Chapter Six #3
Wolf shrugged, “It isn’t unheard of, a Saltford or a Windsor marrying anyone other than each other. But for centuries, their heirs have married only each other. They’re like rare collectibles.”
“And the Letums? They wizards or something?”
Wolf laughed, “Good lord, no. They’re just…” He jutted out his bottom lip, failing to find a better synonym. “Dark. Their children have probably never seen the light of day if their grandfather had a say in it. And he most likely has.”
I raised my brows at the information.
I find truth, now, in the phrasing that rich people pay in blood. These people have most likely killed a person or two to remain in power.
A dead son by suicide, a broken marriage by force, a dark family by death.
Wolf seemed to be in thought before he spoke, “I believe the Letums have a son. Our age. But that’s only information E–... I heard.”
His mood dampened with the pause of his words, something in his mind and slip of tongue reminding him of old and sorrowful times.
I let him wallow before turning on August. “And you? What do you have to contribute?”
August seemed offended, but I could tell my words made him itch to prove himself, most likely from lack of friends and in hope of new ones. “Well, if you must know, Rain Atlas Jett didn’t use her grandmother’s name to become student body president. She’s vicious all on her own.”
I rested my face. “Well, I assumed as much on my own. What with her forcing students into becoming tour guides.”
He rolled his eyes before leaning over me to tap his cigarette lightly atop the soap tray. I leaned away at his closeness with a scowl, but he didn’t seem bothered as he sat back and crossed his legs. “Oh, she did that, did she? Who’d you fall into the hands of?”
“Ajax and Paris.”
“Sheesh, that’s like forcing America and Japan into a ballet duet.”
I scrunch my face at his innuendo. “Do you hear yourself sometimes?”
“Well, I have ears.” He said stupidly, running a hand through his red curls.
There was too much to unpack with a boy like August, so, like any sane person, I chose to ignore him.
If I were sponsored by a board member, I wouldn’t have expected such unfamiliar names. Mr Browne was a ghost in the mist, but he didn’t seem to recognize me.
Or maybe I received my admission by simply writing an essay.
Perhaps it was just that simple.
It seemed the most likely answer. The real mystery wasn’t me or my place here. It was Mr Browne and people like Rain Atlas Jett with the power to look into my past.
I feared for what may find me the longer I remained.
“Are you American?” Wolf asked abruptly.
August perked up. “Yeah, I was meaning to ask. Where’d they find you, Alex?”
I pondered on whether I should tap the burning ash down on his hand at the nickname but thought better of it–no use making enemies when you can make allies. “New York City.”
“Oh, a city boy. I thought, with the accent, you’d be from… I don’t know, Russia. Well, I’m from Philly, myself. Guess we’re both used to rats and trash, eh?”
I remained silent, feeling slightly put off by the conversation. But grateful for how quickly August brushed over it.
It wasn’t exactly shocking, my accent. I’ve heard plenty of accents today alone. But the knowledge that I didn’t speak my own native language was. At least to whoever asked.
On the rats and trash, I wanted to agree, albeit on a deeper, more intimate level than he.
We both turned to Wolf, who shrugged sheepishly. “No trash in Newport.”
I’ve always found a special type of fondness for the phrase eat the rich.
I sent him an annoyed look. “So, you admit there are rats, at least?”
“No, I just mean–”
He didn’t get to finish explaining himself because a knock sounded from my door and silenced him. The three of us simultaneously turned at the sound of intrusion.
Except nothing followed afterwards. Three sharp and clear knocks that cut through the air, with only the tail end of a shadow left as a clue.
Who knocks and then leaves?
Was it another student signaling for us to keep it down?
Flashes of paranoid scenarios began to conjure themselves up in my mind, and I was immediately on edge. It felt, nowadays, as if that was all I’d ever be.
There was a sliver of a shadow remaining, however. A package of sorts.
Wolf and August didn’t get up, only sharing confused looks and hoping I’d join in along with them. But I only pressed my fist down on the soft mattress and lifted myself off it.
I held up a finger, signaling for them to remain seated as I padded slowly towards the door.
Despite my hesitance, I forced myself to power through, with the intention to hide any tremor August or Wolf could catch.
My hand paused on the doorknob, trying to calm the tremor making its way down my arm.
Reaching for the doorknob, I threw it open and looked out the door to both ends of the hall, preparing for a fight. Except, my tightly curled fists fell apart at the vacant sight in front of me.
Only an envelope at my doorstep.
And a similar one on Wolf’s.
I tilted my head in curiosity. Was unsolicited mail a thing here? “Looks like I’ve got mail. You too, Wolf.”
Perhaps it wasn’t what I first believed it might have been.
“What–” I heard behind me before footsteps followed, but I didn’t look back, only reaching down to pick up the envelope.
