Luis runs through the crowd, desperately trying to find Kai. Poppy, who has been trying to keep tabs on everyone, watches the panicked, curly-haired boy push through.

She grabs him by the shoulders and cups his face. "Luis, Luis look at me."

Luis is panting, looking around and then looking at her. "I'm not calm. I'm not going to calm down."

"What's going on?" Poppy says.

"We need to call an ambulance but we can't find the landline, and-"

"What's going on?" Poppy repeats herself.

"We need to get the girls out of here. Briar's been roofied."

Poppy steps back. Trouble only seems to follow them, with or without The Divide. "Do you know the guy who did it? Describe him to me."

"Blonde, white," Luis thinks back, but he was thinking about Briar, not the guy. He feels so stupid.

"Shit," Poppy mutters it so quietly that Luis isn't sure he heard her say the word. "Gather our friends, I'll find a landline."

Luis listens, making his way through the crowd. He makes sure to take a glance at all the women's faces to make sure they aren't losing their grip on reality.

They all meet us outside, with a taxi rolling up. Luis hasn't had time to explain what is going on. Luis and Poppy load Briar into the back of the cab.

"I've called my doctor," Poppy says. "Ellie, you coming?"

Ellie looks around at the others. She wants to protest, but she worries that there isn't a lot of time. Consequently, she and Poppy load up Briar into the car and they are off.

"What happened?" Kai asks, looking around. He's pretty drunk, but the cold October air is thin, passing through his lips and chilling his otherwise warm body.

The sounds of the party continue in the distance. Their breaths are louder than the music.

"She got roofied," Luis manages.

Evelyn would gasp if she were more herself. Her teeth are chattering, and she keeps looking at the porch light despite the ache it causes her head. She wants to groove to the music; she wants everyone else to just relax. She feels great. She feels spectacular.

She's high, to say the least of her.

Vieira closes her mouth tightly. She's lucky she had Tom with her, that she didn't dance with any strangers, that she didn't accept anyone's offers of drinks. It's never a woman's fault when this happens. Vieira knows it's selfish, but she can't help but worry that it was so close to being her tonight.

"How... that stuff doesn't happen at Hawkwood," Kai says. "Right?"

"Obviously, it did," Luis says.

Ez rolls his eyes, "that kind of mentality is what allows those kinds of things to happen."

"Well, who could it have been?" Kai says, ignoring Ez's slight. "Surely not a rugby boy."

"If it was anyone, it was probably a rugby boy," Jetta jumps in, glaring him up and down. "K?"

"We should call the police," Roman says. "Worse that happens we get busted for underage drinking."

"And drugs," Kai says. "Do you want to commit mass social suicide?"

Roman isn't believing what they are hearing. They rub their arms over the sleeves of their thick sweater. Rather than answer, they shake their head.

"Do you honestly think Briar is less important than your jock friends?" Ez's voice is loud and harsh.

"They won't believe us," Felix says. "The nearest police station is thirty minutes by cab, and Briar already went to campus police about the shooter and they didn't believe us."

"It's always dollars before people," Jetta adds.

Ez can't believe this is happening. He feels entirely out of his element. University wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't thrilled by the idea of learning in a classroom (he rather argue drunk at a dive bar) but anything sounds more pleasing than this.

"This... this is your fault," Jetta says, sticking her finger out at Kai.

Kai inhales sharply, "you can't be serious."

"One of your buddies-"

"I didn't put fucking Rohypnol in her goddamn drink!" Kai shouts, his voice getting the better of him. He tries to keep himself in control.

"Why isn't she going to the hospital?" Vieira asks, her voice quiet. She hates speaking in front of them, but the question itches at the back of her mind.

Even though the hospital is undoubtedly closer than the nearest police station, they aren't bringing her there.

Luis shuffles his feet. He didn't have enough time to argue, "Poppy said-"

"Poppy says! It's always Poppy says!" Felix is getting angry, and he doesn't care. He hasn't eaten in so long and he's tired of being in danger that isn't self-inflicted. "Poppy says to keep the body a secret. Poppy says don't tell anyone about getting shot. Now she's keeping the roofing secret. What does this have to do with The Divide?"

No one has an answer. Surely, something though. They are pinned under the firm, invisible, multiple hands of The Divide.

"You think they could've drugged her?" Roman asks. They are trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Unless the goal was just to destroy the lives of the initiatives, how would this benefit an organization as old as the university itself?

Luis tries to think back to what Poppy said to him, but everything is a blur. The alcohol, the panic, the anguish, it dulls the memory. His thoughts are as sharp as a well-used spoon.

Evelyn doesn't like that everyone is bringing her energy down. She's bopping on her feet, trying to keep herself distracted.

Since Vieira is the only one disengaged from the conversation, she notices Evelyn's strange behaviour. Though Evelyn is normally loose and light, she at least is willing to speak when she is scared. Now, with a tentative smile plastered on her face, she continues to sway with the music.

Vieira doesn't say anything though.

"Maybe Poppy knows who did," Ez says.

