Shattered Kingdom: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Royal Falls Elite Book 2)

by Kristin Buoni

  My assailants put something in my mouth and tied it in place, silencing my screams. All I could do was moan plaintively through my nose. I kept struggling, trying my best to break free and kick out at the guy pinning my feet to the bed.

  The blood in my veins turned to icy sludge as the tallest one came at me with a large dark sack. Hunter, presumably.

  He slid the sack over my head, and everything went black.

  5

  Laney

  My captors carried me for what felt like fifteen minutes, though it could’ve been more or less. It was hard to measure time accurately when I had a black sack over my head, a gag in my mouth, and a heart racing so fast that it threatened to explode right out of my ribcage.

  After a while, I heard a door open, along with a few low mutters. Then someone dumped me into a chair and forced me to sit upright.

  The sack came off my head, and my eyes almost popped right out of their sockets as I took in my surroundings. I was in the Medusa Society clubroom inside Royal Hall.

  “Surprise!” the girls screeched.

  Camila took the gag out of my mouth. There was a gleeful gleam in her eyes. “You should’ve seen your face when we grabbed you!” she said, giggling like a maniac.

  Heat flushed through my body. “What the fuck?” I said, jumping to my feet. I could feel a vein pulsing in my forehead. “How could you do that to me?”

  “I’m sorry,” Kiri said, although her snickering suggested that she wasn’t sorry at all. “It’s part of the whole ritual. Like a hazing sort of thing. We’ve all been through it before!”

  My heart was racing like mad and my legs were still rubbery from the earlier panic attack. I sat down, afraid I might collapse if I didn’t. “I thought you said my initiation was tomorrow,” I said.

  Kiri glanced at her watch. “It’s five past midnight. So technically it is tomorrow.”

  I cut my eyes at Camila. “I heard a man’s voice in my bathroom.”

  She nodded. “He’s a Network guy. He came to help us carry you,” she explained. “But he’s gone now.”

  “Right.” I sucked down a deep breath, shoulders slumping.

  I couldn’t stay mad at the girls for too long. They had absolutely no way of knowing about the petrifying midnight dorm invasion I’d experienced in the past, or the abduction from a parking lot by masked men. To them, the whole kidnapping thing was just a silly hazing prank.

  “I guess you got me,” I said, forcing a smile.

  Kiri grinned. “You almost got us, too. If you’d actually managed to sneak out of your dorm, we would’ve had to chase you all over campus.”

  “Thank god that didn’t happen,” Camila said, rolling her eyes upward. “Anyway, Laney… are you ready for your initiation?”

  I nodded. “I’m wide awake now, so yeah, I suppose I am.”

  My earlier exhaustion was long gone, scrubbed out by the adrenaline flooding my veins. I was alert and ready for anything they wanted to throw at me.

  “Awesome!” Camila beamed. Then she turned and snapped her fingers at the other girls. “Penelope, I want you to do her makeup. Hazel, you’re good at hair, so you can do that. The rest of you, get ready!”

  Four of the girls disappeared behind a door that I’d never noticed before, and they emerged with a large clothing rack on wheels and several bags stuffed to the brim with makeup, shoes, and accessories. The rack was heavily laden with shimmering white Grecian-style gowns in varying lengths.

  Penelope worked at my face with multiple brushes and palettes as Hazel stood behind me with a barrel brush and blow-dryer. Twenty minutes later, one of them held up a mirror in front of me. “Ta-da!”

  “Wow,” I said breathlessly. They’d transformed me into one of them. Stunning black and gold eye makeup with long curled lashes, contoured face, bright red lips, and volumized hair hanging around my shoulders in artful waves.

  “We just need the finishing touches now,” Penelope said, reaching for another bag. She pulled out some gold roll-on glitter and a variety of tiny colorful faux gems.

  Hazel helped her stick the little gems on my collarbone and face with eyelash glue, and then they rolled the gold glitter all over the bare parts of my skin.

