The Ravens (The Ravens #1) - Kass Morgan Page 0,35
.” She trailed off, realizing that she didn’t even have the vocabulary to ask the question.
Mei smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears. “It’s called a glamour. It’s a spell that comes pretty easily to Pentacles like us.”
The words like us made Vivi shiver with anticipation. “So what does that mean, exactly?” She knew the tarot suits, of course. It was impossible to grow up with Daphne Devereaux and not have a working knowledge of the major and minor arcana, but she wanted to know exactly what that meant for her—for her magic.
“Our powers fall under the Earth sign. That means it’s a bit easier for us to influence or manipulate nature, whether that’s trees, animals, or”—she shook her hair and struck an exaggerated modeling pose—“our natural beauty.” Mei pulled her phone out of her pocket and tilted her head as if preparing to take a selfie, but as she pursed her lips, her straight bob turned into beachy waves, and her nude lipstick deepened into maroon.
“Can you teach me to do that?” Vivi asked, awestruck.
“Sure,” Mei said, staring at her phone as she uploaded the photo to a verified Instagram account. Vivi had Googled all the Ravens she could remember that morning and knew that Mei was an incredibly popular beauty blogger originally from the Bay Area with nearly a million followers. “Though you should probably start out by focusing on whatever Scarlett wants to teach you.”
Vivi suppressed a grimace as she imagined Scarlett’s fake, condescending smile. “Shouldn’t you be my Big, since we’re the same suit?”
“What makes Ravens special is how our magic plays off one another. It’s not what we have in common but the ways that we’re different—each of our unique strengths—that make us powerful. It sounds cheesy but it’s true. You have more to learn from someone different from you. Does that make sense?”
“Got it. So what’s the jar for?” Vivi asked.
Mei gestured to the front door. “I’m anointing the entry points of the house. A little extra protection against those who wish us ill.”
Vivi nodded, her mind flashing back to last night. She’d been on such a high after the ceremony that she’d barely processed the commotion with the dark-haired girl. But the more she thought about it, the more disturbing the incident seemed. Vivi thought she might’ve been the girl who’d stopped her on the quad to warn her about the Ravens, but her features had been so twisted by pain and anger, it was hard to know for sure. “Who was that girl?”
Mei pressed her lips together and glanced over her shoulder, though Vivi couldn’t tell if she was looking for backup or checking to see who was in earshot. “She used to be a Raven. We removed her a couple years ago after she broke our most important rule.”
“Which one?” Vivi asked, suddenly worried about what unnamed rules she might’ve broken already.
But Mei just smiled vaguely. “Don’t worry. Scarlett’s your pledge master; she’ll explain everything you need to know at your lesson. She’s waiting for you out in the greenhouse.”
“Okay, thanks.” Vivi could tell Mei didn’t want to discuss the incident further, but Vivi couldn’t quite banish it from her mind, couldn’t shake the image of the girl’s frantic expression or the image of her writhing on the front steps, trying to claw her way into the house.
All she knew was that she didn’t want to end up like her, on the outside looking in.
* * *
Vivi hadn’t spent much time in greenhouses, but even she could tell that this one was extraordinary. Despite the glass walls, it was surprisingly dark; everywhere she looked, enormous plants stretched out of large clay pots, their ample leaves casting myriad shadows. She inhaled, noting the unusual combination of scents: lavender, pepper, mint, ripe fruit, sage, and a hint of rot.
Four other pledges were already seated at a round table in the center of the greenhouse—Ariana, Bailey, Sonali, and Reagan. It took Vivi a minute to reach them since there was no clear path through the plants; she had to duck under a number of climbing vines, their dew-covered leaves brushing against the back of her neck.
She slid into the open seat between Sonali and Bailey just as Scarlett appeared carrying a woven basket covered with a gauzy purple scarf. “Welcome, ladies,” Scarlett said briskly as she reached into the basket and began setting items on the table. A few squat red candles. An engraved silver dish. A midnight-black feather. Across from Vivi, Ariana