Page 33 of Racing Hearts
I’m about to tell him all this when we circle some trees and stop, leaving me blinking in shock.
There is a small marble structure here, statues of pine trees framing a wooden door with a huge lock across it. It’s hidden well, so well that if you didn’t know where it was, you would probably never find it. There’s a fence to the right almost blocking it off, and the trees cover it entirely from the campus’s view. It feels like a different world. The gray marble building looks like something from the past, and the plaque above the door is in a foreign language.
Intra ea cum secretis ut.
“What does it mean?” I ask softly, nodding at the plaque.
“Not a fucking clue. They told me, but I’m shitty at Latin. Ask the others, they’ll remember. I don’t know why they couldn’t just write it in English, the dramatic fuckers.” He chuckles as he heads over and pulls a key from his pocket. It’s an antique brass one, and it slides into the lock. The chain drops, and he pushes the door open before turning to smile at me, then he holds the key out to me.
I gape as I turn my head from the secret doorway to a grinning Liam. “You didn’t think we would leave you in the dark, did you? You’re one of us now, and that means knowing the secret and getting the key to the door. This is more than a club or a hobby, Evan. This is a partnership. It’s a family. A place to go when you have no one else, and it’s yours now.” He pushes me into the open doorway, and I stumble inside.
It's just a small room, which is disappointing, and there are busts placed around the walls on small shelves. The floor is uneven concrete, and there is a wooden table cut into the back of the marble room with candles scattered across it. Liam heads past me, the door shutting behind us with a bang, making me jump. He isn’t bothered, though, and at the table, he reaches sideways, pressing on one of the busts that turns, and then there’s a cranking noise.
The table lifts, revealing a dark passage. He whistles as he grabs a candle, lights it, and leans in, hitting something. Light blares within as he blows the candle out and puts it back, and I can see stone stairs leading down.
“After you, newbie.” He grins, waiting.
Okay, I know what I said about being a bad skin suit and all, and really I didn’t think I’d be one of those dumb blonds in a horror movie, but I’m just too fucking curious. Besides, my hair is dyed, it’s not natural, so it doesn’t count, right?
Heading his way, I stop at the top of the stairs. “If you decide to skin me and use it for a skin suit, please, for the love of God, at least do it in a fashionable way,” I tell him as I step inside, his laughter chasing me as I descend the steep stone steps. At the bottom, I find an oval tunnel leading off into the distance, with buzzing, old-style lights hanging from ropes all the way down. Nothing else.
I hear the door slam shut above us, and then he’s at my side again. It’s just wide enough for us to walk that way without brushing against each other, but not much else.
“These tunnels were built when the school was founded. They were forgotten for a while before our society began, and ever since, we have used them to meet and get around. No one else knows they are here, not even the staff. People just assume it’s locked and they can’t get in,” he offers when I stay silent. “It’s useful for us. We can get to our hideout without being questioned or seen. You’ll get this key tonight, and you can come here whenever you want, not just when we are meeting. What is ours is yours now—our knowledge, our houses, our families, our names, and our power.”
“How often do we meet?” I ask, although it’s probably something I should have asked before. “And do I need to do anything?”
He shakes his head. “We meet every month, more if we want or if there is a problem. At the end of the year, we have a big blowout as well. No, you don’t need to do anything really. Just keep the secret and be one of us. If a member asks for help, you help no matter what, and that’s it.”
“What if it’s to move a body? I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t do well in prison. I’m too pretty.” That makes him laugh again as the tunnel curves.
“Don’t worry, we’ve only moved a few bodies throughout the years, and we never got caught.” He winks, but I have no idea if he’s joking or not, but then we reach another door.
This one is metal, and there’s a sliding window at the top. No lock, no handle.
Liam raps his fist against the metal in a series of knocks—great, a secret code. I’m going to need to write all of this down. The sound echoes, and when he’s done, the door cranks open. It’s so dramatic, but I love it.
“After you, newbie.”
I step inside to find myself back where I was last time. The lights are on now, though, and there’s no kidnapping. The members are spread around, drinking and chatting, so it’s just like a party.
“Ah, you’re finally here,” Bones says from his spot on a sofa.
I nod and head over, sitting in one of the chairs while Liam grabs two beers, handing me one as he reclines on another settee.
“Okay, okay, meeting time.” Autumn claps. “Let’s discuss the matters we need to, then we can get drunk and fuck around.”
“What matters? Oh god, it isn’t to vote to change the color of the crest again, is it?” Liam mutters in annoyance.
“No, we settled on gold.” She huffs as she looks around. “We were considering taking another member next month. We think it would be good to get our numbers up, but we need to vote. Hands up if you agree.” Some stick their hands up, and I just sip my beer as she turns to me. “Evan?”
“Oh, um, I didn’t know I was allowed to vote.” I slowly stick my hand up.
“You’re one of us,” she reminds me with a grin. “Okay, so it’s agreed we will add someone. Start scouting, and report hopeful names to me whenever you have them. We can look into those we think could fit. Next matter.” Someone groans, and her eyes narrow. “Tee”—she glances at him—“is looking for an internship this semester and needs our help. What do we have?”
“My father owns a law firm,” Bones says. “I can swing that if you need experience there.”
He sighs. “I need it more in big businesses.”