Liv felt her world tilting on its axis. The week following her clandestine meeting with Wiley had been filled with an omnipresent fear of abandonment. She moved through the familiar routines with a sense of foreboding, each interaction tinged with the anxiety of losing her grip on her friend group. The conversation with Wiley haunted her thoughts, his suspicions a constant reminder of the precariousness of their power.
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Liv’s heart ached with the loss of her friendship and her untold feelings for Wiley. The bond they once shared seemed irreparably strained, and the chasm between them grew with each passing day. She watched as her friends drifted apart, the once tightly-knit elite crew fraying at the edges.
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She felt contempt with how she had left things with the Burcharts, smoothing over the misunderstanding of her involvement in the Valentine Formal scandal. Liv felt like she had done all she could to relay her apologies and support Kaye under those circumstances. Now, her responsibilities lay elsewhere, and her only duty remained with her kin.
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Desperation clawed at Liv, and she knew she had to act. Their influence and control had never before hung so precariously in the balance. She decided it was time; she needed to be the glue that kept their group together. Putting a stop to their end that seemed evident, she sent a message in the group chat, “The Veiled Circle,” the only group chat Wiley had previously been excluded from.
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“Code red! Meeting in thirty at the usual spot.” -Liv
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As the message reached the recipients, each knew the urgency of the matter. A code red meant that there was a dangerous threat lingering in the shadows. The last time they had called one, they had lost one of their own, a series of tragic events leading to her demise.
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*** **** **** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** **
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Liv felt her world tilting on its axis. The week following her clandestine meeting with Wiley had been filled with an omnipresent fear of abandonment. She moved through the familiar routines with a sense of foreboding, each interaction tinged with the anxiety of losing her grip on her friend group. The conversation with Wiley haunted her thoughts, his suspicions a constant reminder of the precariousness of their power.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUuujzhJQU
Liv’s heart ached with the loss of her friendship and her untold feelings for Wiley. The bond they once shared seemed irreparably strained, and the chasm between them grew with each passing day. She watched as her friends drifted apart, the once tightly-knit elite crew fraying at the edges.
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She felt contempt with how she had left things with the Burcharts, smoothing over the misunderstanding of her involvement in the Valentine Formal scandal. Liv felt like she had done all she could to relay her apologies and support Kaye under those circumstances. Now, her responsibilities lay elsewhere, and her only duty remained with her kin.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWJqBnz23a
Desperation clawed at Liv, and she knew she had to act. Their influence and control had never before hung so precariously in the balance. She decided it was time; she needed to be the glue that kept their group together. Putting a stop to their end that seemed evident, she sent a message in the group chat, “The Veiled Circle,” the only group chat Wiley had previously been excluded from.
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“Code red! Meeting in thirty at the usual spot.” -Liv
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As the message reached the recipients, each knew the urgency of the matter. A code red meant that there was a dangerous threat lingering in the shadows. The last time they had called one, they had lost one of their own, a series of tragic events leading to her demise.
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The members of “The Veiled Circle” gathered at their usual spot—a secluded area in the woods behind the Drews’ Estate, hidden from prying eyes. The air was thick with tension as they all sat around the round dining table, awaiting Liv’s arrival. The emerging transition from summer to autumn, the dark wood, the stuffed deer hanging on the wall, and the creaking rustic décor of the cabin resembled the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on them. The cutting silence reflected the camaraderie between them weakening with each breath they spent among one another.
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Liv’s arrival was made known by the creak of the rustic door as she opened it, her eyes scanning over each member to make sure everyone involved was present. Lizzie, Aaron, Kat, Joey, Auden, and lastly, Jae.
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Liv had a determined expression, her heart pounding in her chest. She took a deep breath, knowing that this meeting could determine the fate of their group and also the repercussions of Wiley’s curiosity.
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“Thank you for coming,” Liv began, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her.
