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Much as I want answers, JP was already the victim. As far as I was aware, the world wasn’t aware of his sexual preference, and it seemed unfair to out him.
I also wasn’t sure that was going to work. “The only people the Elite will talk to is the Elite. This isn’t just going up against the Elite. It’s going into them.Becomeone of them. Arthur’s right. You are never going to become one of them. Hell, I can’t be. Members are legacy and legacy only.”
“So you’re saying it’s impossible? You’re giving up?”
My thoughts start to slow down and a strange calmness sets over me. “Nearly impossible.” I reach for the phone, taking it from him.
Payne shakes his head, his hand gripping mine and the phone before I can put it in my pocket. “That’s the only leverage we have.”
“Exactly.”
Confusion slowly washes over Payne but he doesn’t let go. “Huh?”
“I have one shot. The smallest of possible chances. And you’re going to need to trust me.”
Still holding onto me, Payne takes a step back and looks me up and down. “You want to join them? You think, after what you just said, they’ll accept you?” He raises our hands and the phone. “This is our only card. You think this is the best way to play it?”
“Yes.”
Honestly, I don’t think his way is any better.
His grip starts to loosen, and then he shakes his head. “I need to know what happened to Lucy. How do I know you’re not going to lie about what you find to protect your brother?”
Because at this point, I know there is something bigger at play. It had seemed too ludicrous to even consider it before, but after talking to Arthur, I’m sure someone was making things—evidence… people… the truth—disappear. Going in is crazy and probably dangerous, but somehow everything is connected and it all seems to start with the Elite.
I look directly into Payne’s dark, narrowed eyes. “You’re going to have to trust me.”
XXXVIII
Tori
The moment I return to my dorm, I’m pounced on by Penny.
My room, as I expected, is exactly as I left it. As I tell Penny everything, she helps me flip my mattress over, then I strip the bedding. I replace it with a spare set Penny had brought with her. By the time I’ve finished, I’ve clearly stunned Penny into silence.
“Tori, are you even thinking clearly?” she finally asks. “I mean, really thinking of the consequences. Let’s say for one moment thatsomehowyou get them to accept you into the Elite, you would literally be walking into the belly of the beast.”
I’m sitting at my desk diligently doing my makeup. “I know,” I tell her, feeling strangely calm. “But there’s no teeth or claws inside a beast’s belly.”
“No, there’s just stomach acid,” Penny blurts out. “Stomach acid that will break you down until you’re literally shit out of the other end in some unrecognizable pile.”
Unless I can find something to cut my way out of there and destroy the beast in the process…
Despite Penny’s reluctance, and her attempts to get me to change my mind as I make an effort to style my hair, my decision had been made. I change into some clean clothes, promise her that I’ll be okay, and then leave.
This is the last weekend before midterms, but while the parking lot is full, there’s little movement as I walk across campus. The dorms are split. Mine, on one side, and on the other, the exclusive dorms where only the members of the Elite live.
I explored the campus the first week I was here, including the dorms over here, but I’ve not been back since. Even so, I know exactly which building I’ll find Syn in. Syn, Royal, and Gemini live in a house—the only one on campus. It used to be the one the dean lived in, but now he lives in Keyingham, where most of the faculty live, from what I can gather.
There’s a strong possibility that at some point, I actually lost my mind, but right now, I’m the most determined I’ve ever been. As I walk up the three steps to the porch and ring the doorbell, there’s no fear. Only calm.
The door opens, and I find Declan staring at me, looking as confused as I feel. He’s wearing the same uniform he wears when he’s serving in the dining hall. “What are you doing here?”
“I want to speak to Syn.”
Declan snorts and then shuts the door in my face.
Irritation burns through me as I ring the doorbell again. Declan doesn’t come back. My plan was to do this privately, but if I need to try to speak to him in the dining hall, I will.
