Evelyn had left me sitting on the tree stump, alone, lost in thoughts.

A few minutes of solidarity later, I walked back to the school. The walk wasn't short and so I thought about everything. The problem was that my everything was solely Evelyn, nothing else came into my head but my ups and downs with her. I mostly revisited the moment when she told me that she loved me and everything I did.

When I got back to my dorm and saw that it was empty, I lay on my bed and observed the plain ceiling. Closing my eyes, I finally found my mind empty.

That was until a low, British voice said, "Ivy!"

My eyes burst open and I jumped out of bed to rapidly absorb the situation, "creep, get out!" I yelled at the boy standing in our girls' dorm. Not my finest moment there, I thought as I begged the lord for cooler on-the-spot reactions.

"Sorry," I nervously laughed when he didn't flinch and I couldn't think of anything else to say. The boy was brown- Indian, and had jet black hair; I had seen him before when I walked with Harriet to meet with him, Isaac and Felix after school. So this was James.

He finally spoke, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm swinging by the grounds' bonfire with Isaac, you should probably act surprised that he's there though."

How did a new guy already know about that bonfire? And what right did he have to invite someone or even come himself? James gave off an unreadable atmosphere- he made you tense through how relaxed he was.

"And who are you?" I asked calmly, pretending like I didn't know who he was- James.

"James," he replied, holding his hand out and giving a firm handshake as I met his hand with mine. "You should remember me from seeing me at the after school gathering," he added, flashing his teeth. I returned his smile but with less enthusiasm... and slyness.

"I do, and you're the mysterious guy who wants to 'take me down,'" I told him, seeing how he would react.

"I'd already forgotten about that," he replied, "you seem like the type to understand that you need an agenda to get anywhere in this world. I have a better one now, consider yourself spared." He finished. He wasn't particularly cunning but then I supposed that he was at the same time- it was confusing.

I thought that James liked to get his way too; he hadn't requested to be at the fire, he had just informed me that he would be. His confidence and air of unease made me understand how someone like Evelyn could break down at the sound of his name alone- he was not to be trusted, I noted to myself.

Having him at the bonfire wouldn't hurt, finding more out about him could reveal a web of hidden secrets, I was sure of it- that he had the answers.

"Fine," I told him, "you're welcome I suppose, as a reward for knowing about it in the first place," interesting choice of words, Ivy, I thought as I processed my own words.

"I know more than you may think, Ivy Joanne Pearle," he told me.

"You're a bloody creep, get out and I'll see you tonight," I told him, trying not to grin. He patted me on the arm and then left.

I didn't bother to predict the night or comprehend things too much, things would soon be apparent. The only thing I did wonder was how James and Isaac would react to the inner circles' rituals... they were rather unsettling.

What the grounds' inner circle was, was a sort of satanic cult but I wasn't sure of how many people believed the bullshit lore. Although the group were full of the most vulnerable people in the school- the outcasts who finally belonged somewhere. I supposed that running the club, clique, cult or whatever other label you want to stick to it was not profitable for me, but it did provide a secure life line of reliable helpers.

Additionally, I could finally be good at something- I could be a leader and the school was all about becoming a future leader after all.

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The time for the bonfire was approaching. After James had left, he caught me in the corridors to tell me that he'd get to the bonfire early and start it all up for me. It made my life a lot easier, previously I'd endured the cold and gathered logs of all kinds, you had to prepare a lot earlier to create a large bonfire.

James did not disappoint, the bonfire was perhaps better than mine had ever been. I started to wish that school would last a year longer so James could make the next bonfire too.

Once I'd prepared myself for the gathering, I used the back entrance of the school and strode through the overgrown path. The other members were on time, wearing their haunting white masks that I had picked out a while back.

I could see Isaac and James, sitting closely together and looking at the members and I. I did feel strangeness crawl over me as Isaac's eyes widened at the sight of me. I supposed that he wouldn't have expected me to be involved in something like this and especially not the puppeteer- the only one without the mask. I thought about how shocked Isaac would be if he saw those behind the masks and that made me smile to myself slyly.

When Isaac could properly see me, I made shock appear on my face, I had to pretend like I didn't know he was here. I then decided that I'd go the angry route and began to curse at James.

I began our ritual- the dirt and the throwing up. There was a reason for it all, I had concocted the lore over multiple forest walks.

After I'd finished, my next member began. That was when James shouted stop but it was too late: Isaac had already collapsed...

It wasn't meant to get this bad, dread clutched me. If this got back to the head...

None of the members panicked and James kept a cool demeanour also. James knelt next to Isaac and tried to wake him up.

I took the opportunity to announce, "When Isaac wakes up, we will all go back to our dorms. At midnight, come back and we'll finish the ritual." It was important to sustain the traditions, especially when you can't isolate your members. My lore had to be strong enough but not serious, and the ritual had to incite morbid curiosity. I had made it perfectly and would be sure to continue at zero hours.

 After a few minutes, Isaac regained consciousness- I was pleased that it was nothing serious. James escorted him back into the school and everyone else returned to their dorms. After a few more shared words between Isaac and James, (mainly James comforting him) they too returned to their dorms.

We would sleep with the night and when Wednesday dawned upon us, we would have awoken.

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Harriet's POV

It was late on Tuesday when Isaac returned from the grounds' bonfire. I had spent Tuesday with Isaac just living life but when Isaac rushed to get ready and become 'perfect', I just retired to my dorm, wondering what the bonfire would be like.

It took ages for Isaac to return. I'd waited in the grounds' lounge for too long, all alone. Isaac finally came into the room.

"Finally! Tell me everything," I said, excitement invading my tone.

Isaac's face didn't match my mood and he sat next to me without a word.

"Are you good?" I tried to fill the uncomfortable silence.

He spoke at last, "It was... like a cult. I fainted and they stopped it. Ivy was there... she like gagged herself over the fire." He rubbed his legs with force and tapped his foot vigorously.

"James was there too, he helped me out and I suppose that I feel better now," Isaac added, stopping the motion of the foot as he remembered James.

"James is really lovely," I told him, focusing on Isaac's emotions and not comprehending the whole cult part of everything.

"But James... he doesn't like me back," Isaac said with a strange look on his face before he looked down to the floor.

"Oh," I said, wrapping my arms around him gently. I didn't have any more words to say, I was desperate to know more about this 'cult' that Ivy was part of. Questions began to throw themselves all over my mind and then a range of elaborate answers.

Ivy was a determined person, she liked to get her way; if her flow was interrupted, I'm sure she would continue later. If I could catch Ivy engaging in a cult, then I'd finally have something to use against her if anything came up. Before, I'd have never dreamt of something like this, but after knowing that someone was blackmailing my innocent Evelyn, I supposed I'd need some defence or I just felt more justified- like everyone was doing it.

I tried to comfort Isaac with James and the whole situation, secretly taking some pride that our friendship bonfire was the best, and then Isaac went to his dorm room to sleep.

I, too, returned to my dorm. Everyone was asleep apart from Alba who wasn't here. I decided to wake up in a few hours time, about half an hour before midnight to steak the dorm out for cult activity- midnight was the perfect time for a cult.

I felt confident with this, James probably convinced Isaac not to tell me about what happened and I believed that people would never think that Isaac would break his own crush's trust.

I set my alarm for 11:30PM, changed it to the lowest volume, and put it under my duvet to muffle it, praying no one would look too closely at the strange lump in my bed.

My mind buzzed until it fizzed out, like a damaged light bulb.

I knew nothing of the night to come at that stage, looking back, I couldn't have done anything to prepare for the days to come. This early morning would start it all: the calm before the storm.