"No. Not possible. Why would they do it like this? Why not just come in with handcuffs and guns and all that crap?" Kaitlynn asked.
"Oh, I don't know, probably because this school is full of well--connected international billionaires," Ariana replied. "They probably want to keep it quiet. Cover it up so that all the congressmen and senators and kings and queens won't have to deal with everyone knowing their kids' high--security school was infiltrated by two escaped criminals," she said sarcastically.
One of the front doors opened and the car bounced as someone got in behind the wheel. Both Ariana and Kaitlynn fell silent, knowing better than to talk about anything until they knew exactly who they were dealing with. The car engine started, and they were off. Before long the car dipped off the paved road and bumped along some kind of rocky terrain. Suddenly, Ariana felt a hot, searing terror go through her. Were they taking her back to Lake Page? To the place where she'd murdered Briana Leigh and she and Kaitlynn had disposed of the body?
The drive couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes long, but it felt like an eternity to Ariana. When the car finally stopped, the driver did not get out. Instead, the doors on both sides of the backseat were flung open and a hand closed around Ariana's arm. It was small and feminine, but strong. The woman dragged Ariana out of the backseat and onto an uneven, pockmarked dirt path. Ariana tripped along, still unable to see, and wondered if the United States government was secretly running firing squads in rural Virginia.
60
"Stop."
Ariana froze. She heard a crackle and sensed a warmth on her right side. Was that a fire? The woman turned her so that she was facing the flames, then let her go. For a moment, Ariana couldn't process this information. Should she make a move for the bag over her head? Try to run? But then, out of nowhere, the bag was torn free. Ariana's relieved lungs filled with oxygen and the heady scent of burning wood. To her left, Kaitlynn whirled around, as if ready for a fight, but Ariana didn't move. Before her was a raging fire, lit in the center of a clearing in otherwise dense woods. The tree line was marked off by a ring of thick, well--worn gravestones, each with a name etched into it, though Ariana couldn't make them out in the dim light. The fire pit was circumscribed by dozens of perfectly round, whitish--gray rocks.
No. Not stones, Ariana realized upon second glance. Skulls. Dozens of human skulls.
Standing on one side of the fire was a tall, broad figure dressed in full--on black, his face covered over by a black ski mask, his hands behind his back. On the other side was a smaller, more feminine person, dressed exactly the same. Each of them stood behind a gravestone. The guy's read lear. The girl's, miss temple.
Ariana's terror drained away as she took all of this in, replaced by an overwhelming rush of excitement. It was one of the secret societies.
It had to be. She wasn't going to be arrested. She was not going to be shot. She was, in fact, being tapped.
And so was Kaitlynn.
61
"Okay, this is freaky. Even for the government," Kaitlynn said.
Ariana shot Kaitlynn a silencing glare and saw that she, Brigit, Tahira, and Allison were all standing in a line next to her.
So Tahira is not in the society. . . yet, Ariana thought. Interesting.
She looked around at the other gravestones nearby, each inscribed with a name from classic literature--Jay Gatsby, Elizabeth Bennett, Captain Ahab, and on and on. Both Lear and Miss Temple stood behind their stones. Did that mean the other members were standing behind theirs as well, in the trees, just out of sight? The very idea that she was surrounded by lurking secret society members, her every move being watched, made Ariana's heart pound.
"We are the Stone and Grave." The two figures spoke suddenly, in unison. "You have been brought here tonight as a mark of your potential. Now you must prove your worthiness to the brotherhood. Only the courageous of heart and the strong of mind should accept this challenge. Do you accept?"
"I do," Tahira and Brigit said quickly.
Ariana was still too exhilarated to formulate a thought.
"Speak up, neophytes!" one of the figures barked. "Do you accept this challenge?"
"I do!" All five of them answered this time.
"Very well."
Lear walked around his gravestone and took a step forward. He paced before the five girls, looking them up and down. Ariana stared at his eyes, trying to discern whether she had seen them before, but they were entirely unfamiliar. Disappointment welled inside her chest.
62
She had believed Palmer was the president of the secret society, had assumed that he would be the one running this game.
"Stone and Grave is a hallowed institution," Lear began, the fire crackling behind him, giving him a menacing air. "We are about loyalty, humanity, bravery, selflessness, brotherhood. Our bonds are unbreakable. We rise as one, and as one we fall. Our membership runs deep in the veins of this country, in every university, every industry, every branch of government. As a member of Stone and Grave, your success in this world is guaranteed."
Ariana glanced over at Brigit, whose attention was trained on Lear. Her entire being hummed with hope and pride. This was exactly what she needed. The Stone and Grave was the final piece of the puzzle. Get in and she would achieve everything she wanted. Get in and her past was erased.
"Pledge your allegiance to Stone and Grave, and Stone and Grave will pledge its allegiance to you," Lear said, pausing in the center of the clearing. The fire hissed and popped as it consumed a tree branch. Lear brought his fists together in front of him, forming a circle with his arms. "Stone and Grave will celebrate you in times of prosperity, protect you in times of trouble, provide for you in times of need. All the brotherhood asks for is your unwavering loyalty."
God, this was perfect. Ariana couldn't have conjured up anything better herself. She wondered if the other girls were as giddy as she was, practically unable to stand still.