The faculty and staff's underground parking lot is only accessible by a keycard, and the keycard that The Divide provides the initiates with was left in the bush of a plant beside the library. They are lucky to recover it before a custodian does. A dusting of snow has coated the ground. In the lowlights of the street lanterns, everything seems brighter than usual. However, the grass they've come to know is gone. It seems that all the plants are dying.

The day goes on, with classes rushing by, the course material passing by them. No one can concentrate, from those on stage to those in classrooms. They don't have time to meet up until ten minutes before the arrival time, which is two in the morning.

They gather outside, exhausted.

"Should we go in yet?" Tom asks.

Jetta shakes her head, "they could be setting us up."

It wouldn't matter to Vieira if they were setting them up. Of course, it would ruin her life, and her father's reputation, but she feels she has little left to give up. So much has been taken.

Felix stares at his dirty fingernails. "They have no proof."

"It'll be fine," Kai feels more like the captain than when he is on the pitch. They need his guidance, desperately, to help them navigate these icy waters.

Roman looks nearly grey. They are cleaner from their shower but still dreary. Still ill with a mental affliction that has burrowed in their brain. They want to hibernate more than they want to die. This semester could not end faster.

Ellie's Adderall has worn off. She feels less than perfect right now, and she should be using this time to sleep so she can study early in the morning. She needs to be the best, but just below her feet might be something that will stop her from all of that.

"It's cold outside," Briar shakes, rubbing her hands at her coat. "Let's just go in."

Luis wraps an arm around her from beside her. He was the last to arrive, and finally, things seem to be returning to normal. He isn't punctual again. He doesn't have the urge to blurt out that none of them are as cold as Poppy, though the joke does cross his mind.

"You're lucky I sprinted to the library," Ez says, flashing the keycard.

"But, do you think they'll be mad?" Evelyn asks, her eyelashes batting away the falling snowflakes.

Ez doesn't bother answering. Instead, he taps the keycard against the pad, and the door clicks as it unlocks. He holds the door open for the others as they enter.

They go down the set of stairs. It is so narrow that they have to move one-by-one. The earth gets colder underground. Though it may protect the faculty and staff members' cars, the underground lot does not keep them warm. Even through the other side of the door leading into the lot, they can feel the chill now.

The lot only has one level, so they collect themselves at the bottom of the stairs.

"It's probably just another dinner," Tom tells the others. "Nothing to worry about."

Nobody agrees, not even Tom.

Kai opens the door. They can hear the buzz of the fluorescents above their heads. It's lit well, almost a blinding amount of light. In a clump, they look to their left and then to their light.

A man stands in front of them. They assume he is a student, based on his age. He's wearing a page boy cap, which hides his hair and casts a shadow over his white face. He is shorter than one might expect an intimidating member of The Divide to be. He's dressed like a member though, with a Burberry scarf and a black coat, and grey slacks beneath. Despite his numerous layers, he doesn't seem prepared for the cold. Even from afar, the initiates can see his breath in the air. His foot taps on the ground, in his leather shoes.

"Welcome," the man says. "I am sorry that we were unable to meet in a more comfortable location. Our headquarters is under watch."

Jetta is the first to approach, walking towards him briskly. The rest follow behind her.

He is alone and unarmed.

"Who are you?" Felix asks. He has an arm around Evelyn, keeping her close. She knows how to layer fashionably, and so he tries to steal her warmth while pretending to provide her with something of substance.

"I am your new contact," the member answers. "You need not refer to me."

"So it's true," Ez says. "Poppy was one of you?"

The member nods.

They stand, no one shocked. Their suspicions have only been confirmed. Yet, he doesn't offer any more details.

"So, like, are we in trouble?" Evelyn asks.

He smiles, and rubs his clean-shaven chin, "for killing her? Now, only a little."

"You are being purposefully evasive, and it's not going to upset us," Ellie says. "That's your goal, isn't it? To intimidate us?"

"The Divide is willing to forgive your transgressions," the member ignores Ellie. "We request the ringleader."

"And what?" Jetta crosses her arms over her chest.

The man shrugs.

"You are going to expel them, aren't you?" Ez shoves his fists into his coat pocket to try and keep them warm.

"Is that not preferable to all of you going to prison?" he shakes his head. "Freshmen are particularly unintelligent. Regardless, who shall it be?"

They look at each other.

Kai knows it's his head in. It was his suggestion, and he manipulated Evelyn. He stares at the ground, thinking of the shame he will bring his family upon expulsion. It is his end.

The anger Felix harboured towards Kai has begun to calm, less like a storm and more like a pond. It still ripples and buzzes with life. Felix knows that Kai matters to Evelyn for some reason or another, so he keeps his mouth shut.

Roman thinks they are all equally to blame. It was unanimous. Anyone could have called it off, and yet, no one did. The culpability is thick. Many of them brought supplies, many of them held her down.

Ez thinks about the fourth line of the poem from The Divide. How does it feel to be controlled? Consequently, he suspects this is another one of their attempts to subjugate the initiates. He won't be a party to it.

