When Miren was practically frisked at midnight, she was convinced Jeno had lied to her.
A hand capped over her mouth, preventing her from screaming. Which was probably a good thing, because a high-pitched wail would probably send the wrong message, considering the obvious. Her eyes tried to focus in the dark dorm room, but panic blinded her. She was then lifted to her feet, with hands pushing herâguiding herâhaphazardly toward the door.
She kept her silence as she walked, until she realized that she wasn't too fond of the idea of an unknown handâand a clammy hand at thatâclamped over her mouth. Suspended somewhere between the land of pure tiredness and disregard of her attacker's wellbeing, she bit down on the hand. Hard.
There was yellingâa deeper voice that she felt she recognizedâbut she scurried toward the door anyway, her fingers scratching and searching for an invisible doorknob, before she hastily flicked on the lights.
And there they were. Axel and Cliff. Miren's face spoiled as she touched her lips. That must have been Cliff's dirty hand, speaking for the way he was swaying it in the air.
"The bastard bit me!" he said, holding his wrist, inspecting the damage. He turned to Miren with his bottom lip quivering. "Are you happy?"
Miren scoffed. "What the hell is happening?" she questioned, restraining from yelling. It was later than late. She rubbed the sleep from her face, even though her eyes were wide, glazed over with frustration.
"Initiation," Axel said. Miren cocked a tired eyebrow. "We're supposed to drag new upperclassmen into the woods for the pre-homecoming ceremony, but apparently you're too feisty for Cliff."
"You didn't have to bite the shit out of my hand," the other boy whined, soothing his wounded hand with his own lips. The sight was almost silly, how weak and frail he seemed despite his beyond huge stature. She shrugged. It's not like she drew blood. Or kicked him in the groin.
"You didn't have to touch me," Miren countered, crossing her arms over her chest. Her chest. That's what she was worried about. Somehow she had the good sense to double up on sports bras, even though she technically didn't have to. Not with Jeno in the loop. But as she scanned the room, she noticed he wasn't here.
Still, she was wearing a loose, thick navy sweatshirt and sweatpants. She decided she was boy enough for now.
"What time is it?" Miren asked Axel. "And where's Jeno?"
"Two thirty," he answered, examining the time from his cellphone before sliding it back into his pajama pocket. Miren rolled her eyes. Didn't they care that they had class tomorrow? They were lucky that she didn't have a test this week, considering she was already playing catch-up.
"As for Jen," Axel continued, his eyes bouncing with too much amusement for the hour, "he's outside with the others. So let's get going."
They dispersed into the hallway, joining some more students as they descended downstairs. Either the students were very good at sporting a calm face, because it appeared that no one else suffered the shocking wake up call Miren had. Of course they were groggily, some stumbled over their heavy feet like the sleep deprived zombies they were, but there seemed to be a buzz of excitement in the air. Miren could only hope they were entering something exciting. She didn't want to be walking toward her doom. But something about walking along side Axel and Cliffâwho didn't seem bright enough to execute a bro-nappingâdispelled her worry.
Still, there was something different about the people she had encountered lately. It was like they were on her side. And although Miren was reluctant to accept these mild alliances, rejection wasn't really an option for her.
"Won't we get in trouble?" she then asked as they approached the lobby. The two males shrugged.
"Never have before," Cliff said. "Live a little, for me?"
Through the lobby, they turned into a hallway opposite of the front entrance that led them to double doors spitting out an influx of students. She looked around, fully awake now, taking in the forest-like environment she had never been in before. She had only seen the shallow wood area in the corner of her dorm window.
It was far more cultivated than it appeared from three stories up, as she could see a flag carrying the St. Rosemunde seal hanging from a small oak tree and wooden arch crafted from shallow branches suspended some six feet over their heads granted them entrance into the enchanted forest.
Not that it was all that enchanted. A million different conversations seized the air, robbing the space of its natural serenity. Miren kept to her silence, taking it all in cautiously as Axel and Cliff nudged each other, the volume of their voices loud and eager for the night's festivities.
They passed the thick forest area and entered a clearing. There were more trees ahead, but because it was nightfall, Miren couldn't see what else was on the other side. To her left, she saw there was a medium sized pond with the moon reflecting on the black surface. Ahead of her she could see a gazebo, raised a couple feet from the ground.
There, stood Jeno, Levi, and a few other students she recognized from the student administration meeting. Then she saw Parker, looking like Jesse Williams' hotter younger brother, and some people she assumed were from senior class counsel.
Miren half expected them to be draped in eerie cloaks, with organ music in the air and maybe some lit candles to create a demonic effect. Instead, the Rinzen's class leaders were also dawned in nightwear, calling for a more casual air. To compensate, camping lanterns lined the clearing, brightening up the space. Scary. Feeling a nudge, Axel motioned for her to walk forward, to the front of the crowd. There, she was met up with three other confused looking students. Initiates.
