I open one of my eyes for a moment scared that Chase will be watching us. I think of Lance also. I start to feel guilt that Jaxson is on top of me. I know where he wants things to go tonight, part of me is ready for it, but I’m not sure I can.
I open an eye again certain that someone is watching. I spot Danna on the other side of the pool waving at me. I give her a motion to give me a few more minutes.
I close my eyes and feel Jaxson’s powerful body more. Jaxson caresses my stomach and moves his hand up between my breasts and kisses me more.
I should be enjoying this more than I am. Instead I know what’s waiting for me when I open my eyes again. I look again, and sure enough Danna is waving at me to come over.
I put my hand straight out on Jaxson’s chest. “Can you give me one small little minute. Just- don’t move”
He smiles. “Of course. You know where to find me.”
I leave the cabana bed and walk up to Danna with a fake smile. “What the fuck is it?”
Danna looks around and whispers, “I saw another sign.”
I raise my eyebrows. “What are you talking about? You kind of interrupted- something.” I point a finger behind me towards Jaxson.
Danna nods her head. “Jaxson can wait. Something weird is going on here. I saw another Beast sign. The emblem! It was in Nat’s house. I saw another book.
I sigh. “So, what? You tossed out the one you stole. It’s nothing.”
“I lied to you,’ Danna says. “We need to leave. Bryce is already waiting by the car.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Let’s just go. It’s not safe here.”
Out of the corner of my eye I see a few students reading a spiral coiled book. One of them looks at me and laughs.
Danna grabs my shoulder. “Are you listening? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. I was scared.”
I look around at other batches of people at the party who are reading the same spiral coiled book. Several are looking at me. One is pointing and laughing at in my direction.
Danna moves my head back to her face forcefully. “The Beasts are real.” She whispers. “I’m in deep shit. We need to leave.”
Behind Danna I spot Selena and her friends. Each have their own book. Selena looks at me. I’ve never seen her so happy. Her friends have the same evil look on their face.
I spot Lance, holding a pile of the spiraled books. He looks at me and gives me a thin smile. He walks up to me, pushing Danna aside gently. He holds out a book towards me. I don’t grab it. I read the title and look back at Lance in shock.
Diary of the School Whore.
I finally grab the book and open a few pages. It’s one of my first journal entries of a guy I liked in grade school. A few more pages in and I had written about the first time a guy got handsy with me.
“First blowjob on page seventeen!” Selena yells out.
I look at Lance. He stares at me coldly.
I knock the pile out of his hand. Most fall into the pool. Some of the audience laugh. I shove Lance backwards, but he barely moves an inch.
Jaxson has one of the books in his hands. He throws it at Lance’s chest and stands between us.
I grab Jaxson’s hand. “I just want to go.” I whisper. “I just want to go”
More people are cheering and laughing. Danna picks up one of the books off the floor and opens it.
Jaxson shoves Lance, moving him a few feet. He tightens his grip on my hand and moves me through the party. Nobody gets in Jaxson’s way as he forces us through the crowd and out the backyard gate.
Some drunk kid is laughing at me as we walk by, a copy of the book in his hand. Jaxson shoves him hard, and the kid flies onto his back. He curls in a ball in pain as we go past him.
“Fucking rich kids!” Jaxson yells.
“I just want to leave.” I repeat.
“Then come with me.”
Thomas Winters
Thomas Winters watched the light from the torch flicker against the wall with delight. He enjoyed how ominous it made the inside of the clock tower seem. He watched as the members filled the center of the room. Many of their faces were hard to make out, but he knew them all.
It was, after all, his job to keep them safe. That meant he had a lot of roles to fill to keep the members interests in tack. Sometimes that meant acting like a personal driver to some poor bitch. He would be excited to get rid of that role very soon.
Most of the time, his role meant keeping these meetings secure, which is why he got harsh words after their last was- compromised.
It was important that tonight’s last-minute meeting have no issues like the one prior. He gave his security team strict orders and warned of termination if any failed him. He enjoyed working with most of his staff, and thought they were all good men, but he would cut one of them loose if they messed up tonight. He wondered if any of them had any clue that if you are let go from a position like this, it isn’t with a handshake and a record of employment.
Winters watched as three members in light gray cloaks stood in the center of the crowd. The rest turned and formed a circle around them.
A member in a dark black cloak walked into the room. The circle broke and moved out of the way to let him through to the center.
The dark-cloaked man raised an arm. Any chatter in the room stopped immediately. “We are gathered here tonight,
