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I nodded in agreement, relieved that she hadsomesort of idea of what was expected of her. While Aria and I hadn't been friends, I knew that she was wicked smart, and I knew that if given the opportunity, she could be so much more than what The Society had no doubt pegged her for.
I pushed forward, explaining it the best way I could.
“Okay, but because we’re a pretty exclusive group, The Society usually keeps a curated list ofwhoyou can hook up with - and who you can no ’t because they don’t really want us knocking out kids with a third cousin or some shit.”
“But it’s more than that,” Raquel interjected, and it felt as if she were saving a drowning man - I was no good at this shit. “The list also highlights characteristics and traits to ensure the best possiblebreedingoutcome.”
Aria narrowed her gaze in confusion, but I knew that she got it. “So, are you saying that there are only a handful of people I would even beallowedto settle down with?”
Raquel and I both nodded, and I was such a goddamn coward because all I felt was relief - relief that I didn’t have to spell it out further to her.
“Because our mixed traits would produce the best offspring - that would essentially belong to The Society.” Aria thought out loud, probably stringing together the dozen or so clues that had been dropped for her during the course of her life.
Raquel nodded, suddenly looking nervous, and all I could do was stare - stare at the train wreck that was unfolding before me as Aria pieced together the true horror of her life.
She shut her eyes, as if closing her eyes from the world could somehow shield her from the truth, and yet even with her eyes closed, she spoke. “So, that’s why she was asking about birth control - because once The Society gives you the green light on your relationship, they take you off birth control?”
“It is expected that the couple produce at least one child for The Society.” My voice sounded gravelly and strained, even to my ears.
“Wait!” She shook her head as her eyes popped open, and for a second she looked almosthopeful, “but some Society parents have more than one child.”
I swallowed once as I shrugged. It was shit, but I wouldn’t offer her any less than the truth, not when her roommate was Ajax SinClaire, which meant that he was probably who The Society had in mind for her.
“One can only assume that those arehappyrelationships, where they actuallywantedto have kids with each other.” And even as I delivered the truth, I made sure to soften the blow through the way I phrased it.
But Aria wasn’t a stupid girl. She blinked once before demanding the truth - demandingmore.
“What are you saying?”
“That at the end of the day, you get a choice of a handful of people that you need ‘settle down’ with - and if you don’t choose, then The Society will make the choice for you. Often, it’s not love - or even lust, but rather an expectedarrangement,” I spat the words out as if they were acid on my tongue.
“But I’m an only child,” she whispered the realization, and it was all I could do to clench my fists - to resist the urge to smash something because this was the result of the rot that was The Society and everything they touched.
“Most here are.” As consolations went, it was a shit one, but it was all I could offer her.
Aria excused herself, no doubt fleeing to her room to process the shit we had just told her, leaving Raquel and I to finish off the champagne. It was bitter going down, and even though I knew it wasn’t my fault - that I was simply the delivery boy for bad news, it still made my stomach curdle.
Chapter Ten : Leveling the Playing Field
Marissa
Iretreatedtomyroom, playing the role of diligent student with a few fashion magazines spread across my bed. But even still, my clothes itched against my skin, my hair felt too heavy on my scalp, and I wanted to crawl out of my damn skin. It was one thing killing a man, another thing entirely continuing with the farce of Society girl. My new clothing made me want to scream.
It didn’t take long for me to strip down, replacing the high brand items with a cheap no-name brand black hoodie and booty shorts. Here, in my sanctuary, there was no need for shoes. I reveled in the silence of our suite, brewed myself some coffee, grabbed a couple of chocolate cookies, and shut my bedroom door. I needed to lie low - to wait and see what The Society did - if they knew it wasme. I knew it was only a matter of time before The Warden discovered I’d placed his calling card on someone so early in the game. Regardless, he’d be pleased, and if he was pleased then he would leave me the fuck alone. Although, I was still no closer to my end goal - to discovering the truth about Chantal and what happened to her, and then finding something that would help dismantle this entire fucking operation.
For now, they simply needed to think I was pretty little Marissa - nothing other than a pretty face and docile girl who would make someone a good little Society wife.
I lay down on the bed, and in the privacy of my own space, I could begrudgingly admit that the bed wasgood. Far more comfortable than any bed I had owned, rented, or shared. It annoyed me that the best sleep I had in my life thus far was on Society soil. And then, for a brief moment, I wondered if they had given Chantal an equally soft bed - something to lull her into complacency because, while I had loved my cousin, I knew that she was easily swayed by anything remotely labeled as luxury. Even the boys she seemed to sway towards were all from the richer side of town, with good families and homes. My hands sought to be busy, and without really meaning to, I flicked through the glossy magazines that spread across my bedsheet. Some of the fashion was ghastly, in the art nouveau kind of way that made the pieces unwearable for everyday street fashion, whilst others caught my eye. But no matter how pretty a Dior ad may seem, I would never be willing to shell out the kind of money for something I could get elsewhere for less than half the price. I imagined that it wouldn’t matter where I found myself in life, money and I would always have a complex relationship - partly because I spent a large part of my life with none, and partly because I half-believed that money was responsible for luring Chantal out of our safety net.
I heard the front door open and slam shut, heavy boots hitting the hardwood floors, and I knew that Mack had returned from wherever he had been. I checked my watch, seeing that it was far later than I realized. I had been lying here thinking about Chantal - our old lives - the way that The Society’s money tainted everything, all while looking at glossy magazines.Don’t become one of them. The words whispered in my mind - as if I needed to warnmyselfof the risks.
I knew the risks - knew them better than most, and knowing them meant that I couldn’t afford to slip. I pulled away from the lure of luxury, tossing the magazines into a heap in the corner of my room, and before I could exhale from the energy spent from that movement alone, I heard the door to my bedroom spring open, its hinges creaking slightly with the movement. Which was strange, considering I locked it.
I spun around only to soak in Mack’s large frame taking up the doorway. Anger etched across his face, his hair seemingly darker in the shadow of the lighting, and here he looked less angelic and moreavenging god. He could almost be a marvel character.
The thought alone made me want to snort at the ridiculousness of it all.
Why was he here? Did he know what I did to that suit? That I was responsible? If he did, this wouldn’t go well because I couldn’t afford to get taken out so early in the game. The Warden would be pissed, and I would be labeled a failure.
