“She’s not exactly the brightest bulb. Stuff like that is believable to her.”
“It’s probably because of the tattoos,” Adam said.
I lifted a brow. “They have tattoos?”
“They’re just henna, I think,” Trina said. “There’s no way the school would allow students to get real tattoos. But yeah, the girls in that club all have little lizards on their necks.”
“Snakes,” Adam said, nudging her. “Not lizards.”
“Oh, that’s right. Snakes.”
“I’m guessing the design is based on the name,” I said. “Seeing as Medusa was a snake-haired monster.”
“Probably. Oh, and there is one other thing people say about them,” Trina said, rubbing her chin.
“What?”
“Well, the society has been around since RFA opened up,” she began. She paused and looked at me. “Do you remember how we told you about that girl who was found dead in one of the abandoned buildings?”
“Allegedly found dead,” Adam said.
“Right. Allegedly found dead,” Trina said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. “Anyway, according to some of the rumors, she was a member of the Medusa Society, and a few people have tried to link that to the current members. Like, they’ll say that they’re all distant relatives of that girl, and they’ve come to RFA to exact revenge upon the person who killed her, even though she died thirty years ago.”
“If she even died at all,” Adam cut in, rolling his eyes. “It’s all bullshit, obviously.”
I peeled the envelope open and fished out the contents. My friends were right—it was a gold-embossed invitation to join the Medusa Society members for lunch in their clubroom. I held it up to show them. “Do you think I should go?”
“Yes,” Adam said, nodding fervently. “We want all the goss on what they do, obviously. Also, it might actually be a support club for lower-income students, like you said before, so it could be really helpful.”
“Hm. I guess so.”
The bell rang again, and we all snapped to attention. “Shit, I have to get to homeroom,” Adam said, giving me a quick hug. “Let me know how the lunch thing goes!”
The morning dragged by. I couldn’t concentrate in any of my classes, because I was too busy wondering about the Medusa Society and why they invited me to have lunch with them.
I knew my friends were probably right about the club wanting to support me as a fellow scholarship student… but they didn’t know what I saw on Harker Island last Friday.
They didn’t see the wild dancing and weird coiled-serpent rods everywhere. They didn’t see the robed men, stone altar and golden chalices, either. Or the flagrant throne sex.
Maybe Jessica Fitzgerald did see all of that at some point, and that was why she started the Satanism rumor. Too bad I could never ask her, though. She’d sooner rub her face in a pile of horse manure than have a civil conversation with me.
The bell finally rang for lunch, and Trina nudged me as we trudged out into the hall. “The Medusa Society room is on the first floor, a few doors up from the astronomy clubroom.”
“Thanks.”
“Good luck!” She air-kissed me before walking off toward the cafeteria.
I went in the opposite direction and headed into the north wing of Royal Hall. It was quiet compared to the rest of the building, but I couldn’t help myself from constantly looking over my shoulder anyway.
Even though an elite preparatory academy like RFA was supposed to be safe for all students, I’d seen its dark side over the last few weeks. Now I saw the truth about it; the shadowy, cloying fog in the air that seemed to whisper ‘danger’ with every step I took, every dim corner I peered into, and every echoing hall I went down.
It was almost enough to make me miss my old public school with its frequent lockdowns and weapon searches.
I finally came to a halt outside the Medusa Society door. It was right at the end of the hall, decorated with a golden snake above the room number.
After taking a deep, centering breath, I knocked.
“Come in, Laney!” a sweet voice called out from inside.