Page 87 of Atone

Gideon steps back with a glance over my shoulder. And I turn enough to see Alex walking toward us. His white T-shirt stretches over his shoulders, and his jeans hug his legs. He has his hands tucked in his pockets, like usual. Except this time, when he reaches me, he pulls one hand out to tug me to his side.

It’s unusually affectionate for us not being alone.

Alex doesn’t look at me. His eyes are fixed on his father’s.

“I was just saying hello toyour friend,” Gideon muses, his tone biting at the end.

When I tense, Alex’s fingers clutch my hip tighter, like he’s finding a way to put me at ease.

Alex stares at his father, remaining silent like he was when we visited his mother. His face doesn’t so much as flinch at Gideon’s comment, which only seems to annoy hisfather. There’s a long beat of silence before Gideon breaks it.

“Your mother wants to see you for dinner Sunday. I told her you would be there. We need to discuss a few things, as I’m sure you’ve guessed.” Gideon’s gaze skips from Alex to me, then back again. “I’ll leave you to your friend. See you this weekend, son.”

Gideon turns to leave, and there’s no warmth to the final smile he offers. It’s more of a warning than anything. And when the door closes behind Alex’s dad, the message is clear.

I’m not good enough for their son.

28

A SUM OF ITS PARTS

MILA

I wouldn't be surprisedif the library at Briar Academy is haunted. The old chairs creak with the slightest movement, and the floorboards wobble with every step. Cobwebs decorate the corners of the two-story bookcases, and dust paints a thick layer over the shelves. While everything else at Briar Academy is maintained and brand new, walking through the doors of the library is like stepping back in time.

With school out of session for the summer, the thermostat is set higher. Summer heat has settled, but Briar doesn’t want to waste money on air conditioning. It’s blistering hot. Nearly unbearable.

Sweat beads the back of my neck. Even in a tank top and short skirt, I'm burning up.

I hate how uncomfortable the library is, but with everything going on between me and Alex, I feel guilty snooping around his fraternity house again. And due to the comprehensive town archives at the library, this is the next best place to search for information on Sigma Sin.

Maybe I shouldn’t still be digging. Threatening texts have been coming in more frequently this past week, urging me to stop. Then there’s Alex’s loyalty to the House. If he found out I’m searching for dirt, would he turn me over to them or understand?

I don’t know enough yet to risk finding out the answer to the question.

When the librarian leans back in her chair, losing herself in her book, I quickly turn the corner toward the archives. During the school year, these records are heavily monitored. The only way to get access is to put in a request and have the librarian retrieve specific books. Thankfully, she’s too distracted by her iced tea and summer reading at the moment to care where I’m going, and there is no one else here.

The archives section of the library is in the back corner, sectioned off in its own room. It’s so dusty when I open the door that I sneeze, hoping I’m too far away for the librarian to hear. It takes me a few minutes to find what I’m looking for, and when I do, the book almost falls on me.

I skate my fingers over the Sigma House insignia embossed on the leather cover, taking a seat at the only table in the center of the room.

Sigma House was originally founded by the same four families who founded the town of Bristal. Teal’s family, the Donovans. Kole’s family, the Christiansens. Declan’s family, the Pierces. And finally, Alex’s family, the Lancasters.

To this day, and even after Declan recently turned over the Council at Sigma House, those four names hold more weight than any others within the boundaries of Bristal. They’ve woven their influence through generations. A spiderweb that has spread with each graduating class until itfed into corporations and political parties well past the boundaries of this town.

The evil deeds of Sigma House aren’t bound only by what happens here on the Briar Academy campus. The House’s influence extends to every facet of the country. Which is how somewhere, some tie is threaded to Oregon.

To Remi.

More dust clouds the air as I flip open the thick cover. Thankfully, the book is clearer than the cryptic codes I found in the ledger at Sigma House.

The first page is a series of family trees that end a couple generations before Alex’s. Information that old won’t lead me directly to who I’m looking for. Still, I continue flipping through the pages, sorting through the history of familiar family names and businesses.

Each page is proof of how Sigma House bleeds into the corruption in our country. And it all stemmed from one fraternity, built on a foundation of sacrifice and sin.

Alex Lancaster is one of them.

He’s not listed in the book, but plenty of his family members are, tracing all the way back to a man named Teagan Kurt Lancaster. It’s no wonder Declan, Kole, and Alex are all so fucked-up considering how far back the corruption goes. Or why Patience resents them for it.

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