"Is everyone here?" Levi asked, his eyes in a squint as he searched through the crowd. There had to be at least two hundred of the upperclassmen dispersed along the space. That had to be good enough. "Well, we're running behind schedule, so we're gonna start now."
He cleared his throat when he noticed the group was still a little bit too loud for his liking. "I said now, you pansies!" The crowd fell silent. Mostly.
"Welcome to the Shadowing," he said. "Where everyone's a victim."
Miren's face fell. Victim? What on earth had they gotten her into?
"There are no victims, you ass," Jeno intervened. "Stop trying to freak out the initiates." His eyes skimmed against Miren's before examining the rest of the crowd. "Only four of you?" he pursed his lips, though the look on his face was both uninterested and unsurprised. "Well, that's disappointing."
"Lighten up, would you?" Even in the dim lighting, Parker's eyes were gleaming. Miren held her breath, unrelieved by his words. The only relief she would get would be back in bed, away from whatever this was, and whatever was bound to expose her.
"Moving on," Levi began. "We have but three short tasks to complete tonight. One is to swear in the new boys of Riz academy. Another is declaring a homecoming plan of action as a united front. Lastly, we'll toast to the season."
There were some cheers in the crowd, but Miren ignored them, her eyes focusing ahead. If she could live through the swearing in, then the rest of the night would be a breeze. And she needed one, because she could feel her cheeks heat up with anxiety.
"Wally, how are we doing on security?" Parker then asked. Miren searched around. She had almost forgotten about him, but in a moments notice he emerged from the dark gazebo with a tablet in hand.
"Just fine," he said, examining a motion image of the resident director sound asleep on his sociology textbook. "Mashed a few sleeping pills into his coffee and disabled the security system over his corpse." There were some laughs at his comment. However, Wallace's expression was serious. "That being said, we shouldn't be too slow. He's a lunatic, and depending on the strength of the pills and all the coffee he drinks, I approximate he'll be up within two hours.
Jeno nodded at the boy. "We should be done well before then." His gaze then fell against the four awkward boys standing below him. "Initiates, get up here."
And they did, hastily approaching the steps of the gazebo. Jeno walked along side of them, the intimidating expression he naturally wore on his face making him appear like a drill sergeant about to call out his weak soldiers.
"Jackson Knaltwell, Tatum Galsworthy, Chandler van der Meer..." He stopped in front of Miren. "...Miles Ellison."
He continued his pace, before stopping in the middle of them. "Do you know what you have gotten yourselves into?" There was a dark, taunting look on his face. They shook their heads. He smirked. "The season is approaching us. And as student administration president, I refuse to see us lose to those conceited wenches from Rosemunde. Can I trust you to make my simple dream a reality?"
There was a bout of hesitation within the small group. That was until Miren stepped forward.
"You can," she said, placing a closed fist to her heart. Her act was partially bravery, but mostly a desire to get this over with so she could go back to sleep. They were taking themselves way to seriously.
"Good," Jeno said, a genuine smile gracing his lips. "Then you can follow Chester to the tattoo station."
Miren's eyes widened. Tattoo? Scratch what she had thought before. Now, they were taking themselves too seriously. But she let the boy lead her to the side front of the gazebo, sensing that non-acceptance of the act wasn't a wise option. She pulled the sleeve of her right arm up, as Levi wiped the skin of her upper arm with a swab of rubbing alcohol.
"Is this permanent?" she asked, expelling a yawn. She wanted to feel fear, but it was that time of night where nothing seemed to make sense. So this couldn't be happening.
"Semi," he informed her. "It will last through homecoming. But it's just a tattoo marker, so you won't get AIDs."
"That's good."
With that, he administered a crude seal on her arm in black ink. She would have examined it further, but it was a little hard to see in the dark lighting. "Do you have to get one?" she asked Levi, as she tucked her sleeve down. He shook his head.
"Not necessary. Being VP is loyalty enough. Though I do have tattoos. Cooler ones."
"Do I have to get one?" one of the initiates said in a whine. Parker shrugged.
"You don't have to," he said truthfully, watching the boy perk up. "You can reject to being sworn in too. But just know that means you are forfeiting our unity, acceptance, and respect. You risk being subjected to the same wrath we'll show Rosemunde. And we aren't holding back just because they're girls. Your choice."
But the boy knew that he didn't have one. With an exasperated groan he trudged to the other side of the gazebo. The process continued quickly, until all four of them were bearing the Rinzen seal. Jeno stretched an arm out to them, showing the crowd their new members. "Give them a proper welcome."
Clapping and cheering erupted. Miren couldn't help but smile. She had never been welcomed to anything like this. Even if this felt kind of unnecessary. Stupid.
"Next, we need to discuss our plan of action for the Homecoming Assembly briefly," Jeno said. "Could we have our decoration coordinator up here?"
