My gaze dared back and forth as many of the students kept looking at me. Most of them wondered if I was going to collect the invitation or not. I blinked at the sudden flash of white and gold in my face. It was thick paper, expensive, embossed with dark green ink and a wax seal that looked like it belonged to royalty. Whoever had designed this card wasn’t playing around. Cassie plucked the envelope from the hand that offered it—some senior I barely knew, some guy who hadn’t spoken to me since middle school. Now he was practically bowing. “What is this?” she asked. The guy cleared his throat. “Jeremiah’s hosting a private event. Big one. Off-campus. Only the elite were invited…” He glanced at me, then at the card again. “He said to make sure Pontius got his personally.” Cassie’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I took the card from her and broke the wax seal without hesitation. My name was written in elegant script at the top—Pontius Marrick. Underneath, the details