Page 47 of A Mastery of Monsters

I check the address in my phone against the house I’m standing in front of on Baiden Street.

It’s a classic two-story brick house. The grass is trimmed, and the wooden shutters on the windows look freshly touched up, matching the crisp white of the front door.

Most of the Kingston brick homes have some wear and tear, but this one is in impeccable shape.

It’s only when I get close to the door that I hear the hum of the music inside. I use the brass knocker and jump when the door is opened instantly. The Black girl on the other side is Janey, one of my old coworkers, who beams and ushers me in.

“Are you part of QBSS? I never see you!” There’s a bit of a lilt to her voice that lets me know she’s been drinking.

“No, uh, I’m meeting a friend. Riley?”

“She’s upstairs.” Janey leans against the wall. “What happened with Tim’s? You just stopped showing up. Carrie was, like, feral over it.”

“Some stuff came up.” I point to the stairs and start moving toward them. “See you.”

She frowns but doesn’t stop me.

I don’t have any issue with her, but the Tim’s stuff feels like a lifetime ago now.

The vibe of this gathering is different than it was during the mixer at the beginning of the year.

As advertised on their socials, this is the Homecoming party.

The time of year just after the first reading week when alumni come back to visit, and everyone uses it as an excuse to get drunk.

We were sent several emails about appropriate conduct during this week.

Today’s the last day, but despite it being a Sunday, there are still lots of parties happening.

But the ambience here is more than that. The mixer had a lot of awkward socializing, but now everyone knows each other. They have their own groups where they stand with their clear plastic cups talking or dancing.

Must be nice.

Not just being here but choosing to be here.

I’m glad at least that Bailey redid my braids over the holiday so I don’t have to come into a room full of Black people with my hair a mess.

Though my aunt mostly wears her hair out, she has a whole stash of Kanekalon in all different colors.

So now I have burgundy strands mixed in with the black ones.

Someone walks past me, shouting at their friend, gold glinting in their mouth. Am I missing something? Are gold teeth the new thing?

I head up the stairs and text Riley on the landing instead of searching for her.

I hadn’t heard anything from this girl in a minute.

Which was just as well, because I had training and midterms to deal with, and then taking a break.

I tried to put more pieces together, but so far, I have nothing.

Hopefully whatever Riley wants to talk about tonight will help.

The door to the left opens, and Riley sticks her head out. She’s wearing her twists down, and her eyes are made up in a smoky look. She jerks her head into the room, and I follow.

The bedroom has a king bed covered in layered sheets of blue and yellow.

There are floating shelves filled with trophies for track and field and gymnastics, and a converting standing-sitting desk in white that houses a giant blue iMac.

The room is big enough that it has space for a chill spot with two couches and a glass coffee table.

Riley sits on one couch, and I sink into the one facing her.

“You said you had a lead?” I ask.

“Hey, how are you, Riley? What have you been up to? Here’s something that I have to contribute to the conversation.”

“You’re getting on me for not doing small talk?”

She sighs, crossing and then uncrossing her legs. “Look, I’m gonna be straight with you, and it’s honestly because I’ve hit a wall. And you clearly need encouragement to find anything worthwhile, so it’s better if I just say it.”

“Okay…”

“I didn’t pick you at random.”

“I know that. You saw I was associated with the society.”

“That was a bonus, actually.” She leans forward and laces her fingers together. “I knew your brother.”

“What?” The word falls limp from my mouth. “Wait, you knew him? This entire fucking time?!”

“Yes. He joined QBSS. He’s in my year, but I didn’t know him well.

The president saw he had some potential, so he was recruited to a second level.

We have… multiple sections, if you will.

And we wanted him to join. He did, but then he stopped coming shortly thereafter.

Then all of a sudden, he came back wanting a second chance.

We said no. We don’t do second chances.”

My brain is trying to catch up with the information I’m learning.

First, Riley knew I was looking for my brother and pretended she didn’t know him.

Second, if he’d joined QBSS, then that’s an obvious link between him and Sammie.

No wonder she was saying all that shit about the society targeting them.

She already knew the connection was this club.

