(The Next Day)
I couldn't sleep last night; the image of Weston's body haunted me. I sat on my bed, unable to get the picture out of my head. A knock interrupted my thoughts; I jumped at the sudden noise. I hopped off the bed, fixing my messy hair. I yawned while I walked over to the door. "Ms. Stone," the man said, "Can I speak with you?" I nodded and let the FBI Agent in. My mother followed pursuit.
"Are you okay?" My mother asked. I nodded, and the FBI Agent had me sit down. "What happened?" the man asked. I gulped, grasping my hands. "I was walking down the same path Weston was to see how he was doing," I said.
"Jack tells us that you were the one that broke up that fight," my mother said. I nodded, and the two adults let me continue. "And once I got there, I saw his body," I replied, "I-I didn't know what to do, so my first instinct was to call the police."
"And you don't know who killed Weston?"
"No, I didn't see who did it," I said. I thought about the picture I had taken, but they wouldn't believe me if I told them this murderer had killed Weston by smothering him in clay. "In the meantime," The man sighed, "Take this; if anything happens again, call that number." I nodded and took the small white card. "Thank you, Agent Burns," My mother said. The man bowed his head and walked out of my dorm room.
"Honey," she sighed, "Are you sure you didn't see anything suspicious?" I shrugged and fiddled with the drawstring on my sweatpants. "I-I don't know what you mean by 'Suspicious,'" I said. She nodded her head and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Just like the Agent said, if you see anything tell him or me."
I nodded and watched her walk out of the room.
~~~~
(Later That Day)
Jack sat beside me in Ethics while I took some notes. "I'm sure many of you have heard about yesterday's incident with Weston," Professor Clark said, "How do you all feel?" He looked at my classmates; some bowed their heads while others looked up at the question. "It should've been me," a girl said, "I-I just miss Wilton so much; he shouldn't have died."
"Gabrielle, his name was Weston, not Wilton," Professor Clark corrected her. Multiple laughs scattered across the class. "Notebook," our teacher said. Jack lifted his head. "What about you? How do you feel?"
"Guilty," Jack said, "but a little relieved."
"That's selfish," The girl from before said. "Yes, but that's human. I was on that trail yesterday, and I'm glad it wasn't me," Professor Clark said. Gabrielle scoffed and crossed her arms. "What about you?" Clark looked at me, "I saw you in the video; why did you help?" I looked up from my paper and tapped my pencil on the paper. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I'd hate to be that person to not stop something from getting worse," I said.
"Good answer Ms. Stone."
I smiled politely; I could feel Gabrielle's eyes on me. Professor Clark dismissed the class. I looked down at my schedule. "Room 205," I mumbled. I soon found the room. I walked into my English class and sat at the front of the room. I grabbed my book from my backpack and read where I had left off. I flipped the page, but before I could continue my teacher cleared his throat. Mr. Anderson stood at the board, eyebrows raised. "Sorry," I apologized, "It's just a good chapter." He sighed, and I slipped the hard copy back into my bag. My teacher turned back to the board. "I agree with you," someone said, "It's a pretty good chapter." I turned around and saw Randall. "Hey," I said quietly.
"Ms. Stone and Mr. Carpio, care to explain to the class what you may be talking about?"
"She was just asking me for a pencil," Randall said, "here you go." I mouthed 'Thank you and took the orange pencil from him. Our English professor rolled his eyes and went back to teaching the use of speech. Mr. Anderson dismissed us from his class. "Don't forget the project is due next Friday," Our professor said.
"Oh," I said, "here's your pencil back."
"It's okay; you keep it. Plus, you might need it," Randall replied with a wink. "I'll see you later," I said. Randall gave me a thumbs up, walking backward.
~~~~
(Later That Day)
I opened the door to my dorm, took my jacket and shoes off, and put them next to my desk. I dropped the keys inside the bowl. I turned around and was met with my mother sitting on the small couch. "Oh my god," I put a hand on my chest, calming myself down. "How the hell did you get in here?" I continued.
"That's what I need to show you," she replied, rising from the black couch. "Put your shoes and jacket back on," she added and adjusted her blazer. "I have Biology in less than an hour," I said, "You know, people who are in Pre-med shouldn't be skipping classes."
"I'll just send an email to your professor."
I watched her stroll over to the door. "Come on, we don't have all day," she waved me over. I frantically put my shoes and jacket back on. I grabbed my purse and shoved my room key and phone inside the grey pocketbook. My mother put a reassuring hand on my lower back, leading me out of the room. I quickly locked the door and followed my mother's lead. We turned a corner, I saw Randall standing next to the water fountain. I gave him a small smile before my mother grabbed my arm. I saw my friend glance at my mother with a hint of curiosity.
My mother's heels hit the sidewalk as we walked to an abandoned building. A large metal gate surrounded the building's exterior. A small blue and yellow sign read: No trespassing. "Um," I pointed to the sign, "I don't think we're allowed here." My mother sighed, rolling her eyes.
"It's fine, now come."
My mother slipped through the torn entrance of the gate. I looked around, hesitant to follow my mother's lead. "Y/N!" my mother called with raised eyebrows. I moved the gate and slipped through the hole. The door creaked as we walked inside. An aroma of mildew and dust filled the air. Mother walked through the halls as if she had been in this building multiple times. "This way," she said, stepping onto a small flight of stairs.
We were met with another stone wall. A chair sat next to it with a white cloth draped around it. I went to take the cloth off, but my mother touched my shoulder. "Don't touch anything," she warned.
