Today was already an epically shit day, I hadn’t even made it to second period when someone had sent me the video of Serena cussing me out and Quinn defending me. I thought she was my friend. I thought she was normal, but there she was, sticking a knife in my back the second I left myself vulnerable.
I see her in the common room, and it’s like a red rag to a bull. She was willing to let me get hurt, raped, and for what? Personal satisfaction? I try to push away the anger that simmers away, but I can’t. I can’t keep it inside any longer. I storm over to where Serena is sitting with some of the girls from the cheerleading squad.
I’m aware of a few other students lingering and watching, especially Atlas and Quinn, but I ignore them as I place my hands on my hips. “Why did you set me up?”
“You deserved it,” she scoffs, before leaning in and whispering, “I know everything.”
I frown. “Huh?”
“The Society,” she hisses, sitting back and waiting for a reaction.
I look at the two girls sitting on her right, and giving them a hard glare, I bark, “Leave. Now. If you value your place on the squad, you better move.”
They look at Serena for a moment before standing and leaving. I don’t know what she’s been saying to the squad to have them questioning my commands, but I’d had enough. She needed to be put firmly in her place, for my sanity and for her life.
“I know all about it.” She looks at her nails for a minute, pretending to be bored. Standing, she grabs one of my lapels. “I’m going to destroy it, I’m going to bring you to your knees, Elena. Show you what real power is.”
I stifle a laugh. “You are so naive.”
“What?” She snarls in my face.
I place my hand over hers and twist, forcing her to her knees, squealing in pain. “You cannot destroy The Society. It will ruin you. It will butcher you, leaving your bruised and broken body in an unmarked grave. Maybe in the marina? Or in the woods? Possibly at the bottom of the lake? It doesn’t matter, there will be no trace of you left behind.”
I’m aware of Quinn and Atlas clearing out the common room in the background as I hear Tristan’s voice somewhere, but I close it all out. I was sick of being seen as weak. I was just trying to behave. I was just trying to make everyone else happy, but I wasn’t going to be walked over. Not here.
With one hand keeping her on the floor, wrist bent at an odd angle, I use the other one to grab her pretty red hair and yank her head back. Leaning in close, I whisper, “It will be like you never existed. They will wipe out all traces of you. And when someone asks your family, ‘What happened to Serena?’, they’ll reply with, ‘Serena who?’ That’s what The Society does.”
She tries to swing for me with her free hand, but using the hand I have in her hair, I shove her away before pulling her back, like a rag doll. She yelps, and I’m willing to bet that when I let go, I’ll have a clump of hair as a souvenir.
“There is no escape. No forgiveness. No redemption, Serena,” I explain, aware that there’s a coldness to my voice that makes her feel uneasy. I can see it in her eyes, the fear. Before she only looked at me with pity and earlier jealousy, but that was gone. “Traitors don’t normally deserve a warning, but this is yours. And it’s the only one you’ll get.”
“Bullshit!” she cries, but there’s no force behind her words. It is sinking in as she looks around and realizes that the only people in here now are part of the organization she’s bad mouthing.
“Where is Sam, Serena?” I say, making sure it hits her how serious this is. “Go to his house and see for yourself. See what I’ve done with one phone call and then decide if you want to keep coming for me. Because I have no problem digging your grave myself.”
“You wouldn’t…”
“She would,” Atlas growls from where he’s blocking the door to stop anyone else entering.
“You should have seen Sam when Lena was done with him,” Quinn laughs, joining in the torture. “You think I’m scary? You have no idea she’s capable of. She just likes to act like a good girl.”
I slowly loosen my grip on her wrist. “I’m going to let go now, and you are going to run. Because if I count to ten and you’re still in my sight, I’m going to show you what I can do.”
She doesn’t need any other incentive, I’ve never seen her move so fast in my life, and I trained her on the cheer squad.
“Wow. I didn’t realize you had such a dark side, it’s badass,” Quinn teases as she slings her arm over my shoulder, and we watch Serena scurry across the courtyard through the window. “You’re finally embracing The Society. What’s brought this out?”
“I did!” Tristan calls, sounding smug, from where he’s been watching the whole time.
“Stalking me again?” I snarl as I rub my temples. Why was he everywhere I turned?
“You left your violin in the music room,” he says with a grin, holding up my case. I snatch it from his hand.
Chapter Fourteen
Tristan
Once again, she runs away, lugging her violin case with her. I shrug as Atlas laughs and Quinn gives me a quizzical look, her arms crossed as she asks, “I thought you were winning her over?”
“Doesn’t look like it from where we’re standing.” Atlas
