Secrets of the Sisterhood (The Cinderella Society, Episode 1) (6 page)

Sarah Jane herded me down the stairs, while the other girls in white followed. One by one, they woke the sleeping beauties.

My eyes snapped to the high heel I’d pinned to the corner of my pillowcase so I wouldn’t lose it. If this was the “special” part of the night, couldn’t they have given us some warning? I gave my hair a quick brush while Sarah Jane helped someone find her contacts case, but I still felt way underdressed—and undercoiffed—for whatever they had planned.
 

Once everyone was fully awake, we single-filed it up the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the French doors onto the Steeles’ massive deck. I don’t know what I was expecting, but a full-on ceremonial setting wasn’t it.

The moon cast its rays through the overhang of trees, giving a bluish dappled effect to everything. In the middle of the deck, Paige stood in her flowing white gown, the gauzy fabric billowing in the night breeze. She looked like an ancient Greek goddess. Almost ethereal. She stood behind a large round table with a white tablecloth draped over it and welcomed us silently with a gentle wave of her hand.

We moved closer, and the older girls led us behind a semi-circle of chairs covered in more white fabric and tied with bows that shimmered under the stars. I glanced around and noticed we were arranged in two neat rows behind the seven chairs. Everyone except for Gaby (another brainiac like me) and Cassie, who both stood off to the side observing the procession.

The girls forming the back row—Sarah Jane, Kyra, Gwen, Cherie, and a few others—each had a hand on the shoulder of the girl in front of her. The girls in my row seemed lulled by the quiet chirp of crickets and wore peaceful, if curious, expressions. Like this was interesting, but not at all unnerving to them.

I, on the other hand, was holding up the skeptical end of the bargain. My latent fears of being duped had officially kicked into gear.

On the table in front of Paige sat an elaborate white pillar candle burning on a silver tray, two sets of long taper candles, and a small crystal bowl that twinkled as though it held secrets just beyond our grasp. Paige raised her hands, palms up, and addressed us in a low, but steady voice. “Who enters the Circle?”

“We, the Sisters of the Society,” said Sarah Jane and the back row.

“What brings you to the Circle?”

“We seek to refill the well of Sisterhood.”

“The Sisterhood accepts your quest.”

The “Sisters” made sure everyone in the front row was seated before they approached Paige. Cassie moved in to assist and handed Paige a long white taper candle. Paige lit it from the elegant pillar as each Sister took a darker taper candle from the table. Paige lit each of their tapers—purple, I could see from the glow—and the Sisters quietly returned to their positions behind us.

I tried to scan the yard for Lexy, but everything was obscured by white fabric woven through the lattice around the deck. Pots of tall, bushy plants huddled together where the lattice ended to close us off from the open deck space. It gave our whole area a private, almost secretive feel. I focused on Paige and tried to get my bearings for the upcoming event. Whatever they had planned was not a drive-by affair. They’d spent a lot of time orchestrating our party game.

Paige lifted her white candle, the Sisters raising their purple ones in answer. “We come forth tonight,” Paige began, “in the name of Sisterhood, to bring new Sisters into our fold. We present to you an opportunity, young Sisters. We are the new face of women. Our leadership will bring the dawn of a new era.”

A chorus of voices responded behind me. “We celebrate our true strength.”

“Each of you,” Paige continued, nodding at our seated group, “has been selected for your potential to continue our mission in a tradition befitting the Sisterhood. But first, we celebrate the glory of you in the present.”

The standing Sisters moved as one to Paige’s table and took the second group of taper candles. Sarah Jane motioned for me to stand as she approached and handed me a pale candle.

“We celebrate you as you are, young Sisters,” Paige said. “Accept our light as a reflection of your own. Your candle acknowledges the triumphs and challenges that have made you who you are today.”

“I celebrate the glory of you, Jess,” Sarah Jane whispered, lighting my candle with hers.

