Touch of Hellfire (Original Version)

☕️69☕️

"Yes, she did," I told him. "I remember you," he told me. "Did Logan tell you this was overnight?"

"No," I sighed. "It doesn't screw up anything..does it?" he asked me. "Luckily for you, no," I sighed.

"My God it's early," Finn complained. "What are you, a vampire?" I snarked.

"Can we take this off?" Rory complained. "Nope," one of the voices told her. I had to put faces to the voice but it wasn't easy.

"Heather, sorry I pulled you into this," Rory mumbled. "Eh, I needed a bit of spontaneity in my life," I said.

***

We finally pulled in and me and Rory were led into the woods..I could tell due to the leaves crunching underneath my feet and the smell of wood.

"Can I take this damn thing off yet?" I sighed. Someone took the blindfold off for me and I saw a big camp, full of tents and tables and stuff.

"Holy.." I muttered. I bit my lip and I looked down. "I don't get it..why are you showing me too? I don't go to Yale."

"Well, Yale and Columbia have their alliance so your sister gets the scoop for both universities, oh I'm Colin by the way, sorry about the kidnapping," he shook my hand. "It's fine," I reassured him. "Rory will interview an unknown student from Columbia..which is you," Colin said to me.

"Right, so I'm eyewitness," I sussed out. "It'll be worth it, trust me," Finn piped up.

"You're accommodation my lady," Finn bowed to me. "Okay," I muttered and I went inside.

I sat on the bed, still confused as to why I was here. Rory ran into my tent. "I still don't know why they brought me, I mean I just emailed you some stuff," I muttered. "Well you emailed the thing I confronted Logan with," she admitted. "He roped me in and said in order for me to go ahead with the article, I had to agree for both of us. He told me that it was basically dead in Columbia."

"Really?" I muttered. "So we need some Columbia-ness," she thumped me on the shoulder. "So you want some quotes from me?" I clarified. "Well yes because you're the only Columbia girl here as they abandoned it in the eighties," Rory told me.

I sighed. "Okay, just keep my name out of it."

"Got it, once this happened I wasn't going to," she promised me. A blond guy came into the tent. "So, we finally meet in person," he said to me. "Logan Huntzberger."

"Heather Gilmore," I shook his outstretched hand. "Well Thea, Ace, let's get to the conditions," he said. "No pictures."

I pouted and handed over my camera. "Killjoy."

"You'll get it back Thea," he reassured me. "No names, no physical descriptions. Columbia only dropped out because my father hated the bastards, no offence Thea."

"None taken," I nodded. "But, Thea is the only Columbia person here, Columbia will be thrilled to know of this."

"Really?" I wondered. "Yeah, definitely, we have no animosity towards Columbia..I assure you," he said to me. "This will make everything better."

"Alright," I muttered. "But if I get in trouble in New York, it's your head."

"Fair enough," he agreed.

***

I found a box underneath my bed the next morning and I found a purple dress.

"I guess I'm supposed to put this on then," I shrugged and I got changed. I had a purple scarf too and Colin and Finn were outside waiting for me.

They led me to the field where everyone from the Life and Death Brigade was gathered. Finn handed me a glass of champagne.

"In omnia paratus!" we all cheered. Finn turned me around and tippled his glass into my mouth while I did the same to him. A big gong went off and everybody scattered.

I looked to see Rory looking confused. "Hey," she smiled, walking over. "This is.."

"Insane?" she asked me. "Yeah, didn't know about the whole Columbia thing."

"Logan told me they've been trying to get Columbia back after the rift that was driven within the Life and Death Brigade," she explained. "So..I guess he saw me as an opportunity," I muttered. "You don't mind do you?" Rory asked me.

"I don't," I reassured her. "I'm having a nice time."

I walked over to Logan who was shooting at someone with a paintball gun. "So, you did your research for your sister then?" he wondered.

"At first yes, but I found it interesting," I told him. He handed me the paintball gun. "Aim for the chest," he advised me. The guy jumped off the trampoline, waiting to be shot.

"Pull!" I yelled and I pulled the trigger and he got splattered with purple paint.

"Thanks for doing this Thea," he said. "You're doing us a big favour."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," I told him, handing him the gun back. "Just a little shocked that no one else tried."

"Same here," he said.

"Heather," Finn came up to me. "Come with me please."

Logan frowned. "He said please, something's wrong."

I followed Finn to this big bit of scaffolding. "I need someone up there with me."

"To..you're gonna jump off that?!" I gaped. "We're gonna jump off that," he told me. "Have you lost your mind?!" I gasped.

"Most likely," he started walking in that direction. "Fine," I mumbled and I followed him up the scaffolding. "It's totally safe, it's Columbia re-initiation," Finn reassured me.

I climbed up the ladder fairly quickly and my harness was strapped onto my waist..at least it went with the dress.

I was handed an open umbrella and Finn grabbed my hand. "Ready?"

"Yippee ki yay," was the only thing to come out of my mouth. He grabbed my hand and we both jumped off the ledge and we were falling.

Once my feet touched the ground I let out a big sigh of relief. "That was awesome!" I cheered.

***

I heard a knock on the window and I looked out to see my backpack. I went onto the balcony and opened my backpack to see a bottle of champagne, a gorilla mask and my camera.

I looked to see pictures of me and Finn jumping with Logan and Rory.

I also saw a note stuck to the bottle.

Welcome to the Life and Death Brigade Thea.