Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Despite what Lesley says, we’re goddamn pirates.
The boat is our life and the ocean is our blood, and without them, all the power I’ve carefully collected and cultivated would slowly sink into the sea.
Kaye looks up when I enter the sitting room. Her back is straight and her eyes widen, and I stand there looking at her for several long moments, letting the significance of this moment sink in.
She looks so much like her sister. Same blonde hair, same full lips. But her eyes are wider and they’re a darker shade of blue. She’s prettier than Lucy was, softer, better figure, though smaller. Lucy was athletic almost to the point of being muscular, and while Kaye is toned and fit, she’s soft and feminine in a way her sister never was. I’m instantly attracted to the girl even though I know it’s wrong, and I have to force that impulse away.
I know why this girl is here and I know what she wants, and if she’s even half the trouble her sister was, this year is going to be hell.
“You missed the welcome party,” I say, stepping into the room. I slide the door shut behind me.
She flinches when it clicks closed.
“Sorry. I was a little overwhelmed.”
I hesitate at the sound of her voice. It’s raspy, like she has a permanent cold. I assumed it was from the ferry trip the first time we met, but now I wonder.
“I’m sure. Saint Parras is a strange place. How are you settling in?”
“Fine,” she says and looks down at her hands. “I thought I’d come visit Dom and Nathan.”
“Is that why you’re here?” I glance down at the tea set in front of her. The mug is still full, like she hasn’t touched it. I wonder how nervous she must feel, sitting in my house.
I wonder if she realizes I know who she is.
She clears her throat, but her voice comes out raspy anyway. She sounds like she smokes a pack a day and I find it strangely sexy, like the contrast between her voice and her figure makes her all that much more alluring. There’s a mystery in her voice, one I want to unwind. Nobody sounds like that naturally. “They were nice to me on the ferry and I feel bad for skipping the party.”
“Don’t worry. Dom and Nathan are fine without you.” I smile at her grimace and I wonder if that stings. I walk closer and sit down in a chair. “Why did you show up at my house in the middle of the night? You know it’s late. You’re not supposed to wander the island after ten.” That’s a rule for most of the students, though they mostly ignore it, but so long as they stick to campus and the beaches then everything’s okay. If they stray too far into the jungle, well—there have been accidents over the years.
“The lights here were on and there were a lot of people around and I just—” She stops herself and takes a breath. “I heard rumors about a shipment coming in.”
My eyebrows raise. “A shipment? I don’t think any ferries arrive for another couple days.”
“Not an official shipment.”
“I see.” I stand and walk to a side table. I pour myself a glass of whiskey and swirl it around before taking a sip. There’s no alcohol on the island, not sanctioned anyway; if anyone wants to drink, they have to come through me first.
And a lot of people do, from students to teachers to administrative staff. Even the groundskeeper buys a bottle of gin every two weeks to the day.
“I know what you do. I mean, people talk about it, and I just—” She pauses again. I like when she pauses, it’s like she steeling herself and building the courage to say something she knows she shouldn’t. And I love when she speaks—that rasp is like a cat’s tongue along my throat. “I wanted to know how I could join your society.”
My eyebrows raise again. This girl is full of surprises. Why the hell would she want to join Calico Club when she knows what happened last year? I’m not sure if she realizes that I know who she is yet, or if she’s pretending like we’re total strangers to each other and we don’t have an intimate connection already, and that’s fine with me. I can play that game if she wants. I move closer, sip my drink, and lean against my chair, but I don’t sit. I force her to look up at me, right into my eyes.
“You want to join Calico Club,” I say simply. She nods once, looking fierce. “Why would you want to do that?”
“I heard you’re the most exclusive student society on the island, and I guess I realized that if I don’t join something, I’m going to sit in my dorm room for four years and do nothing but study and stare at TikTok. And plus, you have that.” She points at the drink in my hand.