The Ravens (The Ravens #1) - Kass Morgan Page 0,28
forward, listening intently. She wore thick-framed glasses that accentuated her delicate cheekbones and an elegant white silk blouse that Vivi would never have been able to keep clean. This evening, her twisted braids were pulled back from her face with a clip.
The white girl talking to her, clearly a new member, twirled a piece of her long black hair nervously as she chattered. “I was obviously really relieved when my boyfriend and I were both accepted to Westerly. But then, at the very last minute, I mean, like, four hours before the deadline, he decided to go to Vanderbilt instead. I had already sent in my deposit and there was nothing I could do. We’re going to try to do the long-distance thing, but I’m really worried because he posted this photo on Instagram of him and this really pretty girl and the caption said ‘The benefits of new friends,’ which could be read a bunch of different ways, but still . . .”
Vivi wanted to motion for the girl to stop talking. She couldn’t believe how much she was sharing with a virtual stranger, especially one evaluating her for the sorority. Jess turned to Vivi and Ariana. “Nice to see both of you again. Come have a seat.” Ariana shot Vivi a nervous smile, then hurried to sit next to the other pledge, leaving Vivi to sit on the couch next to Jess. “You’re Ariana and Vivian, right?”
“Vivi,” Vivi said, trying to remember when she’d told Jess her name at the party.
“Vivi. Of course. How do you like Westerly so far?”
“I like it. My classes have been great, and everyone I met has been really nice.” That’s how you do it, Vivi thought. Polite, cheerful, but not blabbing every thought.
“Where are you from?”
“Oh, lots of places. It’s a little complicated,” Vivi said with a wave of her hand, planning to stop the conversation there.
Jess nodded. “I can imagine.” She was looking at Vivi with a mixture of curiosity and understanding that filled Vivi’s chest with a strange warmth.
“I never stayed anywhere for more than two years,” Vivi continued. The longer Jess looked at her, the harder it became to stay quiet; it was as if the words were being pulled out of her by a mysterious force. Yet she didn’t mind. It felt good to talk to this sympathetic girl with the kind eyes who seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her. Vivi was just about to start telling her about her mother when four more girls entered the room.
“Welcome to Kappa,” one of them said crisply. She was tall and blond and pretty in a striking, angular way. “I’m Dahlia, president of Kappa Rho Nu. This is Scarlett Winter, our pledge master.” Vivi’s stomach dropped. Scarlett was the pledge master. Great. “And this is Mei, our alumnae liaison.” It took Vivi a moment to recognize Mei from the other night. Instead of a blunt bob, her hair was now waist-length with purple tips. But how was that possible? Vivi was 99.9 percent sure that Mei hadn’t been wearing a wig the other night, and she clearly wasn’t wearing extensions now. “And this is Tiffany, our social chair.” A friendly-looking girl with white-blond hair held up a hand and smiled.
Over the next few minutes, about a dozen more girls filed into the living room, including a tall redhead Vivi had seen dancing on a table at the recruitment party and a white, round-faced brunette in hipster glasses who seemed so nervous, Vivi worried she might actually vomit. “It looks like we’re ready to get started,” Dahlia said. “Y’all can sit wherever there’s space.” Vivi scooched closer to Jess to make room on the couch while some of the Kappas drew up velvet-covered armchairs and footstools to form a circle.
“I hope this doesn’t go on forever,” Jess whispered to the Kappa on the other side of her. “I have to file my article for the Gazette by midnight.” Vivi wasn’t surprised to learn that Jess wrote for the Westerly school paper. She seemed to have a gift for getting people to spill their secrets.
Someone turned off the lights. The candles and the full moon gleaming through the large window provided plenty of illumination. Dahlia leaned toward the low coffee table in the center of the circle and lit the remaining candle. At least, a flame appeared, but Vivi didn’t see a lighter or a match in Dahlia’s hand.
“Welcome, sisters and new members,” Dahlia said. Her voice had grown quieter,