Chapter Forty What we may be
CHAPTER FORTY
What we may be
IN THE DAYS LEADING UP to rush, I spent most of my time with Vivian and Angelica, honing my powers.
But even with the different tasks they gave me, from trying to make a flower wilt and bloom to simpler things like using my affinity of time to rewind tea so it was warm again, I struggled to control my abilities.
All of my efforts so far had resulted in browning buds, lukewarm tea, and migraines that pulsed against the back of my mind.
“I don’t think you’re ready,” Vivian said.
It was a Saturday, nearing midnight. The end of October had come and Kasem’s birthday was just over a month out.
For the first time since I’d entered Westfield, its hallways were silent.
Vivian and I traversed a remote corridor of the music building.
Even though the School of Fine Art had practice rooms open 24/7 with key card access, most of the rooms were empty as people gathered at their dorms for Halloween ragers.
My footsteps echoed softly against the stone floors, hers traceless as she glided forward.
Moonlight spilled from the windows, the silence curdling like something spoiled and raw.
Rush would have already started by now. Luke was probably gathered with the other initiates who’d received Sigma’s and Theta’s special invitations, while everyone without an invitation who’d wanted to pledge would be able to rush the following night.
Eventually, we reached a door with a red EXIT sign blinking above it. It was always odd to see such modern displays at Westfield, but I supposed even haunted campuses from the 1800s had to comply with modern fire regulations.
In my pocket, my phone buzzed. I ignored the sound of it.
A burst of cold autumn air bristled against the building’s heat as I pushed past two double doors. Vivian disappeared into the walls.
When I finally looked at my phone, a message appeared on the screen.
Someone had shared their location with me.
I clicked the map link and it showed an area a few miles away from Westfield.
In the distance, figures emerged from one of the buildings on campus.
They were clad in silver and glistened like stardust in the night.
Whispers drew closer and closer. Behind me, a cool hand grabbed my shoulder. I screamed but the sound was muffled as another hand covered my mouth.
“Chill! Do you want us to get caught?”
It was Luke. Luke was one of the figures dressed in silver, though he’d emerged from the other side of the building.
“He was following us,” Vivian said sharply.
“I thought I saw you levi—”
“Trick of your eye,” Vivian said to Luke, her voice dry. She shot me a look. “You sure they’ll let you rush dressed like that?”
“We’re supposed to be in silver and gold,” Luke explained. “Silver for Sigma and gold for Theta.”
“I didn’t realize there was a uniform,” I said, smiling at Vivian through clenched teeth.
“Relax. I brought you a change of clothes,” Vivian said. She pulled out my mother’s Ankara set from a book bag Luke had brought with him. “You should change or you’ll miss the first initiation challenge.”
At my hesitation, Luke took the set from Vivian and handed it to me.
Our fingers brushed for only a moment. Despite my frustrations with controlling my powers, it was easier to keep my channeling at bay, a testament of the days spent training with Angelica and Vivian. Now I wasn’t immediately yanked into the past.
“Everyone’s leaving,” Vivian said.
“All right, all right.” There was a bush close to one of the buildings. I squatted behind it, slipped on the two-piece set, and folded my shirt and skirt before tucking them beneath some leaves where Luke had tossed his own bag. Hopefully no one would find them later.
“Where exactly are we meeting?” I asked, following Luke as he and Vivian walked briskly away from campus. But neither of them answered.
When a security guard emerged from one of the buildings, we ducked behind whatever was close to us—the shrubbery alongside the perimeter of the buildings.
Finally, we arrived at the beaten path that led to Poppy House.
But instead of following the trail to the dorm, we ventured off the path, away from campus life entirely.
When I pulled out my phone, my service bars were low. But my GPS was somehow active. We were heading toward the blue dot that I’d been sent on the map earlier, into the depths of the swamplands.