Vieira cannot blame just one of them. They all did it, but barely her. If she was being strategic, she would point out Tom to remove him from her life, but she cannot bring herself to stoop to his level. It would be too cruel.

Luis refuses to turn his back on his friends. There is an aspect to everyone he enjoys, even if some people enrage him frequently. He would even include Felix in that sentiment, who is the worst of the bunch. They are pretentious and rich, and horrid and kind and brave and determined. They are not one thing, and he won't make someone out to be the villain.

Briar thinks back to all the times she said she wanted Poppy to die. Then, she doesn't think about it anymore. Instead, she thinks about Artemis. The others were wrong. He's not a member of The Divide spying on them, or else he would be here now. He's just some guy.

Evelyn knows it was Kai's suggestion. Kai is the ringleader, but he is kind, and he even let Felix hit him without fighting back. He is a kind soul and does not deserve to lose his place at Hawkwood. No one does really. Hawkwood is so magical. Every day she loves it more.

In Ellie's opinion, they suffered some sort of mass hysteria. Sure, Kai suggested it, but Felix, Ez and Briar are equally ringleaders. She wants to save her skin but doesn't know who to blame. She imagines the first person to speak out will be the next target.

Jetta doesn't trust the man before them. He could be a plant by the police, trying to catch them in the act. She'd accuse Kai, mostly for the events of the night of the party. Still, she is not going to let herself be entrapped by the police.

"Take off your clothes, to make sure you're not wearing a wire for the police," Jetta says.

He apologizes, shuffling around. He places the Burberry scarf on the ground and opens his coat. Underneath is a red knit sweater. Lifting it, he exposes his stomach.

"No wire," he smiles. He takes off his hat and bows for them.

Luis freezes. That blonde slicked-back hair again, he hasn't seen it since the night of the party.

"You're the bastard who roofied Briar!" Luis shouts, holding his finger forward.

In a flash, Felix and Kai are rushing to him.

The member attempts to turn around and run, but he trips over his scarf and slams against the ground. The sound echoes.

Jetta runs up just as Felix and Kai are getting to him. Kai tackles the boy as he gets to his knees, and straddles him, pinning his hands down and out of the way. Felix and Jetta both begin to kick him in the sides and the legs, while Kai grabs his chest and slams him down against the ground.

Jetta knows dive bars. This is what creeps get.

Felix will take any opportunity to take out his anger.

Kai has to prove to Briar and the others that he is a good person. He is a good person. He needs to believe that himself.

Vieira turns away. She looks at Tom, biting her lip. He makes her feel safe even if she ahtes him for turning on her in her time of need. So, she takes his hand and moves up next to him tightly.

Tom doesn't pull away. He has never been more confused. The street kid in him wants to rush up and hit the guy who did Brair dirty, but he cannot bear to scare Vieira again. He has to be better. For her.

Evelyn screams out Felix's name, trying to beckon him back, but he is too deafened by rage to hear her. She goes to rush up to them when Ez grabs her and holds them back. She shouts Felix's name until her voice goes raw.

Ez won't let her go despite her pleas. He cannot watch the violence himself, turning his head to avoid it. When he glances back, he sees blood. They had better stop before Briar's attacker dies, and they have a bigger problem on their hands.

Briar doesn't remember collapsing, yet she is on the ground. She sobs and sobs uncontrollably. She never expected to see him again, and to know he is a member of this club, is horrifying. She is trapped underground with him. This space has become her coffin.

Luis tries to reassure her, rubbing her back. She won't stand, and so he whispers that it is okay into her ear. No one deserves this, even people like Briar who think little of him.

Ellie knows better than to touch Briar without her permission in this moment. Instead, she looks between the two camps, trying to decide what to do.

"We don't need another body on our hands," she finally says.

Jetta pulls away, hoping to have done enough damage. She touches Kai's shoulder, and he gets off the guy. Even Felix manages to pull back, knowing what this could cause.

The member of The Divide has a bleeding nose, and he wheezes as he breathes, but so far, he is alive.

They don't want to wait around to see if he dies.

Briar finally gets up, and though she is shaking, and her mascara has run down over her face, she approaches him. Her feet clack against the concrete, loud and sharp. She gets to him and stands over top of him.

She spits on him, "I'm not afraid of you."

"Funny," he coughs up blood. He doesn't wipe away the spit. "Poppy said the same thing."

Briar's nose scrunches.

"Of course, she fucking knew," Ez shakes his head, halfway between him and the others, still his hand on Evelyn.

The member's laugh turns into a wheeze, "why wouldn't she? I did the same shit to her in first year. It's women like you and her that really-"

Jetta kicks him in the chest, and he groans out loud.

"None of us will give the other up," Kai says.

The member tries to recover, still lying on the ground, "you're really falling for that magic of friendship crap?"

Theylook at one another. No one wants to offer the final word. Instead, they allhead out of the underground parking lot, leaving him to wallow.

~~~~~

Very descriptive, but a decent amount of action. Also, this book is almost over! If you are interested in hearing me ramble more, and seeing your characters in action, head on over to Perverse! It's about people who've died in the last ten years in a small town suddenly being resurrected. It's sure to be fun!