DAMON
I checkmy watch for what feels like the millionth time since I got to The Crypt, but to my dismay, less than three minutes have passed since the last time I looked.
The Crypt is an old, abandoned house on the outskirts of campus that’s surrounded by woods on two sides and a field on the others. No one really knows why it’s here or what its original purpose was, but now it’s used as a party house, or for things like frat initiations where pledges have to spend the night in the house while senior members scare the piss out of them.
There’s no schedule for using it, and it’s in No Man’s Land, which just means that it’s not controlled by any of the four frats like every other building on campus is.
At Silvercrest, the campus is divided into four quadrants, with one of the frats in each section. That’s why the frats are sometimes called The Four Corners, and the frats basically have free rein to do whatever they want within their areas of control.
If I didn’t go here, I probably wouldn’t believe someone if they tried to explain the system to me because it’s just so outlandish. Especially how no one seems to bat an eye at thestartlingly high number of crimes that happen here, or how most of those crimes seem to go unpunished.
It’s crazy and absurd, but so is pretty much everything else when you live in our world.
Out of habit, I check my watch again. Five more minutes, then I can finally get the fuck out of here.
Leaning back against the wall I’ve been standing in front of for the last hour and a half, I scan the room to make sure no one is being a dumbass or causing problems.
The only thing worse than being forced to go to a party I don’t want to attend is having to do a security shift at said party. But at least I pulled the first shift, so people are still acting like normal humans and haven’t devolved into drunken messes that need to be babysat. And it means I can leave as soon as I’m done with my shift without anyone asking questions.
“Hey,” Connor, one of my frat brothers, says as he comes to stand with me.
“Hey.” I raise my voice so he can hear me over the music. “Are you my replacement?”
“Yup.” He leans against the wall next to me. “You look like you’re plotting everyone’s demise.” He bumps his arm against mine. “Or that could just be your face.”
“Two things can be true,” I say, shooting him a little smirk.
Connor might be a founding legacy like me, but he’s on an entirely different level from us mere mortals. Connor, his twin brother, and their two best friends are all the first sons of the most powerful and influential founding families of the frat, and they’re as close as brothers. They grew up together, and everyone knows that if you fuck with one of them, you’re fucking with all of them. And unlike most people in the Keepers, who prefer more subtle forms of power and revenge like subterfuge and sabotage, they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty and take what they want.
One would think they’d be arrogant asshats, considering how much power and impunity they have, but they’re actually pretty chill if you don’t get on their bad sides.
Unlike a lot of our frat brothers, they don’t have issues with my loner ways or my tendency to do the bare minimum of what’s expected of me. And they seem to appreciate my “fuck it” attitude and nihilistic outlook, so I don’t foresee them having any issues with any of the other brothers when they take over leadership next year.
We haven’t had elections yet, and there are still a few weeks before people can even submit their names, but they’ve proven themselves over the past two and a half years, and only a moron with a death wish would try to run against them.
He chuckles and looks around the dim room, his gaze sharp and calculating.
“How’d you get stuck doing security?” I ask.
“Let’s just say there was an incident at Belmont House that I may or may not have been involved in.”
“Did you and your better half get caught doing something—or someone—you shouldn’t?” I shoot him a knowing smirk.
“I can neither confirm nor deny that allegation.” His words are neutral, but his grin says that’s exactly what happened.
“Is Hazen on security watch too?” I look around to see if I can spot his twin and partner in crime in the crowd.
“Nah, I took the heat for this one.” He glances at his watch. “Want to do the turnover now? It’s pretty much time to switch anyway.”
“Sure.” I motion to the room around us. “Absolutely nothing of interest has happened, and there’s nothing to report.”
He huffs out a soft laugh. “Sounds about right. You going to stick around, or bounce?”
“Bounce,” I say quickly. “Are you good, or do you want me to stay until my shift is officially over?”
“I’m good. Enjoy the rest of your night.” He holds out his fist for me to bump.
I tap my knuckles against his. “You too.”
