Read Online Secrets of the Sisterhood (The Cinderella Society, Episode 1) by Kay Cassidy - Free Book Online Page B

TO THE SISTERHOOD that had a chart shedding 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 makeovers? I had a long road ahead to get Ryan to notice me. Notice me in a good way, I mean. Not in an ouch-you-stepped-on-my-foot way. I was ready to—
    Wait.
    Did she say “ battle ”?
    “We stay on mission and stand up for what matters,” Gaby continued. “But for every one of us, there’s someone on the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s like in physics. Newton’s Third Law says for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.”
    “Gab,” Sarah Jane cut in. “Ix-nay on the science lecture.”
    Gaby wrinkled her nose at Sarah Jane. “Party pooper. I was going to start diagramming things.” She turned back to us with a grin. “What I mean is that for every Cindy there’s an opposite. Someone trying to exert her force to push back against our efforts.”
      “A Wicked?” I joked. “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 said. “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.”
    My fantasies about simple before and after photos were looking more and more like a pipe dream.
      “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 can make a major impact. You don’t have to be a Cindy or a Wicked for that. The Wickeds’ mission is to rule the Reggies and get whatever the Wickeds want from them. Even if it’s just the cheap thrill of watching someone squirm. Our job is to protect the Reggies and ultimately take the Wickeds down.”
    The Cindys versus the Wickeds. Battling for the souls of the Reggies. And that was just from day one of our introduction? If any of my doubts had faded since initiation, they were back in full force now.
    I was in way over my head.

Chapter Eleven

    Gaby slid aside the bulletin board on the wall behind her to reveal a whiteboard underneath. “To defeat the Wickeds, you need to remember two things.”
    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 lies get inside your head and mess with your mind. That’s their specialty. Their mental games are the stuff of legend.”
    I thought of Pastor Mark back in Seattle. When our youth group had studied the book of Ephesians, he taught us how we could use the armor of God to protect ourselves from