The Freshman

Chapter Eight - On the Hunt

Emily's POV

After a short drive, the car comes to a stop, and Becca killed the engine. I heard her heels clicking over the asphalt as she walked around to the trunk. "Up and at 'em, pledges. Hell Week starts now," Becca said.

"Could someone please just take this bag off my head?" I asked. I felt someone grab my arm and haul me out of the trunk. The ground changed from asphalt to wet, dew grass, and I struggled to keep my footing with zero visibility. Finally, a hand gripped the top of the bag and roughly yanked it off my head. "Where are we?"

"I think we're still on campus..." Kaitlyn said.

"Obviously," Becca said.

"Are you going to tell us what we're doing here?" I asked.

"And why you felt it was necessary to kidnap us? In the middle of the night?" Abbie asked.

"Speak when spoken to, pledge!" Madison exclaimed. "Ooh, being in charge is fun!"

"It's tradition. Kappa Phi Sigma has done things this way for generations," Becca said. "Now, your first challenge as pledges will be to find the monogrammed cashmere sweater of our founding sister, Trixie Cartwright."

"May she rest in peace."

"She was everything a Kappa sister aspires to be... poised, sophisticated, and unfailingly chic."

"So... you want us to find some dead girl's sweater?" Abbie asked.

"This doesn't involve grave robbing... does it?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Ew, no! She left her beloved sweater as an official Kappa Phi Sigma heirloom," Madison said.

"You just need to follow the clues scattered around campus to find its resting place," Becca said. "The first team to return the sweater will move on in the pledge process. Everyone else will be eliminated."

"Ooh, a scavenger hunt! I call Abbie and Emily for my team!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.

"Very well. The first clue is..." Becca unfurled a scroll tied with ribbon and read it aloud. "'For early mornings or all-nighters, this is the home of weary writers.' You have two hours to return the sweater to us at Kappa Phi Sigma house. Starting... Now."

As the other pledges split into teams and set off in opposite directions, Abbie, Kaitlyn, and I put our heads together to puzzle out the clue. "'For early mornings or all-nighters...'"

"'This is the home of weary writers,'" Abbie said.

"So it's somewhere writers hang out... when they're tired?" I asked. "That must mean the cafe! Get it? When you're up late writing something, you need coffee. The next clue is at the cafe!"

"Ooh, that makes total sense! Gotta get that caffeine boost!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.

"Nice one, Emily. Let's go pay Brandon a visit..." Abbie said.

The three of us headed to the cafe and pushed through the door. Brandon looked up as the bell jingled. "Evening, ladies. Looking for Zack?" Brandon asked.

"Huh? Is he here?" I asked.

"Oh, hey guys. Yeah, we agreed to study together, right?" Zack asked.

I was about to object, but Zack gave me a meaningful look. "Uh... right! Let's do some studying!"

Abbie and I grabbed seats with Zack while Kaitlyn snooped around, looking for the next clue. "Zack, what's going on? Why are you here at two in the morning?" Abbie asked.