To Capture a Thorn (The Society 2)

I got to my feet and just felt this overwhelming sadness.

My friend was gone. She wasn’t coming back. I knew this, but each time I came here, I hoped it was some kind of warped, twisted joke. The Society playing a game on me to surprise me. My initiation perhaps. But I saw Heather die.

The way the guys and their dads looked at me sometimes, I knew this wasn’t a joke. Heather really was gone.

Tears filled my eyes as I turned away to sit on a bench. I didn’t want to go back to Gideon’s home.

Sitting on the bench, considering my thoughts, I basked in the silence. There was something to be said for the stillness that surrounded me.

In the space of twenty-four hours, I had gone from being free to giving myself to four men and the mercy of The Society. An organization I knew nothing about. Feeling slightly sick, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Getting to my feet, I glanced around the cemetery, but I didn’t see anyone. I didn’t like this feeling.

I sank my hands into my pockets and rushed toward the exit, only to stop as a guy, roughly my age, dressed in a suit, entered the graveyard.

He was tall, muscular, and he had a mean look in his eye. “Sian Roberts?” he asked.

At first, I didn’t make a sound or a move, or a noise.

He didn’t say anything and then I nodded. “It’s me.”

I tensed up as he reached into his jacket, but it was stupid of me to do that as he pulled out a single white envelope. “This is for you.”

He held it out to me, and for a few seconds, I stared at it, scared it might bite me.

“Take it!”

I jumped at his rough voice and did as I was told. I took it. “Do you work for my dad?”

“No.”

My mouth was so dry, and I wanted to ask him a million questions, but I stayed perfectly still, watching him. He turned on his heel and was about to leave, but I couldn’t let him go. I grabbed his arm. “Wait.”

I didn’t know if I’d made a great big fuck-up or not.

“Don’t touch me!” The glare he sent my way had me instantly recoiling. He pulled up the sleeve of his jacket, exposing a crest from another school. I didn’t recognize it, but I did catch the sight of The Society across the banner. “We have a common friend.”

I stared down at the white envelope. “What is this?” I held it up.

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve never seen you before.”

This made him smile. “I’m guessing you’re new to The Society.” He took a couple of steps forward. “As I was warned, I will warn you. We are everywhere and nowhere. You will not know us until we tell you to. You will not see us until we want you to. Keep our secret to your grave.” He nodded at me and then he left.

I didn’t try to stop him.

Holding the envelope in my hand did not feel like a good thing. I felt a little sick. This wasn’t good. What they wanted from me wasn’t good. This was all bad.

I tore into the envelope. Inside was a single white sheet of paper and a set of keys.

Frowning, I looked around to see if anyone watched.

I picked them out of the envelope, and I recognized them as a set of hotel keys. The small keychain marked the name of the hotel.

Opening up the letter, I read a date, three days from now, a time, noon, and the instruction to let myself into the room and to wait. That was all.

I held the keys in my fist, feeling the weight of them within my grasp. As I folded the letter up, I saw on the back there was another instruction. Take only Gideon.

That was all.

Did this mean I could only tell Gideon? I didn’t like the secrecy.

My stomach was in knots. It was like I couldn’t focus.

With one last look around the cemetery, I left. I was walking down the street when someone stopped the car and let down a window.

“Sian Roberts?”

Okay, now this was getting to be a little scary.

“Yes.” I spoke up rather hesitantly.

“This is for you.” He held out a package.

I didn’t ignore him.

I took it from him and he smiled at me, offering me a good day. There was nothing about today that was a good day. It was all very, very wrong.

Closing my eyes, I took another deep breath, and then I tore into the box to find a cell phone. Much like the one my mom had given me.

The moment I touched it, it started to ring. I jumped back, dropping it to the ground. It was an old phone, one with keys on it rather than a main screen.