Chapter 5
After the strange events of last night, my brain felt like a pile of scrambled eggs as I elbowed my way through the crowded lobby of Trenton Hall. I found my usual seat in Origins of the Three Societies, on the third row next to Julia. Long, horizontal windows on the back wall framed the clouds outside. Rays of light and shadow dappled the lecture stage.
Mr. Harlixton uncapped a black marker and scribbled, “The Flood,” on the whiteboard. “Alright everyone. Open your books to chapter three on the flood. Those of you with Bibles, turn to Genesis, chapter six.”
I blinked but pulled out the heavy textbook and my grandma’s Bible from my bag. Julia opened her pink leather Bible, as did the girl next to me.
“It’s nice to have a source book. Aren’t you glad your family clued you into that?” Julia whispered, a shadow crossing her face.
“I guess,” I mumbled, turning the gilt pages to the assigned Bible passage. Luckily, Genesis was the first book of the Bible. All over the room, people cracked open the good book. Every student had one today. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who figured it out. Good thing I’d listened to my instincts and brought my family Bible to class.
Mr. Harlixton smoothed down the fuzzy hair fringing the edges of his bald spot. “Today we’ll discuss the precursors to the flood and theorize what made God angry enough to drown the entire Earth in water. If we have time, we’ll examine the original secret society that formed in its wake, ultimately leading to the three societies that govern this school.”
A hush filled the room. Everyone in class opened their notebooks out, pens ready to write. Did everyone think the entire world hinged on what Mr. Harlixton would teach today? Excited murmurs rippled through the rows of students.
Julia leaned in, her voice low. “Most people are only told one side of the story, from the secret society they were born into. It’s a big deal for them to finally learn the complete picture so they can decide their allegiance for themselves.”
“Right, that makes sense, I guess.” This was all brand new information to me and I had a feeling it would only get weirder. I glanced at Julia if only to gauge her reaction, but her eyes were glued to the man behind the podium.
Once the murmurs died down, Mr. Harlixton resumed his lecture. “The three societies interpret the Genesis six passage on the flood very differently. As you see, it talks about the Nephilim, a creature who was said to be half man and half angel. All three societies agree on one thing—that ‘sons of God’ in this passage means angels. Or fallen angels, actually demons. They are the same, don’t forget that part.”
I’d never noticed the part about angels marrying human women. How did I miss that? The flood story I’d heard in Sunday school was about Noah’s ark and all the animals.
I scanned the passage again, and there it was in Genesis chapter six, verse four, a little blurb about these Nephilim creatures. Just one verse. Not much to go on, really.
Murmurs buzzed behind me, but I tuned them out to hear Mr. Harlixton. “Most Bible-believing Christians in the world today believe that God sent the flood to destroy all men. Because it was mankind who was so sinful. However, after the flood, the first secret society emerged from a select few of Noah’s offspring who believe the flood was God’s punishment to wipe out the Nephilim. This camp is further divided into many sects, but for our purposes, I’ve lumped them all together. We’ll go into more detail in a minute.”
The girl on my left whispered to her friend. “Why would God want to wipe out the Nephilim? They are badass.”
“Shut up.” Her friend hissed at her.
Mr. Harlixton paused, his gaze zeroing in on the talkers. “I think you know why, Miss Brunsford.”
“They’re too powerful for the human world,” Julia mumbled, her eyes narrowing at me. “But I guess you’re into the Utopia nonsense, aren’t you?”
My jaw dropped. I had no response. What could she mean by that? I shrugged off her strange behavior as the lecture resumed.
“Alright, Miss Donovan. I’m getting there. Hold your horses.” He chugged a glass of water, leaning against his desk. “God charged Noah to save humanity with his ark. After the flood, God gifted his three sons with divine powers to keep humanity in check so there would never be a flood again. Every firstborn child of Noah’s three sons has certain powers to keep the balance. This is where the chosen ones come from—the Seer, the Interpreter, and the Messenger.”
I breathed a tiny sigh of relief. At least I wasn’t the only one caught in the secret society crosshairs.
“Once every century, the chosen ones emerge from the firstborn bloodlines to save the world.”
“Usually from a crazy Nexis scheme.” Julia mumbled beside me.
Mr. Harlixton jerked his head in her direction, but continued his spiel. “Just because there are three Chosen Ones doesn’t mean they’re all equal. The Seer is the most powerful of the Chosen Ones. Once the Seer emerges to fulfill the prophecy, it summons the Interpreter and the Messenger to fulfill their role in the century prophecy. But you’ll learn more about the Chosen Ones in your Firstborn Bloodline class.”
My eyes were about to bug out of their sockets. Why hadn’t my parents told me about the other two chosen ones?
Mr. Harlixton must’ve noticed my crazy-eyed expression, because he was staring right at me. “Let’s do a quick overview of the three secret societies before we dive deeper into the feud that tore them apart.
Oh goody. I squirmed in my seat, but I knew I needed to hear this.
Mr. Harlixton scrunched his eyebrows at me, then swung his gaze around the room. “The Nexis Society want to bring
