Page 106 of Fast

I should really go back to sleep, but I know myself and I’m sure sleep won’t be in the cards for me tonight. Especially since they took our electronics and I can’t even mindlessly scroll on my phone until sleep takes me under.

My feet take me to the patio door that leads out to the Zeta house backyard. Maybe some fresh air will make me feel tired.

California is way warmer than Connecticut at this time of the year; but while the days are mostly sunny and still warm enough to be in summer clothes, nights can be pretty chilly.

I pull the zipper of my hoodie up to my chin and wander around the extensive backyard. There’s a pool, a hot tub, and even a BBQ area. Everything looks modern and well maintained.

Flowers are everywhere, and I’m attracted by the scent of jasmine that comes from the bush that covers the fence separating this property from the neighbors.

I pick one of the small white flowers and inhale its intoxicating scent. My dad used to always pick little flowers like these when I was little and put them in my hair.

The Zeta sisters would probably be unimpressed with me if I plucked too many flowers from their garden, so I know the memory of my childhood will have to be enough.

I hear several male voices coming from the other side of the fence.

Without even thinking, I move a few branches of the fragrant jasmine, and squint to find out who’s out there.

“Everyone follow me.” A tall, lanky guy says. “Not one word, pledges!”

The Zetas’ neighbor is a fraternity. I’m about to step away from the fence when I spot a blond head. Even if Chance didn’t turn partially, I could tell it’s him by the way he walks and carries himself.

Another dead giveaway is the dark-haired guy he whispers to. Lev is just as easy to recognize by the way he moves. He’s also easily identifiable by the dark blue diamond stud in his ear that catches the moonlight and glimmers with his every movement.

I should go back inside and leave them to whatever it is their future frat brothers have planned for them tonight; after all, these fraternities and sororities love to make everything they do into some big secret.

But when Chance and Lev take off, following the frat president and the rest of the Gammas, my feet move of their own accord.

I sneak out of the Zeta house backyard and keep myself hidden behind the gate as not to be seen.

When the last guy runs past me, I take off behind them.

Following them is easy because at this hour on a Thursday night—or Friday morning, if we’re past midnight—campus is a ghost town. This same fact, however, makes staying hidden alittle harder, because with no one around, if they really looked behind them, I would stick out like a sore thumb.

I pull the navy blue hood over my head. Like this, my face is disguised and if they looked, they could think I’m just someone out for a late night, or very early morning walk.

Moving quietly is second nature to me, since I used to sneak out of the house to see Cal after Mom was asleep; my skills have remained sharp even after two years away at boarding school.

The guys walk at a rapid pace. Most of them are over six feet tall, so their strides are much longer than mine. I’m only five three. This means that I’m practically running to keep up. I need to remember to thank Sydney for dragging me out running with her every morning last summer.

“Where can they possibly be going?” I wonder when we walk past the hockey arena and the football fields at one end of campus.

When they run through a relatively small wooded area, I debate with myself if I should keep following them. Maybe I should turn around and go back to the Zeta house before someone realizes I’m not in my sleeping bag.

But I keep following them. Mom says I got my stubborn side from Dad. Whatever. I call it determination, and right now I’m determined to find out what a bunch of guys could possibly be doing in the middle of nowhere at night.

I begin questioning my own judgment when the frat president comes to a stop in front of a huge, one story building that has seen better days.

The rusty door is secured by a thick chain that, in contrast, looks brand new.

What can there possibly be in there?

I can’t go inside without being spotted, so I walk around the building, thankful for the light provided by the full moon.

I find a window in the back, but it’s too high for me to be able to see through it. Luck is on my side, though. I spot a wooden crate that looks solid enough for me to climb on it.

Despite all my efforts, however, it’s still too dark to see anything.

I wonder what they could be doing in there. Clandestine poker games? A human sacrifice? This place is creepy and isolated enough that nothing would surprise me.

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