𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫

☾ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 10 ☼

|10|
The Invitation

I TURN around and the boy with the violent green eyes looks over at me with a deadly stare. Why am I always place in these awkward situations?

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" He practically yelled at me, the corner of his mouth silently quivered.

I look like a stalker.

"I'm sorry-"

"No, you're not," He starts to walk across the room toward me. "You have been trying to input yourself into a space that you do not belong to."

You're infuriating.

"It's not like that," I shout, he's really starting to aggravate me. "I found this room on accident."

He's two steps away from me, "You may have everyone fooled, but stay the fuck away from me and my friends."

"No."

"No?"

I walked over to him, closing the little space we had from each other.

"You don't get to tell me what to do. I don't know what you have over everyone, Mr. Livingston, but you'll soon realize that I don't like taking orders."

"Oh really?" He whisper, his head tilt slightly.

I was reminded of our difference in height when I aligned my head a few centimeters up.

"Yeah." I lean slowly to his face, "What are you going to do about it?"

Take the bait.

He follows suit, bringing his face to mine. "I won't tell you again, Ms. Brown."

"Get. Out."

He took it.

Internally laughing, I harshly bump into his shoulders before exiting the hidden room.

The universe has an odd way of valuing its hands in situations that you never knew you needed help in. I wanted to maybe find a couple secretly making out, or a small space to make mine; but, I found a room behind a fucking locker. What else at Argon Prep has up its sleeve?

I knew he wasn't going to kiss me, hell, I could have successfully betted on it. But, that doesn't mean he's not thinking of it right now. Boys like Tate seem complicated to the eye, or usually unavailable, but I see right through him. You just need to take space little by little until they crack—preferably, explode.

I give him until the end of October. And, you'll soon realize I never tell a wrong answer.

Striding to my dorm room, I am quite please with the progress I've made so far. I thought it'll take me months before planning interactions with the group, but thanks to Zoya, she left that door ajar.

Speaking of Zoya, she's not back from the party yet because her room door is still open.

I know what you all are thinking: "Check the room." However, Zoya is not naive enough to not have any cameras in her private space, especially with a new roommate around. I wouldn't be surprised if she had cameras and mics all over this apartment, watching my every move.

I would've done the same.

That's why I'm waiting on the perfect moment to search; when the storm comes after the swindling calmness.

I left my room door open because if Zoya ever wanted to snoop, she won't find anything.

Looking around the room, everything seemed to be exactly how I left it but something was slightly off. I looked at my room once more slowly until I saw it: a letter on the very edge of my bed.

Spooky.

A white envelope with my name cursively written in the center, and an invisible gush of wind flutter my lower back. I picked up the envelope and flip it over to open it in one-go.

There lie in the small packaging was a formal invitation to pledge for this club.

(the letter below)

Not necessarily a club, but a secret society.

I remembered Asher telling me rumors of a secret society that was founded decades ago but thought of it as a myth.

Well, he was wrong.

The letter doesn't necessarily scare me, it just gives creepy i-am-under-your-bed vibes. "We all are glad that you have arrived to Argon Prep." Who the hell is we and have they been watching me since I've arrived?

I'm trying to gather any miniature details to what this 'society' could entail, but the sole clue is the closed name: Iuventae Felicitatem. The Latin word, Iuventae, is a plural diction of youth. The second Latin word, Felicitatem, is a plural diction of fertility, but usually regarded as success or happiness.

I'm going to make an educated guess of it being the phrase, 'The happiness of youth,' which is a half-ass clue to what I am getting myself involved in. The one thing I for-damn-sure know is that I will be attending that ball on Friday.

This is where things take a shift.

If I had the power to tell myself to throw away that damned letter, I would. That's what I like to tell myself in order to avoid all the sins I exposed and created.

You can either be killed or kill. And, that's up to you on whether you hear our story—me and his.

You ready?

Because, I wasn't.