She stood next to me now, her purple candle and my lavender one casting a warm glow on our faces. Sarah Jane looked so tranquil, completely at odds with my thumping heartbeat. Could anything this serene be evil? My suspicions about Lexy wavered.

Sarah Jane must’ve been reading my thoughts. “Don’t be afraid,” she said softly. “You’re one of us now.”

Again with the
us
. My heart beat a little faster. How many times had I dreamed of being one of the chosen few? To be accepted by the In crowd instead of sitting on the sidelines of my own life?

“We come together tonight,” Paige continued, “to honor our Sisterhood, celebrate the glory of you, and encourage you on your mission. Each of you comes to the Sisterhood with a special purpose and unique gift to share with the world. We seek to help you strengthen your gifts and contribute them to the greater good.”

The chorus of voices sounded. “We embrace our future.”

The Sisters moved to the table again, each reaching into the crystal bowl. Sarah Jane returned to my side, her hand in a loose fist at her hip.

“With loving hearts, we pay tribute to your potential,” Paige said. “We believe in the power of our shared destinies.”

The voices chimed once more. “We shall be extraordinary.”

Paige turned toward the opposite end of our half-moon. “Melanie Davis. You possess an amazing gift of serenity and calm. You bring peace to those around you and settle disputes with a pure heart. We celebrate your compassion for others and your pursuit of a greater truth.” Kyra placed something in Mel’s palm and whispered in her ear.

Paige called each girl by name as she moved around the arc—Katrina Walker, Chandi Prasad, Hannah Campbell, Nalani Akina, Alicia Gallagher. I was last, my breath coming short and quick.
Please don’t let me be the punch line.

“Jessica Parker. You possess an exceptional gift of leadership. We honor your unwavering determination and your steadfast loyalty. You are a champion of justice and a visionary guardian of our mission.”

My mouth dropped as Sarah Jane placed a beautiful silver butterfly charm in my free hand. “Sister Jess,” she whispered, “we celebrate your potential and welcome your gifts to the Sisterhood.”

I was so shocked I could barely keep up with the rest of the ceremony. Me, a champion of justice? A visionary guardian? Had these people even
met
me? I couldn’t even guard myself against Lexy!

I felt ambushed, the fantasy and reality shocking me in equal measure. This was real. I understood that now. It wasn’t some elaborate hoax. They intended for me to be here, wanted me in their secret Sisterhood. And they had no
clue
who I really was. Why had I explained about the volunteering? I was only helping a few puppies, not saving an entire galaxy of them.

Disappointment washed over me. They were gifting me everything I’d ever wanted, everything I’d ever glimpsed on the other side of the glass. Yet no matter how much I ached to belong—to be part of something real and true and special—I could never truly fit in here.

I might’ve been the queen of worthy causes, but these were the most extraordinary girls at MSH. The best of the best in every facet of high school life and beyond. I wasn’t even in the same league. The Sisters were shining stars, so intent on welcoming others like them that they never realized one exception had slipped through undetected. An exception who was the epitome of ordinary. I was the only one who knew my invitation was nothing more than a case of mistaken identity.

An unwanted tear slipped down my cheek, and Sarah Jane wiped it away with the sleeve of her dress. “I cried too,” she whispered, and I glanced around, surprised to see a tear glistening on Mel’s cheek at the far end. But Mel and Sarah Jane’s joyful tears and my miserable ones had nothing in common.

Just like us.

“Are you sure”—my throat seized up for a second—“that you meant to choose me?”
 

I hated to ask it, dreaded it more than all the Lexy confrontations in the world. But I knew I couldn’t live with it if they were the ones who realized the mistake later. I couldn’t handle their rejection. Or worse, their pity.

Sarah Jane held up a finger to Paige and turned to face me square on, her eyes full of compassion and wisdom and a certainty I couldn’t fathom. “You’re everything Paige said you are, Jess. The truth is inside you if you look for it. Trust that you’re here because you’re supposed to be.”

