“Brother Starbuck!” April admonished.
Palmer turned the color of ripe grapes. His nostrils flared as he whirled around. “Screw this crap,” he said. “I’m outta here.”
As he crossed the circle, he unzipped his robe and let it flutter to the ground. The heavy metal doors slammed behind him so loudly, the reverberation seemed to go on for days. For a long moment, no one dared move.
“So, should we … um … celebrate?” Tahira said finally.
Everyone looked at Ariana. She bit her bottom lip. They’re looking to their president, she realized with a start. They’re already looking to me.
Quickly, she scrambled to her feet. “No. No celebration. It’s still too soon. Let’s meet back here on Tuesday, midnight. In the meantime, we should be mourning our friend.”
There were nods of agreement around the room, but still most members—even the guys—stopped by to congratulate Ariana. It was all she could do to keep from shouting and singing and doing a happy dance. Because whatever she said to the group, she did feel like celebrating.
She, Ariana Osgood, was the president of the most exclusive secret society at one of the most prestigious private schools in the world.
Celebrating was the only logical thing to do.
SO WELL
“We do have a bit of a logistical nightmare,” April said, hurrying to keep up with Ariana’s long strides as the members of Stone and Grave made their way back up the hill to Privilege House. As always, they had left the Tombs in pairs, spaced five minutes apart, to avoid drawing attention as a crowd. Not that anyone was out and about at one a.m. on a frigid December morning, but still. There was always the possibility of a glance out a window, and the primary goal of any good secret society was to remain secret. Ariana had started out the door with Jasper on her arm, but April had insisted on accompanying her so they could talk about the transfer of power. Ariana would have to settle for seeing Jasper in the morning. Such were the sacrifices a president had to make. “Everything you’ll need—the archives, the bylaws, the presidential pin … all of it is in Lexa’s possession. We can’t let her parents find it, so basically we’re going to have to pillage her things before someone finally gets round to emptying her room.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Ariana said with a nod. “I’ll go first thing in the morning. Maria can help me sort through her stuff. She may even know where Lexa kept it all.”
“Good. Everything else is always stored inside the Tombs for safe keeping, so that won’t be a problem,” April said. She took a few deep breaths. “Do you mind if we slow down? Cardio’s not really my thing.”
“Sorry,” Ariana said, concentrating to slow her steps. “I walk fast when I’m excited.” She realized her faux pas the moment the words escaped her lips. She wasn’t supposed to be excited. She was supposed to be somber and serious and pensive.
April smiled, her blue eyes sparkling behind her glasses. She paused and turned to face Ariana.
“It is exciting, isn’t it?” she said under her breath, glancing over her shoulder into the darkness. “I know we’re still in mourning and all, but I just have to say … I’m quite proud of and impressed by your achievement, Ana, coming so early in your Stone and Grave career. And I’m happy that the presidency will be retained by a woman.”
“Thank you,” Ariana said, beaming. “I’m proud too, to be honest.”
“As you should be.”
A fierce wind whipped through the Privilege House towers, howling ominously.
“Now let’s get inside before we catch our death,” April said, hugging herself. Her face paled in the moonlight and she cringed. “Ugh. Sorry. Can’t believe I said that.”
“It’s okay,” Ariana said, starting ahead. “Let’s go.”
Inside, Privilege House was deserted, the security lights in the lobby glowing green over the hardwood floors. Ariana could hardly contain herself as the elevator whipped her and April toward the top of the girls’ tower. April bid her good night at her floor and stepped out. The second the doors closed and she was finally alone, Ariana let out a joyful squeal. She danced around the small, square space giddily, until the doors slid open again. By then, she was perfectly composed, just in case anyone happened to be milling around.
But the hallways were silent. Ariana made her way back to her room, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. For a moment, she was all triumphant smiles. But as she looked around her room, her sense of joy quickly deflated at the bare, depressing room with one side completely unoccupied, the other sparse as a Spartan’s quarters.
Not exactly the stuff celebrations were made of.
Feeling suddenly lonely, Ariana trudged to her bed and sat on the edge, tugging her cashmere scarf from around her neck. It was so unfair, really. She was sure that when Lexa was elected president there had been a huge bash in her honor. But for Ariana, nothing. All because of circumstances beyond her control. This was a huge night for her, but when she looked back on it years from now, there would be no memories of smiling faces and congratulations, no souvenir champagne bottles or photos to cherish. There would be nothing but the memory of … this.
A light knock on her door startled her. Ariana jumped up and opened it. Jasper grabbed her hand.
“Madame President, it’s an honor,” he said with a mock-formal nod.
Ariana cracked a smile. “Thanks, Jasper.”
“Okay, I know we’re supposed to be grim as the grave right now, but I can’t allow it,” he said, grabbing her scarf out of her hand and looping it around her neck. “We need to celebrate.”
Ariana smiled for real. Jasper knew her so well. “What did you have in mind?”