Chapter 5: Eve

“A bonfire?” I repeated. “You guys can do that here?”

“No,” said Kacey with a grin. “But we do anyway. There’s a private spot just in the woods. If we leave after the count, we can sneak out. I just heard the announcement in the cafeteria.”

“Who will be there?”

“Whoever wants to be.”

“The Rogues?”

“Probably. They’re the ones who throw it.”

A slither of apprehension crawled up my spine, and I sighed. A bonfire sounded like a blast, but crossing Keane again didn’t sound like much of a good time. The guy terrified me in the best of ways, but he seemed dangerous. Unhinged. I didn’t plan on being there long enough to get involved with that drama in any form.

“It’ll be okay,” Kasey said, sensing my hesitation. “If you don’t come, they might be pissed.”

“Why?”

“They see it as a sign of disrespect,” she explained. “The party happens when a new intake comes in. If the intake refuses, shit might go down.”

“Sounds like a great time,” I muttered, feeling chilled suddenly. “Are they going to hurt me?”

“Not unless you give them a reason to.”

With a sigh, I pulled my blanket up to my chin and shook my head. I hadn’t left our room since our arrival; I’d been afraid to. I was still trying to figure this place out, and that seemed to be a challenge. Not many people seemed friendly, at least that I’d noticed. I was wary of going out and mingling with strangers on my first night here. Was it worth getting in trouble over? Worth possibly running into Keane and his friends? I wasn’t so sure, but the other part of me took Kasey’s warning very carefully. I didn’t know what these guys were capable of, but could I risk ducking out and pissing them off?

“All right,” I said softly. “Let’s do it.”

The count was at eight that night, shortly after dinner—which I’d skipped—and each student had to stand by their door as an employee came around the facility, checking their name off on a sheet of paper. It was weird, like being in an army boot camp or something.

“They lock the doors at eight-thirty,” Kasey whispered as we sat on each of our beds a few minutes later, waiting for them to shut the lights off. “But the doors will be unlocked for us.”

“How?” I cupped my hand to the back of my neck to rub out a painful twinge.

“The Rogues know who to talk to,” Kasey said. “What they say goes, even for most of the employees. No one really wants to mess with them, you know? The happier the boys are, the easier their job is.”

“Hm.” I pondered this for a moment, wondering what about the boys made them so powerful. Sure, their families founded the place, but what made them any better than us? Why were they here? Why was Keane here? It was already clear to me that he could probably be dangerous, and it would be best to heed caution. But I also wasn’t about to back down and kneel at their feet, either. I refused to be intimidated. They couldn’t hold a candle to my stepfather and stepbrother anyway. If they thought they could scare me, they had another think coming.

“All right,” Kasey whispered as the employee’s footsteps faded away into the distance. “Stay quiet and follow me.”

It didn’t take us long to make our way outside and toward the woods. A bitterly cold chill hung in the air, basking the island in the ice-like fog. It was dark, but the light of the moon lit our path. I tightened my jacket around my neck with a shiver, blowing condensation into the air. Kasey walked ahead of me, barely slowing even as we hit the thick brush of the forest edge. I jogged to keep up with her and we ended up on a narrow dirt path through the woods. As the school lights vanished over our shoulders, the sound of people laughing and some shouting reached my ears. I spotted the bonfire before anything else, impressed by the roar of the flames that licked the clearing toward the sky.

“Maybe this place isn’t so bad after all,” I said, but Kasey didn’t respond to this. Everyone here just seemed kind of weird. I still couldn’t believe I’d been left here.

The party was unexpectedly impressive. There had to be twenty to thirty people standing around drinking booze, smoking weed, and having a good fucking time. The fire roared in the middle of the clearing, warming everyone.

“Want a drink?” Kasey asked, and I followed her to the edge of the clearing, where a chest of ice filled with beer and liquor sat open. She took two beers and gave one to me.

“It’s really not bad here,” she said, twisting off the cap. “As long as you keep your nose down and your brain in check, most people survive.”

“Most people?”

She shrugged. “Some don’t.”

