𝓓𝓸 𝓸𝓻 𝓓𝓲𝓮 ❣︎ 𝓔𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓐𝓭𝓭𝓪𝓶𝓼

𝓢𝓔𝓡𝓘𝓔𝓢 𝓞𝓝𝓔 ❣︎ 10

Let's assess, shall we?

Ember was sat, head in bag, tied to a chair.

Bag over my head for optimal disorientation, wrists tied tight enough to cut off circulation. And no idea of whether I'm going to live or die.

The bag was whipped off Ember's head, whacking one of her plaits into her face. The round library she was in was exactly the same, except now, about ten people stood around the watermark, purple cloaks on, and the same mask she had seen under Rowan's floorboard adorning their faces.

It's definitely my kind of party.

A voice came from behind one of the masks. "Who dares breach our inner sanctum?"

"You can take the mask off, Bianca," Ember said, recognising the voice immediately.

There was a big sigh, and Bianca, along with all the others, took off their masks.

And just like that, my hopes were dashed against the rocks of butter disappointment. My foe was no psychotic killer. More like a bunch of high school clowns.

Around the room stood Bianca, Xavier, Ajax, Yoko, Kent and Davina (two more sirens) and at least ten more people.

"Wait, you look much better with it on," Ember said to Bianca. She got a cruel smirk in return.

"How did you get down here?" Xavier asked.

"Rowan showed me," Ember told him. He eyes went to her hoodie. "Left pocket."

Slowly, Xavier walked across the room and dug into Ember's pocket to find the picture.

"I tracked the watermark to the Poe statue. Then I solved the riddle," Ember looked up.

"Wait, there's a riddle?" One of Bianca's siren friends asked. "I thought we just snapped twice."

"Well, out of dumb or dumber, you're dumbest," Ember said sarcastically to him, Xavier still beside her.

"The Nightshades are an elite social club," Bianca spoke. "Emphasis on elite."

The Nightshades had obviously reformed since they had disbanded, as Ms Thornhill had told Ember.

"We have roof parties, campouts, the occasional midnight skinny dip," Yoko said.

"And Yoko's an amateur mixologist," another siren said.

"She makes a killer virgin mojito. It can get pretty wild!" Ajax was talking as though Ember should be jealous.

But all she felt was pity.

But the good thing about all this talking was, it gave Ember a chance to untie the ropes on her wrists. Uncle Fester had taught her how to undo just about any knot, and not give any sign she was doing it.

"Wow, do you guys even have a bedtime?" Ember asked sarcastically. "Last I heard, the Nightshades had been disbanded."

"Yeah, the group lost its charted thirty years ago after a normie kid died," Xavier answered.

"But we have a lot of wealthy alumni," Yoke said. "So Weems looks the other way as long as nobody makes any waves."

"Someone like Rowan?" Ember asked, for the mask she had found signified he had been a part of this group.

"We booted that loser last semester," Bianca told her. She looked around at her fellow Nightshades. "Question is, what are we gonna do with her? Only members are allowed in this library."

A pause. Then Xavier looked down at Ember. "I say we invite her to the pledge."

An uproar.

"What?"