Kai doesn't like to throw people to the wolves. It's not very sportsman-like, to let a team member take a fall. Maybe they aren't a team though. "Let's not jump the gun."

"She's admitted that she knows more than she lets on," Tom offers. He hates conflict, but he would feel awful if he didn't say something. This whole moment makes him want to crawl home and cuddle with something. Preferably Vieira.

Jetta has only looked up to Poppy until this point. Though they've barely spoken, she can picture herself becoming closer. However, if she doesn't believe the others, would she not be playing the fool?

"What do we do?" Roman asks, looking around. They bite their lip. What possibly could The Divide be capable of doing? Are they listening in on the conversation right now?

"We confront her," Felix says.

"Wait just a minute," Kai points out. "We need to wait it out."

Tom nods but doesn't speak. He wants to delay a confrontation for as long as possible. Vieira cannot help but agree with him. She wasn't built for situations like this. Speaking is a bad idea since she doesn't know what she should say.

"Someone else could get hurt," the thought hurts Luis' head. He furrows his brow, trying to manage the pain.

Evelyn has a funny thought in her head and stifles a giggle.

"What?" Ez approaches her. Even in the low light, he can see her blown-out pupils. "What did you take?"

"I'm not an uptight bitch," she laughs, looking at Kai.

Kai's face falters. He hadn't imagined the night could get worse, yet here we are.

"What was it, Eve?" Vieira asks, her voice soft. She steps away from Tom to touch Evelyn's wrist.

"I don't know," she admits. "Poppy gave it to me."

Voices explode in chaos, with Felix, Luis and Ez all shouting over each other yelling and Roman and Tom trying to diffuse them. Jetta trying to get more specifics out of Evelyn. Vieira is quiet, and she can feel her anxiety kicking in.

Kai, too, doesn't speak. For the first time, maybe in his whole life, he feels as though he has been dupped. He's always the one convincing and enticing. All the girls fall at his feet.

It seems Poppy Prevost managed to lure him into quicksand. The others are all watching. He needs to climb out.

The words begin to become quiet, as Felix, Luis and Ez die down. Kai sits down on the ground and puts his head in his hands. No one moves to comfort him, not even Luis.

"Let's wait and see what Ellie and Briar think, before we jump into confronting Poppy," Jetta suggests. "Briar is the one who has been the most slighted. Evelyn doesn't seem to be that mad that she's high."

No one offers any form of argument.

~~~

Poppy, Ellie, and Briar pull up to a doctor's office. The front entrance light is on. The doctor is there to greet them. Ellie insists on accompanying Briar, so Poppy joins as well. Briar is okay. Briar is asleep, but she is able to be awakened by the doctor. He asks her a few questions, and she mumbles answers.

"Everything is consistent with Rohypnol," he says. "She'll be right as rain tomorrow, aside from confusion, perhaps even loss of memory. You two should let her know what happened."

It's a quick visit. They leave, Ellie not even asking the doctor a single question. They wait in the lobby for a taxi to pull up. They live in a rural area. While cabs are about, given that so few students have cars and need to order them to drive to the nearest airport for flights, rides are expensive and take time.

No one minds the expense. They mind the minutes slipping away.

"Should one of us stay with her tonight?" Ellie asks.

Poppy shrugs, "if you think that's what Briar would want."

Ellie resolves to sleep on the floor, so that way when Briar has questions, she has somewhere to turn.

"Why didn't we go to the hospital?" Ellie asks. She's ready to bite back now.

Poppy glances over at her, "let us not make decisions for Briar. If she wants to go to the police in the morning, however ill-advised, I am not going to prevent her from seeking help."

This answer doesn't satiate Ellie. While there might be some truth to it, about Poppy wanted people to make decisions for themselves, Ellie eyes her up. She tries to get in touch with her emotions, like any good psychology student.

The first that bubbles up is anger. Jealousy, however, creeps into the back of her mind. Poppy is beautiful, and just as smart as the rest, and manages to stay calm under pressure. Unfortunately for Poppy, Ellie recognizes that people are beginning to grow resentful. Trust is important, especially when secrets are at stake and even more so when lives are on the line.

"Why don't you trust the police?" Ellie asks.

"Everyone is in The Divide's pocket," Poppy answers.

"Was it a member who did this?" Ellie asks.

A honk comes from outside, and Poppy begins to start lifting Briar. Ellie helps her, and the two make their way into the car.

~~~

All of the initiates make their way back to campus. Those at the party agree to touch base with Ellie and Briar and have a meeting in a study room in the all-nighter lounge. Once back at Hawkwood, they walk their separate ways to their dormitories. None of them call the police. None of them turn to anyone else for help. Insomnia takes over them. They don't sleep. Thankfully, the early hours of Saturday morning start to bleed in.

~~~~~

Alright, so here's the deal. The next chapter is long. Very, very long. Nearly 3000 words if memory serves. The one after that is less than 1000 words. So, you know, it's a mixed bag. They'll still be out soon, just a forewarning because I love expectations.

I love predictions. What do you think will happen next?