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Lucia smiles warmly at me. “I’m glad you’ve found something special with them,” she says, squeezing my hand. “You deserve to be happy, Camila.”
I return her smile, feeling a rush of affection for my friend. “And what about you? Who’ve you ended up serving?”
Her cheeks darken, and she clears her throat. “It’s supposed to remain a secret...”
I arch a brow. “Even from your friend?”
“Okay, but don’t tell anyone, not even Maeve.” She glances around as if someone might be listening. “It’s the Kelly brothers.”
My eyes widen. “As in Maeve’s three older brothers?” I confirm.
Lucia looks guilty as she nods. “Yeah, they approached me and asked if I was interested and I couldn’t say no.”
“Talking of Maeve, have you seen her since the ceDanteny? I haven’t seen her or Emily,” I point out.
Lucia shakes her head. “No, Emily’s been avoiding me ever since the initiation ceDanteny. She won’t return any of my calls. I haven’t seen Maeve either,” she admits, “I wonder if something happened at the ceDanteny that we don’t know about.” Her expression falters. “Or maybe Maeve found out I’m shacking up with her brothers, and she’s pissed.”
“Maybe,” I breathe, not knowing Maeve well enough to make that judgment. “Do you know what groups of guys Maeve and Emily are with? I was going to say, I haven’t seen either of them since the initiation ceDanteny.”
Lucia shakes her head. “No, the masks made it impossible to know.” She bites her lip. “I just hope to God that awful bully Andrei hasn’t got his hands on Maeve.”
My stomach churns as I hadn’t thought of that. Andrei Ivanov was Maeve’s tormentor at school and he’s a student here. We’ve seen first hand what an asshole he is to her. “I hope not,” I agree.
A sense of unease settles in the pit of my stomach. I remember that night, trying to recall if I noticed anything unusual about Maeve or Emily’s behavior. But my memories are hazy of that night, all I can recall is being claimed by Elio, Renzo, and Dante in front of so many men.
“Do you think we should try to find them?” I ask, my voice tinged with worry. “What if they’re in trouble or something?”
Lucia nods slowly, her eyes narrowing. “You’re right. We can’t just ignore this. Let’s see if we can track them down after class and find out what’s happening.”
My mind races with possibilities as the professor drones on about supply and demand curves. Are Maeve and Emily avoiding us because of what happened at the ceDanteny?
Or is there something else going on, something darker and more sinister that we don’t yet understand?
I try to push my thoughts aside and focus on the lecture, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. I glance over at Lucia, who gives me a reassuring smile, and I know that together, we’ll solve this mystery.
After class, Lucia and I search the bustling campus for Maeve and Emily, but they’re nowhere to be found. A knot of worry tightens in my stomach as we check the usual places - the library, the coffee shop, and even the quad where we often gather to study.
“This isn’t like them,” I murmur, biting my lip as we walk toward the cafeteria. “They wouldn’t disappear like this without telling us.”
Lucia nods, her brow furrowed in concern. “I know. I’ve texted them both a dozen times, but no response.”
We enter the cafeteria, the chatter of students washing over us as we scan the room for familiar faces. My heart skips a beat when I spot Elio sitting at our usual table, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he scrolls through his phone.
“Hey,” I say softly, sliding beside him. Lucia takes the chair across from us, her eyes still darting around the room in search of our missing friends.
Elio looks up, smiling. “Hey, yourself,” he murmurs, kissing my cheek. “How was class?”
I shrug, trying to ignore how my skin tingles at his touch. “Fine, but have you seen Maeve or Emily? We can’t find them anywhere.”
Elio’s brow furrows for a moment, but then he shakes his head. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” he says, reaching for his water bottle. “The guys might be consuming their time, if you know what I mean.”
I exchange a glance with Lucia. “Surely they can’t be consuming their time during college hours?”
Elio shrugs, taking a sip of water. “You know how it is. The initiation ceDanteny can be pretty intense. Maybe they just need some time to process everything.”
I nod, trying to accept his explanation. But something about it doesn’t sit right with me. Maeve and Emily are my best friends - if they were struggling with the aftermath of the ceDanteny, wouldn’t they come to me for support?
Lucia clears her throat, breaking the tension. “Well, if you see them around, can you let us know?” she asks Elio. “We’re just worried about them.”
