“It’s a tighter squeeze than you’re used to,” he said, giving me a gentle push towards it. “Or maybe not. You’re still a virgin, after all.”
“I’m not a virgin,” I snapped.
“Of course you are. The girl I fingered under a blanket had obviously never had an orgasm. If you aren’t a virgin, then you need to kick the guy’s ass because he clearly didn’t do his job properly.”
“I am so not having this conversation with younow.” I glared at Quinn as I slipped into the passage, grateful the darkness would hide the flare of heat in my cheeks.
Quinn was right. It was a tight squeeze in the passage. I shimmied through the narrow space. One one side, rough stone scraped my arms. On the other, my fingers drummed against the drywall.
I crawled on my hands and knees, listening to snatches of conversation on the other side of the wall. Teachers talked in hushed tones. Coffee cups clattered together. We must have been somewhere in the faculty wing.
Quinn’s arm crossed my shoulder, pointing to a t-junction in the tunnel up ahead. “Take the right turn.”
I did. As I crawled along between the walls, Ms. West’s voice echoed through the wood paneling. I stopped short. Quinn’s head knocked against my ass.
“Ow.” Quinn rubbed his head. “Give me a signal before you put the brakes on.”
“Shhh,” I hissed. I knelt on my knees and pressed my head against the wall.
“—you don’t have control of this school, Headmistress.” Vincent Bloomberg was saying.
“We’re perfectly in control,” West responded. I imagined her behind her oak desk, that satisfied smile playing across her lips.
“Then why is my board of directors demanding I hire awomanas my CFO? Why did Damon lose a council seat to a black man? Why is Gloria being eviscerated in the media for her use of rare animal fur?” Vincent’s voice rose.
“Why do I have lines around my eyes?” Damon added.
“We’re all seeing some signs of age. The creature’s power is waning.” Vincent again. “Four students a year is not enough.”
“Mr. Bloomberg, Mr. Delacorte, Mrs. Haynes, with all due respect, we cannot afford to be imprudent. Our system has been carefully considered. What you’re asking is impossible. Even finding four orphans who meet the criteria is becoming more difficult. Everyone is so connected these days – there’s a social media trail to navigate. The students won’t come with us until they’ve seen evidence. At some point, not even you will be able to keep what happens here a secret.”
“Which is why we need to move on our grand design as soon as possible,” Damon said. His voice had the same gentle cadence as Quinn’s – easygoing and suave, but frightening because I knew it hid a monster. “We’ve been waiting twenty years, maneuvering the Eldritch Club into positions of influence. Surely by now our god has the power he needs to break free of his cage.”
“We cannot be hasty with these things—”
“I’ve had enough of this,” Damon sneered. “You’ve been pushing back on this for years, Hermia. According to you, we’re never ready. I want to know why. I want atimeline.”
“You don’t commune with the god every day, as I do,” Ms. West’s tone was sugary and patient, as though she were speaking to a child. “I tell you, he is not ready—”
“It’s that girl, Hazel Waite,” Quinn’s father snapped. “You said you’d removed her threat with youragreement, but it appears our stalwart Ms. West is under the little whore’s spell.”
“As I’vealreadyexplained, the agreement stops Hazel from hurting herself, and by extension, our god. But I have not as yet determined what it is about her that causes the adverse reaction in our deity. She underwent the same processing as our other sacrifices, and yet the more her mind slipped toward oblivion, the more our god shrunk from her. She now knows this, which is unfortunate. She’s wily and unstable. It’s imprudent to make a move until we understand more.”
“Have you really been trying?” Damon declared. “You’ve allowed her influence in the school. And we wonder why our power is waning – a crack whore criminal dares to wearourmark.”
“I did not know this,” Ms. West’s voice was small. “Who told you that?”
“We have eyes and ears at this school, Hermia. What we’ve seen lately concerns us. The very fact that you bargained with this girl instead of destroying her shows just how weak your leadership has become.” Vincent’s curt tone gave me shivers. “I never should have agreed to a woman in a man’s role.”
“No man would have the stomach for what I do,” Ms. West said. For the first time during the conversation, her voice rose in volume.
“Thendo your job. Find out what makes Hazel Waite different and get her out of our way. Damon and I saw her at the Halloween party, acting as though she was the Queen of this school. She’s already found a way to cheat our god of two of his sacrifices. She needs to be put back in her place.”
“I can’t touch her when your son has taken a shine to her.” There was a hint of triumph in Ms. West’s voice.
“My son?” Vincent seemed genuinely surprised. “That makes no sense. He let her take the initiation and made that ridiculous show at the dance, but that was just for my benefit. Trey may act out but he wouldneverdemean himself by fraternizing with the likes of her.”
“I can only confirm what I’ve witnessed,” Ms. West said. “Your son has been doing a fair share of fraternizing. He sits with Hazel in class. She holds court at their table in the dining hall and attended Eldritch Club parties. She was even seen by one of the other students leaving your son’s room late at night.”
