"When exactly does the council think that the book of the cadets was stolen?" Luca asked Franco at the breakfast.

"When Leclerc, Enzo and Lorenzo went to visit the Ciccone mansion."

"Makes sense." Luca nodded. "They were all out of town. The book was in the council's lounge, unattended."

"Yes but that would mean that one of the brother's took it, which they wouldn't. It must have happened earlier during the..."

"Leash Party." Charles and Luca exclaimed simultaneously.

"Exactly." Franco nodded. "Any of the girls could have taken it."

"But not Magali because she was with you, right?" Charles said hopefully.

Franco shrugged. "Not after the fight between you and Enzo."

"Yes, but then she was with me." Charles remembers that Magali had a lot of questions about the book last semester. But he believed that it all ended with him telling her about his legacy. She couldn't have stolen the book of the cadets.

"Why don't Enzo and Lorenzo suspect Timo?" Luca asked. "They did hang his girlfriend like a chandelier."

"I doubt they would." Franco said. "Like any other brother Timo knows the value of the book. And on that note..." Franco cleared his throat. "I don't think I can get you any more inside information about the matter. I suspect Enzo and Lorenzo don't trust me either now that I'm with you guys."

"With us." Luca snorted, but Charles was quick to elbow his side. Franco had been more than helpful to them even past their deal to take Charles' place in the council.

"What's so important about this book anyway?"

All heads turned to Milo. He had been listening attentively while enjoying his breakfast. This was a conversation Charles didn't want Milo to hear, however they had just returned from their morning run with the cross country team. They were training harder these days. Mr Valsecchi had them prepare for the upcoming meet that both Charles and Milo were keen on performing well in.

"It's just a silly book written by the club's forefathers." He said.

"If it's so silly how come you're so worried about the fact that it is missing?" Milo asked. He was too bright for his own good.

"Let's just say that all that goes on in the clubhouse isn't always legal." Luca chuckled. "Some things that we do are written in the book and if the words get out..."

"You'd be in big trouble." Milo nodded understandingly.

Luca shook his head "Oh not just us , the entire brotherhood could falter for it. For all I know the police could have this whole place surrounded if they knew about half the thing going on inside these walls."

"Things like what?" Milo asked, his eyes wide and eager to learn more.

"For instance, money laundering." Luca said.

"No way." Milo gasped.

"It's said that the headmaster got a whole operation going on in the school's basement. I even ran into one of the black hooded men during my sophomore year."

"You're lying."

"He's lying." Charles sighed. "There's no such thing going on in the school basment."

"Oh." Milo's shoulders withered.

"But he is right that the brotherhood could falter." Charles looked to Franco. "We could have the whole order after us if they find out that we lost the book."

Franco didn't answer, he just rose from his seat and gathered his things. "My advice is that you talk to Magali. Anthoine was right, for some reason Lorenzo is convinced that she took it on your command."

"That's crazy." Charles frowned. Even though he had been plotting against Enzo and Lorenzo for a long time, stealing the book of the cadets would be a direct insult to his own legacy and to his grandfather's.

************

"The freaking book of the cadets. "Really Mia?"

They were stuffed back into the school's archive, the smell of desert lizards once again invading Magali's nose. "Care to explain why you decided to steal the crimson brother's holy bible?"

"Like I said, it's the only way." Mia peeled the rubber gloves of her hands, tossing them in the bin. Magali helped her with the lid to the lizard tank. Together they sealed the top, trapping the crawling beasts. Although they looked intimidating all they did most of the time was to sunbathe under the heat lamps.

"Okay, so let me get this straight, you think stealing the book of the cadets could help us shut the club down once and for all?"

"No." Mia shook her head. "It's bigger than that. This book could help us shut the whole school down. It's got evidence of someone plotting a homicide on your boyfriend."