  “Perfect,” Camila declared. “Time for your dress now. You can pick one from there.”

  She motioned toward the rack. I picked a full-length gown at the very end with a plunging V-neck and gathered waist. Most of the other girls were wearing similar dresses by now, along with similar makeup and hairstyles, and they also had pink and white flower crowns on their heads.

  “You don’t get a crown until you’ve completed your initiation,” Kiri explained as she rummaged through a bag of gold, silver, and bronze-colored sandals.

  I nodded my understanding and accepted the first pair of sandals she selected for me. They were gold with long straps that wound around my calves.

  “I think we’re almost ready to go,” Camila said when I finished getting dressed. “Just one more thing. Paisley, can you grab the chalice?”

  The other girl disappeared and returned a moment later with a golden chalice filled with red wine.

  “Drink up!” Camila said, grinning at me.

  I twisted my lips with apprehension. “Do I have to?”

  “It’s part of the ritual,” she explained. “The wine represents the blood of all those who try to keep us down in society.”

  “That sounds… violent.”

  She let out a tinkling laugh. “Don’t worry, it’s just a metaphor. We don’t actually murder our enemies.”

  “Right. The thing is, I don’t drink alcohol.”

  She lifted a brow. “Ever?”

  “No.”

  “Oh. Um….” Her forehead creased, and she turned back to Paisley. “Go and tip this out, and then go and check all the vending machines near the cafeteria. There must be some sort of red juice we can use. Grape or cranberry, maybe.”

  Paisley nodded and left the clubroom. Camila turned back to me with a hesitant smile. “Sorry, Laney. I didn’t know you don’t drink.”

  “It’s okay.”

  When Paisley returned, she was holding a bottle of organic pomegranate juice. “Is this okay?”

  “Perfect!” Camila said, clapping her hands together. “I’ll be back in a sec, Laney.”

  She went over to the other side of the room to tip some of the juice into the freshly-washed chalice. Then she stepped back over to me and held it out. “Here you go. The non-alcoholic blood of your enemies,” she said with a grin.

  I tipped my head back and downed the juice in three gulps as the girls cheered me on.

  “Let’s go!” Kiri said, excitedly jumping up and down.

  One of the girls grabbed a small black bag and put the empty chalice in it, along with the rest of the pomegranate juice. I couldn’t see what else was in the bag, because she zipped it up right away.

  “Follow us, Laney,” Camila said, directing my attention to the door.

  We left Royal Hall and walked down to the lake in pairs. As we drew closer to the main boathouse dock, I caught sight of four silver motorboats bobbing in the water at the very end, along with four tall men on the planks.

  My pulse picked up as we headed down the dock and approached the men. They were all wearing masks, so I had no idea who they were. I could only assume they were from the Medusa Society’s generous parent organization, though—the ever-mysterious Network.

  The men divided us up and assigned us to different boats. I was put in the one at the end with Camila and Kiri.

  “Don’t be scared,” Camila whispered, squeezing my hand as one of the masked men climbed into the boat and started the motor. “We’re just going over to Harker Island.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I figured.”

  “How are you feeling?” Kiri asked.

  I swallowed thickly and rubbed my arms. “A bit nervous. But mostly cold.”

  She smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ll warm up as soon as we get there. The
torches are amazing. They heat up the entire clearing.”

  I returned her smile and settled into my seat, gazing out at the lake. A yellow crescent moon hung in the sky with a million twinkling stars, casting a shimmering glow over the inky water, and the hulking silhouettes of the academy buildings stood sentinel in the distance.

  My vision suddenly turned blurry and wobbly, and I thought I saw twenty different shooting stars at once, sending white and yellow sparks all over the lake. The messed-up vision was accompanied by an odd physical sensation, like an out-of-body experience. I knew my brain was sending signals, telling me to blink and shake my head to clear my vision, but I couldn’t move.

  A moment later, the strange feeling was gone, and I could see perfectly again. I took a deep breath and told myself that it was just a bit of seasickness. After all, I wasn’t used to speeding around on a motorboat.

