Page 146 of Heartless Legacy

This is it. The night that will change a bunch of lives forever. There’s no way to misunderstand what the words final challenge means. The sixty-day amnesty period is coming to an end, and I’m anxious to hear what they’re going to have us do.

There were no text message instructions today. We had to report to chambers to get our assignment. The only people in attendance are us, the game masters, and two high council members. With fewer bodies crowding around, I can see the exquisite detail of the league crest painted on the center of the floor, as well as the oath etched onto the dais. It’s awe inspiring seeing this room in full detail, but the feeling is based on a lie. The secrets we’re supposed to keep are to help others to retain power. The loyalty the oath speaks of doesn’t apply to us lowly prospects. Only to full fledge members, and only the ones that meet some pre-conceived ideal.

I don’t think all league members are bad. I’ve spent a lot of time listening to people talk at the social events I’ve gone to, and I’ve seen with my own eyes at the community service project that there are some who haven’t given up their soul in exchange for greed and power.

When I stop letting my bias and trauma color my thinking, I can admit that it’s certain people, groups, and committees that are the problem. Who’s to say that anyone outside of Malcolm’s circle knew what happened to me? Isn’t that the point of keeping secrets and hiding them away? If the truth were shared with everyone, then it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?

Being willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the league members means giving the benefit of the doubt to the prospects, which includes The Trium. Or maybe wanting to give Finn and Holden the benefit of the doubt has allowed me to have an open mind about everyone else.

I’m not sure which one it is, or when they managed to get a foothold back in. But they did. I’m no longer tensing up when I see them. I let Finn sit close to me when he invited himself over to watch a movie. I didn’t freak out when he was behind me, playing with my body. I can’t even blame it on the booze. Even before I started drinking, I was thinking about what could happen if he tried to kiss me. The intrusive thoughts about being shared between him, Holden and Wolfe have only gotten worse since it first sparked to life in the gym.

The doors close with an ominous boom. As the meeting is called to order, I push thoughts of Finn, kisses and foursomes out of my mind. I need to pay attention to everything that’s said or done. The smallest detail could be the difference between success and failure. The challenge is, above all else, a game. And people cheat at games all the time.

The game master comes to the front of the dais and explains what’s expected of us, reminds us of what’s at stake, and then issues our final amnesty challenge. A few more points of business are discussed, then the game master ends the meeting. The other prospects chatter around me, making plans for how to accomplish this last task, while I stand rooted in place, staring blankly at the spot where the game master was standing.

I’m not excited about this. How can I be, when these assholes have a very fucked up sense of humor? Someone walking by bumps into me, knocking me out of my mini panic attack. I slip through the door, heading to the archive rooms.

“Hello, Thea.” Clayton greets, coming to the front counter.

“Hi.”

I scramble for something else to say. I’m working with a half-baked idea that I didn’t ever think I’d get the chance to implement, so I’m not sure what else to say to him. I hadn’t even thought about him being here tonight.

“What can I help you with this evening?”

Probably nothing. Like I said, this was a half-baked plan that required me to slink along the stacks trying to find something. But maybe I should treat this more like a library.

“I’m interested in league history. There was a topic we discussed during indoc and I’d been meaning to do look into it. I have a few hours before I have to leave for my challenge, so I thought I’d be able to see them now that I’ve just come from official league business.”

He sighs. “I don’t know why everyone thinks they can only come here if they’re in The Tomb for official league business. The archives don’t have what we call set hours. There’s generally at least one person here between the hours of nine am and nine pm. But, you can come at any time, as long as you follow proper protocols of checking your phone in at the security station upstairs, and signing in. One second.” He says, going over to the other side of the counter to talk to someone holding a folded piece of paper in their hand. When he comes back, he asks, “Now which topic did you want more information on?”

“I can choose any topic at all?”

“Yes.”

“Whatchu got on the twelve?”

“Ah.” He says with a nod. “Is this about what’s happening at Vale Towers?”

“It’s not, but that situation is what prompted me to remember that I never came down here to read up on why there are only eleven names on the wall.”

He spins a clipboard towards me. “Sign in, and I’ll show you to a table to get you started.”

I close the heavy leather-bound book with the entries from the nineteen hundreds and glance up at the clock on the wall. It’s been two hours since I sat down at the table with the first book from 1842. Only half the names on the wall were listed at the beginning of the book. I scrub my eyes and blink a couple of times to refocus them before pushing away from the table.

The archives are quiet. I wasn’t the only person in here when I first came in, but now I don’t see anyone else. I find Clayton at a table with a pouch full of tapes and a ledger laid out in front of him.

“Need another tome?” He asks, looking up at me.

“I think I’m at a good stopping point. Sorry to keep you so long.”

“You didn’t. I was actually catching up on some work, making sure the recordings from the chamber meetings havea corresponding transcript and that they’re logged into the ledger.” He climbs to his feet. “Give me a second to re-shelve the book and lock up, and I’ll give you a ride to campus.”

My eyes skim over the open pages of the logbook, my attention drawn to an entry closer to the top of the page dated roughly a week after they announced the amnesty prospect challenge. It says the league plans to officially appoint a family to the fourth bloodline, and only second-year prospects and above are eligible to compete for the title.

Chapter 87

Finn

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