Apparently, Jaxson was trying to prepare peanut butter sandwiches for dinner when I knocked on the backdoor. Why someone would need such a large knife for PB & J is anyone’s guess.
Danna tells me how Lance caught her in the clock tower spying on a Beasts meeting and brought her here for her own safety. He planned to have her leave the Smithson’s house once he knew she was safe and had not been caught by any monitor systems or Beast security team.
I look at Lance. “So this whole thing with me is about trying to win some competition.”
Jaxson speaks up. “It’s not just any competition, Elle. It is everything. You win, and you’re top dog. One of the leaders of The Beasts. You will be wealthy beyond measure. Your kids, your kid’s kids, and all future generations will never have to worry again.”
“But that comes with a price,” Lance says, chiming in. “The few that are chosen to be a potential Alpha have to show they are the most cunning and willing to do anything for success. A random girl is chosen by the elite members of The Beasts. The Chosen must make her life hell. They must be mean to her. They must embarrass her. She must feel pain because of the Chosen. When the girl is at her lowest, the Chosen must turn the tables. They must find a way to get the girl who likely hates them, love them instead. My father says this way, the potential Alpha can show they are a master manipulator. A trait needed for any Alpha.”
It is all coming back to me as Lance speaks. Jaxson and his friends, embarrassing me with throwing pies at me on the first day of school. Running through Chase’s property when I thought hunters were firing on me. Lance publishing my diary for the whole student body to see.
The night before with Jaxson. I felt what I thought was love for him. I wanted to give myself to him. I was eager to. That’s when him and Nathanial Price did what they had.
I looked at Jaxson in disgust. “So, after you get the girl to love one of the Chosen, what happens next?”
Jaxson looks the other way, avoiding my eye contact, and Danna squeezes my hand.
Lance answers instead. “That’s when the Ritual can be performed.”
“Ritual?”
Danna looks at me and speaks through thin lips. “Nice words for saying murder you.”
Lance nods his head. “That’s right. If one of the Chosen kills you after you fall for them, then the Ritual is complete. Another member must observe it happening. In the old days, it was enough just to witness it, but now they want it recorded.”
“Some sick people,” Danna says folding her arms. “Would have been a killer story.”
Lance looks at me endearingly. “Most members of The Beasts don’t know about the Ritual. They just think the girl chosen in the process leaves or something. It is only the elites that know. I did not know what was required of me when I was one of the Chosen. Neither did Jaxson. It’s only after that we find out.”
I can feel anger boiling inside me. I chose my words wisely. “Why kill someone? What does that have to do with being an Alpha, being wealthy?”
Jaxson looks at me softly. “It’s to show that you are willing to do anything to be one of the most senior members. It’s to prove that you will take any request they have in the future seriously and follow through with it.”
Lance smiles and lights a cigarette. “It’s also about leverage. They record you murdering someone, and they have leverage on you. They could release the tapes at any time if they want. That makes it easier for large business to trust you. People are willing to do business with you if they know they have leverage over you. They can trust you to make large deals, some possibly not legal, and you will follow through with it, no questions asked.”
I look at Jaxson coldly. “You were really going to kill me?” Jaxson lowers his head. “Look at me!” I demand. He does. I see a broken man. I see a man willing to do anything to get ahead because he had nothing, like me. I almost pity him. Some of my rage lessens. Jaxson was not alone that night though, his friend Nathanial Price was with him. “Where’s Nat?”
Jaxson lowers his head again. Danna looks away as well.
Lance blows out smoke and looks at me intensely. “He’s downstairs.”
“Oh god. I cannot stay here. I cannot stay here with two people who tried to kill me.”
“He’s dead,” Jaxson says quietly. He raises his head. “You don’t have to worry anymore.”
“What happened?” I ask. Jaxson does not answer.
An awkward silence grows in the room, until Lance breaks it. “Let us get some rest. Tomorrow night, we leave.”
“How?” I ask.
Danna smiles. “You’re going to love this. Well maybe not. I still hate it.”
Lance smiles back at Danna. “If you have a better plan, I’m all ears.” When Danna doesn’t say anything, Lance continues. “I have a large boat. I have connections in South America that my father, and The Beasts, likely do not know about. Once we get there, we can get new identities. We can become different people. We can’t come back to the US, but we can live somewhere else.”
I laugh and cover my face. “Oh, fuck. Your plan is to literally sail off into the sunset.”
Lance smiles back. “They won’t find us that way. We cannot fly. Driving would take too long and is more risky. I have most of the stops preplanned. It’s won’t take us longer than two days before we can get to where we are going. Any questions?” Jaxson, Danna, and I raise our hands. “That was rhetorical. Let us get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to busy.”
“And dangerous,” I whisper under my breath.
∞∞∞
We each sleep in separate rooms. For whatever reason, whoever lived in
