Ascension (42 page)

I looked at my phone. 8:22 p.m.  That was good, at least.  It meant I had enough time to change into something more suitable, and figure out exactly where it was I had to go.  I hadn’t heard of Brattle Street before, but assumed it was somewhere in the main yard.  That was the only area on the island that actually had labeled streets.

I wondered curiously about the location.  When Madison told me about the party – assuming it was the same party – I thought it would be in somebody’s dorm.  But there were no dorms in the main yard, only that arrangement of assorted buildings.  And what was up with that wax emblem?  Was it something I should recognize?  Perhaps it represented some sort of club or secret society?  But this was just a random boarding school.  From what I knew, those types of places were limited to the elite universities of the country.

Well, I’d find out soon.  The first thing to do, then, was figure out exactly where it was I needed to go.  I pulled out the little map that had come with my welcome package.  Unfortunately, the lack of detail meant that none of the streets were labeled.  Blah.  Well, the main yard wasn’t that large anyway, and only had a few main streets.  I would just have to leave early to find the place.

The next thing proved slightly more difficult.  I hadn’t the slightest clue what ‘formal-casual’ meant.  Besides, I had had to leave most of my clothes behind when I was forced to take that tiny ferry over.  After agonizing for at least half an hour, pulling out what few clothes I had here and comparing them to each other, then trying them on in turn, the final outfit I settled on was unfortunately familiar.  It was the same thing I had on when I first got the invitation. 

I saw on my phone that it was already 9:40 p.m.  That gave me less than an hour to find the place.  It was an uncomfortably short amount of time.  So, grabbing my phone and the invitation, I ran hastily out of the room.

I could hear people in the foyer below.  As I passed them on my way out, I thought I caught a glimpse of Chris, but when I turned my head to double check, he was gone.  He still hadn’t gotten in touch with me.  I absently hoped that he wasn’t still mad.  But that wasn’t the priority right now.

The courtyard outside the dorms was surprisingly busy.  There were groups of people walking about, or hanging out under the trees, or even throwing a Frisbee around.  That surprised me.  The Frisbee was glow-in-the-dark, something I hadn’t seen before.  I hurried past, angling toward the main yard.

There were no streetlamps along the path.  The only source of luminance came from the courtyard behind me.  Less than halfway there, the light had faded enough to make it difficult to see where I was going.  The moon above provided precious little light since it was mostly hidden by a thick crop of clouds.  I shivered, and not from the cold.  There was nobody else on the path, in front or behind me.  I felt acutely vulnerable.  Who knew what wildlife populated the island at night?  I doubted there was any crime within such a small community.  But still, a girl walking by herself in the dark would be an attractive target.  I quickened my step.

Coming over the hill just before the main yard, I was relieved to see that some of the lights in the buildings were on.  It wasn’t a lot, but enough to eliminate the feeling of gloom and danger that crept up in the dark.  I looked at my phone.  It was 10:01 p.m.  Hopefully, there was time to find Brattle Street yet.

I wandered down to the first row of buildings, and was struck by the sheer
quiet
of the place.  Even once the lights had faded from the dorms, I could still hear some of the sounds of the courtyard most of the way along the path.  Here, everything was absolutely silent.  My steps on the cobblestone were the only sounds that broke the night.  The lack of any noise – no wind rustling, no animals chirping, and no hum of people anywhere – created an unnerving atmosphere dripping with dread and anxiety.  I became very aware of just how loud my steps sounded against the ground, and made a conscious effort to suppress the clatter.  I didn’t want to draw undue attention to myself in the dark.

At the first intersection, I looked up to read the street names.  Neither was Brattle.  I looked around, unsure of where to go.  I could continue down the main street, checking each intersection in turn, or I could take my chances and veer off to the side, toward the smaller streets.    Would the party, or whatever it was, be held in a building on the main street?  I had no idea.

I looked to the side, and realized that the back streets were completely unlit.  Only the streetlamps on the main street emitted any light.  That sealed my decision.  I continued forward.

The next street I passed wasn’t Brattle, and neither was the one after it.  I started checking the clock on my phone more and more often, becoming conscious of the minutes creeping by.  The last thing I wanted was to show up late.

I kept going forward, reading the street names in the dim light, until I got to the circular town square.  The fountain in the middle wasn’t flowing, which only amplified the eerie silence.  There were five different streets leading away from the square.  I had no idea which one to take.  I started walking around in a counter clockwise direction, checking the names of the streets in turn.  The first was Auburn, then Longwood, then Merger, and then…
Brattle
!  A wave of relief flooded over me.  Not only would I actually be able to find the place now, but I would also get out of the uncanny quiet.

I started down Brattle Street, reading the building numbers on either side of me.  They started in the low teens, and went up by two.  Looking at my phone, I saw it blink 10:23 p.m.  I walked faster.

I realized quickly that Brattle Street wasn’t straight.  It curved sharply a quarter of the way down.  The view past the curve was restricted.  I hurried toward it.   None of the buildings close by would be number 86.

As soon as I crossed the bend, I saw it.  Down near the very end of the street, just before the transition from the main yard to the wilderness beyond, stood a brightly lit house.  It was large and extravagant.  Sparkling, white columns towered in front.  The building stood three stories high.  A low, long staircase prefaced the front, where two massive doors were tightly shut.  The windows on the first two levels were dark, but the ones on the top flashed with strobing, multi-colored lights.  As I came closer, I could hear the music playing from that level, as well as the familiar sounds of a busy house party.  It meant I was already late.

