Page 66 of Divine Oaths

There was a rawness to the violinists’ playing, the sharp cries of their instruments almost comforting. When Vivian noticed me racing toward her, her eyes widened. And then she drifted through the wall, into the floor below.

The violinists froze, turning to each other in disbelief. But I was already racing past them, thrusting the door open and chasing after Vivian. Classes were in session, so the halls were almost empty. Up ahead, she rushed through the closed door of a lecture hall before appearing three doors ahead. I called after her, my muscles burning from sprinting. At last, I saw her disappear into a bathroom up ahead and I burst through, searching widely.

Two of the stalls were empty, the other three occupied.

“I know you’re in here,” I said. “Will you just talk to me?”

Silence.

Someone in one of the other stalls flushed the toilet. Two stalls over, another person watched a video on full volume.

A chill filled the air, and suddenly, the door to the third occupied stall opened of its own accord. I couldn’t see Vivian, but the sound of her voice reverberated, like she was standing nearby.

“I tried to tell you,” she said. “I’ve been warning you about Westfield since you arrived.”

“I know,” I said, heading into the stall and locking it behind me.

“But you’re thinking about staying and rushing Theta.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

Water surged from one of the stalls and the occupants screamed, rushing out of the haunted bathroom. By the time Vivian appeared, it was just us inside. She was dressed in the same Westfield blazer and plaid skirt, dripping with swamp water, as always.

“I thought that too, that I didn’t have a choice, at first. And I died rushing Theta.” She gestured to her dripping clothes. “Drowning isn’t the most pleasant way to go. Especially in a swamp.”

Everything started clicking into place: Vivian’s light hedging about falling into the swampy waters on the fan boat, her aversion to the Greek life here at Westfield. And then, of course, her dripping outfit and her outdated Westfield blazer. All of these things were remnants of her final moments alive.

Vivian wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes dark with memories. “We were crossing the swamp,” she said. “There were three of us. The other two survived. One of them is now the provost. They always reward those who maintain the status quo, even if they are victim to it.”

The reality that Provost Henning had been a Theta and had known Vivian when the two were younger was tragic.

“But you told me to pledge—”

“For my sisterhood, not Theta’s. Why do you think Yara separated from them and founded the sisterhood of Ԑnhye? The board of trustees has its claws in Sigma and Theta. They are no longer what they once were when they were founded. Like my death and those of other students and faculty at Westfield, the board of trustees hides the truth of this place and the curse that has become it. And so, we spirits are trapped here, haunting the Westfield estate. No one is safe. Not us, not them. Not with the curse reigning over this university.”

I clenched my hands, wrapping my arms around myself as a chill fell over me.

“As much as I would love to leave,” I said, “I have nowhere to go.” I couldn’t go to Rhode Island to live with Louisa. And even if I did, that wouldn’t fix my powers. And there remained the question of Pete and Jay. It was only a matter of time before they made their next move. If we could find them and tie together the threads leading back to the curse, then maybe, just maybe, we could break the curse and my powers would be unbound from Kasem.

“You know nearly everything about Westfield,” I said. “Help me rush? For Ԑnhye and for Theta.”

“Theta won’t like it if your loyalties are split.”

“Theta and Sigma are controlled by the Board now. You said it yourself. It’s not Theta that would have a problem with me rushing two sororites. It’s the Board. And I think the Board may know more about the curse than everyone realizes.”

Vivian nodded. “That is what we of the Ԑnhye believe. But the Board are puppets, even to themselves. There is another force that controls them, one here on campus that uses its pawns like Provost Henning, the president, Alaster, and even Westfield’s students for the curse’s bidding.”

“So you’ll help me?”

She sighed. “Fine,” she said, levitating off the ground as she spoke. “Of course.”

“Thank you. Seriously.” And I couldn’t help but smile. It was endearing seeing her float in the air as if it was second nature. “I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to be yourself now.”

“Well, now that we’re actually friends and you’re not just using me for information,” she said, “I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not. You don’t either, you know.”

At my expression, she shrugged. “You skip classes when, half the time, I catch you standing outside classrooms listening to the students inside perform and wishing you were playing too. But something’s stopping you from going all in. Maybe losing control of your powers isn’t just about Kasem’s lifeline. Maybe it’s about unraveling your own.”

Her words caught me by surprise, and yet, something stirred within me.