  We arrived at the old pier on the island shore about five minutes later. Camila helped me out of the boat, and then she took my hand and led me down a dark, winding path behind all of the others.

  I recognized the path from the time I sneaked over to the island and caught a glimpse of Dayna’s initiation. It was surrounded by densely-packed trees, and it smelled of damp leaves and moss. From somewhere up ahead, faint voices and music filtered through the air, and an orange glow eventually became visible, lighting our way.

  We stepped into an enormous clearing lined with golden torches. They were the same ones I saw last time—tall rods with carved serpents entwining them, topped by golden sconces for the roaring flames.

  A tall maypole stood in the middle of the clearing, covered in colorful flowers, foliage and ribbons. In front of it was a stone altar and a large golden throne.

  Around the edges, men in long black robes and domino masks sat on stone seats, laughing and chatting with each other. They were accompanied by a large group of young women in see-through white chiffon gowns over skimpy gold underwear. Loud, rhythmic music filled the air around them, emanating from a large black speaker beside a pine tree.

  “Who are they?” I asked Camila, pointing at the unfamiliar women.

  She leaned down and whispered in my ear. “They’re older members,” she said. “They aren’t at school anymore, obviously, but if they’re in the area, they attend the parties and initiation rituals.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  “Not all of them are here. Some are busy with college on the other side of the country,” she went on. “You should see it when everyone gets together, though. There’s over a hundred members.”

  “Wow.”

  The strange out-of-body feeling hit me again, and my legs swayed. My pulse was speeding, and heat was flushing through my body. Tiny beads of sweat were breaking out on my forehead and neck as well.

  “I feel weird,” I mumbled.

  “It’s okay,” Camila said, squeezing my hand again. “It’s the heat from the torches. It makes you feel kinda drowsy. But don’t worry. It’ll go away as soon as your body gets used to it.”

  When the masked men noticed us approaching, they stood up and cheered. The unfamiliar women hurried over to join us and fawned over my makeup, hair and gown. “This is the new one?” one of them said excitedly to Camila. “She’s gorgeous!”

  “We’re so glad you finally decided to join,” another one said to me, rubbing my left shoulder. “Good luck with your initiation. You’re gonna do just fine!”

  “Thank you,” I murmured.

  The girls led me over to the maypole. Each of them grabbed a ribbon, except Camila, who took two. She handed one to me. “Here,” she whispered. “Hold on to it.”

  “Okay.” I stared at her, eyes wide. “What am I meant to do now?”

  She grinned. “Dance!”

  The music turned louder; a strange, pulsing drumbeat accompanied by flutes, horns, and metallic rattles. It made me think of ancient Druids carrying out an arcane ceremony, and as the girls started to dance around the maypole, holding onto the colorful ribbons and twirling in liquid movements, I felt as if I were being transported back in time, right into one of those ceremonies.

  My nerves held me back for a moment, but when the music got even louder, it was like someone had injected adrenaline straight into my bloodstream. My legs started tingling, and I started moving in time with the drums, closing my eyes as I lost myself in the dance. Eventually I lost all sense of everything in the clearing except for the music and the maypole.

  I wasn’t sure how long we danced. It felt like forever, but I didn’t care. I wanted to keep going until my legs went numb and my skin was drenched with sweat. It was one of the only times I’d ever felt so wonderfully free.

  “That’s enough now,” Camila finally said with a wide smile, grabbing my arm. “You look like you’re about to collapse.”

  She pulled me over to the golden throne and instructed me to sit down. I did as she said, blissfully sinking into the velvet cushioning along the back and sides. The rest of the girls kept on dancing around me, shrieking and laughing.

  Someone turned the music down a moment later, and one of the robed men stood up and called for quiet. The girls abruptly stopped dancing, and their heads turned to me, eyes wide with anticipation.

  Every inch of my skin began to tingle, and my head started spinning. It felt like the clearing had been put on a carousel, slow at first but gaining momentum with every second that passed. It didn’t feel bad, though. It was fun, like I was on a magical ride.