She didn’t know how crazy her request was. Someone like Sarah Jane could never understand. She was asking me to tear down my defenses, walls that kept me protected in my lonely but safe little bubble. A bubble that let me believe I
was
good enough, that people just hadn’t gotten the chance to really know me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, praying for some kind of sign. If God really wanted me to be here, surely he’d send me a sign. Wouldn’t he?

I took another deep breath. And then a third.
Show me if this is real
, I begged.

No lightning bolts appeared in the sky, but a momentary shower of peace rained over me. It came and went so quickly I wondered if I’d imagined it, but in the end I knew. If ever there was a time to trust, this was it.

It scared the living heck out of me.
What happens when they realize I’m just me?

I gave Sarah Jane the tiniest of nods.

“Young Sisters,” Paige continued, “we honor you now and celebrate who you will become. With this charm as a reminder of your unique gifts, the time has come for you to choose.” Paige beckoned us forward to her table. “In every life there is a moment of truth. Will you stand as you are now, or will you accept the call to fulfill your greatest potential?”

Cassie stepped up to place a wide, flat candle in the center of the table. One glance at the shape of the wicks—one at the top and seven more in a semi-circle around the bottom—and I knew it represented us. Paige lit the wick at the top and raised her candle to the Sisters standing tall behind our abandoned chairs. “Long live the Sisterhood,” they said, blowing out their candles as one.

“Each of you must choose your future,” Paige reminded us, turning to Mel. “Sister Melanie, do you accept the call of the Sisterhood?”

Without hesitation, Mel lit the wick on her end of the half-moon. “I accept the call.”

Each girl accepted without showing any flickers of doubt that this was exactly where she belonged. The wicks came to life until every one was lit except mine.

“Sister Jessica, do you accept the call of the Sisterhood?”

Trust warred with fear. Only one thing was worse than being forever on the outside: to feel the magic of belonging only to be banished back behind the glass when the dream came crashing down. Was it ever worth the risk?

Peace swept over me again, stronger this time but just as fleeting, and I steadied myself to quiet the fears. I focused on the still, small voice inside me and lowered my trembling candle to the wick, my voice barely a whisper. “I accept the call.”

Paige offered me a gentle smile, then gestured toward the candle again. The cluster of wicks glowed so bright it sent fingers of light waving across the backdrop behind her.

“One last thing remains. The candle that burns bright on our table represents each of you as cherished Sisters of the Society. Where one journey begins, another must end. When you are ready to embrace your future in the Sisterhood, extinguish your candle’s flame and release the fears that bind you to your past.”

One by one, the girls blew out their lavender candles. I looked back at Sarah Jane, who was silently encouraging me as she clutched Gwen’s hand atop my chair. Years of being alone flooded my memory, dragging me back toward the safety of my bubble. Palms sweating, I resisted the temptation to cower from the unknown and did the thing that scared me most. I took a leap of faith.
 

Wisps of smoke curled from my darkened candle as I gazed up at Paige.

“Well done, Sisters,” she said. “Welcome to The Cinderella Society.”

Chapter Eight

Nine hours later, I was back at the Grind for lunch. Jittery from excitement and lack of sleep and achy from two hours of mural painting with Mom, I trailed Sarah Jane up the same front walk I’d traveled the night before. Same stone pathway, same etched-glass doors with their stylized coffee cups. Everything was the same . . . and everything was different.

Last night, I’d stood outside those double doors, pondering my fate as a perpetual outcast. In a matter of hours, I’d crossed that elusive threshold of acceptance. Back at the scene of the crime, I was facing the door to my future. I was no longer Jess Parker, persona non grata. I was Jess Parker, newly initiated Sister of the Society. The world was my oyster.

I slowed, feeling the tiniest bit overwhelmed and uncertain. And yes, a little melodramatic.
 

Sarah Jane glanced over at me. “Are you ready for this?”

“Only one way to find out.” I took a deep breath, pushed through the doors, and boldly stepped into my fabulous new life.