The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Three

Bonnie fluffed her red curls as she hurried across Dalcrests undis pluckd lawn. It was so slightly here. Little flagst unity itinerarys bordered the lawn, leading run into to the various dorms and classroom buildings. Brightly tincted flowers petunias, impatiens, daisies were growe everywhere, by the sides of the path and in front of the buildings.The human scenery was pretty awesome, similarly, Bonnie popular opinion, surreptitiously eyeing a bronzed roast lying on a toWellnear the marge of the lawn. Not surreptitiously enough, though the guy lifted his shaggy darkness head and winked at her. Bonnie giggled and walked faster, her cheeks warm.H binglestly, shouldnt he be unpacking or operate up his room or something? Not ripe lying al close half naked and winking at passing girls kindred a bear-sized flirt.The bag of stuff Bonnie had bought in the campus bookstore clinked gently in her yield. Of course, she hadnt been able to buy books yet, as they wouldnt sign up for classes until the nigh day, exactly it turned out the bookstore sold everything. Shed gotten some bulky stuff a Dalcrest mug, a teddy bear wearing its throw cute half-size Dalcrest T-shirt, and a few things that would come in pass aroundy, similar(p) an efficiently organized shower caddy and a break ection of pens in every crackor of the rainbow. She had to make she was pretty excited just about starting signal col ege.Bonnie shifted the bag to her left hand and flexed the cramping fingers of her right. Excited or not, al this stuff shed bought was heavy. nevertheless she needed it. This was her plan she was qualifying to go away a new soulfulness at col ege. Not all told new she wish welld herself fine, for the most crack. But she was going to become more than of a leader, more mature, the kind of person who people tell, Ask Bonnie, or Trust Bonnie, rather than, Oh, Bonnie, which was completely different.She was determined to step out of the shadows of M eredith and Elena. They were both terrific, of course, her absolute best friends, tho they didnt pull brush up sureize how terrifyingly in charge they were al the snip. Bonnie wanted to become a terrific, ful y in-charge person in her own right.Plus maybe shed meet a truly y special guy. That would be nice. Bonnie couldnt actual y doom Meredith or Elena for the concomitant that al the way by last school, shed had bunch of dates but no serious boyfriends. But the simple fact was that, even if everyone thought you were cute, if your two closest friends were gorgeous and smart and powerful, the kind of guy who was looking to fal in love talent find you a little bit fluffy in comparison.She had to admit, though, that she was relieved that she and Meredith and Elena were al living to set flockher. She talent not want to be stuck in their shadows, but they were stil her best friends. And, afterwards al Thud. Someone crashed into Bonnies side and she lost her train of thou ght completely. She staggered backward. A large young-be getting(prenominal) body lurched into her again, briefly crushing her face against his chest, and she tripped, fal ing against soulfulness elses side. There were guys al around her, shoving one another back and forth, jocose around and arguing, paying no attention to her as she was jostled among them, until a blind drunk hand suddenly steadied her in the midst of the turmoil.By the time she found her feet, they were moving off again, five or six male bodies swiping and shoving at one another, not stopping to apologize, as if they hadnt even discover her as anything more than an inanimate obstacle in their path.Except for one of them. Bonnie found herself stare at a worn savory T-shirt and a slim torso with Well-muscled arms.She straightened up and smoothed her bull, and the hand copeping her arm let go.Are you al right? a low voice asked.Id be better if you hadnt almost knocked me down, Bonnie was about to imagine sn ippily. She was out of breath, and her bag was heavy, and this guy and his friends seriously needed to ticker where they were going. Then she looked up, and her eyes met his.Wow. The guy was gorgeous. His eyes were a clear, true wild blue yonder, the blue of the sky at dawn on a summer morning.His features were precipitously cut, the eyebrows arched, the cheekbones high, but his mouth was soft and sensual. And shed never seen hair quite that color before, except on the youngest kids, that pure white-blond that made her think of tropical beaches to a lower place a summer skyAre you okay? he perennial more loudly, a frown of concern crinkling his perfect forehead.God. Bonnie could tang herself blushing right up to the roots of her hair. She had just been staring at him with her mouth open.Im fine, she said, trying to pul herself together. I guess I wasnt watching where I was going. He grinned, and a tiny zing shot right through Bonnie.His smile was gorgeous, too, and it lit up h is whole face.Thats nice of you to say, he said, but I think maybe we should ingest been watching where we were going rather of shoving each other al over the path. My friends sometimes get a little rowdy.He glanced preceding(a) her, and Bonnie looked back over her shoulder. His friends had stop and were waiting for him farther down the path. As Bonnie watched, one of them, a tal dark guy, smacked another on the back of the head, and a moment posterior they were scuffling and shoving again.Yeah, I can see that, said Bonnie, and the gorgeous white-blond guy laughed. His racy laugh made Bonnie smile, too, and pul ed her attention back to those eyes.Anyway, transport accept my apology, he said. Im authorized y sorry. He held out his hand. My names Zander. His grip was nice and firm, his hand large and warm around hers. Bonnie tangle herself blushing again, and she tossed her red curls back and stuck her chin bravely in the air. She wasnt going to act al flustered. So what if h e was gorgeous? She was friends sort of, leastways with Damon. She ought to be immune to gorgeous guys by now.Im Bonnie, she said, smiling up at him. This is my first day here. Are you a freshman, too?Bonnie, he said thoughtful y, drawing her name out a little give keeping he was tasting it. No, Ive been here for a opus.Zander Zander, the guys down the path began chanting, their voices getting faster and louder as they repeated it. Zander Zander Zander. Zander winced, his attention slipping back toward his friends. Im sorry, Bonnie, Ive got to run, he said. Weve got sort of a He paused. club thing going on. But, like I said, Im real y sorry we almost knocked you over. I foretaste Il see you again soon, okay?He squeezed her hand once more, gave her a lingering smile, and walked away, picking up speed as he got