Before I could ask her to clarify, I spotted Keane staring at me from across the fire. He was sitting on a large boulder, a bottle of beer in one hand as he watched through narrowed eyes. I couldn’t read the expression on his face, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. What was going through his mind?

“Are those the other two?” I asked Kasey, taking a drink to settle my nerves. She looked where I was watching and nodded.

“The dark guy behind him is Beau, and the blond is Teague.”

“Are they as bad as Keane?”

“Depends on the day,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to tangle with any of them on a bad day.”

“So, what’s wrong with them?” I asked, and Kasey shrugged.

“Beau’s OCD is bad sometimes, but it’s mainly subdued with meds. Keane is a classic skitzo patient. His episodes come on sometimes, and that’s what makes him really dangerous. It’s kind of as though his sanity turns off when he’s on a mania high.”

“And what about Teague?”

“Bipolar,” she said. “But it’s pretty well managed as long as he’s not triggered.”

“Jesus.” I stared at the boys, now realizing that all three of them were staring back at me. Beau leaned over to Keane, whispering something in his ear, and Keane chuckled. Heat rose to my neck and cheeks. I knew they were talking about me, but what could I do? Confront them? Staying as far away as possible seemed like the better option, honestly.

As I watched the guys, an attractive blond-haired woman with large breasts and a short miniskirt approached the guys. She was tipsy from what I could see, and she was giggling as she approached the Rogues, swaying slightly as she settled herself into Keane’s lap. I was surprised when he didn’t push her away, instead allowing her to sidle into his lap like a lost puppy dog.

“That’s Sadie,” Kasey said softly, taking another drink. “She’s the Rogues’ current booty call.”

“Booty call or girlfriend?”

“Sex toy,” said Kasey. “They don’t do relationships.”

Keane was still staring at me as Sadie fawned over him, but now, a smirk played on his lips, sending a chill down my spine.

“Assholes,” I muttered. “The whole lot of them.”

Kasey nodded, drawing her jacket up further over her shoulders. If it wasn’t for the fire, we would have all frozen out by now.

“Be wary of Sadie,” Kasey told me. “She’s a bitch.”

“So am I.”

“Yeah, but she’s a violent bitch. Borderline Personality Disorder. Her meds barely work. She’ll rip a chunk of hair out of your head quicker than you can blink.” Kasey rubbed a spot in her hair with a sigh. “She went after me once for looking at Beau the wrong way. She thought I was flirting, but I didn’t even know he was standing in the crowd.”

“Damn.” I narrowed my eyes at Sadie, feeling defensive of my new friend already. I had to keep Kasey close if I wanted to survive here, regardless of how long I did or didn’t stay. I was a bitch, sure, but I’d never been ruthless enough to pull a chunk of hair out of another woman’s head over a boy.

“Just…don’t trust anybody here, okay? Even the ones who pretend to be nice to your face. I can guarantee you they’re not.”

“What about you?” I asked, finally averting my attention away from the Rogues and their whore. “Can I trust you?”

Kasey laughed. “I’m in here for depression and anxiety. It’s pretty severe when I have bad days. But I don’t have any disorder that’s going to make me snap and kill you, so I think we’re in the clear.” She said this so easily, as though people snapping around here wasn’t uncommon.

As I raised the bottle to my lips for another swig, a booming voice spoke, startling me.

“Listen up!” Keane shouted, getting to his feet, and an almost immediate silence fell over the crowd as though a flip had been switched. I glanced at Kasey, who chewed her lip anxiously, not looking at me. “Welcome, new intakes,” he continued, rubbing his hands together like a kid at Christmas. His eyes roamed the crowd, landing multiple times on me with a dangerous glint, but I tried to ignore it. “Blackwood Academy is our home here, and as most of you already know, we rule this school.”

A murmur of nods and respectful agreements rose through the mob. I looked around, absolutely baffled by how easily these people fell into line under a man like Keane Hearne.

“Now,” he continued. “Each new intake has to go through a sort of, er, initiation if you will.” He smiled with glee as the words left his lips, eyes zoning in again on me. I looked at Kasey, who was now glancing warily in my direction.

