Chapter →1←
My eyes opened wide, taking me out of the pleasant dream my subconscious had made me fall into. I was walking into a forest during a sunny afternoon. I was mostly hidden from the sun but sometimes, rays could reach my face, sending into me a rush of well-being. I even swear I could feel them hit my skin with warmth.
When I felt two hands tackle me to the bed, though, the magic had disappeared and I frowned as the light of a flashlight hit my pupil. My heart started to race when four guys wearing hoods that covered their faces grabbed me and stuck a piece of tape over my mouth before to pass a bag made of cotton over my head. I tried to scream but it seemed useless, just like struggling didn't change anything.
It seemed like I spent an hour just listening to my heartbeats but it could have just been some minutes : I was too nervous to pay attention.
I knew I was going to know what was happening to me when I fell down, my cheek hitting hard on the cold floor. Someone took the bag off my head and, once again, I frowned at a light hitting my eyes. It took some seconds before I notice other people trying to straighten up close to me.
"Welcome to the fraternity."
I restrained a sigh of relief and dared to look around as someone helped me get up before to hand me a beer. I had never been that scared in my life and I couldn't believe I was actually safe. Perhaps I had watched too many scary movies.
I remained speechless but took the beer I was given anyway and felt someone get close to me and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Did it scare you, too?" my friend Liam whispered in my ears.
I slightly nodded, still looking around. When my friends had decided to join a fraternity house, I thought it was a bad idea. It was not my kind to be a part of these and I was not much interested in their parties and initiations. Still, the thought of my best friends being in a fraternity and being apart was not very appealing either. Reluctantly, I had agreed. And there I was. Trying to find my place within a bunch of other guys I barely knew just to say I would belong somewhere.
"I almost peed my pants." I heard Louis' voice.
I glanced at him and inhaled deeply. I was still not sure it was a good idea.
After making sure my heart was beating regularly, I took a sip of my beer and searched for my friends in the crowd.
Unsurprisingly, I'm the one who brought the idea of joining a fraternity. We were all pretty excited to finally go to university and I convinced them to tag along with me on this journey even though I had no idea what to expect except from what I had seen in movies. At first, they were reluctant but I was good at convincing people. I always have been.
It was going to be fun. I could sense it. After all, uni is about new experiences and starting over. This was an amazing opportunity.
I noticed Niall, Louis and Liam and started walking quicker to reach to them when I heard a voice in a microphone.
"Welcome, new members!"
I noticed a tall guy who was older than me by some years. His jet black hair was falling on his eyes and he made a quick head movement to push it away while he watched us with his piercing blue eyes.
"I hope we didn't scare you too much!" he expressed with a grin before his laughter echoed on the walls of the large room, followed by others. "At any time in the next hour, the new members will have to come pick up a challenge and make sure they accomplish it in the next month if you want to become one of us. Thanks to the girls of the Zeta Beta Zeta house who helped us with their creative minds!"
I felt my palms get sweaty and I wiped my hands on my jeans, inhaling deeply. I was scared to find out what I would have to do in order to get into a fraternity.
"There are 10 different challenges so it is possible you may get the same one as someone else but you're not supposed to tell anyone which one you've got." the boy added, his eyes roaming around. "The challenges will be pinned to the board in the basement and after you provide actually proof, which can be pictures, a signature or witnesses, your name will be moved in the members column. Good luck!"
When I was sure he was done, I ran to my friends and sent them a grin, passing my arms around Louis and Liam's shoulders.
"Sounds fun!" I simply let out, staring at my friends one by one.
"Are you serious?" Niall asked with a frown. "It sounds like a bad plan. Who knows what we'll have to do?"
I just had no idea of how right he was.
I was ready for trying new things. I wanted to live my life to the fullest and fill it with different experiences. I was the first one to agree with Zayn's proposition of joining a fraternity. I was scared when they kidnapped me in my room but the thrill it had given me and the rush of adrenaline running through my veins were exciting. The challenge didn't sound so bad either but I was impatient to find out what I'd have to accomplish.
I walked away from my friends to reach the other side of the room where a large bowl was filled with folded papers of different colors. I stared by the aperture, trying to get the glimpse of a word written on one of the papers but it was useless. They had been taped.
"Hey, congrats on being the first one!" a honey-haired guy replied, his dark green eyes staring at me. "Your name?"
I raised my eyebrows. "Harry."
"Well, Harry, you can pick a paper. Don't forget, you can't tell or show anyone." he added.
The right corner of my lips moved up in half a smile and my hand reached in the bowl. My fingers moved quickly through the papers until I grabbed a bunch. I rubbed my fingers over the inside of my hand until there was only one left and I took it out quickly, staring down at the pink paper laying in the palm of my hand.
"The pink one, huh?" he let out with a short laugh. "Good luck!"
I inhaled deeply, ignoring his comment and turned around, still looking at the paper, suddenly scared of what I would read on it. I heard one of my friends call my name and I closed my hand into a fist, feeling the corners pushing against my skin.
"Did you go get a challenge already?" Zayn asked me with a frown as I joined them again.
I nodded, putting my hand in my pocket so they don't see the color of the paper I had picked.
"So, is it actually hard to do?"
I could read the stress through Niall's face and I simply shrugged.
"Go get one, you'll know."
With a sigh, he nodded and walked in the table's direction, while I excused myself. I walked around, looking for the bathroom and I finally just decided to ask. I was sent to the second floor and I passed in between a bunch of strangers talking very loud before to enter the bathroom and close the door behind me. I was surprised to feel my hands shake slightly as I opened the paper and read the words. I was very daring but it seemed like I knew what I'd have to do wouldn't be easy. And I was right. My voice stuck in my throat as my eyes roamed on the words three time, than a fourth.
I jumped a little when I felt my phone vibrate and took it out of my pocket only to see her name under the words "incoming call". Sometimes, coincidences were scary. And this time was one of those. I took a big breath and my finger slid on "ignore", regretting it immediately after. I stared at my phone for some seconds until it vibrated again. She had texted me.
"Where are you?"I pressed my lips together and I moved my other hand up. Now, the words on the paper and the words my best friend had sent to me where next to each other and my eyes moved from one to the other... from "
Where are you?" to "
Have sex with the girl you like."
