They made their way around me—and that was when I realized they were headed for Campbell. Poor, pitiable Campbell Ames, whose family was embroiled in scandal.

“Should we warn her?” Sadie-Grace asked me. She paused. “Or warn them?”

My money was on Campbell being able to take care of herself.

“Lily’s with her,” I told Sadie-Grace. “She won’t let things get too ugly.”

Just before the girls reached Campbell, I heard a thump, followed by another and another. Someone was stomping—and soon, multiple people were, creating a steady, rhythmic drumbeat.

“The Candidates are many.” Those words were spoken to carry. “The Chosen are few.” The speaker stepped onto a chair, and I recognized her as the one who’d told us to pick our poison. “You received an invitation to tonight’s little soiree,” she said, “because at least one among us thought you had… potential.” She lingered on that word, just for a moment. “You might have noticed that there are eight of us and significantly more of you. For now, you don’t need to know our names. All you need to know is what we offer. Eight spots for eight of you. Tradition dictates that at the start of her senior year in college, each White Glove picks her own replacement from among the incoming freshmen at her institution.”

There was a pause—a calculated one.

“But this summer, we decided to shake things up a bit and bring the competition to you a little early. Handy, isn’t it, that Regal Lake brings together society from three states and twice that many metropolitan areas? You have fourteen weeks to impress us. This may be my first summer at Regal, but it’s already clear that it offers a variety of avenues for making an impression.” She raised the martini glass in her hand. “Here’s to the first.”

“The Candidates are many,” another hooded girl called out, and then all of them raised their voices in unison. “The Chosen are few.”

CHAPTER 8

Three things became apparent over the next hour. The first was that none of the White Gloves were really drinking—nothing more than the occasional sip. The second was that the murmurs I’d overheard about Campbell weren’t an isolated incident. And the third was that there was no doubt among the Candidates that this was a competition—and no reluctance whatsoever to oh-so-sweetly compete.

I wondered how many of the girls in this room would deep-six lifelong friends, just to make an impression.

“You’re friends with Campbell Ames, right?” A White Glove appeared beside me. Lily and Sadie-Grace were mingling on the other side of the room. I’d lost sight of Campbell. “She’s causing quite the stir tonight. I knew she would.” The White Glove sounded pleased with herself.

“You the type of person who likes causing stirs?” I asked.