“An initiation?” I breathed to Kasey. “What kind?”

Before she could speak, the blond, Teague, stood up next to Keane. Muscles rippled and flexed beneath his white tee shirt, and it took me a moment to focus again on the words. “The game is called The Hunt,” he explained, drawing what looked like a half-empty bottle of wine from beneath his chair. He held it up and popped the cork, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever the wine had to do with it, I could do it easily.

“Here’s how the game works,” the third one, Beau, said, getting to his feet until all three of them were standing in a line, facing the crowd. “We give each of the new intakes a five-minute head start. And then—we hunt. You can run, you can try to hide, but whoever we find first gets to drink the sacred blood.”

“Wine?” I muttered, feeling silly already. “Sure. Got it.” As I watched, certain that I had this one in the bag, Keane raised a knife he had suddenly in the air, then brought it down with one quick slice on his wrist. I gasped. So did some of the other intakes as blood pooled from the slice in his arm and dripped to the dirt below. Beau handed Teague the bottle, and he positioned it under Keane’s wound. I watched, ill suddenly, as Keane’s blood dripped steadily into the wine bottle, mixing with the crimson liquid.

Teague went next. And then Beau. Until all three of their blood was mixed with the wine.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. “They can’t be serious.”

“They’re serious,” Kasey assured me. “Dead serious.”

“I don’t—what do I do?” I turned to my friend, but she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Eve. I can’t help you. It’s against the rules.”

“Where am I supposed to go?” I demanded, a tightening in my chest choking the air from my lungs. “What do I do?”

Kasey turned toward me, placing her hands on either side of my shoulders. Fear muddled her gaze, and she shook her head.

“You run,” she said.

Behind us, I heard Keane speak again.

“Five minutes. Go.”

“Run,” Kasey urged, breathless and panicky as she shoved me toward the woods. “Run and hide, Eve, now!”

Something inhumane came over me, and I dropped my drink and bolted, plowing through the crowd, feeling the Rogues’ eyes on my back as I raced into the woods, running blindly as far away from these psychos as I could get.

Darkness overcame me as I entered the dense forest brush. Branches whipped at my face, cutting my skin and snagging my hair, but even then, I kept running. It was so dark I might as well have had my eyes closed, but I didn’t slow down. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t be caught by those bastards, not if I had anything to do with it.

A gasp of pain ripped from between my teeth as my foot caught on what I could only assume was a tree root. I sailed forward, hitting the dirt, twigs, and rocks with a painful oomph that rattled my core. Moisture formed on my palms, and I knew it was blood. Scrambling to my knees, I stood up, then ran again, refusing to be the one they caught first. I wouldn’t drink Keane’s fucking blood. I wouldn’t.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been running when a loud hoot echoed through the air. It was the boys. My five minutes were up. I had no idea where I even was, let alone where they were, but if I could find somewhere to hide long enough, it wouldn’t matter.

Maybe they’ve already caught one, I thought desperately, trying not to feel horrible for whatever intake they managed to get their grimy paws on. They were evil, evil psychopaths. But I wasn’t about to let them have me.

A few seconds later, I stumbled through the trees and into a grassy clearing lit by the moon. I stopped running, my heart pounding as blood roared in my ears. My lungs hurt, and my throat hurt. Really, I hurt all over. But any pain was better than them.

Letting my eyes adjust briefly to the dark, I held my breath, listening for approaching footsteps. I heard nothing and proceeded forward, wiping my bleeding hands on the hem of my skirt. My toe caught a rock under my foot, and I stumbled again but didn’t fall. I was on the shoreline, near the rapidly approaching waves, and the light of the moon lit up the shoreline. In front of me was a boat. Or at least, that’s what it used to be. Now, however, it was old, rugged, and probably almost entirely rotted through. An old fisherman’s boat, maybe, but also the perfect hiding place.

Or so I hoped.

Another hoot of excitement came from somewhere over my shoulder, and my stomach churned with nausea. Putting my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t shriek, I dropped to my knees on the rocky shore, trying to catch my breath, revulsion rolling in my stomach. I leaned over to vomit, but nothing came. Somewhere in the thickness of the woods, someone else hollered. An animalistic yell that didn’t sound human, but I knew it was. They were coming.

