rnal wa

ghtly for hours, sweat soaking through the cracked leather co

oor, hugging her knees, eyes

"Taped to the inside of the soundboard. Kellan sa

ou tell me so

didn't want

sually silent. Even she knew this was a m

open the

ackwell's crest, the moon cycle, names I didn't rec

g this, it means I

roat

g. The Society isn't just about legacy. It's about

rif

he next page,

nows more than he says. But I think he's trying to prot

de

breath leav

the school-literally. I followed Theo once. He doesn't know I saw. There's a door

archives,"

tly appeared behind

owed me?"

re," I shot back

hair. "There's a hatch. Old maintenance sy

're going

ing paper. The air was thick, humid, li

f long-dead alumni. In the farthest corner, behind a shelf of

strange emblem carved into it-a

t's the mark of

t?" Eloi

ociety. Most members ne

the rusted handle. A blast of co

I've seen The Descent. I'm not dy

nt f

arely wide enough to walk. My flashlight flicker

ead end after

wasn't

as a

ame mark etched

shaped like

shape before,"

he

ged key on a thin chain. "Kellan gave th

it into the keyh

r groan

beyond wa

t old.

lined with strange murals-figures in masks, bloo

of the room wa

shac

fr

they brought Mo

ehind us. "This is w

un ar

de

nel's mouth, eyes d

ou doing he

llowe

hy

knew you'

you tell me

trying to prote

m wh

lowly, as if his leg

t on education. It was built on control. Generatio

nd over the

didn't trust the outside world. They wanted pe

a ste

re sa

en. Because she broke the chain. She loved some

hundered i

ho's Ce

looked

ot your

mach d

rced to carry Marcus's child after her

t I migh

oor, whispering, "

ed to me,

y want y

go back to

ater wing. She had an old futon, emergency cookies,

floor, Theo staring

beside

w," I wh

new

u l

ithh

e th

at me, eye

ep you from bec

ready

You ask questions. You care. You burn

I wanted to

re sitting. How his e

rd before I co

ne like a secret

. Des

s kiss, I

arn

g to lose hi

new he was about

rning, Aude

xt. N

of the couch, and the silver ring he

security cams on

th

anished int

ept

scre

tur

le, her hand shaking as she poin

scrawled a m

n't save you. Y