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TWENTY
Saturday. Guy Fawkes. The day things took an unexpected turn.
The Four had talked me into going to the celebrations—well, Weston and Cassius had, anyway. All they’d tell me was that I didn’t want to miss the fireworks.
“So, what happens at one of these things?” I asked Kinslee, not for the first time. She was standing at the kitchen counter, mixing some kind of cocktail for us both.
She turned around, ice cube tray in hand. “I told you. Fireworks, a bonfire, and games.”
“I want to know what the games are. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”
Kinslee shrugged. “I don’t want to spoil the fun. Last year was my first time, and it was all the better because I didn’t know what was going to happen. You’re going to love it, though, I guarantee. I wouldn’t be so insistent about you coming, otherwise.”
“I guess so.”
She handed me a glass brimming with ice. “Drink up. Then we can go.”
Our group of five girls from our apartment building crested the top of the hill and stopped. The castle stood out in stark relief, spotlights cycling through all the colours of the rainbow, lighting up the stones and casting long shadows across the clifftop. The castle itself and a huge area around it had been fenced off, and there was a gap with a queue of people waiting to enter, with two huge, bulky men dressed all in black sca
“Wow. This isn’t what I was expecting.” I sucked in a surprised breath, snuggling deeper into Caiden’s hoodie, which I’d conveniently forgotten to give back to him after he’d let me borrow it.
“Welcome to Alstone College. Where if you have the money, you can turn a simple bonfire into a massive event,” one of the girls laughed.
As we drew closer, I noticed a huge unlit bonfire, piled high with wood. To the far left was a makeshift bar area and a DJ with giant headphones next to it, just visible behind the huge sound system. Not what I was expecting, at all.
The security guy sca
“You’ll need it later. Keep hold of it.”
I shrugged, shoving it into my pocket, and tugged the hood of Caiden’s hoodie over my head. It was fucking freezing tonight, everyone’s breath coming in clouds. I’d worn thermal leggings and black boots lined with sheepskin—not the most stylish outfit, but I was glad of the warmth.
I spotted a familiar face as we made our way closer to the castle. James leaned against the stone wall with a group of guys, all dressed in black. He normally looked suave and sophisticated, but tonight, dressed down with a hoodie, black jeans, boots, and a beanie hat pulled low on his head, I hardly recognised him.
“Hey.” I smiled, hugging him. “How are things? I feel like I haven’t seen you for ages.”
A frown crossed his face as he released me, glancing around us, and spoke to me in a low voice. “Yeah. Well. I thought I’d keep my distance for now, after Cavendish and Lowry fucking threatened to break my jaw if I made any advances towards you.”
“What? Are you joking? When?”
“Last week. The assholes cornered me outside my apartment.”
For fuck’s sake. “Were they serious?”
“Deadly. Honestly, Winter. I’m not afraid of them, but it’s not worth my time to…y’know.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I’m sorry, James. I have no idea what their problem is.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I would’ve thought it was obvious. Cavendish is into you, and he doesn’t like to share.”
Ha. “Hmm. He’s pretty good at denying he’s into me. But even so, he doesn’t get to dictate who I’m friends with.”
“Maybe you should try having a conversation with him. I’m sorry, too. I like you, Winter. You’re gorgeous, and sweet, and fun to be around. But I don’t want to cross him. His family could make things…difficult for my family.”
“I see. Look, I’ll speak to him. All I can say, again, is I’m sorry. Sorry you got caught up in all this. Caiden needs to learn that he doesn’t get to control everything.” My mouth twisted, and I stepped away from James. I needed to give Caiden a piece of my mind.
The group of girls I’d come with had disappeared while I’d been talking to James, so I wandered towards the bar, looking around to see if I could see anyone I recognised. I waved to a girl I vaguely knew from one of my classes and finally spotted Kinslee, at the bar already, drink in hand.
“Drink?”
“Not at the moment, thanks,” I told her. “I had a feeling I’d find you here, though.”
She laughed, then peered at me more closely, her brows pulling together. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. Only that I just found out from James that Caiden and Zayde threatened to break his jaw if he dared to flirt with me or anything.”
Her brows shot up. “Wow. Caiden must be into you.”
“Either that, or he’s a possessive asshole.”
“Both, probably.”
“Th—” My words were cut off by a loud screech of feedback from the DJ’s microphone, and his voice boomed around the headland, bouncing off the walls, echoing all around us.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Alstone College’s a
He gri
He stopped talking to take a swig of drink, then cleared his throat and continued. “When you arrived, you will have been given a strip of material: red or blue. This is your team colour for the first of tonight’s games.” He ducked down behind the table, then reappeared, holding up a strip of material in each hand.
“The material must be tied around your waist so that it can be easily seen. The object of the game is simple. Try to tag a member of the other team, without being caught yourself. If you’re caught, you’re out of the game and must give up your material to the person who tagged you and return to the area here.” He pointed and the spotlights swung around to illuminate the large area in front of the DJ, where most of us were already standing.
“The wi
I groaned. This sounded like hell. “Tag? Really? Do we have to do this?” I muttered to Kinslee.
“No, but it’s fun. Get into the spirit of it.”
Okay, I could do this. I wasn’t usually one for these kinds of games, but the palpable excitement in the air was contagious, and despite my reservations, I found myself shifting towards the edge of the crowd, ready to run.
“Everyone, tie your material round your waists, and spread out as much as you can. When I sound the klaxon, the game will begin.”