GENTRY

24

The faculty and staff's underground parking lot is only accessible by a keycard, and the keycard that The Divide provides the initiates with was left in the bush of a plant beside the library. They are lucky to recover it before a custodian does. A dusting of snow has coated the ground. In the lowlights of the street lanterns, everything seems brighter than usual. However, the grass they've come to know is gone. It seems that all the plants are dying.

The day goes on, with classes rushing by, the course material passing by them. No one can concentrate, from those on stage to those in classrooms. They don't have time to meet up until ten minutes before the arrival time, which is two in the morning.

They gather outside, exhausted.

"Should we go in yet?" Tom asks.

Jetta shakes her head, "they could be setting us up."

It wouldn't matter to Vieira if they were setting them up. Of course, it would ruin her life, and her father's reputation, but she feels she has little left to give up. So much has been taken.

Felix stares at his dirty fingernails. "They have no proof."

"It'll be fine," Kai feels more like the captain than when he is on the pitch. They need his guidance, desperately, to help them navigate these icy waters.

Roman looks nearly grey. They are cleaner from their shower but still dreary. Still ill with a mental affliction that has burrowed in their brain. They want to hibernate more than they want to die. This semester could not end faster.

Ellie's Adderall has worn off. She feels less than perfect right now, and she should be using this time to sleep so she can study early in the morning. She needs to be the best, but just below her feet might be something that will stop her from all of that.

"It's cold outside," Briar shakes, rubbing her hands at her coat. "Let's just go in."

Luis wraps an arm around her from beside her. He was the last to arrive, and finally, things seem to be returning to normal. He isn't punctual again. He doesn't have the urge to blurt out that none of them are as cold as Poppy, though the joke does cross his mind.

"You're lucky I sprinted to the library," Ez says, flashing the keycard.

"But, do you think they'll be mad?" Evelyn asks, her eyelashes batting away the falling snowflakes.

Ez doesn't bother answering. Instead, he taps the keycard against the pad, and the door clicks as it unlocks. He holds the door open for the others as they enter.

They go down the set of stairs. It is so narrow that they have to move one-by-one. The earth gets colder underground. Though it may protect the faculty and staff members' cars, the underground lot does not keep them warm. Even through the other side of the door leading into the lot, they can feel the chill now.

The lot only has one level, so they collect themselves at the bottom of the stairs.

"It's probably just another dinner," Tom tells the others. "Nothing to worry about."

Nobody agrees, not even Tom.

Kai opens the door. They can hear the buzz of the fluorescents above their heads. It's lit well, almost a blinding amount of light. In a clump, they look to their left and then to their light.

A man stands in front of them. They assume he is a student, based on his age. He's wearing a page boy cap, which hides his hair and casts a shadow over his white face. He is shorter than one might expect an intimidating member of The Divide to be. He's dressed like a member though, with a Burberry scarf and a black coat, and grey slacks beneath. Despite his numerous layers, he doesn't seem prepared for the cold. Even from afar, the initiates can see his breath in the air. His foot taps on the ground, in his leather shoes.