“Excuse me.” Maude clangs a spoon on a glass, getting the attention of the student body. It takes a few moments, but finally everyone quiets, curious to hear what the new Ten leader has to say. “I’d like to make an announcement, if I may, Principal Fleischer?”

Fleischer nods begrudgingly. I notice Madison bristling at her table. I feel rage course through me, thinking of this morning, those signs she was brandishing.

“As leader of the Ten,” Maude addresses the dining hall, “I’d like to officially welcome our five new members into this prestigious group. I’ll also remind you that it’s a great honor to be a part of the Ten, one you should take seriously. Congratulations. And now for a bit of business. There are two changes happening to the Ten this year. First, the group’s name,” Maude goes on in her confident way. “Unfortunately, we are missing one of our senior members. Levi Gravelle did not return at the end of the last school year, and he is regrettably not here now. Since senior members of the Ten cannot be replaced, our group will, for the duration of the school year, be called the Nine.”

My heart drops to my feet.

“As for the second change, I am, as leader of the Nine, hereby suspending all initiation activities. There will be no hazing—school-authorized or otherwise. There will be no rituals to determine whether you deserve your spot in the group. This announcement is your initiation. So, Sophie Ortiz, Ivy Li, Willa Stone, Graham Rosen, and Harlowe Shaw: welcome.”

The dining hall buzzes as kids take in this news. Hazing has never been sanctioned by the school, but everyone knows it takes place under the administration’s nose. All around me, students discuss this new wrinkle.

“I’ll see the eight of you in the Tower Room of Cypress. Midnight, tonight,” Maude declares before leaving the dining hall with the rest of us.

“Satisfied?” she asks me, all business. I nod, and Ollie looks impressed as we walk down the dimly lit path.

“I missed a lot last year, didn’t I?” he says, gazing out over Dark Lake. There’s humor in his voice, but behind his eyes, he’s sad. I can tell.

That night, hours later, I can’t sleep. It’s eleven o’clock, and I have an hour before I need to be in the Tower Room, meeting the Nine for our first midnight session. I lie on top of my covers in my jeans and hoodie, my mind churning over the events of the day. Especially that photo Gravelle sent, the one of Levi’s battered face. It’s all I can see when I close my eyes. I’m yanked out of my thoughts by Dash, alerting me that I have a new notification on my plum. I look down at the screen to read the message there.

no hazing? that can be remedied