The Cinderella Society (8 page)

It seemed Sarah Jane had left a few things out in her explanation about the Cindys. Or maybe I’d glossed over them the minute I’d heard the words
you
and
makeover
in the same breath.

Gaby had us flip open our
Cinderella Makeover Manuals
to a slick chart that shed light on the whole ranks thing. “The Society has four levels,” she explained. “Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. As soon as you accept the call during initiation, you’re officially an Alpha. As Alphas, your priority is to learn about the Society’s mission and complete the first part of your Cindy training to prepare you for the battle ahead.”

Training, training, and more training. When did we get to the—

Wait. Did she say “battle”?

“We work hard to be the best we can be and to contribute to the greater good. But for every one of us, there’s someone on the opposite end of the spectrum. Kind of like in physics, where—”

“Gab,” Sarah Jane cut in. “Ix-nay on the science lecture.”

“Spoilsport. What I mean is that for every Cindy there’s an opposite.”

“A Wicked?” I joked, but stopped chuckling when I realized none of my Alpha sisters got the reference. “You know, like Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters?”

Gaby lost any hint of a smile. “We never joke about the Wickeds. But yes, they’re our opposites. For the most part, Wickeds live a surface existence. Very superficial, very interested in the now. Casual sex, drinking, sometimes drugs, even small-time illegal. They push the envelope without worrying about the repercussions. Or if they worry, they don’t let it cramp their style.”

An Alpha named Kat nodded. “Taking the Me Generation to the extreme.”

“You got it,” Gaby agreed. “Cindys, on the other hand, understand the need to sometimes sacrifice the now—
sometimes
, not always—to get the bigger win later. There’s a grander plan in motion, and we’re only one piece of the puzzle.”

“So,” Mel said, trying the idea on for size, “the Cindys are good and the Wickeds are bad. Like a high-school battle of good and evil?”

“The Wickeds aren’t one hundred percent bad, just like the Cindys aren’t one hundred percent good,” Gaby cautioned. “But otherwise, yeah. The Wickeds gain power by manipulating and dominating other kids. Mostly the Reggies—that’s what we call kids who aren’t Cindys or Wickeds. It’s short for regular kids, but don’t let the name fool you. Every one of them has the strength and the ability to make a major impact. You don’t have to be a Cindy or a Wicked for that.”

I’d been a regular kid all my life, so I had to agree with her on that one.

“The Wickeds’ mission is to rule the Reggies and make them do the Wickeds’ dirty work. Our mission is to protect the Reggies and ultimately take the Wickeds down.”

The Cindys versus the Wickeds. Battling for the souls of the Reggies?

Gaby slid aside the bulletin board on the wall behind her to reveal a whiteboard beneath. “To defeat the Wickeds, we follow the two Sisterhood commandments.”

She picked up a blue marker from the tray and wrote commandment number one on the board.

PROTECT YOURSELF

“The Sisterhood can help by offering backup when you need it,” Gaby said, “but you have to be able to go head-to-head with a Wicked and win. That means preparing yourself so you don’t let their mental games get inside your head.”

She turned back to the board and wrote the second Cindy commandment.

PROTECT THE REGGIES

“Power is key. Give a Reggie the tools to save herself, and step in as backup to give her confidence. The best way to protect a Reggie is to help her protect herself. When she asserts her own power, the Wickeds start to lose theirs.”

Gaby capped the marker and put it back on the tray. “It’s not an easy mission, but by the time you’re done with your Alpha and Beta training, you’ll be ready to do battle with the Wickeds and come out on top. Any questions so far?”

Her question met seven glassy-eyed stares around the table.

“That’s normal. It’s a lot to take in at first.” Gaby took a
deep breath and launched into her last topic. “Okay, about the fourteen …”

My system got a dose of verbal caffeine.

“To continue building the Sisterhood, we offer bids to seven girls every year. Until now, so have the Wickeds. But if Audrey’s intel is right—and she’s rarely wrong—the Wickeds have stepped it up a notch and recruited fourteen girls this year.”

Hence the “double.”

“So they’ll have more than we do,” Mel said slowly, trying to grasp the significance. “The scales tip in their favor. But how does that affect us as Alphas?”