That’s what this is about. Not someone targeting Jules or Sammie. They’re targeting the Queen’s Black Student Society. “You lied to me.”

“I didn’t know if you were trustworthy. And to be honest, I still don’t. But I need your help. I’m giving a little so you can give a little.”

“A little?” I laugh. “Sounds like a lot. So what? You denied Jules reentry into a club whose only requirement is that you’re Black?”

“There are more qualifications needed for this particular section of it, and he knew that. The point is that you said he got an invitation, and the date on it is the day before he quit QBSS. So potentially whoever sent that to him sought him out because he was a part of it. Sammie also hadn’t officially left and was in the special section.

My theory is that the person behind this is trying to find people who might have information on us but are perhaps no longer loyal.

Except that Jules tried to rejoin—why? Did they ask him to? And why did he disappear months later?”

I cross my arms over my chest. “Valid questions, but not an excuse for jerking me around. You think I have perfect trust in you? No. But I still told you everything.”

Riley’s shoulders drop. “I’m sorry, okay?”

I let the silence sit so she can sweat in it. When I decide she’s had enough, I say, “So what’s new now? You said you need my help.”

“We’ve been doing our initiation for this separate section of QBSS. It wrapped just before the long weekend, and one of the guys didn’t make the cut. And he basically did this rant on social media that made it clear that he was pissed. I snuck into his room this week and found an invitation.”

“Is that how it went down with Jules and Sammie, too? Public disgruntlement?”

Riley frowns. “Kind of? Like, Sammie cussed out the president on her friends-only TikTok. I don’t know who saw that. But Jules didn’t do anything visible. And Sammie was being pushed out, same as this new guy. Jules leaving surprised us.”

Meaning it’s not 100 percent clear how this person is picking targets. Or maybe Jules is the exception. “This guy with the invite. I assume the meeting date is for tonight?”

She nods. “Different location, though.” She clears her throat. “Are you coming or not?”

“Why don’t you have your QBSS friends help you with this? Your boyfriend, even? Since you’re the ones being targeted.”

Riley clenches and unclenches her fingers.

“I told them what I saw, Sammie’s body, and…

they don’t want to get mixed up with the society.

We maintained a peace with the previous Doctorate.

The president doesn’t want to rock the boat.

He wants to wait and see how your election shakes out and then approach about Sammie.

He would like us to focus on protecting each other instead of”—she pauses to grind her teeth—“digging up trouble and putting members in danger. And Jackson agrees. He doesn’t want me to get involved. ”

“You’re not supposed to be doing this with me, then?”

“No.”

“What do they think we’re doing meeting up like this?”

“I told them that you’re my special project. That you’re reluctant to commit, but I think you could be a great fit for the second level of QBSS, so I’m trying to encourage you to join. They know that Jules is your brother, which has helped add some legitimacy.”

“Wow, you’re real slick, aren’t you?”

“It’s a cover story. Chill.” She spreads her arms open.

“I wasn’t honest with you, and that’s fucked.

I get it. But I have no one else. Sammie was my best friend.

She didn’t deserve what happened to her.

Now we have a chance to try to catch this person.

To stop them from doing this to more people, like your brother.

And I need you for that. And I think you need me too. ”

Another person needing me. Another expectation.

But it’s for Jules.

I say, “If I catch you in another lie, we’re done.”

“You won’t.” Riley stands. “We need to go. He’s leaving.” At my furrowed brow, she adds, “Security cameras on the outside of the house.”

“Wait, he came to the party? I thought he was disgruntled.”

“He is, but I begged him to come tonight with the promise of notes for a class I know he’s struggling in. Most of his friends are in QBSS, so getting him to stay for a bit after I lured him here was easier. So let’s not waste the opportunity I made.”

The two of us head downstairs, where Jackson peels around a corner. He rubs his arm and looks between the two of us. “Hey, where are you guys off to?”

“Just going to grab more snacks!” Riley says. The way she puts on that grinning face in an instant makes me feel less bad for being tricked. She’s no amateur. “We’ll be right back. You want anything?”

“I could come—”

“We can’t have both hosts running out, can we? We’ll be right back.”

His face falls. “Okay, yeah, cool.”