“Fuck,” I muttered, scrambling back up to my feet. I whirled in the direction of the boat and bolted forward, praying that I wouldn’t fall through the rotted wood as I scrambled on board and raced to find a place to hide. I couldn’t see anything in the dark, musty inside of the boat, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when the creak of rotted wood groaned beneath my feet, and suddenly I fell, hard, into the collapsing floor that caved in around me.

I landed on my stomach as the breath was knocked from my lungs, certain I’d just cracked a rib as pain shot through my abdomen and chest. I lay there for a moment under the rubble of the rotting boat, realizing I must have fallen through the deck and to the second floor. I wheezed, trying to catch my breath, listening to the approaching voices of the men I was hiding from. There was no use getting up now. This hole might be the only place I could hide from them.

Holding my breath, I listened in the stillness in the air for any approaching signs of them. Even the bird, squirrels, and other wildlife were silent as if the presence of the Rogues was enough to snap fear into every breathing being. All I heard was the crash of the waves against the shoreline, and I didn’t realize I was shaking until my teeth clashed together. I slapped my hand over my mouth, still on my belly, and continued to listen.

At first, I heard nothing. Just the eerie, cold silence that didn’t seem natural. But then, in the distance, someone shouted again. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I recognized the voice. It was Keane.

And he was gaining on me.

Trying to keep my shit together, I pulled myself up to my knees and shuffled into one of the corners of the boat, pressing my back against the wall and squatting down to hide my body better. It was dark, so they wouldn’t be able to see much, but it seemed safer than just lying there. At least I had a chance at fighting back if, God forbid, they did find me. And as footsteps emerged from the clearing not far from my head, that possibility was becoming more and more likely.

I cursed myself, realizing that hiding somewhere in the dense woods probably would have been a better idea. The boat was too obvious, but maybe they’d still miss me.

I caught my breath and held it, hardly able to hear anything over the pounding of my own heart in my skull. Above the hole in the floor, footsteps proceeded around the deck. I didn’t know which one it was, and I didn’t care to find out. All I could think about was my next escape route, but the truth was I wasn’t even sure if I had the strength to climb out of this freaking hole.

Another thought overcame me as I listened, this one chilling me to the core. Maybe they wouldn’t find me. Maybe nobody would find me. And in a place like this, did they really care to? Even Kasey, the only person I somewhat trusted, was terrified of the Rogues. They’d all sooner leave me to rot than confront any of them about my disappearance.

Stop, I scolded myself silently, chancing a look around. It was hard to see in the dark, but if I somehow god trapped in here, I might be screwed.

Above me, the footsteps stopped, and someone took a breath. A deep one, like they were trying to taste the air. I closed my eyes and prayed for him to go, to keep walking. And then they did. They walked until their footsteps faded away into the brush. And it was only until I couldn’t hear a peep anymore that I let out my breath and allowed myself to breathe. Was I in the clear?

Something grabbed hold of my hair from above, yanking me clean off my feet with a yelp of pain. I screamed, struggling, but Keane’s fingers were locked in my hair as he pulled me to the edge of the gaping hole before leaning down to grab hold of my arm. He yanked me up the side like I was nothing more than a rag doll, releasing his grip as I tumbled forward, catching myself on my hands and knees on the prickly wood.

“Found you,” Keane whispered, squatting down next to me.

I took his moment of physical vulnerability and jumped to my feet, bolting toward the woods as Keane shouted something behind me. I’d just reached the edge of the thicket when I collided with something big and burly.

“Going somewhere, bunny?”

Teague.

With a chuckle, he put his arm around my throat and whipped me around, half carrying me by the throat back to the boat where Keane was still squatting. He straightened up and grinned, nodding at Teague as he took his cell phone out of his pocket, pushing on the flashlight.

“Told you she’d be here.”

“Let go of me, you fucking monster!” I screamed, kicking and screaming at Teague, who barely had any trouble at all holding me captive. His arm was still around my throat, and my heart began to race as Keane watched me. He looked frightening, like a serial killer studying his prey. He was fucking proud of himself.

