Page 47 of Dead End

Maybe it’s not for me?

It totally could have been left here by mistake, for my aunties or something. Definitely not meant for me... But just in case... Reaching forward, I grabbed the envelope and tried to tug it out of the dummy’s hands, but for some reason, it kept a tight grip. It had come to this—I was playing tug of war with a dummy in the middle of broad moonlight. Why didn’t this situation surprise me in the slightest? Finally, the letter slipped free from its tiny hands, and I ripped it open cautiously as a small piece of paper slipped out.

October Hallowell,

You are cordially invited to attend an initiation ceremony for the Society of the Elite. In a week's time, the night before the blood moon eclipse, please join us as we welcome you with open arms.

Please report to the basement level of the West Wing of Midnight University, at exactly

midnight on the dot.

Sincerely,

The Society.

I stared at the ominous letter for a solid minute, my brain going a mile a minute. What in the world is the Society of the Elite? It sounded like some fucked-up cult. Like, who the hell asks a member to join by letter? Shouldn’t it be some cloak and dagger, high-stakes stuff?

I debated tossing the letter in the trash until I heard a pitter-patter of feet running over cobblestone. It sounded like a horse clomping, only smaller. When I glanced up, the streets were still deserted, but the freaking marionette was nowhere to be seen. Damn it, what the hell is happening right now?

For some reason, Jessica’s squeaky little voice kept popping into my head about... something important, I was sure. With a helpless shrug, I turned towards the library and had to stop for a second to take in the beauty in front of me. The building itself was on a leaning angle, with black and gray bricks that looked like they were shifting. There was a low grinding noise that made me frown. Were the rooms inside shifting around? It wouldn’t surprise me. The strangest part was when I glanced upwards at its many windows and saw hooded figures passing by with a single lantern, as if they were haunting all three stories. Or maybe it could be the same person moving through the building really quickly.

My excitement couldn’t be contained. I was going to find Maddie and make her help me look up this so-called Society. With that in mind, I had to use both hands to open the heavy oak doors, and I almost had a heart attack when my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting inside. How long could a person go without blinking? I didn’t want to miss a single thing. Tilting my head back, I spun in a slow circle in the center of the library, mouth hanging open and heart still racing.

The library lobby was domed and had a painting on the ceiling that seemed to be moving in slow motion. The ceiling was pure black, and the painted image in the middle gave me goosebumps the more it moved. Four horsemen sat atop their terrifying red-eyed horses as the sky behind them lit up with lightning that changed their features into skeletons before changing back to normal when the storm settled.

It really was a masterpiece. It could make you question things because, at any moment, your life could change and you may or may not be able to go back to how things used to be. I knew that fact firsthand. In every direction, there were columns of bookshelves and passing students carrying armloads of research. The shelves literally spanned all three stories, with massive rolling ladders to reach up top.

“Hey! Watch where you're going, mortal!” sneered a familiar voice. I’d rather not have had to deal with this bitch at the moment, but Payton was going to have to be dealt with eventually.

Ignoring her, I glanced towards the second floor, where I saw Maddie walking away a little too quickly, wearing a black hoodie. It was my hoodie, so I’d recognize it anywhere. It was odd seeing her in all black with matching sunglasses, which were already suspicious because there was no sun here. The dark clothes were odd for a girl who loved her bright colors, and the hoodie was an out-of-character choice. Something had to be amiss.

My gaze suddenly met raging violet eyes filled with hatred and fury. What the hell was up this chick’s butt?

“What are you looking at?” Payton asked with a lip curl that suggested she thought I was just a bug beneath her red heels.

Seriously? Who wears high heels with their cheer uniform? Is there even a sports team around here, or does she just like to dress up for Halloween all the time?

I looked her up and down, and with the most deadpan expression I could muster, I asked, “Have you seen my son?”

Payton drew back, looking at me like I was speaking gibberish, and snarled, “What are you talking about?”

I was so close to laughing as I said, “Get it? Because you’re a clown? Like the fish?” She blinked at me, so I added with feigned enthusiasm, “You see, it all started when Nemo touched the butt—”

She groaned, cutting me off. “Holy hell, do you ever shut up?! I don’t even know what you’re saying, you lunatic! This is why mortals should stay in their own dimension.”

I stood there with a dumb grin, waiting for her to keep going. One second, she looked at me like I was just an afterthought as she twirled her green ponytail around her finger, but her gaze drifted down to my hand that still clutched the letter. Never had I seen a person’s face change so dramatically. If looks could kill, I would probably be dead. I was beginning to understand Jason’s fear of clowns.

“You just can’t leave it alone, can you? Why did you have to come here when everything was going well for me? I’m the one on top, and you won’t take it away from me like your whoring mother did to mine.” She shoved into my shoulder as I stood there, flabbergasted.

“Hey… Shut up!” I responded as I stood on my tippy toes, pointing at her retreating back. It sounded lame, even to my own ears. Really, October? Shut up? And what the hell does my mom have to do with this dumb letter?

Fed up with both myself and all the bullshit that’d been dumped onto my plate this week, I took the stairs to my right, my boots echoing loudly up each step. Halfway up, while wondering where Maddie took off, a grinding noise reached my ears that reminded me of a cranking engine, just as the steps shifted under my feet like an escalator.

Alrighty then… Magic stairs. I can dig it. Oh, wise, magic floating stairs, take me to Maddie.

I was kind of joking, but apparently the stairs didn’t mess around. They shifted quickly to the right, then to the left, until I was probably going to barf. Finally, they stopped unexpectedly, and I quickly exited with a relieved exhale.

What the hell is she doing?

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