Page 103 of Shadows Within
At ten minutes to nine, we arrive at the location that Leo sent. A dark SUV pulls into the lot across from us—it’s Leo. I can tell he’s not alone, but I can’t make out who is with him through his tinted windows. As Leo climbs out, all four doors of his SUV open.
Leo and three other pledges walk over to us. Leading the group, Leo is the only Higher.
We form a circle and Leo steps forward. He greets us with a nod.
“Callum. Harrison. Stirling. I’m going to get right to it; we don’t have much time.” He looks at each of us and stops on me. “There’s obvious uproar within The Society. Victor and Archer don’t want to let this go. Victor wants you all dead, while Archer doesn’t want to side against his sons—rightfully so. But he won’t just let you all go free. He’s going to expect something. I don’t know what that is yet, but it will be a high price.”
He motions to the pledges. “We all want change. The Society isn’t what it used to be, it’s no longer a place where the powerful seek refuge. It’s turned into something that doesn’t align with how it started. I feel that together, we can shift things.”
There’s never been talk of an uprising. If one were to play out, it would be shut down immediately, with those involved silenced by the bullets through their heads. It sounds like Leohas been thinking about this for a while. He wants revenge. I can’t help but wonder what The Society has done to Leo, or what they’ve taken from him.
“What do you need us to do?” I ask.
“We need to bring The Society down from the inside out. We need intel on all the drops, and we need to control the buyers. But be careful in who you trust. This stays between us.” He’s not wrong to be so hesitant with everyone. That’s what The Society does, the rats will come to the surface quickly. We’ll find out who we can trust.
“I have a few conditions.” I speak up. Leo frowns.
“You’re in no position to be naming requests, Callum.”
“They aren’t requests.” I silence him. “Vanessa gets out, and I want her out now, not when things get settled. I need to take her to a rehab facility.” It’s the least I can do.
“That can be arranged.” He waits for the next item.
“I don’t want Scarlett involved at all. And if it comes down to me or her.” I take a step toward him. “You always pick her.”
“I know what you’re asking, Callum. Are you sure?” He wants to make sure I’m ready to die for her, for love.
“There’s no other option.” My father’s last words echo in my head. No, she is theonlyoption.
“Well, I think we all know what we must do. We need all the information we can get. Everyone plays an important role. This isn’t going to happen overnight, and we must remain patient and wait until every piece comes together,” Leo says.
Stirling looks at Harrison, and Harrison turns back to me. Leo glances over at them, unsure what the future will bring. All eyes are on me.
“The Society will never change. If we can’t tame the fire, we’ll become it.”
Grenade
Scarlett
A couple of weeks have passed since the incident. Stirling and Harrison returned home, and Stirling practically forced Sophia to stay with them for the first couple of nights. He can’t trust Sophia’s dad and wanted to keep a close eye on her for a few days.
After she planned the funeral, Callum’s mom went out of town. It was beautiful. I’ve never seen so many flowers and tuxedos. Every influential person in town attended. I assume a lot of them were Society members.
Callum assured me that his mom wasn’t overly upset and that his father’s funeral was an act for the public eye. Regardless, I still feel bad for her. Life as she’s known it is over, and a part of that is my fault. I’m not sure if she’ll ever understand the extent of what happened—she wouldn’t speak to me at the funeral. But by the look of it, her social status matters more than what happened to her husband.
Although so much has changed, I’m glad to be back in class. After a few rough days, it finally feels right again. I’ve craved my routine while trying to figure out a new normal. Dad hasn’t been pushing me to talk, but he knows that something is different. He checks in to see if I’m okay more than usual. Callum told me that he invited him over for dinner. I don’t know if his actions have any ulterior motives. I don’t want to stress about that as I begin my thesis. I finally decided to pursue my master’s. It seems right—I don’t just want to live, I want to learn from all that’s happened.
I’m supposed to meet Callum at the greenhouse tonight. Twice a week, we meet there to feel at peace. Although, we usually end up having sex. Selfishly, I love it. It’s a place we both feel at peace. Callum has lots going on with The Society.
Since we returned home from the cottage, I’ve tried to contact Mom a few times, but she hasn’t answered my calls or texts. I understand that she needs space, but I have so many questions for her. I also just want to make sure that she is okay. She didn’t look well when I saw her in the temple.
Since she won’t answer me, I need to find the answers on my own. I drive by the river. It’s funny, all this time she’s lived a ten-minute drive away from Dad’s, yet I hardly saw her.What did I do to deserve this treatment from her? What kind of mother doesn’t stop by to see their daughter?
It’s dusk. As I move through town, the streetlights begin to flicker on. The little creek that flows through this part of town isn’t lined with huge houses. All of the rich and powerful people live on the top of the hill, known as Millhaven Estates. They look down from their metaphorical castles at all us peasants—the ones just trying to get by.
I turn onto the road where mom’s house is. I can tell from the end of the driveway that she hasn’t been maintaining the property. The grass is almost knee height, and her flower bushes are all overgrown. When I was a child, she spent lots of time in the garden, planting weird seeds she found or just weeding. She cared about her plants. There are so many pieces to Mom’s puzzle that I have yet to uncover.
Her 1995 Lincoln Aviator is parked in the driveway. Dad restored it nearly ten years ago, right before she left. She wanted that SUV so bad, and Dad searched for forever to find the right one. It’s just another piece of him she’ll always carry. I get out of my car and walk over to the door of her tiny bungalow. I try it but it’s locked.