A moment later, Beau emerged from the woods, his eyes roaming the scene. “Christ,” he said, eyeing me. “You were right again, Keane.”

“Somehow, they always end up here.” He took the bottle of blood wine that Beau had in his hand.

“You fucking cheated,” I hissed. Dizziness overcame me as Teague’s grip on my neck tightened. I gasped, clawing at his arm, but he didn’t ease up.

“Cheated how?” asked Keane. “You ran. We found. That was the game.”

“All three of you ganged up on me. You knew who you were following from the start.”

Keane smiled, popping the cork on the wine bottle as he approached. I watched in horror as he stopped about a foot from us, then raised the bottle to his lips and took a healthy swig. When the bottle came away, his lips were tainted red. He grinned as he ran the back of his hand over his mouth, holding the bottle out to me.

“Want some?”

“Over my dead body.” I gasped, and Teague’s lips touched my ear.

“That can be arranged,” he purred.

Behind Teague, Beau stepped forward into the clearing and cleared his throat.

“Might want to ease up, man,” he said to Teague. “You’re gonna choke her out. She can’t drink if she can’t breathe.”

A snarl ripped from Teague’s throat, but when Keane nodded at him a moment later, the tension from my neck fell. Slightly.

“Our little kitten here thinks we cheated,” Keane said, taking a step back as he raised the bottle in the air, toasting the moon. “What do you think, boys? Did we cheat?”

“Maybe.” Teague brushed his face against the back of my hair. He inhaled deeply, and despite my horrific anger, my knees went weak as a shiver climbed my spine.

“Everyone cheats,” Beau added. He was still standing a way away, hands shoved forcefully into the pocket of his slacks. He didn’t have the gleam of psycho that Keane had in his eyes, but he was enabling them nonetheless. He was just as bad, no fucking exception.

“What are you going to do to me?” I demanded, ashamed to feel tears pressing against my eyeballs. Keane stared at me silently. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Finally, he nodded at Teague, who automatically released his grip on me. The sudden rush of air and the abrupt drop had me sprawled on the deck again, and before I could roll over and get up to fight, Keane was on me suddenly, turning me over to face him until he was straddling my body into the dirt. I felt his dick harden beneath the fabric of his jeans, pressing against my leg, and I screamed.

“Let me go, you fucker!” I yelled, spitting in his face. For a brief second, rage flickered over Keane’s expression as he glared down at me. His hands tightened on my arms, making me squirm in pain, and I knew he was about to hit me, kill me, or both.

“Hey,” Beau said softly, just as I was certain that Keane would break the bones in my arms. “Pull yourself together, man.”

The cloud of rage over his expression flickered until, once again, he was smiling down at me. I screamed again, praying for somebody who could help me, and Teague slapped his hand over my mouth, muffling my cries as he kneeled near my head.

“We already told you what we’re going to do to you.” Keane dropped his face toward mine as his body held me down, trapped beneath his. His face was so close I could smell the wine on his breath, and I turned away as Teague’s hand left my mouth, noticing that Keane’s hard-on seemed to be growing. Before I could stop myself, I began to cry. The tears were silent at first, and Keane wiped one away before putting his finger to his lips to taste it.

“I want to taste you,” he said. “All of you.”

“Please don’t,” I begged, fearing for the worst. “Please, please don’t hurt me. Please, not like that.”

“Hurt you?” Teague straightened up, still grinning maliciously. “It will only hurt if you fight us.”

A sudden whoosh of terror so strong and intense washed over me. I screamed and kicked, panicked and frenzied now as my mind went blank. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t defend myself…

“Bring it here.” Keane snapped his fingers in the air. Through the terror, I watched as Beau stepped forward with the bottle of blood wine, handing it to Keane. Keane nodded at Teague, who grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head, leaving me helpless.

“Open your mouth,” Teague instructed, and I shook my head violently, pursing my lips.

“There’s fucking human blood in there,” I spat.

“We are in here,” said Keane dangerously, glaring down at me. “And when you drink it, you’ll be ours."