Ariana was talking to the girl in the red beaded dress she’d spotted earlier. As Vivi approached, the girl smiled warmly, revealing teeth as white as the pearls strung around her neck. She took a long sip of her drink, and when she lowered her cup, her lipstick was still perfect. There wasn’t even a trace of crimson on the white cup.
“I’m Mei,” she said, extending her hand. “It’s nice to—” Her voice was drowned out as jazz suddenly swept through the garden. Vivi turned to see five smartly dressed musicians in black suits playing a familiar-sounding song. “Ooh, the Charleston!” Mei shouted. Without letting go of her teacup, she began to swivel on the balls of her feet while moving her arms in perfect rhythm. “Come on!” She grinned and grabbed Vivi’s hand.
“No, I can’t,” Vivi said, stepping back. She’d never danced in public before. She couldn’t actually remember dancing in private, either. She was so bad, she embarrassed herself even when she was alone.
Mei mercifully dropped her hand, and less than a second later, she was swept up by a member of the band in a black suit. Vivi watched in awe as they danced in such perfect unison that she wondered if they’d choreographed the whole thing. “I wish I could do that,” Vivi whispered to Ariana, who was also staring, mesmerized.
“Your turn,” Mei called cheerfully. She pulled away from the boy and gestured toward Vivi.
“No, I’m serious. I can’t.” Vivi stepped back as her heart pounded a frantic alarm. But the boy, still under Mei’s spell, would not be put off. Vivi just had time to give Ariana her teacup and sparkler before the boy took her hand and began to push and pull her in time to the music. For a moment, all she could do was stare in horror and sway awkwardly. She didn’t know what to do with her feet or her free hand. Her face started to burn. How many people were staring at her right now?
But just when she thought the panic would overwhelm her, her feet began to move seemingly of their own accord. Her hips swayed from side to side as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The boy grinned at her, and without thinking, she grinned back. No matter which way he moved, she followed seamlessly, as if connected to him by a string.
“I knew you could do it,” Mei said with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction. Vivi was having so much fun, she barely stopped to wonder how she could hear Mei’s low murmur over the music. Or why it sounded like the girl’s voice was inside her head. Because when Vivi glanced over her shoulder, Mei was gone.
The song ended and a slower one began. The boy cocked his head to the side with a smile, wordlessly inviting Vivi to join him for another, but she didn’t want to push her luck. “I should find my friend,” she said. “But thank you. That was . . .” She blushed and cut herself off. “Thank you.”
“That was amazing,” Ariana squealed as Vivi approached. “I wish they’d taught the Charleston at my ballroom-dancing school.” She looked around the garden, sighed, and handed back Vivi’s drink and sparkler. “It’s hard not to be a little hopeful about getting a bid, isn’t it?”
Vivi nodded, feeling the same way. She’d never imagined herself as part of a sorority, but then again, she’d never known that there were sororities like Kappa. These girls were smart, curious, and passionate—just like the people Vivi had always dreamed of befriending in college. But wasn’t it arrogant to assume that they’d be interested in her? Just because she’d managed to go a few hours without mortifying herself didn’t mean she belonged in the most glamorous, exclusive sorority at Westerly.
A murmur went through the crowd and a moment later, a current of electricity buzzed through Vivi’s fingertips. The sparkler crackled to life in her hands, sending bluish-gray sparks streaming into the air.
Vivi gasped. Ariana looked at her in astonishment as her own sparkler erupted to life, red sparks raining down at her feet. All over the garden, sparklers lit up one by one.
But not all of them caught fire.
“I think I got a dud,” a girl to Vivi’s left complained, shaking the sparkler and then trying to light it with a nearby candle. Another girl in a silver gown hit her sparkler against her palm as if willing it to catch fire.
“But we didn’t even light them,” Ariana whispered to Vivi, waving her sparkler in a figure eight.
“Must be a party trick or something,” Vivi said, even though that didn’t explain the electricity still buzzing in her fingertips.
“God, I hope I get a bid,” Ariana said longingly.
Vivi felt a prickle on the back of her neck and glanced over her shoulder. The beautiful girl who’d handed Vivi her sparkler was staring at her. There was a strange, almost challenging look on her face. But instead of looking away, Vivi met the girl’s gaze. “Me too,” she finally said, and she realized that she meant it.
Chapter Six
Scarlett
Scarlett stood on the roof of Kappa House, gazing out over the quiet campus. The recruitment party had ended hours ago and the rest of the girls were sleeping. The night was dark and starless, the only light coming from the antique gas lamps flickering along the path to the house. Somewhere overhead, ravens circled, and an owl hooted in the distance. A light breeze rustled the trees of the forest that edged up against their backyard.
Scarlett didn’t know why she was up here. She didn’t even remember coming to the roof. A cooing sound came from the aviary behind her. When she turned, she could see all the birds lined up, rustling in their sleep. The ravens were their familiars and they were once kept in the girls’ rooms to watch over the sisters. But as time went on, it was thought to be cruel to keep them in the confines of the sorority. They could serve their purpose and still be free to roam. Now they resided here and were able to come and go as they liked. But they always returned.
One raven’s eyes popped open and looked at her. Yellow eyes glowed in the dark. Scarlett was sure it was her favorite, Harlow.
Suddenly, she heard shuffling behind her. “Hello?” she called. “Is someone there?”
All that met her was silence.
She spun once more and noticed a pentacle etched into the roof at her feet, the circle rimmed with coarse salt. A long white tapered candle dotted each point of the star. The ritual layout looked familiar, but Scarlett had never used it herself. White was for banishments or bindings—for getting rid of negative things in your life or preventing your enemies from harming you. Had one of her sisters been performing a spell up here and forgotten to clean up after herself? It seemed unlikely. Scarlett’s unease intensified.
That was when the chanting began. She didn’t recognize the words. It sounded like ancient Greek, but not any of the blessing chants she’d memorized. This was something else, something darker. The words sounded guttural. Whoever was speaking them practically snarled each syllable. “What’s the matter, Scarlett?” a husky voice rasped in her ear. “Did you forget the words?”
Scarlett spun around in horror. A cloaked figure had appeared on the roof, blocking the doorway down to the house. It approached her slowly, leaving bloody, smeared footprints in its wake. Scarlett opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but she choked on her own tongue. She made to run, but her muscles were frozen in place, magically bound so she was nothing more than a terrified statue.