Page 52 of Kingmakers, Year Two

“Yeah . . . well he’s not gonna remember what his nose used to look like either,” I say.

Laughing, we start sawing through the roof.

Ozzyand I are throwing a Halloween party at the old stables. We’re charging a fifty-dollar cover with the promise of unlimited spiked punch. The cover isn’t the money-maker. It’s the metric fuck-ton of Molly that everybody buys once they’re tipsy and dancing.

Throwing a party is all about creating a mood. I hire a couple of Freshman Accountants to make me a thousand black paper bats that hang from the rafters. Then I rig up some spooky red lights, surround the punch bowls with smoking dry ice courtesy of the Chemistry lab, and queue up a killer playlist.

I love music, always have. It does something to my brain. When I’ve got just the right beat going, and a complicated melody on top, I feel like I can think ten times faster, like my mind is going a million miles a minute.

I invite Leo and Anna, informing Anna that Martin Romero and Santiago Cruz won’t make it through the door.

Anna cocks one darkly-penciled eyebrow.

“Is that for Zoe’s benefit? You’ve become so . . . helpful.”

“Yeah. I’m a nice guy.”

“Since when?” she laughs.

“Just tell her,” I say, trying to sound nonchalant. “I never liked those fucksticks anyway. So no loss there.”

I don’t know if Zoe plans to come, but I’m strangely keyed up as the kids start pouring through the door, some of them dressed in the kind of makeshift costumes you can cobble together from shit you happen to have on hand.

Kasper Markaj dressed as a Spartan, wearing just his underwear and a red velvet curtain draped over his shoulders like a cape. Isabel Dixon teased up her hair and covered herself in charcoal, so she looks electrocuted, while her boyfriend Hiram Stokes hung a paper lightning bolt around his neck.

Everybody’s ramped up to celebrate the holiday. The party is bumping ten minutes after I open the doors. Ozzy’s collecting the cover charges as fast as he can with just one arm, and I’m pretending to welcome everybody, while actually keeping my eyes peeled for the people I want to see, as well as the ones who can fuck off back to their dorms.

Anna arrives wearing her most tattered clothes, with some pretty impressive zombie makeup all over her face. She’s done the same to Leo, but his blinding smile makes him look much too alive to be undead.

“Congrats,” I say to him.

Leo was just chosen Sophomore Captain for theQuartum Bellum.It was pretty much guaranteed to happen, after the unprecedented victory of the Freshmen last year, but now it’s official.

“Thanks,” he says. “Can’t say I’m quite as excited this time around—knowing what I’m up against.”

“Can’t be worse than last year,” Ozzy says.

“It can always be worse.” Leo grimaces.

“Yeah—like having Simon Fowler for your Captain,” Ozzy complains.

Simon is a Junior Heir with a high opinion of himself and a generous bankroll from his parents. He openly gave out cash to earn votes for the Captainship. I don’t give a shit, because I don’t give a shit about theQuartum Bellum.But I’m not exactly looking forward to taking orders from someone who would suck his own cock if he were flexible enough.

“Just you two tonight?” I say to Anna.

“Relax.” She smiles. “Zoe’s coming with Chay.”

“I was just asking. For the cover charge,” I say quickly.

“You’re not gonna charge us!” Anna cries, outraged.

“Absolutely I am. Leo can down an entire punch bowl by himself.”

“What’s the family discount?” Leo says.

“Two for the price of two.”

“I’ll pay it,” Leo says. “But only ‘cause poor Ozzy’s having such a shit week. He deserves it.”

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