SAMANTHA
The summons arrived at dawn.
A servant handed me a folded piece of parchment sealed with crimson wax. The seal bore the Cunningham crest—a serpent coiled around a crescent moon. My hands trembled as I broke the seal and read the words inside.
"Join us in the gardens at noon. We wish to get to know you better. Come alone. —Serena & Kylie"
I stared at the parchment. My stomach twisted into knots. The Cunningham sisters wanted to get to know me better? That was a lie. They wanted to torment me. They wanted to break me. They wanted to remind me that I was nothing and they were everything.
"Miss Samuels," Joanne said from the doorway. Her voice was tight with concern. "You cannot go."
"I have to go."
"You do not have to do anything."
I folded the parchment and tucked it into my sleeve. "If I refuse, they will find another way to punish me. At least this way, I know what I am walking into."