"Right." Magali nodded, She was jet convinced, but only because Mia retold how she got a hold of the book in the first place. It was during the leash party. Apparently she had Luca's name written across her forehead, Charles bestfriend. Although she hated the concept of it all Mia saw the leash party as an opportunity for her to snoop around the clubhouse. However, her curiosity had gotten the best of her. Once all hell broke loose during the fight between Charles and Enzo, Mia took the liberty to run upstairs unseen by anyone. She found a smaller library. But there was no time to go through anything. In slight haste she swiped the pocket book resting on a table. Turns out that book was the holy book of the cadets. If it wasn't for Anthoine's threat the other night, Magali would have dismissed Mia's theories for another one of her crazy vendettas against SDC and the club they hold so dear.

"It's just a replica not the original copy." Mia moved towards one of the drawers that the school used to sort out their archives and old documents.

"Come again?" Magali said, following Mia with her eyes as she crossed the room. She stopped at one drawer pulling out its file cabinet. And there it was, the book she had been busy studying in class instead of paying attention to Mr Meragio's lessons.

"It's too small to be the original scripture passed on since the first generation of crimson brother's." Mia said. " Don't you think it should be bigger?"

Magali shrugged. "I suppose?"

"And look here, at the scribbles."

The scribbles. Mia explained that the little man made notes in some of the pages were the main reason for her theories about Charles.

"Look at what it says."

Mia brought Magali the book, holding up a page of it in front of her face. Magali read the scribbles at the bottom of it. "The council of its time states that Charles' "seniority, maturity and impressive moral" made him a Crimson brother no trial could ever command."

"That's the first time they mention him." Mia said. "At the end of the chapter about some trial to become a crimson brother. It says here that Charles didn't have to go through with it like the other cadets."

"So what?" Magali asked. Charles told her about his grandfather's affiliations with the club. That he was guaranteed to follow in his footsteps one day. "What's so special about this information?"

"Well, the second time whoever made these notes mentions Charles, is at the bottom of a page that explains how the club used to wed their members back in the days. How they did this in order to keep the crimson brother's bloodline pure. Look, it says so, right here."

Magali read the words Mia was pointing at:

"The future generations of cadets would be called legacies but only legacies from the first generation of crimson cadets wear the emblem ring."

"Tethered by the dragon, shared by its blood, a trade of the purest bloodline to bring generations to this club."

"The ceremony is yet complete without the emblem ring. Charles must perform the ceremony again, the second time it will be fetal but complete. A great sacrifice, for it will bring us the purest bloodline once again."

"I..." Magali was lost for words, having read the words out loud.

Mia nodded. "Do you see it now? Someone is plotting against Charles, wanting to cut him up again so he can bleed out and die."

"But why?"

"I dunno." Something about bringing back the purest bloodline, whatever that means. It says, and I quote..."

"Tethered by the dragon, shared by its blood, a trade of the purest bloodline to bring generations to this club..." Magali did not need Mia to quote the written words to her. She already knew them by heart.

"Have you read about it before?"

Magali nodded her head, feeling herself tremble with fear. "So have you."

"I have?" Mia frowned.

"Yes. Don't you remember? It's about the ceremony that the pastor performed on Charles and Rebecca. The one he said had gone wrong."

"....because Charles wasn't wearing some ring." Mia nodded. "I remember."

"Little did we know that the ceremony was actually Charles and Rebecca's wedding, however, without the ring it was incomplete."

"...Which means that they have to go through with it again." Mia brought the book to her eyes. Her lips moved as she read with haste. She looked up, eyes wide, "But this time it will be fatal."

"Unless we find a way to stop it." Magali said, clenching her fists.

"Look. The grotesque traditions written down in this book might not be enough for the police to shut down the club." Mia said, slamming the book shut and putting it back into the file cabinet, it's a hiding place for now. "But if we can get a witness to second the fact that the club is forcing the crimson cadets to actually perform these sick traditions at school, then we might have a case."

"What witness?" Magali said, wiping an unwanted tear. She couldn't let go of the thought that Charles might be in grave danger.

"What witness?" Mia said in disbelief. "Who do you think?"

Magali gave it a thought, but only one name came to mind. "Augusto Marinello?"