"Not even myself?" I said, joking. She glared at me, not taking the joke. "Okay, jeez," I said as I put my hands up in surrender. Mother sighed in frustration, shaking her head. She reached forward and pressed her palm to one of the stones. The wall opened up to reveal a concrete-lit hallway. "Whoa," I said in awe. She walked forward and turned towards me. As I stood beside her, the secret door shut behind me, making a loud noise. We walked down the hallway. My mother's red heels made a clicking sound that echoed throughout the pathway.
"Welcome to the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose," my mother said, waving her arms in a welcoming manner. I stood at the top of the stairs as my mother stood at the bar. "It-It's an actual thing?" I looked at my mother, shocked, "Is Michelle Obama an actual member?"
"Where did you hear that?" she asked, slightly chuckling from my absurd inference.
"Nowhere, I was just guessing."
"There's more to see," she stood up from the stool and gestured me to the large door. With a wave of her hand, the door flew open. My eyes widened at the sudden movement of the door. I was introduced to another room. This time a table sat in the middle of the room. Large pillars stood at either side of the room while small carvings aligned the walls. I ran over the drawings on the table, amazed at the little details. "It's wonderful, isn't it?" My mother said, standing behind me.
"It's more than wonderful," I said, "Mom, this is awesome." She smiled at me and walked through another pair of double doors. A desk was set in front of a painting of women. A bookshelf sat up against a wall. My mother sat in the leather chair and waved me inside. I ran over to the bookshelf, running my hand over the books. The fabric cover felt ruff, and the golden written titles felt smooth.
"Don't touch those," She said, resting her arm on the chair. I retracted my hand from the leather-covered books and sat in the chair across from her. "What did you want to show me?"
"Seriously," she said, "This! This is what I wanted to show you, Y/N."
"You showed me a secret building with books and....." I trailed, thinking back to what she did with the door. I jumped up from the chair and waved my arms around. "Oh my god! You can do magic!" I added. She sighed and rested her head on her hand.
"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you," she said, "You get too excited about this stuff."
"Do you expect me not to be excited that my Mother can do magic?"
She raised her eyebrows and motioned me to sit down. "Sorry," I apologized. "I need to ask you a question," she said. I nodded and leaned back in the chair. "Now," My Mother sighed, "We are inducting seven students into this society. Since you are my daughter and I am in charge of you. I have decided for you to shadow me and see how The Order goes about things." I smiled in excitement. My thoughts immediately went to what Jack, Randall, and I had discussed at The Blade and Chalice. "Bad people, bro. Hitler, George W. Bush, and some other weird ass people," Randall's voice echoed throughout my head.
What if he was right? Could this society be a group of evil people? Or am I just overreacting? "Y/N/N," my mother waved her hand, "You didn't answer my question."
"Oh, sorry. What was it?"
"Would you like to shadow me?"
"Uh....."
Our conversation was interrupted by someone barging into the room. I looked behind me and saw Alyssa Drake. She wore a black cloak and held a white mask in one hand. "Ms. Drake, care to explain why you barged into my office?" My mother said, standing up from her desk. "I-I'm sorry, Grand Magus, I didn't know you had company."
Grand Magus? "I guess I should've told you all that I was bringing someone," Mother said. I looked back and forth at the two, trying to wrap my head over everything that had happened in 30 minutes. "Ms. Drake, this is my daughter Y/N," my mother motioned me to stand. "We've already met," Blondie said.
"And that is....."
"She did a tour of the campus," I said, leaving out the part about Jack Morton. My mother nodded her head, "Good to know."
"Ms. Drake, will you please escort my daughter out of the temple," my mother said, sitting back down. "What about my professor?" I asked.
"Already taken care of."
Alyssa grabbed my arm and ushered me out of the building. I looked behind me and saw my mother wave her hand, and the double doors slammed shut.
~~~~
(Later That Night)
The lamp's glow lit up my room; I could see the moonlight shining into the dorm. My English book and notes laid on my bed. I slammed the book shut, happy to have finally finished my studies. I checked the time on my clock; it read: 8:30. I grabbed my purse, room key, and phone as I finally decided to take a break. The cold air hit me as I stepped out of the dormitory. Some students walked around with friends or by themselves. The wind whipped the trees, causing leaves to fly everywhere.
I walked passed The Blade and Chalice; I heard some students laugh with their friends. As I was walking, I heard a rustling coming from the bushes. "Hello?" I called, looking through the forest. The moonlight shined on the dirt ground, giving me a little sliver of light. "Can't believe I'm about to do this," I muttered. My feet stepped on dead leaves and tree branches, making a crunching sound.
"Hello?" I repeated, "Anyone out-" My sentence was cut short by someone or something crashing into me. "Y/N," they said. I looked up and noticed Jack Morton hovering over me. My cheeks grew red from embarrassment. I pushed him off and rose to my feet. We heard a growling noise coming from the left of us. "Run," he said, quickly getting up from the dirt floor.
"No shit Sherlock!"
I looked behind me and saw a giant animal chasing after us. I fumbled for my phone and quickly took a photo of the creature. We ran faster in the woods while dodging multiple tree branches. We stopped at a clearing in the forest, breathing heavily. I looked down at the photo and saw the animal's silver eyes and a flash of fur. "You saw that too, right?" he asked, gulping. I nodded vigorously. "My day just keeps getting weirder and weirder," I mumbled. "What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"I don't know if I'm necessarily allowed to tell you that," I responded. Jack looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. "Ahem," we heard someone clear their throat. I looked ahead and saw two figures wearing black cloaks—the Order.