Helheim

CHAPTER 8

Amelie had disappeared after her friends, and I didn't see her the rest of the afternoon, and when dinner came around, there was still no sign of none of The Seven.

-I can't believe you fell asleep in the janitor's closet- smirked Helen pouring ketchup over her hamburger- Girl you really were too drunk last night, if I were you I would still be hangover-

-Yeah, it just happened- I shrugged, conscious of the rigidness of Kacey and Maeve next to me, who were clearly still angry- I'm sorry I worried you and that you had to spent the night looking for me-

-It's okay, the party was starting to get boring anyway - she replied, and then she warned me- But next time you go to the restroom during a party we are coming with you-

-Alright- I smirked.

Bonnie appeared in that precise second and put her tray on the table excitedly; she had this animated smile on her face that gave her away every time she had a gossip to spill.

-They say the initiation last night was so brutal that, Carter Bates, one of the first graders quit- commented Bonnie- Rumor has it he's been sick in the infirmary all day-

The sole mention of his name brought back every memory making me shiver.

-How do you know? –asked Helen.

-Tyson, the Canadian in my literature class, his brother is friends with Carter- shrugged Bonnie.

-Well what did they do? - questioned Helen impatiently.

-No clue, he says Carter won't talk about it- replied Bonnie- None of the other boys will say anything either, but some people say it was almost as bad as two years ago-

Maeve, Kacey and I, ate in dead silence.

-What did they do? two years ago I mean – I asked clearing my throat.

-No one knows- answered Kacey to my surprise- Only thing we know is that all the rookies spent four days in the infirmary-

-I still can't believe the authorities won't do anything about it! –protested Helen-

-What are they supposed to do if no one is ever willing to report them? –questioned Maeve while looking directly at me.

-As far as I know that's because rituals are supposed to be kept a secret- retorted Bonnie.

-What? – I questioned confused.

-Think about it...- began explaining the girl while lowering her tone and leaning more over the table- They do it every year to a certain group of boys, it's always a secret, in hidden locations, and after that, they become popular and untouchable. It's like they change them. An initiation is a ritual... to become part of their society-

I looked at her befuddled.

-Stop Bonnie, you know Valhalla is not real- scolded her Kacey.

I almost choke on my tea. There it was again, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about that word, Valhalla.

-What is that? –I asked trying not to appear so interested on the topic.

-Is just a tale, but Bonnie is convinced is a real thing- responded Helen rolling her eyes.

-It has to be! – contradicted the girl.

-Legend has it that when Helheim Institute was founded, a group of eight outstanding rich students created an exclusive group named the Valhalla Society, and they would only allow in people who had gone through an initiation- explained Kacey- And Bonnie believes it's real, moreover, she thinks the snakes and all of their friends are part of that group, which of course it's stupid because is not real-