Chapter 19

OPHELIA I pull up the hood of my sweater and step behind a tree, my eyes fixed on Penelope and Madison and a third girl I don’t recognize. They giggle and each take a swig from a bottle of clear liquid, which I assume is some kind of alcohol. After a few minutes, they head in the direction of the woods at the edge of campus, and I wait until they’re a safe distance ahead before I follow after them. After we’ve been walking for about ten minutes, the sound of cheering and shouting drifts through the trees. Penelope and her friends squeal delightedly and pick up their pace, and I hasten my own steps to keep up with them. As we draw closer to the noise, the sense of excitement and anticipation grows thicker in the air. What are these Trials, and why the hell was Xavier so secretive about them? Like he has any right to tell me what I can and cannot do. Jerkwad! The sound of the crowd gets closer until we reach a clearing in the woods lit by floodlights and surrounded by a ring of people. I