a fuck, but that he doesn’t seem to notice anything around him.
But regardless of how attractive and desirable these guys are, it’s simply because most people don’t really know them. In a way, they’re like celebrities, and really, the only thing we know about these people is what they choose to share with the world. Your favorite celebrity could be an utter asshole, but you’d never know if they only show their best sides.
And these guys…
Top Tier Assholes.
Syn gets to the bottom of the stairs and then stops, dragging his gaze up and down my body. His eyes zero in on my chest, and he sneers. “Did you shove your phone into your bra?” Without waiting for an answer, he holds his hand out. “Give it.”
I hesitate. Not because I care about sticking my hand into my bra in front of them, but if I hand my phone over, will I get it back? At this point, there’s nothing of sentimental value on it that isn’t backed up to the Cloud, but that phone is my lifeline.
“You want me to get it for you?” Gemini asks me with a unruly grin, as though that might lighten the mood.
Sticking my hand into my dress, I wrap my fingers around my phone and then pull it out. But I don’t hand it over to Syn.
Syn cocks his head. “Are you planning on using that to record? Hoping to find some sordid or illicit soundbite to share with Fox News?”
The thought had crossed my mind, but the battery life on my phone is so bad, it would probably die before it recorded anything useful anyway.
“Or do you think that if you dial 911, help will come?”
Marching over, I slam the phone into his palm, but he doesn’t even flinch.
I’m expecting him to put it in his pocket, but he barely looks at it as he tosses it onto the antique sideboard that’s pushed up against the wall.
“In case it hasn’t been made clear enough to you by now, the moment you walked through that door, we owned you. Your deluded little fantasy of becoming a member of the Elite is very real, and even if your chances are virtually impossible, if you want any hope of success, you need to grasp that fact very quickly.”
I’ve made my motives clear to Syn as to why I’m here, but he’s speaking to me like I’m trying to find a future husband. I wonder if he’s doing so because he wants to get a reaction out of me, but he’s not getting one.
Like a demure woman, I keep my hands clasped loosely in front of him and keep my eyes on him like I’m enthralled by every word he speaks.
Syn’s jaw tightens.
“Regardless of whether you are a member of the Elite, or an initiate destined for failure, you are a representative of this society. So while you are living in this house, you will not leave your room wearing anything other than what is provided to you, nor without your hair and makeup done. You will never walk in front of or beside us. You will not speak until you’re spoken to, and you will always do exactly what you’re told.”
Syn takes a step forward and grabs my collar.
Catching me off-guard, I wobble in the delicate heels, my hands, automatically reaching up to grab his wrist before I lose my balance.
“Dogs that are not obedient will be punished, and those that attack their owners will be put down.” He narrows his eyes. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I say, fighting to keep my tone compliant, like I don’t have an issue with him gripping the collar the way he is.
He lets go and then steps around me. “The meeting starts at nine. Do not make us late.”
I turn just as he reaches the front door and walks outside, leaving the door wide open.
Royal sucks in a breath, and then he walks past me without giving me a second look, following Syn outside.
Gemini, on the other hand, walks up to me, peering closely at my face. “I don’t think Syn’s got that right. About you being a dog.” He tilts his head but doesn’t take his eyes off me. “You’ve got something wilder in you. I see it.” He steps back and a grin appears on his face. “And you know what? I’ve never been one for blood sports, but… I’m here for this.”
I wait until he’s walked out of the house before I finally clench my hands into fists. Then I suck in a deep breath, relax my hands, and walk outside, pulling the door closed behind me.
As I step down off the porch, a golf cart goes past, driven by Royal. Although there’s more than enough space for me to join them, Royal doesn’t even look at me. Instead, all I get is a finger wave from Gemini.
The main part of campus where the dining hall and most of the classrooms are located, sits on a relatively flat surface. The dorms I used to live in, on the opposite side of campus, were built on a steep incline with red brick steps and stone paths that curve back and forth for accessibility.
On this side of campus, there are no steps. While I know the university was built over two hundred years ago, and Syn’s golf cart was never taken into consideration back then, over here, there aren’t many steps. Instead, paths swirl back and forth to create smoother inclines so students can head down towards the parking lot, or up towards the church.
“Hurry up,” Syn yells.
The golf cart isn’t that far in front of me. Having seen them zip around the campus like they’re competing in a Mario-kart race, I know Royal is driving slowly. But I also know it’s not slow enough that they expect me to be able to catch up and jump on unless I start running.
And running is not happening in these heels.
Instead, with my arms wrapped around myself, muttering curses under my breath, I walk as fast as I can, uphill, in the outfit I’ve been provided. By the time we get to the church, I’m sure there’s a blister on the back of my heel and just in front of each big toe. My exposed skin is cold to the touch, but thankfully, the walk has warmed me up enough that I don’t really feel that cold.
The clock on the church says 8:55 as I walk inside, a few paces behind Syn, Royal and Gemini. Inside, it’s empty, although lights are on in the alcoves. We walk straight down the center aisle then take a left to the door in the corner.
The church was the first building constructed on campus and is run by a pastor who is more than likely not in the building when people are in need of him. It’s supposedly presbyterian, although I’d be surprised if there was anyone on campus who attended for genuine religious purposes. Aside from the faculty’s Welcome Mixer, the only time I’ve ever seen this place used is for parties…
And below…
More parties, drugs, alcohol, fights, and orgies.
There are two levels below the church, but today, whatever we’re doing, it’s being held on the middle level. I’ve only managed to do a little snooping down here, so I know there’s a security room, but there are also a few other doors I’ve yet to look behind.
The main part of the church probably has many original features from when it was built, with modern technology added discreetly. I can’t say I have an interest in church interiors, but it looks like a lot of other old churches built in this part of the country at that time. Almost unidentifiably timeless.
Below, with the stairs and hallway encased in stone, it somehow feels like we’ve traveled back much further in time. And the crypt on the lower level could have been taken from any ancient European city and transported here.
So, I’m not sure what to expect of the room Syn leads us to.
The double doors look like originals, but when Royal pushes both open, I’m greeted with warmth and light.
And a room full of people.
Conversations stop abruptly as Syn strides in with his head held high, and at first, people turn in their seats to stare at him. There are a mixture of expressions in the room. A few look at him in awe, and some have trained themselves to show nothing, but most eyes go wide, and a number of Adam’s apples bob up and down.
As he walks past them, only cursory glances are shot at Royal and Gemini—although most are much more favorable than the looks directed at Syn—most of the attention starts to turn to me.
I come to a stop only a few paces into the room, my heart beating so loudly, that it feels like it has moved to my ears.
Behind me, someone leaves the back row and shuts the doors, caging me in to a room full of deadly animals.