The Ravens by Kass Morgan

Author:Kass Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780358098195
Publisher: HMH Books
Published: 2020-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Vivi and Sonali reached Kappa House. Instead of going inside, they walked around and headed for the thick glade of trees that grew beyond the back garden. The temperature had dropped suddenly, and Vivi rubbed her arms, wishing she could grab a sweater before stepping into the shadowy gloom.

“Do you think we should wait here?” Sonali asked. They’d spent most of the walk from campus in silence, too preoccupied by their own worries to speak.

“They told us to meet them in the woods, so I guess we should keep walking?”

Wordlessly, they stepped into the forest. It was like entering another world—the tangle of thick tree branches blocked most of the setting sun, though every now and then, they’d pass a pool of light on the mossy ground.

“I think we should go that way,” Sonali said, pointing to the right.

“How do you know?”

Sonali laughed and nodded at a flowering vine with pink blossoms growing in a peculiar pattern that formed the words Initiates, this way. The end of the vine had been transformed into an arrow. Despite her nerves, Vivi laughed too. The Ravens could be infuriatingly cryptic, but they certainly did everything with style.

She and Sonali walked on until the trees began to thin out, revealing patches of indigo sky above them. Up ahead, they could hear the murmur of quiet voices; they followed the sound until they stepped into a small clearing. The entire sorority was there, all of them dressed in black robes except for Dahlia, who was in blood red. They were standing in a large circle, and as Vivi and Sonali approached, the circle opened to let them inside, where the other pledges were waiting. Ariana was looking around with wide eyes, while Bailey had gone still and rigid, though her darting eyes betrayed her anxiety. Even Reagan, who usually maintained an air of ironic detachment, was fidgeting nervously.

Without saying a word, the pledges’ Bigs stepped forward and approached their Littles. Scarlett’s face was unreadable as she came up to Vivi and draped a black robe around her shoulders, then placed a garland of white flowers on her head. The other Bigs did the same, although with different colored garlands, then returned to their spots in the circle.

Dahlia, who’d been standing next to a large pile of wood, stepped into the center of the gathering. “It’s time, witches. Welcome, Vivi, Bailey, Reagan, Ariana, and Sonali. You’ve entered the woods as pledges, but you’ll leave it as sisters. This is your initiation to Kappa. Now, please, take your rightful places in the circle.”

Despite the solemnity of the setting, Vivi couldn’t keep an enormous grin from spreading across her face. Next to her, Sonali let out a long sigh and muttered, “Thank God,” while Ariana squealed and clapped her hands.

“So, just to confirm,” Bailey said slowly. “This means . . .”

Dahlia laughed. “Yes, you made it. All of you did. You’re here to become full sisters.”

It took all of

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