Gaby held up a hand. “In more ways than we can get into on day one. I’m sure there are already people hot on the trail of that particular problem. For now, just focus on your
CMM
. That’s the best way to prepare for whatever they’ve got planned.”

We opened our binders and started reading about the history of TCS while Gaby retreated to her office and our mentors (or “Big Sisters,” according to Gaby) headed into the lounge. Who would’ve guessed a secret society dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world had thrived in Mt. Sterling for more than a century?

I couldn’t help sneaking a peek at the other sections Gaby had mentioned, though. Behind history, there were several more tabs, including the much-anticipated appearance section. Sadly, they were all empty except for an overview.

Gaby peeked her head out of her office, and I let the pages drop. “If you guys need anything, I’ll be in here for the rest of the day,” she said. “Since tomorrow’s your first Alpha class, try to get through the history section and the other overviews
before then so you’re ready to dive into phase one of your makeover.”

Visions of gorgeousness and Sarah Jane–caliber popularity toyed with my focus. We might have to learn about our history first, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t dream about what came next. I was surrounded by the in crowd, I held a top secret guide to coolness in my hands, and I had the junior prom queen playing fairy godmother for my very own ultimate life makeover. It had all the makings of a full-blown fairy tale.

Except that everything about our mission prickled the hairs on my neck.

The Cindys might veer onto the path of Makeoverland, but the Sisterhood was a force to be reckoned with. And unlike the movies, they weren’t battling evil villains in a far-off land. Our villains were right here at home.

I would’ve bet my cherished Kate Spade purse that Lexy was as Wicked as they came. And if she was, this was way more than I’d signed on for.

How could I ever do battle with Lexy and win?

Chapter 5

BEING IN THE CLUB
for the second time didn’t take away any of the awe factor. Mel and I showed up late morning the next day to get through the rest of our
Cinderella Makeover Manual
overviews before the first Alpha class that afternoon. Gaby, of course, had been there since the first pot of coffee went on out front. She greeted us in the lounge, sporting a BlackBerry on a lanyard and an apple crumb muffin in one hand.

Gaby nabbed us each a soda as we stowed our gear in the cute pink lockers. She had David Cook playing on the iPod speakers in the kitchenette, which she promptly turned off. “Sorry,” she said. “I needed a little pick-me-up.”

I could totally relate. David Cook could pick me up anytime.

Mel and I grabbed our binders and settled into the yum Study Hall chairs as Sarah Jane and Kyra were coming in the door. They stowed their stuff and joined us at the table. Sarah Jane set down her enormous binder next to mine. Even laying it gently on the table still resulted in a loud thud.

I eyed the monstrosity, suddenly glad mine only had a few dozen sheets of paper in it, and wondered what hers could
possibly be filled with. She was a third-level Cindy, I’d found out—a Gamma—so who knew what-all was in there?

From what I’d learned so far, Alpha stage was mostly about the
celebrating your strength
part of the creed, and Beta stage got deeper into
embracing your future
. Clever girl that I am, I reasoned that Gammas were all about
being extraordinary
. As for Deltas … sheesh, what came after being extraordinary? World domination?

We all dug into our
CMM
work—Mel and I on the last few overviews and Sarah Jane and Kyra on their special projects. The air hummed with productivity vibes.

The door to the Club opened again, and Paige entered, with Audrey trailing her. They both looked serious as they headed for Paige’s office. Our Big Sisters eyed them solemnly and quietly closed up their
CMMs
. By the time they’d finished putting their binders away, Paige had opened her door. She gave Sarah Jane a silent nod and slipped back inside, while Audrey headed out of the Club without a word.

Sarah Jane and Kyra keyed into the Gamma office and closed the door behind them.

Mel and I looked at each other.

“What was that about?” I asked.

Mel tapped a staccato rhythm with her pen. “Did you see the news this morning?”

Mom had The Weather Channel on every morning like clockwork, but something told me that wasn’t what Mel meant. “What about it?”

“Miss Teen Blue Ridge was stripped of her title last night.” She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “A video of her smoking a joint in the woods behind her school was mailed to a local TV station. Once they identified her, they called the pageant office for an official comment. The pageant
called her family, confirmed it was her, and took away her crown.”

