Page 10 of Vicious Intentions

“Where do you get this stuff?”

I shrugged, taking a sip of my soda. “I hear things. I’m not the wallflower you think I am.”

She smiled slyly. “So true. I assure you that they aren’t demon spirits. But they do throw the most incredible, kickass parties on campus. It’s the end of the year. Remember? You need to live a little.”

She was right about living a little, something I’d never been allowed to do. I chewed on my lower lip as I thought about her offer. Students of the Elite lived in a massive estate on the outskirts of the property, the fifty acres sectioned off from the rest of the students. They even had their own stables that housed incredible horses. I’d always wanted to see inside, but not as one of their ‘girls’. “What is this party?”

“Just a party. Come on. As I said, you need to live a little. It’s going to be the event of the year,” she taunted. “You’re going to graduate and leave me. Please come with me?”

“Begging isn’t going to help.”

“What if I clean the room until the end of the year?”

“Oh, that’s a lame gesture. Besides, I have nothing to wear.” Which was true. I preferred jeans, sweatshirts, and tennis shoes, enjoying the comfort they provided. It also allowed me anonymity in a sea of wealth and power.

“I’ll loan you a dress and heels. We are the same size.” She pouted her lips again. I swear the girl could get anything she wanted.

I glared at her, knowing that when she put something in her mind, she refused to give up on it. “What are they doing at this party? Sacrificing a pig or something?”

“Girl, for God’s sake. You really do need to get out more. It’s just about music, hot men, and plenty of booze. We can flirt to our heart’s desire.”

“I don’t drink.”

“One glass of wine or champagne isn’t going to kill you.”

“They’re not allowed to have alcohol at these parties.”

“And you know rules don’t apply to the Elite. They can do anything they want to do.”

Her statement was true enough. The administrators always looked the other way since the facility was private. But that didn’t make it right. From what I’d heard, the members were perverted as well as dangerous, some of the members sons of mafia leaders. “I don’t know.”

“Pretty please. I would really prefer to have you with me. You know, a friend?” She batted her long eyelashes, as if that technique would work on me.

“Fine. But only for an hour.”

“Yay! Let me grab the dress I thought of. I can’t wait to see you all dolled up.”

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been dressed up.

As soon as she scurried off, I heard my phone and sighed, forced to race into my bedroom where I’d tossed my purse after getting back from class. I was certain it was my mother’s regular three-day check-in. She’d remained nervous even after all this time. I turned on a light, then caught the call on the fourth ring.

“Hello, Mom,” I said, without bothering to look at the screen.

“Baby girl. How is everything?” As usual, her voice was chipper. Connie Winters never allowed her guard to drop, even with her own daughter. She was everything I wasn’t. Popular. The light in a room. The life of a party. Beautiful. Accomplished. I felt like the ugly duckling beside her.

“It’s good, just like it was three days ago.” I narrowed my eyes and walked closer to the nightstand, my breath catching. A red rose petal.

A cold shiver trickled down my spine. It was the second one I’d found in three weeks. I hadn’t paid attention to the first, thinking I’d rubbed against a bush, but the way it had been placed directly in the center of the small table wasn’t natural.

My mother jabbered on as I pulled it closer, taking a deep whiff. The scent was incredible, one of the sweetest fragrances I’d inhaled.

“You make it sound like you’re upset that I check on my daughter.”

I closed my eyes, positioning the petal exactly where I’d found it.

Then I turned around in a full circle, trying to process what she’d just said.

“Um… No, I’m not upset, but you can stop worrying about me now. I’ll be home for the summer in less than two weeks.” Sighing, I walked toward the window, looking out at the sprawling grounds of the campus. I could almost see the Elite’s estate through the massive tree line.

---