Page 23 of Wicked Games

“I’m only number two in the class.” He paused and scratched his chin. “Actually, I think I totally bombed last week’s test, so I might have slipped to three. I’ve been too afraid to check, to be honest.”

“Two or three is still really good, so I think Brooke is right,” April replied. “The Galileo Society probably invites the top three students in every subject. That way they get a large selection of smart kids as potential members.”

“Are you guys going to go?” Brooke asked, looking at each of us in turn with wide eyes.

“I’ll go,” Zach said with a light shrug. “Might as well see what it’s about.”

April’s lips thinned. “I don’t know if I will. My interview time is 7:30, and I’m pretty sure I have a family dinner that night. It’s my cousin’s birthday.”

“Just make an excuse to get out of it!” Brooke said. “Mine is 9:45, and that means I’ll have to sneak out of the dorms and risk getting in trouble. But I’m totally going to do it, and so should you! I mean, aren’t you even alittlecurious about this stuff?”

April twisted her lips in contemplation. “I guess so. I can probably come up with an excuse.” She turned to me. “Carey, what about you? Are you thinking of going?”

I hesitated. Part of me still wondered if this invitation was a prank orchestrated by Hudson or Maverick to mess with me and my friends.

The thought of Hudson being behind it troubled me the most. As I said to my friends earlier, I was worried he was planning something to destroy me, and I knew a nasty guy like him wouldn’t hesitate to include the three of them in that destruction.

Then again, Zach had informed me earlier that Hudson was an asshole but also a total idiot. Coming up with a fake secret society was probably a bit beyond his planning capabilities. Also, there was the matter of other students being invited. Courteney Phang and Evan Holt had nothing to do with me. I’d never even met either of them. There could be other students invited, too.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized it probablywasn’ta prank or trick of any kind. It seemed far too elaborate, even for Babylon bully standards.

Another aspect I needed to consider was the potential benefit for my life if the Galileo Society was real. I’d read a lot of books about real-life secret societies, and the common thread amongst them was the way they aided their members with opportunities and connections. My future was already looking brighter with the help of the Babylon Foundation’s scholarship, but an elite secret society membership could make all the difference between a good future and a seriously great future.

That thought alone sealed it for me.

I took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m going.”

Carey

I anxiously glanced at my phone to check the time. 8:09.

Shit.I was probably going to be late. Not a good look for a person attempting to join an enigmatic secret society which presumably valued punctuality.

I leaned forward to speak to the Uber driver I’d booked to take me to 4 Sutherland Drive. “Hey, sorry, are we almost there?”

“Yeah. Couple more minutes,” he said, tilting his head to glance at the GPS mounted on the dash. “One more turn and we’re there.”

Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, I sat back again. I was going to make it after all.

I turned my gaze to the window, nervous energy churning in my stomach as I watched the car’s headlights slice through the night. With a jolt, we lurched around a sharp bend in the hilly coastal road. A huge set of wrought iron gates appeared on the right, guarded by grotesque gargoyles sitting atop towering stone pillars on either side.

As the car slowed, the gates swung open with an ominous creak, revealing a long driveway flanked by overgrown hedges.At the end loomed a colossal Gothic mansion, its spiky silhouette menacing against the moonlit sky.

“You sure this is the right address?” the Uber driver asked, glancing back at me as we headed down the driveway. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s home. No lights on or anything.”

“Um… yeah. I’m going to a murder mystery party,” I replied. “It’s meant to look a bit creepy.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” He nodded briskly. “Have a nice night. And don’t forget to rate me.”

“No problem.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and hit the five-star button on the screen as I stepped out of the car. “Thanks!”

Tires loudly crunched over gravel as the car maneuvered to head back up the driveway. With a deep breath, I approached the imposing wooden doors at the front of the mansion. A large, ugly wrought iron knocker adorned one of the doors, mirroring the hideous figures perched atop the gate pillars. Just as I reached for it, I noticed the left-hand door was slightly ajar.

I tentatively pushed the door open and stepped into the foyer. The faint glow of candlelight danced across the space, casting eerie shadows that made the place seem alive despite the lack of people.

I glanced at my phone again. 8:14. Just in time.

“Um… hello?” I called out, peering around. On my left was a closed door. Directly ahead lay a soaring double staircase, winding up to unseen levels. On the right was an open doorway, but it was too dark to see anything beyond it.

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