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I refrain from going to the comment section—of which there are already plenty. I saw enough comment sections after Cole was arrested to know I don’t want to read them. Besides, I’m sure the moment I leave this room, people here will say them to my face anyway.
Face burning, I lower the phone.
But I’m not embarrassed.
At the silence, Penny glances at me, doing a double take. “Tori…” she says, slowly. “Why do you look like I’m about to help you bury a body? Which I’m totally here for, although I do think the ground is going to be a bitch to dig up. But why do you look like you’re about to go stab Syn?”
“I’m not going to stab him.”
Tilting her head, Penny stares intently at my face. “I’m not saying we can’t go murder Syn, but we’re going to have to be creative about this, because right now, you’ve really got the motive.”
“I’m just going to level the playing field.”
Penny wrinkles her nose. “If that is a metaphor for burying a body, Imma stop you there. We’re going to need to go full Dexter on his ass and chop him up.”
Much as I absolutely adore Penny for what she’s saying—even if, if it came down to it, she’d be talking me out of doing anything—this one has to be all me.
Until now, I’ve put up with a lot of shit from Syn—and even Royal and Gemini. I’ve held my tongue and done as they’ve said like a good little initiate. But releasing the video was not only the last straw, it’s also the last thing they have that has any power over me.
I’m going to leave this college, quietly. Just like Syn wants.
Only, before I do, I’m going back to Denali House, getting onto his computer, and I’m taking a copy of every video I can find. Not just mine, but every single one of them.
Because not only do I intend on releasing the version where everyone can hear every sound that comes out of our mouths—including their names—but I’m also going to release the version where you can see their bodies. Even if they’re wearing cloaks and masks, with the right audio, it won’t leave much doubt in people’s minds.
It might even be enough to stop him from being elected as president in a few years.
And if not, hopefully, there’s a copy of Syn’s initiation video…
I have nothing left to lose now, so Synclair Keyingham is about to lose everything.
XXXXI
Royal
Releasing an initiation ceremony video is a nuclear option. As far as I’m aware, since these things started being filmed in whatever decade it was, there has only ever been two occasions when one was released. The last one was some time not long after I was born, when camera quality improved significantly, and it was clear to see who was on the screen.
I’d gotten in late from Syn’s birthday party—which he ditched—and was woken up by my phone exploding into life only a few minutes ago. I’m trying to work out if I’m still drunk, or if this is a dream, because there’s no way I just clicked a link on the university alert system to watch a video of Tori being fucked by me, Syn, and Gemini on a porn site.
Rubbing my eyes, I hit play again. Even after pinching myself, the video is still the same.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Syn. What the fuck have you done?” I mutter as I pause the video. I refresh the page, but the only thing that changes is the view count. “Fuck.”
Holding onto my phone, I throw back my covers and jump out of bed, all but running out of my room, and to Tori’s. The knock is more for appearance than meaning, as I push the door open and walk in.
Tori’s room is empty, though there’s an overpowering smell of alcohol.
As I step inside, I see a bottle of Syn’s favorite whiskey on its side, almost empty. There’s a large puddle of it all over the floor. The bed doesn’t look like it’s been slept in, but that means nothing. Although I can’t hear anything from the bathroom, before I can go check, the sound of vibrations distract me.
Tori’s phone is on her bedside table, which means she’s hopefully not seen it yet, and that she’s somewhere in the house.
I hurry over, picking the phone up. She’s got an old model iPhone which needs a fingerprint to unlock it rather than her face. Not that it helps as I don’t know her passcode anyway. As I’m holding the phone, notifications continue to flash on the screen.
Gemini mentioned that Tori had deleted all of her social media years ago, but the notifications are coming from the university app. Hardly anyone uses it for chatting, but now, it’s alive with activity. The link was sent out as an alert from this app, and even though I’ve not seen any message from Syn with instructions, everyone will know what they need to do.
“Fuck.” I turn her phone off but keep hold of it. As I go to check her bathroom, I call Syn. It doesn’t even ring, sending me straight to voicemail. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you were doing this?” I finish and hang up, before quickly texting the same message to him.
The bathroom is empty. So is downstairs, and the basement. Heading back up, I go into Syn’s room. While his bed does look slept in, his room is empty.