Brutal. But who in their right mind would be out behind their school smoking a joint? First of all, I like all my brain cells, thanks. And second, a local teen celebrity doing
anything
wrong in public is a dumb move. Add illegal to dumb and what did she expect?

“What does that have to do with us?” Before “with us” was even out of my mouth, I knew the answer. The question wasn’t why she’d been so dumb—it was why the TV station had ended up with a prime-time video of the event.

The Wickeds strike again. “Who has it in for her?”

“Lexy and Morgan used to do pageants,” Mel said. “Lexy was runner-up for Miss Teen Blue Ridge and ‘retired’ right after she lost to Alyssa.”

“Looks like she’s coming out of retirement.”

“Looks like.”

I thought about the way Lexy had launched a steaming drink on me when I dared to ignore her. How far would she go to get revenge when she felt wronged? Had I been a Cindy long enough that they’d always have my back if she stepped up her attack on me?

“I hope she doesn’t come after us that way.” I shuddered. “My reputation’s already taken a beating. One more blow and I’ll be back to loser status.”

“No Wicked chatter out here,” Gaby said, striding toward us. “Do you two want to order up a late breakfast? I’ve been going on muffins all morning, and I’m craving a pesto egg sandwich. Snacks and drinks are on the house, but we usually pay Audrey for meals. Any takers?”

My stomach rumbled. I couldn’t get within a hundred feet of The Grind without hunger setting in. This was not
going to bode well for my cheer uniform future.

“Sure,” I said. “What’s Wicked chatter?”

Mel and I followed Gaby into the lounge to grab our wallets as she elaborated. “Any kind of general negativity. Swearing, gossiping, putting people down. Including ourselves.” She gave me a pointed look at the last part. “Even Wicked chatter that goes on in your head.”

Mel looked amused as she handed Gaby a five. “You monitor our thoughts?”

“Haven’t gotten the patent on it yet, but give us time.”

Sarah Jane had said that the higher up you went in the Cindys, the more independent study you did. The way Gaby joked about the patent gave me the sneaking suspicion she’d love to have a crack at that project. There seemed to be very little a Cindy couldn’t do if she set her mind to it. Myself excluded, of course.

Ah.
That
kind of Wicked chatter in your head.

Good thing the patent was just a joke. (Probably.)

*   *   *

After all the Alphas had arrived and were eagerly seated around the table, Gaby got us rolling.

“Welcome to your first Alpha class,” Gaby said. “We’ll be covering a lot of ground today, but here’s the main thing you need to know: Alpha training is all about making you stronger. Remember, our goal is to prepare you to go head-to-head with a Wicked and win.”

She passed out an outline of the Alpha program. “The Wickeds prey on weakness. If they can hone in on your insecurities, they’ll knock you off your game nine times out of ten. Your Alpha work is designed to help you get over your insecurities and focus on your strengths. If the Wickeds don’t have anything on you that’ll hit a sore spot, that puts you in
the power position. To win against the Wickeds, you have to keep the power on your side.”

I craved the win. Especially if it meant Lexy was the loser. Lexy and all her Wicked minions.

Gaby slid aside the bulletin board to expose the whiteboard again. Yesterday’s commandments were still printed in bold capital letters.

She pointed to
PROTECT THE REGGIES
. “We’ll cover more about this part of the mission later. For right now, our focus is on this,” she said, drawing a giant red circle around
PROTECT YOURSELF
.

“If you want to beat the Wickeds, you’ve got to keep them from getting inside your head. You already know the Wickeds prey on weakness, but the tricky thing is that they know exactly where to look for it. They go straight for the three areas most likely to let them take advantage.”

Gaby picked up a purple marker from the tray and wrote an equation on the board.

Power = Personality + Appearance + Strengths

“To become truly powerful, you have to be completely comfortable with what makes you
you
. You have to be confident about who you are as a person.” She put a check mark above
Personality
. “You need to be comfortable in your own skin.” She made a check above
Appearance
. “And you have to understand your strengths
and
know how to use them to your advantage.”