“Do what?” I ask, not at all sure that I want to know.
Astor drapes his arm over my shoulder and leans a little closer to me. He smells incredible, and I still want to punch him. Speaking in a low voice into my ear, he points his finger, as the rest of his hand is still wrapped around the wine bottle, at the lighthouse.
“You’re going to break in.”
Shock registers through me like an earthquake. “What?” I ask in total disbelief.
“And then,” he continues, “once you’re inside, you’re going to find an argand lamp, and you’re going to bring it back out with you.”
I have no idea what an argand lamp is, but I don’t want to say that in front of the group. They probably all know, and the last thing I want to do is look like an idiot. I know I’m already an idiot for even being there in the first place. I remind myself to pretend to be Sadie. What would Sadie say?
“You want me to break into a lighthouse and steal a lamp? That’s your idea of a fun night?” I give him a dour look and cross my arms over my chest as if he’s trying my patience yet again, and he’s just told me the most childish thing ever.
I’m praying that my tactic works, and he backs off.
No such luck. Astor only chuckles and removes his arm from me.
“If you want in then, yeah. That’s your ticket. It sounds like a fun night to me. Just don’t get caught.”
Victoria tugs on my arm. “Oh come on, it’s either comply or commit social suicide darling. And you don’t want to know where that’ll take you.”
Alisha breaks her lips away from her boy toy and takes a second to re-apply some sticky purple lip gloss. “Just don’t go looking for any good jobs out of college,” she says with a laugh that can only be described as a cackle, “Because we aren’t the forgiving type. And if you’ve heard rumors about a blacklist … they’re true.”
“Blacklist?” I look from Alisha to Victoria, and then finally over at Astor.
There’s a dark spark in his eye. “I don’t think I have to explain to you what that means, do I?”
Of course I know what a blacklist is. I re-evaluate the people standing around me. These are the heirs to some of the biggest fortunes, biggest companies, in this country if not the world. Now that they know my name I have so much to gain, so many opportunities … and also, as they’ve so kindly pointed out, so much to lose.
Reality is crashing over me just like the waves on the rocks under our feet.
Even if this supposed ‘blacklist’ isn’t real … who’s to say the couldn’t ruin any chances at a career in the future. And college. There’s no telling how far the sway of these families may reach.
Maybe these losers think I need to prove myself to them or something, but no matter how stupid it may be, there’s no way around it. I try to justify it to myself somehow because I know it’s the way it’s going to be. I’m already here, on the beach. I’ve already followed them up to the lighthouse after all.
It’s only a lamp. How hard could it be to go in and find a lamp and take it out? It’ll be so fast. I can do it. I just wonder what the hell any of us are going to do with a lamp.
Well, I’m not about to do this sober. I snatch the wine bottle from Astor and take a pull of my own.
“Fine.” I say, wiping my face with the back of my hand. Everyone around me cheers except Astor and Wills, who just laugh darkly.
Astor slips off his coat and tosses it at me. “Put this on. I can hear your teeth chattering from here.”
Reluctantly, I slide into his coat. It’s so warm, and it smells like him. This must be what it’s like to feel a hug from him. I push it away the moment the thought crosses my mind. But it’s too late. The effect is already there. My body warms from the inside, and it isn’t entirely because of the wine.
There Astor goes again, some odd mixture of torment and kindness that I don’t understand. If he’s trying to confuse me, then he’s doing a good job.
“I just hope the lighthouse keeper isn’t home,” I mumble and start toward the lighthouse just as Wills and Astor roar with laughter. I know there’s something they’re not telling me, and the fact that Blair didn’t laugh too makes me a little worried. I guess I’m just going to have to find out for myself.
I crawl over rocks and dunes until I finally come to the door. I know there isn’t much hope of it being unlocked, but I have to try it just in case. No luck, of course.
The group is watching on from down the beach. I can just make them out faintly in the moonlight. There’s window near the door, but it’s locked too. There’s only going to be one way to do it.
It isn’t the first time I’ve broken a window, but it somehow seems worse this time. I’m supposed to be leaving my old life behind, not starting it all back up again. I hate this. The sound of shattering glass cuts at my soul.
This is not what I wanted my life to be like at this school.
Victoria’s words resonate in my head as my heart pounds like a sledgehammer against the inner wall of my chest. I have to do this. I reach into the broken window and unlock it, and then slide the window open enough that I can climb in.