"What's that, dear?" Christopher's mom asked curiously.
Matt shrugged, but he was beginning to feel a thrum of excitement in his chest. He'd heard something about invitations certain people at Dalcrest received, ones that just mysteriously appeared, but he'd always thought they were a myth.
Flipping the envelope over, he saw a blue wax seal bearing the impression of an ornate letter V.
Huh. After gazing at the envelope for a second, he folded it and slipped it into his back pocket. If it was what he thought it was, he was supposed to open it alone.
"I guess that's fate tel ing us the bottom bunk's yours," Christopher said amiably.
"Yeah," Matt said distractedly, his heart pounding hard.
"Excuse me for a minute, okay?"
He ducked out into the hal , took a deep breath, and opened the envelope. Inside was more thick fancy paper with cal igraphy on it and a narrow piece of black fabric. He read:
Fortis Aeturnus
For generations, the best and brightest of Dalcrest College have been chosen to join the Vitale Society. This year, you have been selected.
Should you wish to accept this honor and become one of us, come tomorrow night at eight o'clock to the main campus gate. You must be blindfolded and dressed as befits a serious occasion.
Tell no one.
The little pulse of excitement in Matt's chest increased until he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He sank down along the wal and took a deep breath.
He'd heard stories about the Vitale Society. The handful of Well-known actors, famous writers, and great Civil War general that Dalcrest counted among their alumni were al rumored to have been members. To belong to the legendary society was supposed to ensure your success, to link you to an incredible secret network that would help you throughout your life.
More than that, there was talk of mysterious deeds, of secrets revealed only to members. And they were supposed to have amazing parties.
But they were just gossip, the stories of the Vitale Society, and no one ever straight-out admitted to belonging to it. Matt always figured the secret society was a myth. The col ege itself so vehemently denied any knowledge of the Vitale Society that Matt suspected the admissions people might have made the whole thing up, trying to make the col ege seem a little more exclusive and mysterious than it real y was.
But here - he looked down at the creamy paper clutched in his hands - was evidence that al the stories might be true. It could be a joke, he supposed, a trick someone was playing on a few of the freshmen. It didn't feel like a joke, though. The seal, the wax, the expensive paper; it seemed like a lot of effort to go to if the invitation wasn't genuine.
The most exclusive, most secret society at Dalcrest was real. And they wanted him.
Chapter Four
"Trust Bonnie to meet a cute guy on her first day at col ege," Elena said. She careful y drew the nail-polish brush over Meredith's toenail, painting it a tannish pink.
They'd spent the evening at freshman orientation with the rest of their dormmates, and now al they wanted to do was relax. "Are you sure this is the color it's supposed to be?" Elena asked Meredith. "It doesn't look like a summer sunset to me."
"I like it," Meredith said, wiggling her toes.
"Careful! I don't want polish on my new bedspread," Elena warned.
"Zander is just gorgeous," Bonnie said, stretching out luxuriously on her own bed on the other side of the room.
"Wait til you meet him."
Meredith smiled at Bonnie. "Isn't it an amazing feeling?
When you've just met somebody and you feel like there's something between you, but you're not quite sure what's going to happen?" She gave an exaggerated sigh, rol ing her eyes up in a mock swoon. "It's al about the anticipation, and you get a thril just seeing him. I love that first part." Her tone was light, but there was something lonely in her face.
Elena was sure that, as composed and calm as Meredith was, she was already missing Alaric.
"Sure," Bonnie said amiably. "It's awesome, but I'd like to get to the next stage for once. I want to have a relationship where we know each other real y Well, a serious boyfriend instead of just a crush. Like you guys have. That's even better, isn't it?"
"I think so," said Meredith. "But you shouldn't try to hurry through the we-just-met stuff, because you've only got a limited time to enjoy it. Right, Elena?" Elena dabbed a cotton bal around the edges of Meredith's polished toenails and thought about when she had first met Stefan. With al that had happened since then, it was hard to believe it was only a year ago.
What she remembered most was her own determination to have Stefan. No matter what had gotten in her way, she had known with a clear, firm purpose that he would be hers. And then, in those early days, once he was hers, it was glorious. It felt as if the missing piece of herself had slotted into place.
"Right," she said final y, answering Meredith. "Afterward, things get more complicated."
At first, Stefan had been a prize that Elena wanted to win: sophisticated and mysterious. He was a prize Caroline wanted, too, and Elena would never let Caroline beat her.
But then Stefan had let Elena see the pain and passion, the integrity and nobility, he held inside him and she had forgotten the competition and loved Stefan with her whole heart.
And now? She stil loved Stefan with everything she had, and he loved her. But she loved Damon, too, and sometimes she understood him - plotting, manipulative, dangerous Damon - better than she did Stefan. Damon was like her in some ways: he, too, would be relentless in pursuing what he wanted. She and Damon connected, she thought, on some deep core instinctive level that Stefan was too good, too honorable to understand. How could you love two people at the same time?