close to his friends. Bonnie watched him rejoin the group of guys.Just before they turned past a dorm, Zander looked back at her, flashed that gorgeous smile, and wave d.Bonnie raised her hand to wave back, accidental y clunking the heavy bag against her side as he turned away.Amazing, she thought, remembering the color of his eyes. I might be falling in love. gym mat leaned against the wobbly pile of udders hed stacked by the entrance to his dorm room. Darn it, he said as he jiggled the key in the doorsteps lock. Had they even given him the right key?Hey, a voice said behind him, and categorical jerked, tumbling a suitcase down onto the floor. Whoops, sorry about that. Are you Matt?Yeah, Matt said, prominent the key one last twist and, just like that, the door final y opened. He turned, smiling. Are you Christopher? The school had told him his roommates name and that he was on the footbal team, too, but the two of them hadnt gotten in touch. Christopher looked okay. He was a big guy with a linebacker build, friendly smile, and short sandy hair that he scrubbed at with one hand as he stepped back to make way for the cheerful middle-aged couple fol owing him. Hi there, you moldiness be Matt, said the woman, who was carrying a rol ed-up rug and a Dalcrest pennant. Im Jennifer, Christophers mom, and this is Mark, his dad. Its so nice to meet you. Are your folks here?Uh, no, I just drove up by myself, Matt said. My hometown, Fel s Church, isnt too far from here. He grabbed his suitcases and lugged them into the room, hurrying to get out of Christophers familys way.Their room was pretty smal . There was a bunk bed along one wal , a compact home in the middle of the room, and two desks and dressers crammed side by side on the other wal .The girls and Stefan were no doubt living in luxury, but it hadnt seemed quite right to let Stefan use his Power to get Matt a good housing assignment. It was bad enough that Matt took someone elses slot as a student and someone elses space on the footbal team.Stefan had tattleed him into doing just that. Look, Matt, hed said, his green eyes serious. I understand how you scent. I dont like influencing people to get what I want either.But the fact is, we need to stay together. With the lines of Power that run through this whole part of the country, we have to be on our guard. Were the only ones who know. Matt had to agree, when Stefan project it like that. Hed turned down the plush dorm room Stefan had offered to arrange for him, though, and interpreted what the housing office assigned him. He had to hang on to at least a shred of his honor. Plus if he was in the same dorm as the others, it would have been hard to say no to rooming with Stefan. He liked Stefan fine, but the idea of living with him, of watching him with Elena, the girl Matt had lost and stil loved despite al that had happened, was too much. And it would be delight to meet new people, to expand his horizons a bit after spend his whole life in Fel s Church.But the room was grand y smal .And Christopher seemed to have a ton of stuff. He and his parents went up and down the stairs, hauling in a sound sy stem, a little refrigerator, a TV, a Wii. Matt shoved his own three suitcases into the corner and helped them bring it al in.Wel share the fridge and the entertainment stuff, of course, Christopher told him, glancing at Matts bags, which clearly contained nothing but clothes and maybe some sheets and towels. If we can figure out where to put it al . Christophers mom was prowling around the room, directing his dad on where to move things.Great, thanks Matt started to say, but Christophers dad, having final y managed to wedge the TV on top of one of the dressers, turned to look at Matt.Hey, he said. It just hit me if youre from Fel s Church, you guys were the state champions last year. You must be some get togetherer. What position do you play?Uh, thanks, Matt said. I play quarterback.First string? Christophers dad asked him.Matt blushed. Yeah.Now they were al staring at him.Wow, Christopher said. No offense, man, but why are you going to Dalcrest? I mean, Im excited just to play col ege bal , but you could have gone, like, partitioning One. Matt shrugged uncomfortably. Um, I had to stay close to home.Christopher opened his mouth to say something else, but his mother gave a tiny shake of her head and he closed it again. Great, Matt thought. They probably thought he had family problems.He had to admit it warmed him a little, though, to be with people who acknowledged what hed given up. The girls and Stefan didnt real y understand footbal . Even though Stefan had played on their high school team with him, his mind-set was stil very much that of the Renaissance European aristocrat sports were enjoyable pastimes that kept the body fit. Stefan didnt real y care.But Christopher and his family they got what it meant for Matt to pass up the chance of vie for a top-ranked col ege footbal team.So, Christopher said, a little too suddenly, as if hed been trying to think of a way to change the subject, which bed do you want? I dont care whether I take top or butt. Th ey al looked over at the bunk beds, and thats when Matt saw it for the first time. It must have arrived while he was downstairs helping with Christophers luggage. A cream-colored envelope sat on the bottom bunk, made of a fancy thick paper note like a wedding invitation. On the front was written in cal igraphy Matthew Honeycutt.Whats that, dear? Christophers mom asked curiously.Matt shrugged, but he was beginning to feel a thrum of excitement in his chest. Hed heard something about invitations indisputable people at Dalcrest received, ones that just mysteriously appeared, but hed always thought they were a myth.Flipping the envelope over, he saw a blue mount up 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 thats fate tel ing us the bottom bunks 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 readFortis AeturnusFor 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 oclock to the main campus gate. You must be blindfolded and dressed as befits a serious occasion. specialise no one.The little pulse of excitement in Matts chest change magnitude until he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He sank down along the wal and took a deep breath.Hed 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 sup posed to ensure your success, to link you to an marvellous 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 chromatic 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 didnt feel like a joke, though. The seal, the wax, the dearly-won paper it seemed like a lot of effort to go to if the invitation wasnt genuine.The most exclusive, most secret society at Dalcrest was real. And they wanted him.