I could feel my heart slowing down as August poked his head around and down the hall. “Well, that’s not fair. How come I didn’t– Oh, I did!”
He squeezed past with a shove and raced down to the end of the hall, where his dorm was, before racing back. I’m surprised he didn’t wake anyone. Checking the clock on the wall next to my bathroom, it was already half past ten.
Time passed, and I hadn’t realized we’d been speaking for so long.
The slap of Wolf’s slippers, for whatever reason, bothered me as he walked past and picked up the envelope waiting for him at the edge of his door.
“Well–”
“You say that word a lot, Wolf.”
That was the first time the latter’s annoyance was turned on the former, as he paused to send him a raised brow before continuing to speak, “We should see what’s inside, shouldn’t we?”
Lacking the patience, I ripped mine open and pulled out the rich paper waiting inside. It had gold accents on the corners and reminded me of a certificate. Except, the words written were far from congratulations.
“The Founder’s Society,” I read aloud. “Is proud to welcome the candidates of 1982. Controlla past… orem, controlla oves. Controlla e-eos omnes. What language is that?”
“It’s Latin,” August said, absentmindedly, as he eagerly ripped open his own, Wolf following. “Yup, I got the same one.”
Wolf pulled out his letter and read through it for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing and his hand tightening around the paper. “Me too.”
Looking back, I suspected there was a ploy in the works. Suspicious of the fact that we’d all received letters the night August coincidentally forced his presence onto me, but I was wrong all along. It was fate that brought us together–or something else entirely. I never found out.
“Well, what’s it say?”
August’s eyes squinted behind his round glasses as he tried making sense of the words. “My Latin sucks, but it should say ‘Control the s-she… Yeah, control the shepherd. Control the… sheep. Control them all.’ Wow, that is creepy.”
His last words rushed out breathlessly.
Wolf didn’t make a sound, and considering the word ‘founders’ was written in bold cursive, something told me he had to know what this was. “What’s The Founder’s Society?”
August turned the paper in his hands, only to find something just as cryptic, a riddle of sorts, before turning it back and finishing the words.
“Never heard of it. But there’s a time and place at the bottom.
It’s tomorrow at nine in the… library–I’m not joining a book club, no. Not this time–not after last time.”
I didn’t ask what happened last time, choosing to read through the location instead.
9 PM.
Wolf still hadn’t said a word until I flicked his ear. He yelped in surprise, cupping the sore spot, before looking up to glare at me.
I didn’t let him complain. “Got anything to add?”
“What, you think I planned this?”
“No, but the fact that you suspect as much tells me everything.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Which is what?”
I tilted my head to the side, suspicion boiling in my gut. “That you know something and you’re not willing to share.”
August looked between us before deciding it best to busy himself with the paper in front of him, most likely reading and re-reading until the tension simmered down.
“I–...” Wolf looked down at the ripped envelope in his hands before meeting my eyes. “I’ve never heard of this Founder’s Society… but it sounds like a secret club.”
I reared back at his farfetched guess. “A secret club?... Do you hear yourself? Does it look like we’re all about to slaughter a lamb and bathe in its blood?”
“Well, doesn’t it?! Control them all? What does that sound like to you? A playdate?”
I couldn’t deny the seed of doubt he’d planted in my mind. But why us? Why me, more importantly?
August was academically brilliant. Wolf’s family is on the board. What does a new kid with no obvious track record other than a history of suspicious activity bring to the table?
“Not to pick sides or anything but… Wolf’s got a point.” August shrugged meekly before caving in on himself when I turned my heated eyes to him.
“Well… how does Castle Hill define ‘a secret society’?” I held up air quotations, choosing to go along with their narrative because, again, I did not understand how anything worked around here.
I was drawing blanks on what any of this meant. Whether it was a prank, a formality, a senior class ceremony. But none of the possibilities seemed as plausible when I looked at Wolf and August’s expressions.
The board prodigy shook his head before backing up and going to unlock his door. Running, it seemed to me.
He avoided our eyes, pressing against the frame to get through. “I’ve never heard of any. But anyway, we’ll find out soon enough. Tomorrow. For now,” he said, turning to face us one last time, “I’m calling it a night.”
August nodded without argument, taking slow steps back towards his dorm. “Yeah… O-okay, alright. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
I narrowed my eyes, shifting my gaze from Wolf to August, at how quickly they put the matter to rest, before scoffing. “You two have fun at your little book club.”
I didn’t wait before rushing back into my dorm.
And for a moment, I remained standing in complete silence. Just as I had done when I’d come in, earlier.
My gaze shifted to the stiff paper in my hands, impossibly hard to ignore.
I lowered my head, pressing it against the cool wood, and finally letting out the breath I hadn’t known I was holding.
Something told me I’d be committing another crime this year.