Twisted Circles (Secret Society 2)

I thought back to the night I’d been initiated and how weird it had been for me. I thought being buried alive had been enough of a test and figured the initiation ceremony would be a welcome party. I hadn’t expected to be drugged or questioned. They’d used psychedelics as a form of therapy, a way to let go of the past and past guilt. Before that night, my anxiety, which I hadn’t dealt with since I was a teenager, had found its way back into my life, making it difficult to focus on simple tasks. By the time The Swords sent their calling card, I was desperate. It was something no one would have guessed and how could they? After all, I was smart, good looking, worked out, was charming, privileged. I was also exceptional at hiding my emotions.

For me, initiation had been a transcendence. From the burial to the altar. The psychedelics they used were unlike anything I had ever taken, but they served their purpose. When they worked. I was a believer that all drugs, even the ones with a bad reputation, could be used to serve a helpful purpose. After all, there was science to back them up. I wasn’t an idiot, though. I’d seen the experiment go wrong. It only happened once, but it had been enough for me to know that not everyone could handle it. As I sat there, knee bouncing, I hoped like hell Eva was one of the ones who could. The priest was speaking in Latin now, facing the cross and Jesus, his back turned to the spectacle behind him. The women’s heads were all bowed as if in prayer. I couldn’t see Eva, but I knew she was in there. She was quiet. I hadn’t seen many quiet ones. I’d seen a lot of guys try to do a lot of crazy things while under the influence.

I scooted forward, my knee hitting the back of the pew in front of me as I tried to get a glimpse of her. I could see the white and gold robe. Finally, the women shifted and I saw her lying on a bench in the middle. She looked like a version of Sleeping Beauty, with her hair cascading to one side and her hands neatly placed over her midriff. A peaceful smile replacing her usual scowl. The priest turned back to her, this time waving that thing filled with incense as he chanted. The women began to walk around her, chanting along with the priest. Then suddenly, they all stopped. The priest turned and faced them and I knew he was waiting for something. Normally, the person on that bench stood, or spoke, or sat up and swayed as if they were drunk out of their mind. In the church, you could hear a pin drop, until Eva gasped loudly, her chest coming off of the bench as if being pulled by a string. I wished suddenly I hadn’t chosen last night, of all nights, to watch The Exorcist, because it was the only thing that came to mind as I sat there.

She sat up, her hands on either side of the bench, and began to speak in perfect Spanish. At least it sounded perfect to me. It wasn’t like I knew enough to understand it or know whether she was pronouncing things correctly. Unlike my brother, who could have a perfect conversation in Spanish if he wanted to, I’d taken Mandarin and German instead. What good was it doing me now? The priest asked her a question, which she answered, then another, and another, until they were having a full conversation right before his eyes. The only thing I could make out clearly was the name Karen spilling from her lips before she began to cry. I fought the urge to stand up and demand they stop.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Eva

My eyes opened slowly, fighting against the beaming sun to open fully. As my vision adjusted, I realized I was in my bedroom. Inside The Manor. I didn’t remember anything about last night, but I definitely expected to wake up in the woods. I heard myself groan.

“You feeling okay?”

“Jesus.” My head whipped toward Adam.

“You were in bad form last night. I stayed just in case.” He swung his legs off the bed and sat at the edge, his back facing me.

“Just in case I died?”

“I know how to perform CPR.” He shot me a smirk over his shoulder that I knew I would’ve felt down to my core had it not been for the fact that I felt like absolute shit.

“Well, I can officially say I’ve slept with a guy twice without seeing his penis.” I tried to sit up and fell right back down.

“Third time’s a charm, right?” Adam chuckled. He stood up with a stretch, his shirt riding up high enough for me to see the definition in his abs.