  A giggle bubbled up to my lips as the robed man made his way over to me, and a strange warmth began to trickle through my veins. I squirmed in my seat, thighs twitching as my core throbbed.

  I’d only felt this way a few times before; that hot, sticky arousal that made me ache like mad. It usually came from being close to Hunter. But he wasn’t here now. No, he’d lost me, and he was never getting me back.

  My vision started to go fuzzy again, and I felt like I was looking at everyone through water. Their voices sounded strange, too.

  The man started to speak, reciting what sounded like ancient Greek words from a yellowed scroll. I stared up at him, wondering what he’d do if I pulled his mask off and tossed it through the air like a Frisbee.

  Another giggle bubbled up my throat. I coughed to make it go away, but it didn’t work, and my shoulders started shaking with mirth as laughter spilled out of me.

  I thought the man would be annoyed, but instead he smiled and kept reading. The amused expression on his face told me that he expected me to behave in such a silly way.

  My laughter stopped abruptly as comprehension dawned on me. No wonder I felt so hot, horny, and delirious. They wanted me to feel like that, and they must’ve ensured it by drugging me.

  Oh, shit. The pomegranate juice…

  I blinked, trying my best to regain control of my mind and body. Whatever Camila or Paisley had slipped in the juice was obviously a happy drug like molly mixed with something else that made me have the strange out-of-body feeling.

  Clearly, it was meant to make me have a good time at the initiation, but that didn’t make it acceptable. I was furious that they’d taken advantage of my trust like this.

  The man turned to the crowd of onlookers and started speaking in English. “As you know, we have to be absolutely sure that the person we are initiating as a member is not only loyal enough to keep every secret divulged to them, but also has the guts to digest all of it. Not everyone can manage that. Hence, the ritual. It exists to test the mettle of our newest recruits, and only those who pass can fully peek behind the curtain.”

  He turned back to me. I blinked rapidly, wishing everything hadn’t gone so fuzzy again.

  “Laney, do you think you have what it takes to pass?” the man asked in a somber tone.

  “Yes,” I said. The word seemed to come out of me automatically. I didn’t even want to speak. I just wanted to have a glass of water, go home, and try to sober up.

  “Wonderful.” The man retrieved a flower crown from the
stone altar and placed it on my head. “Let’s see how well you do.”

  As he adjusted the crown on my head, the crowd whooped and cheered, and the music went on again, filling the air with a hypnotic beat. Camila, Kiri, Paisley, Riley and Hazel ran forward and yanked me off the throne.

  “Time to take what you deserve, Laney,” Camila said excitedly, offering me a chalice from the altar. I peered inside to see the remainder of the pomegranate juice from earlier.

  Now that I suspected it was drugged, I didn’t want it. No fucking way.

  “I’m not thirsty,” I mumbled, shaking my head.

  Camila sighed and thrust it right under my chin. “It’s part of the ritual,” she said. “You have to.”

  “Okay.” I grabbed the chalice and pretended to take a big gulp. Then I ‘accidentally’ dropped it, letting it splash all over the leaves by my feet. “Oops.”

  “Shit,” Kiri muttered.

  “It’s okay. I’m pretty sure she already had enough earlier. You’ve seen how she’s been acting,” Camila whispered to her, all but confirming that she’d given me a laced drink back in the clubroom.

  The other girls started whirling around me again, faces glowing with excitement as their gauzy dresses billowed out around them. “Pick!” they shouted at me between their shrieks and giggles. “Pick! Pick!”

  “Pick what?” I asked, peering at Camila through bleary eyes.

  “One of them,” she said, pointing at the masked men. They were all standing closer now, lined up next to each other.

  “For what?”

  She grinned. “You know what,” she said, playfully elbowing me. “C’mon. You can have any one of them! I think the guy at the end is the cutest, though.”

  My stomach plummeted. “You want me to pick one to sleep with?”