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“You called code red, I’m here out of obligation.” Jae’s voice stirred with resentment, a look of annoyance shot at Lizzie, then at Kat.
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“Just get to the point, Liv. I’m sure we all share the same sentiment as Jae,” Joey agreed, his eyes refusing to meet Kat’s.
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“We have a far more serious problem, and this petty quarrel between us must come to an end, or we might all go down together.”
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“What do you mean?” Aaron, who had been the most patient about the entire ordeal, knew when his sister spoke with warning, something huge had happened.
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“Wiley’s onto us.” Her voice was almost inaudible, but in the midst of silence, everyone heard her clearly.
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This alarmed Auden, knowing her friends; nothing good could happen to Wiley if he became a threat to their long-lasting secrets. However, it was Jae who felt the stab in his heart once the words left Liv’s mouth. It now made sense to him why Wiley had left his house so abruptly and refused to speak to him since. He wondered if he was the one to reveal their secrets yet kept quiet about the gravity of knowing the consequences.
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“What does he know?”
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“How much does he know?”
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“Who told him?”
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“How do you know?”
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Their questions lapped over each other, each bringing urgency to the situation, demanding to know whether they had finally been caught.
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“Guys!” Aaron’s words cut through the air, demanding order. “One at a time. Liv, explain what’s going on.”
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“A few nights ago, he asked to meet up. I went there thinking he was ready to forgive the scandal and move on, but he suddenly began to interrogate me, asking all sorts of questions.” Liv chose her words carefully, contemplating whether she wanted to mention the location of this meeting.
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Kat scoffed, leaning back in her stool and crossing her arms over her chest. “I called it, didn’t I? I told you not to let him into the group. This is exactly what I was fearing.” She addressed Aaron directly.
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He shot his hand up, dismissing her. “Not now, Kat! This isn’t the time. All that matters is what happens from here on out.”
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“Kat is right,” Joey agreed, pushing their issues aside for the greater good of the group. “There’s a reason why we cast the votes. You should’ve never gone above the majority rule. You completely disregarded the rest of us, and now all of our futures are at stake.”
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“Come on, guys, it’s like Aaron said, it’s done. It’s time to come up with solutions to the problem.”
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“You’re only saying that because you’re in love with him,” Kat muttered under her breath.
uilt flushed through Auden, knowing that it wasn’t initial attraction that first drew them to each other, but it didn’t mean that Kat wasn’t right.
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“Actually, that was a relationship orchestrated by me. I wasn’t sure if the Burcharts were the Ferucchis.” Aaron informed the group, Auden’s face flushing red. “I asked Auden to get closer to Wiley. I knew Jae wouldn’t snoop around the House of the Phoenix, so I thought Auden would be able to get the job done, which she did just in time.”
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Shock filled the group, a tension hanging above them. Liv was even more hurt at the thought that Wiley was betrayed further by them, yet knowing there was nothing she could do about it now. She would never have believed that Auden was acting so well. It seemed real to her, and Auden, despite her involvement in their dark truths, was the closest to noble out of all of them, in her eyes. Her perception changed at this revelation.
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“I can’t believe you!” Jae sighed in disbelief. In this short time, he truly grew close to Wiley and would never think of doing this to him. It shocked him that Aaron, who saw Wiley as a brother, had executed this cruel plan towards him. “And what did you discover because this is all absurd?” Jae scoffed. “The Burcharts being the Ferucchis? What?”
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“Does it really sound that unbelievable? Just look at Kayetana. She’s the doppelganger of Archintra Ferucchi— the fairly pale skin, the dark ebony hair, those striking features of the Ferucchis have been passed down for generations.”
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The room fell silent. The thought had once crossed their minds, but getting to know Wiley, he simply didn’t possess the darkness that didn’t seem to escape the male line of the Ferucchi clan.
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“Well?” Joey urged, as everyone waited in anticipation to know.
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“I didn’t find anything, okay? They’re just a regular family, or at least as regular as the average prominent family in Bloomfield.”
