Voices - Xavier Thorpe

09

A bag was over Wen's head disorienting her, wrists tied tight enough to cut off circulation. Wendi had no idea if she'd live or die. Last thing she could remember was looking at the painting when the blinded pulling, pushing and falling occurred. Currently sitting with no ability to see or move she sat listening to the shuffling around her.

Suddenly the bag was ripped from her head, look around the room Wendi noticed a group of people standing around her as a projection light shined in her eyes. Looking to her left she saw Wednesday bound next to her looking unfazed.

A mysterious voice spoke up from behind the light sound warped, "Who dares breach our inner sanctum?"

"You can take the mask off, Bianca." Wednesday spoke up causing the light to be shut off and the group to take their masks off with disappointment. "Wait, I preferred you with it on." She continued after with a smirk.

"How did you get down here?" Bianca said annoyed. Wen looked to Wednesday for an answer as she didn't why they were in the secret room.

"Rowan showed me." She stated earning confused looks, "Left pocket."

At her words a boy walked toward her, doing so he makes eye contact with Wendi for a moment causing the girl to look at him with shock. As Xavier quickly looks away, he reached into Wednesday's pocket unfolding as sheet of paper.

"I tracked the watermark to the Poe statue. Then I solved the riddle." She explained.

"Wait, there's a riddle? I thought we just snapped twice." The siren from the Poe cup spoke up.

"Well, aren't you the brightest in the bunch?"

Ignoring her comment, Bianca looks to Wendi, "Why are you with her?"

Wen looked at the girl, then to Wednesday not sure how to explain. While trying to shift in her seat her wrists are strained from the ropes. "I-uh kind of ran into her?" She says with more of a question than answer.

"what were you doing out then?" Another asked.

"Couldn't sleep." Wen replied bluntly earning a glance from Wednesday as she knew that wasn't the case.

With a huff, Bianca speaks up once more, "The Nightshades are an elite social club. Emphasis on elite."

"We have roof parties, campouts, the occasional midnight skinny-dip." Yoko, a vampire in the group adds before another tacks on that she's an amateur mixologist.

"She makes a killer virgin mojito. It can get pretty wild." Says the gorgon that Enid liked.

"Wow. Do you guys even have a bedtime?" Wednesday says sarcastically, "Last I heard, the Nightshades had been disbanded."

"Yeah, the group kind of lost its charter 30 years ago after some normie kid died." Bianca answers before Yoko explains that Weems allows the wealthy alumni to gather as long as nobody makes any waves.

"Someone like Rowan?" Wednesday inquired. Wendi shifting uncomfortably in her seat once again.

"We booted that loser last semester." Bianca replied once again.

"Um, can we be untied now?" Wendi asks somewhat quietly feeling bad for interrupting but wanting to be freed.

A pause occurs as the group looks to one another. Bianca speaking up once more.

"What are we going to do with them? Only members are allowed in this library." Bianca says looking to the others.

"I say we invite them to pledge." Xavier speaks up.