Chapter 1 — The Invitation
Rain hammered against the windows of Blackwood University as Zara Bennett hurried across the nearly empty campus.
It was almost eleven at night.
She pulled her coat tighter around herself and quickened her steps.
Blackwood was beautiful during the day.
At night, it was different.
The Gothic buildings seemed taller. The old trees looked like shadows reaching toward the paths. Even the stone statues scattered around the university grounds appeared to be watching everyone who passed.
Zara had never liked walking across campus after dark.
Tonight, however, she had no choice.
Her phone battery was almost dead, her roommate Naomi had already gone to sleep, and Zara had spent the evening in the library finishing a research paper.
She finally reached her dormitory.
When she opened the door, she immediately noticed something strange.
There was an envelope on her desk.
Black.
Thick.
Sealed with silver wax.
Zara frowned.
She closed the door behind her.
“Naomi?”
No answer.
Her roommate’s bed was empty.
Zara walked toward the desk.
The envelope had her name written across it.
ZARA BENNETT
No return address.
She picked it up.
It was heavier than it should have been.
For several seconds, she simply stared at it.
Then she broke the seal.
Inside was a single black card.
There were only four words.
YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.
Zara’s eyebrows pulled together.
“Chosen for what?”
She turned the card over.
An address was printed on the back.
BLACKWOOD HALL.
Underneath it:
MIDNIGHT.
And then:
COME ALONE.
Zara almost laughed.
It had to be a prank.
Blackwood students were notorious for elaborate initiation games. Freshmen were sometimes invited to secret parties or strange campus clubs.
But then she saw the final line.
Her smile disappeared.
ASK THEM WHAT HAPPENED TO DANIEL BENNETT.
The card fell from her fingers.
Daniel.
Her brother.
Her older brother had disappeared three years ago.
Nobody at Blackwood University knew about him.
Zara had never told anyone.
Not even Naomi knew everything.
Daniel’s disappearance was the reason Zara had transferred to Blackwood in the first place.
She had spent three years searching for him.
Three years hearing people say he was probably dead.
Three years refusing to believe them.
Her mother had eventually stopped talking about Daniel altogether.
The police had stopped calling.
The investigation had gone cold.
But Zara had never stopped looking.
She picked up the card again.
Her hands were trembling.
Someone knew.
Someone at Blackwood knew about Daniel.
She looked at the clock.
11:18 p.m.
She had forty-two minutes.
Zara grabbed her coat.
Then she stopped.
The card had said come alone.
She hated the idea.
But if this was connected to Daniel, she couldn’t ignore it.
At 11:54, Zara stood outside Blackwood Hall.
The building had been closed for years.
According to university history, it had once been the home of the Blackwood family—the wealthy family that had founded the university.
Students weren’t allowed inside.
Zara stared at the enormous wooden doors.
Then she pushed one open.
It wasn’t locked.
The hallway beyond was dark.
A single candle burned at the end.
Zara swallowed.
“Hello?”
Her voice echoed.
No answer.
She took another step.
The doors slammed shut behind her.
Zara spun around.
The sound made her heart race.
Then she heard footsteps above her.
Slow.
Measured.
Someone appeared at the top of the staircase.
A young man.
Tall.
Dressed in black.
His dark hair was neatly styled, and his expression was unreadable.
Zara knew him.
Everyone at Blackwood knew him.
Lucian Black.
He was the heir to the Blackwood family.
The most influential student at the university.
The person people whispered about but rarely approached.
He descended the stairs.
“You came.”
Zara stared at him.
“You sent the invitation?”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
Lucian stopped a few feet away.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Zara laughed nervously.
“Funny. Your building invited me.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Who told you about Daniel?”
Zara’s heart stopped.
“You know my brother.”
Lucian didn’t answer.
“Where is he?”
“Zara—”
“Where is Daniel?”
Before he could answer, the room behind them filled with movement.
Figures stepped out of the darkness.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
All wearing black masks.
Zara stepped backward.
“What is this?”
Lucian looked at them.
Then back at her.
“Welcome to the Blackwood Society.”
A masked figure locked the doors.
Zara’s stomach dropped.
She turned toward Lucian.
“Let me out.”
He didn’t move.
“I said let me out.”
Lucian’s voice was quiet.
“If you leave now, you’ll never find your brother.”
Zara froze.
“Then tell me where he is.”
Lucian reached inside his coat.
He removed a photograph.
Zara’s breath caught.
It showed Daniel.
Alive.
Standing beside Lucian’s father.
And beside them was Zara’s mother.
Zara stared at the photograph.
Her world shifted.
“That’s impossible.”
Lucian held her gaze.
“That’s what your family wanted you to believe.”