It took a while for Miren to realize that he was talking about her. When she did, she approached the platform quickly.
"Yes?" she said.
"Tell them about your ideas."
She blinked at him, her mind surging but her body frozen. She didn't mind standing in front of a crowd, she just didn't know if she was capable of addressing them. But as she stood there in an almost awkward silence, it occurred to her that she was responsible for exposing herself to Jeno. What was she going to say now? That she took the position because she thought being a girl would help her?
She gulped. Jeno pressed a hand against her shoulder. She turned to him as he nodded. "Don't worry," he began, in a whisper. "I'll stop you if you say anything stupid. Don't say anything stupid."
Miren's eyes narrowed. "Thanks for the pep talk." But his taunting was the ammunition she needed to start.
"A few days ago I approached the Student Administration with five ideas I had for homecoming. They consisted of a beach theme, city theme, outer-space, roaring twenties, and a spy," she stopped, not quite sure what to say next. "So I guess you guys can choose which ones you like bestâ"
"Why bother? It's not like we ever get to host," a random student shot out within the crowd. Miren's eyebrows rose. Maybe that would explain why she was the only one up for the job.
"You don't know that," Parker said. "Rosemunde's been hosting it for the past four years. I spoke to their senior president, they don't even have any ideasâ"
"It's only about a three percent chance they'll get to host it for the fifth year," Wallace added. Apparently he was a math prodigy too.
Jeno nodded. "But we have to be prepared either way. Can we come to a consensus on the theme?"
There was chaos in the air, as a hundred voices began to debate a seemingly trivial detail.
"How about we just put it to an online vote?" Wallace presented, setting his tablet down. "I'll put it up as a poll that we can answer tomorrow. That way everyone can feel relevant."
The crowd mumbled in acceptance. Jeno nodded again.
"Since the assembly isn't until later this week, that makes sense." He turned to the crowd of students. "But remember that homecoming is one of the greatest chances we have to show our superiority to Rosemunde. And I don't like to look bad."
"Now lets toast!" Chester said this time, bringing forth bottles of wine as Levi and Henry came behind him with stacks of clear cups in hand. There was cheering as Axel emerged from the crowd carrying additional bottles.
The whole ordeal was beginning to feel like a fraternity. Miren shook her head as she scanned the male crowd. The initiation. The alcohol. It didn't seem smart.
But she found herself with a cup filled to the brim with the liquid anyway. She glared at it.
"To Rinzen!" Parker called out, raising his cup.
"To Rinzen!" They yelled back. Miren was still glaring at the cup.
And then they were drinkingâshe wasn't. But then she could hear everything Cliff had said to her, about her being a bore and needing to liven up, so she took her first sip.
And she hated it. But her mind began to buzz, wondering how on earth they got the foul liquid in the first place. However, she dismissed the thought. Sometimes it wasn't good to question everything.
But it also wasn't good to drink something that a reckless boy gave her. So she poured the liquid in the dirt when she thought no one was looking.
"It's sparkling cider." Jeno was at her side now. His eyes scanned his student subjects, cocking an eyebrow when he noted some of them were tipsy. He paused to correct himself. "At least the ones SA bought. We just don't tell them. It's late, and most of them are already sedated by tiredness," he informed her.
"That's actually pretty smart," Miren considered, watching the crowd. "Though not very honest."
"Coming from you?" Jeno said.
Miren rolled her eyes, happy to see that her reveal hadn't really changed anything. "Just making an observation." Her eyes fell to the gazebo. Parker was laughing, jabbing Wallace in the side as some other boys snickered giddily. Must have been the fake alcohol.
"You're wasting your time fawning over him," Jeno then said matter-of-factly.
"I can't help it," was Miren's brilliant response.
"Why do you even like him?"
She bit her lip. Why do I even like him? It was simple. "He was nice to me in middle school, and when I first came to Rosemunde he showed even more interest in me. When he looked at me, I wasn't the poor black girl that didn't fit in. We exchanged numbers. We even had a date planned until Penelope claimed dibs. Apparently he's a family friend of hers." She sighed. "And then that was that."
Well, at least all she was willing to say.
Jeno shook his head. "I'd ask why you were friends with her, but we all know the wicked bitch is capable of mind control."
Miren couldn't help but laugh, even if it was strained. "Shouldn't you be off with the rest of the student administration? You hate me, remember?"
"I could never hate you." With a pat on the shoulder, he started for the front of the gazebo. Miren blinked, briefly considering which identity he was referring to. Either way, she was glad to have him on her side.
Obviously intoxicated, but still light on his feet, Axel stumbled toward the steps of the gazebo. Raising his cup to the air, a beastial yell escaped his lips. "WHO'S READY FOR THE SEASON?!"
Miren grinned as more cheering erupted. It wasn't homecoming just yet, but she was already beginning to feel at home.