Twisted Circles (Secret Society 2)

“What’s up with that anyway? Me being the only girl and all?”

“I don’t make the rules. I just follow them.” He waved a hand for me to hurry it up and keep walking. “The Chancellor said he’d explain it. Apparently, it’s in our manual.”

“You haven’t read the manual?”

“Not all of it. It’s seven-hundred pages of antiquated information.” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to read the manual?”

“No, thanks.”

We went down the main hallway and took a left. Like the entranceway, this hallway was filled with portraits, busts, and sconces illuminating the way. The dim flicker of the candles didn’t make it easy to make out the faces on each portrait, but it definitely made them look creepy, and maybe that was the point of it all.

“How old is this place?”

“As old as time.” He glanced at me when I shot him a look that I wasn’t sure he could make out until he said, “That’s what they told us when we first got here. This place is as old as time itself.”

“The Chancellor said that?”

“He and the benefactors.”

“Am I meeting them as well?”

“In due time. They’re not around much this time of year.” He reached into his pocket and brought out a mask, securing it on his face as we reached a door that looked like it led to a dungeon. Instead of opening the door, he knocked ten times in a sequence that sounded familiar.

“Is that the Imperial March?”

“Will’s idea.” He shook his head.

“You guys are total nerds.” I shook my head.

Hot nerds, but nerds nonetheless. There was a loud click and I found myself holding my breath as the door opened with a slow creaking sound. A masked tall guy was standing on the other side.

“Sixty-seven people have arrived.” Will closed the door slowly behind us.

I tried not to react when I heard the heavy thump and the obvious lock that followed. It wasn’t that I was claustrophobic, but being enclosed in a dark space with two guys I didn’t know, who could overpower me, wasn’t necessarily ideal. I didn’t even have a weapon on me that I could use to defend myself.

“Let’s go.” Adam offered me his hand to take.

“I thought you said this wasn’t a date.”

“You’re wearing six-inch heels. You want to fall to your death, that’s fine, but you won’t be doing it on my watch. Grab onto my arm.”

I did as instructed because he wasn’t wrong. I gripped his arm tighter when my dress caught on my left heel.

“See?”

“They’re four-inch heels, not six.”

He shook his head, but remained silent as we continued to walk slowly down. The only thing I could make out was the cobblestone walls on either side of us that most likely matched the steps we were taking. There were lit candles in sconces here as well. Maybe he wasn’t wrong about this place being as old as time itself. It sure looked like it. I couldn’t even imagine how many people it would take to keep this place clean. I thought about Marie and what she’d said about needing help in the chapel.

“What’s in the woods?” I asked as we reached the last step.

“Bears.”

“I’m serious. Is there anything out there? It’s a big property.”

“Yes, there are things out there. All of the houses in Blood Point share one common perimeter of the woods,” he said. “So if you see anything out there, it doesn’t necessarily have to be ours.”

“You didn’t answer me. What’s in the woods?”

“Some abandoned buildings close to our property, but we’re not allowed.”

“Not even you?”

“Not even me.”

“Why?”

“You ask too many questions.” He sighed heavily and stopped walking when we reached a circle.

“I don’t like going into things blindly.”

“Yet you showed up because of a simple, mysterious card.”

My mouth opened and shut quickly. My first instinct in any situation was to argue, set up a parameter of defenses, but he was right. I showed up. We stood in the middle of two dungeon doors. I felt myself shiver with anticipation. Adam noticed. I was sure there wasn’t much Adam didn’t notice. He eyed me but didn’t say anything. He didn’t reassure me that I’d be fine or warn me about what was to come. He just stepped forward and opened the door to the left and led me inside. Loud EDM music blared, a shocking difference from the muted sounds in the hall. The walls and doors must have been thicker than I thought for the sound to not travel. In here, strobe lights whirled around dancing people. It was a full-blown party, and we were inside of a cave.

They must have been here forever for them to have built the mansion on top of it. The rocked wall looked like something you’d find in the Parisian catacombs, which was a low-key obsession of mine. I stuck a hand out and touched it as we walked, the tips of my fingers grazing over each bump and groove. The DJ booth was set up smack in the center of the room, on top of a rock that overlooked everything, but not even the thumping of the music moved these walls. I continued my perusal as Adam led me toward the back. Not everyone in here was wearing a cloak. There were women in flapper dresses and sequin dresses similar to mine. Men in tuxedos, some in red cloaks, but their hoods weren’t covering their faces. Everyone had a mask on. My hand was still in Adam’s, I noticed, when I tried to turn around to take in the rest of the room. He looked at me over his shoulder as I slipped my hand out of his grasp when we reached the bar.