I rushed forward, taking the stairs two at a time.  I thought everybody was already inside, but at the top I nearly banged heads with a tall, burly looking girl dressed in pure black.  I had no idea where she had come from.  I hadn’t noticed her on the way up.

She looked me up and down disapprovingly.  “Just where do you think you’re going?” she asked in a deep, rasping voice.

“Um, inside?” I countered.  “I got an invitation to an event here tonight.”

“Is that so?” the girl asked in a disbelieving tone.  “Well, how come I’ve never seen you before?”

“I’m new,” I said.  “I transferred to the school this year.”

“Sure you did,” the girl answered, crossing her thick arms.  She was the image of intimidation.  “That’s what everybody says when they want to get in.”

“Well, it’s true!” I said, trying to peer around her.  “Just who are you, anyway?”

“I’m the one that makes sure only the right people are allowed to come in. 
Get it?
  And you, I’ve never seen before.  Besides,” she scoffed, “I doubt you’d make the cut.”

I blinked.  ‘Make the cut?’  Was this really such an exclusive event, where they would let only certain people in?  Luckily, I had the invitation still in my pocket.  I pulled it out, and handed it to her.

“See?” I said triumphantly.  “
There’s
my invitation.  Now move aside and let me in.”

“Hmm…” the girl said thoughtfully, considering the piece of paper in her hands.  “That
is
what it says, but…” I saw a mischievous glimmer in her eye, and suddenly the invitation was being crumpled up between her hands. 

“No!” I yelped.  But, it was too late.  She had crushed the piece of paper into a tight ball, and tossed it to the ground.

“Looks fake,” she told me with a malevolent glare.  And she pushed me roughly back.  “Get out of here, before you stir up any more trouble.”

“But—” I changed what I was going to say.  Just who did this girl think she was?  The invitation was
real
, and just because she didn’t see it didn’t mean she could bar me from entry.  I felt anger bubbling up inside, and stepped up to her.

“Now listen to me,” I began, matching the burly girl glare for glare.  “That invitation was
real
, and I don’t care what you say.  Ask whoever you want inside.  I was invited here.  And I
am
new, not someone pretending to be just to get into some party.  I don’t know who you are, but clearly, since you’re
out here
, you haven’t been invited in either.”  I could see from the look on her face that I had struck a nerve, so I pressed on.  “Maybe you think this is some way for you to
prove yourself
to the people inside, by minding the door.  But, once they hear what you did to my invitation, they’ll dismiss you faster than you would think possible.  I’m
friends
with the girls who invited me here, which is more than you can say, I’d bet.  So either you let me in, or I’ll come in by myself.  But once I do, I’ll be sure to tell everybody of the way you treated me.”

The girl stared at me for a second, dumbstruck by my outburst.  But then she took a single step forward, and towered over me.  The resolve I had felt just seconds ago evaporated. 

“Is that so?” she growled menacingly.  In my head, I quickly sized her up again.  She must have been a good four inches taller and easily fifty pounds heavier.  If the dispute became physical any time soon, I would be quickly outmatched.  Still, I couldn’t just back down after what I had said – even if most of it had been a bluff.  I was sure she was used to intimidating others around her, but I wouldn’t cower that easily. 

Thankfully, just at that moment, the doors behind the girl opened, and a familiar head peaked out.  For a second, I thought that it was Liz, but then saw it was actually Madison.

“Tracy, there you are!” she exclaimed happily.  “I thought I heard your voice out here.  I wasn’t sure you were coming!”

The burly girl stepped away from me, looking absolutely speechless.  “You… know her?” she asked Madison in the barest whisper.

“Of course I do!  You didn’t give her any trouble out here, did you?”

“I… well, I, uh…”

“No trouble at all,” I spoke up, flashing the big girl a knowing grin as I stepped around her.  “She was just telling me about all the wonderful people inside.”

“Uh… yeah, right,” the girl nodded, and quickly bent down to pick up my crumpled invitation.  She smoothed it hastily against her thigh, and gave it to me.  “I was just helping her with her invite.  It, uh, got a little bit disheveled in her pocket on the way over, and—”

“Thanks,” I said, taking it from her hand.  Folding the invitation with as much dignity as I could muster, I placed it in my back pocket.

“Come on, then!” Madison said eagerly, taking my hand and pulling me in.  She was bouncing up and down with excitement.  “You’re missing an epic party!”

“So what is this place?” I asked once we were inside the doors.  The first level of the building was cloaked in darkness, but the central staircase that wound up to the higher floors was faintly illuminated.  All the sounds of the party were coming from the highest level.

“Oh, Liz didn’t tell you?” Madison asked in surprise as she led me up the stairs.  “This is the only building on campus
not
owned by the school.  Every once in a while, the secr—err, the student council, I mean—hosts some awesome parties in here.”

“No, Liz never told me,” I answered.  I looked at Madison suspiciously.  What was that she was going to say before she changed it to
student council
?  “Who owns it?” I asked.

“Not important,” Madison said, brushing my question away.  “What
is
important is that this is one of the most exclusive parties of the year, and you’ve been
invited
!”

“I’m thrilled,” I told her genuinely.  “But, why all the secrecy?  And what was up with the invitation?”

“Invitation?” Madison looked at me, not understanding.  “What do you mean?”

“The letter in the envelope I found outside my door,” I told her.  “That was from you, right?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Madison said, frowning.  “I tried texting you a dozen times, but you never replied.  That’s why I thought you weren’t coming.”

“What?  I never got any messages from you.”

“Really?  That’s weird.”

“Are you sure you had the right number?”

“Yeah.  You texted me at the beach.  Remember?”

“Right,” I replied.  Then I shrugged.  “Well, at least I’m here now.”