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A series of relieved sighs filled the room.
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“So,” Lizzie broke the silence, “how much does he know?”
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“He doesn’t know anything, but he’s highly suspicious. I’ve never seen him so out of character before. He seemed determined to know the truth. Like, I don’t know, his eyes were dark and cold, like he was on a path of destruction. It gave me chills.”
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“I guess we’ll have to do something. He’s going to find out the truth,” Auden urged, shock gripping both Liv and Jae.
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Liv’s eyes narrowed. “What are you suggesting, Auden?”
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“I’m saying we need to remind everyone why our power was never questioned before. Perhaps it’s time to go back to Heather’s way of doing things; she got shit done.” Auden faltered, knowing the name was one no longer mentioned amongst them.
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Kat proudly nodded, liking the new finding of her best friend’s personality. “I agree.”
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Joey rolled his eyes, fuming in disbelief. “Are you two serious right now? She’s the reason why we’re in this in the first place. Once we step over that immoral line, there’s no going back. I won’t have blood on my hands.”
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“You already have, Joey! We all do!” Kat’s voice cut like a knife through the air.
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Having to hear it out loud brought a sense of guilt over the group, all of them heavy with regret and demons. Some they shared, and some only passed between themselves and Heather. Jae wanted no part in it, knowing he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did. He stared at Aaron, waiting for him to come to the decision and cast the vote.
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Aaron glanced around the group, his expression conflicted. “I refuse! I won’t do that to him. We can’t resort to such serious matters if he doesn’t know anything. First, we should find out how much he knows. We should use the preparations for the High Society Gala as an opportunity to uncover what he knows.”
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“So what? We just befriend him again?” Kat said in disbelief.
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“That’s better than what you’re suggesting.” Joey glanced at Kat briefly, his eyes cold. He took out his phone, scrolled for a minute, then turned to the group. “First, we should start by addressing the scandal. I took that video of the closet incident; it was stupid. I thought it would be useful in case Graeme tries to reveal our secrets. Knowing his new sense of morality, he would never jeopardize someone else’s reputation. Not after what we did to Heather.”
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An awkwardness fell over the group, the air thick with guilt. “Kat stole it from my phone and ruined that plan. If she takes responsibility and apologizes to Kaye, finally burying this childish shit, he might be more open to us.”
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Lizzie let out an exasperated sigh. “Should everything revolve around that girl?”
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“Absolutely not!” Kat refused. “You do realize this year is my debut into high society, right? If I take responsibility now, who knows if they wouldn’t disinvite me? My father’s re-election is around the corner, and I’m already in enough trouble with my family. No!”
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“Why can’t Auden just make up with him, pretend to be angry at us, and get this information from him?” Lizzie suggested.
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Auden protested, “He won’t even speak to me, let alone look at me, because of what you did. Besides, he would only press me about our secrets, and Liv was the only one he’s reached out to since the scandal.”
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“Joey is right,” Aaron admitted. “Kat, you’re the only way for us to turn things around and get him back on our side. If we don’t and he finds out about everything we’ve done, your family won’t have a reputation, and the High Society would scrap your name like you never existed in the first place.”
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Liv nodded. “Appearances are everything. The internet loves a queen who knows how to take accountability. All you have to do is express your guilt, blame it on jealousy, and show remorse. The High Society will show you grace for this, but if they find out amidst the preparation, they might kick you out for real. It’s a good plan.”
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With a reluctant nod, Kat agreed to the plan, the gravity of their situation settling over the group like a suffocating blanket. The weight of their collective secrets and the impending High Society Gala preparations loomed large, casting a shadow over their already fragile camaraderie. As they dispersed into the encroaching darkness, each member carried the burden of their past actions and the uncertainty of what was to come. The week ahead promised to be a test of their loyalty, their resilience, and the lengths they would go to protect their legacy. And as the echoes of their footsteps faded, the stakes had never felt higher.
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