I throw a glance back to find my twin sister, Maya, holding her carnival mask with golden ornaments in hand as she pants.
My eyes grow wide behind my own mask and I pull her to the side before we cross the property’s gate.
She struggles under my firm grip, her whines resembling those of a petulant child.
“Ugh, you’re hurting me.” She releases herself from my merciless hold after a long struggle. It’s no secret that I’m the twin who loves strength training. Maya is more interested in massages and sculpting her model body.
We’re under a tall tree with bent branches that offers some form of camouflage from any onlookers.
Maya hikes a hand up her hip over the skintight glittery black dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. My sister has always been proud of her slim hourglass figure and C-cup breasts, and she’s never shied away from showing them off.
We’re identical twins, so we have the same petite facial structure, almond-shaped light-blue eyes, and full lips, though hers are slightly bigger than mine. Our hair is shiny platinum blonde, but she keeps hers long—currently swishing to her lower back—while mine falls just below my shoulders.
Usually, I’d have a ton of ribbons in mine, but since I’m trying to stay under the radar, I have it in a ponytail tied with only one blue ribbon.
I’m also wearing my least attention-grabbing outfit—a simple strapless leather dress that reaches the tops of my knees.
My boots for the night are the tamest I have and the only ones that aren’t chunky or covered with chains.
Maya, however, chose to wear heels, as usual, not seeming to care about whether or not that would hinder our mission.
I point at the mask in her hand and gesticulate to her face, then sign, “You’re supposed to be wearing that! They have cameras around, and you might have just offered them a front-row seat to our identities.”
She rolls her eyes dramatically, proving her position as the ultimate drama queen I know. “Relax. The camera range only starts once we’re close to the gate. And I was going to put it on, if you’d been patient for, like, two seconds.”
“Don’t mess with me.” I snatch the mask and smash it to her face, then strap it around her head so that it’s secured.
She whines and groans. “You’re running my hair, idiot. Let go. I’ll do it myself.”
I only release her once I’m satisfied with the mask’s placement. She glares at me through the eyeholes as she proceeds to fix her hair.
“Don’t give me that,” I sign. “You know how much effort it took for me to get a goddamn invitation to this pretentious event. The last thing I need is for something to go wrong.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She throws her hand in the air with obvious exasperation. “I’ve heard the story about your sacrifices a thousand times, to the point that I can recite them back.”
“In that case, stick to the plan and stop giving me headaches.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She does a mock salute and I make a face behind my mask.
Since she can only see my eyes, Maya can’t get the full picture, but she still smirks anyway like an annoying idiot.
My twin sister has always been my best friend, but she often drives me up the wall with her shenanigans.
After I make sure neither of our faces is showing, we start walking toward the mansion again.
Or more accurately—the Elites’ compound.
When I first came to Brighton Island, I had to learn a few rules. The most important one is that there are two rival colleges on this island. The one I belong to is American and called The King’s U. It’s funded by powerful people whose pockets are filled with new money. The kind whose source or motives are hard to pinpoint.
My parents are included in the group of powerful people. We’re Russian mafia royalty and they happen to be leaders in the New York Bratva.
The other college is Royal Elite University—or REU. British, loaded with old money and pretentious aristocracy.
Our college has two clubs: the Heathens, with which our loyalty lies since my brother and cousins are members; and the Serpents, who are second on my shit list.
First on that list, however, is the Elites. The secret club and the holy grail of REU.
While the Heathens are full of mafia heirs and American royalty, the Elites are…dangerously different.
They appear elegant and suave, but there’s a nefarious undertone lurking beneath the surface.
Maya and I are infiltrating their mansion and party. It’s impossible to get an invitation to these close-circle gatherings unless you’re part of the club or their family and friends.
Lucky for me, I managed to snag two invitations that were meant for someone who’s part of the family.
When Maya and I arrive at the entrance, a large man stops us. Masks are mandatory tonight, and he’s wearing a black carnival one with golden ornaments.
From my research, I gathered that mask nights are important nights. They’re not only a members’ meeting, but they’re also when they celebrate wins and announce plans for the future.
It’s the main reason why I waited such a long time to execute my plan. There needed to be this level of significance for the mission to be satisfying.
I reach into my bag and show him the black invitation card with ‘Elites VIP’ written in gold. After Maya does the same, he takes and scans them with a special gadget.
Geez. No wonder it’s impossible to get into these things. They even scan invitations to make sure there are no forgeries.
Once the light goes green, he nods more to himself than to us and motions behind him at his colleague, who’s in a similar mask.
“You’ll leave all your personal belongings here. No phones or cameras are allowed inside.” His gruff voice with a barely understandable British accent fills the air. “If we find out you snuck any communication devices inside, you’ll be thrown out.”
Maya releases an exasperated sound as we ditch our bags. “You better protect it with your life. Actually, since this is a special edition Hermes and is, therefore, worth more than your life, lose it and I’ll use your skin as my new bag. Capisce?”
The man shows no reaction to her dramatics, and I grab her arm and then basically push her inside a dimly lit hallway.
“You just made him take note of us,” I sign discreetly. “What happened to our plans about blending in, idiot?”
“Excuse you. My bag is worth more than this mission.”
“Are you telling me a bag is worth more than getting revenge for our brother?”
“Well, since he can get that himself—which he should’ve by now, but I’m not sure why he hasn’t—I think…yes?”
“Maya!”
“What? I had to pull strings to get that bag.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have brought it on a night like this?”
“It’s my lucky bag. Of course I’m bringing it to your suicidal mission.”
“I have everything planned. It’s not suicidal.”
“It will be when Niko finds out.”
I wince at the thought of our older brother, Nikolai, catching a whiff of this. Pissed off is going to be the milder reaction.
Maya’s eyes twinkle behind the mask with a mischievous grin. “He’ll skin us alive.”
I lift my chin. “Don’t care. I’ll deal with him once I’m done with our revenge.”
Our conversation comes to a slow halt as we exit the hallway and find ourselves in a main hall.
Huge chandeliers hang from the high ceilings, illuminating a glittery interior, marble flooring, and ornate pillars.
All the attendees wear masks similar to ours and are dressed up in fitted tuxedos and elegant party gowns. I definitely look the least sophisticated of the bunch, while Maya blends right in.
“I told you so,” she whispers in my ear in reference to her earlier suggestion that I wear a showier dress.
I elbow her side, but she only laughs in mock reaction.
If she weren’t my sister, I would’ve kicked her in the face a long time ago.