Every week, there was something on and every day was something new. On Mondays, we drank during the Chapel assemblies, Tuesday afternoons were spent in Parker's house getting mani-pedis and sipping on cosmos, Wednesday's were Ladies Nights so we would join the boys and smoke shisha before heading downtown to dance on tabletops, on Thursdays Luciana and I get drunk on Baileys while Parker and Carmen had three-hour ballet classes. Fridays are either another night out or a party. The weekends are spent hungover and partying even more before an alcoholic Sunday brunch on Phineas Yeong's double-decker yacht. I don't think I even remember the last time I've spent time with Hadley or had a night in. 

"I'm serious!" Luciana is giggling, raising her voice to be heard over us. "It's like a web, you know? Everything's like connected." She's talking about how the Pearl Harbour controversy was practically a parallel situation to how her left acrylic pinkie nail kept breaking first.

"Have you been breaking into your dad's stash again, Luce?" Parker smirks as she lounges by the beachfront of Hanif's infinity pool. The shisha pipe is in between her lips as she slowly inhales before taking it out and releasing a thick column of smoke.

Carmen laughs. Her dark hair is held in a taut bun, revealing all arcs of her face, and with only sunscreen and no makeup, her skin glows underneath the tangerine beams. "You know what? I heard Parker's mom doctor is the best. I mean, I honestly want to get my jaw fixed."

"Oh my God, same," Parker pouts, "But I think I'd rather get butt implants."

"Yeah," Luciana smirks at Parker as the maid saunters up to the rooftop pool area, carrying a tray of breakfast delicacies and setting it on the Italian glass table. "You literally have no ass."

Parker scowl before she pushes the shisha pipe back into her lips again, inhale and exhale a plume of vanilla-scented smoke. "At least I don't have gross morning breath."

"Well, at least-"

"Oh come on, guys! Be adults," Carmen chid and in true Alpha fashion, her minions zip up their mouths. She motions Parker to hand her the shisha pipe as she observes the tray of food the maid just brought up- a vast array of freshly baked bread, smoked salmon with crème fraîche, chocolate pastries and fresh fruit salads. After poking into her silky almond yoghurt parfait and taking a small bite, she turns to me: "So Amory, what about you? What would you get done?"

I chuckle slightly as I scoop some fruit salad onto my plate, "I'm not sure," I remark. I tug the string of my bikini against my perky chest, which has been the compliments of silicone and surgery. Parker, who is rail board thin, eyes my figure with much jealousy, unable to tell if my tits were real or not. I've picked my surgeon with meticulous care. 

"Yeah, you're practically perfect," Luciana smirks, "Donate some ass to Parker please." 

"Fuck off!" Parker snaps but the humour in her eyes gives away that she's not particularly upset. "You're such a bitch, Luce."

"You love it." Luciana surveys the plate in front of her and plucks a chocolate croissant with her delicate fifty dollar manicure before tearing each oily, flakey chocolate-covered layer and placing it into her mouth. "Anyway, should we tell the boys the food is here?"

"I'll do it." Parker clarifies, standing up from her seat. Parker's translucent skin contrasts massively with her Wildfox royal blue bikini but she's still stunning to look at. With her icy blonde head of hair, her toned abdomen and her pilates-worthy long legs that are trademarks of a fitness model, she never fail to instil lust in anybody who lands their eyes on her. "I'll go get them. And coffee, anybody?"

"Oh yes. God knows I need it," I say as I push my sunglasses further up my nose.

"I think we all do," Luciana asserts, flashing me a flirty smile, "Last night was crazy."

"Be right back," Parker struts away, her hips swishing in motion as Luciana, Carmen and I continue to lounge on Hanif's white rattan couches and soak up the sun. 

It's currently two in the afternoon but we've technically only just woken up and Carmen, who had noticed it was actually sunny in New York for once, opts for riding out our hangovers by lying in the East Coast sun. 

My mind is a haze of blurry memories of last night- I remember getting ready for it. It was a Friday so I had texted Hadley I was spending a night over at Carmen to tutor her. The girls had clambered up to Carmen's room and we all got ready together. Carmen did my makeup while Luciana and I helped her pick an outfit and what shoes to go with it. I straightened Parker's hair and she did my toenails. As we blasted Drake and went in and out of the bathroom, carrying bags of makeup and hair straighteners, we all each had four tequila sunrises, dancing and singing as we apply our contour. I could taste Carmen's orange-and-Prosecco breath on me as she paints my eyelashes with charcoal, "You look pretty with minimal makeup," she had remarked. Then we joined the boys for Dinner at Florigileum, where all of us shared around two bottles of wine before we showed up at a rooftop party hosted by one of the other private school kids.

It's so strange now. It's been barely a month since the Conroys sisters were officially kicked out of the Elite but my spot in it is already permanently glued in. Parker who was initially somewhat cold towards me now hugged me and ground against me when the drinks lathered an effect upon her. Luciana and I grew closer and we did everything from shopping to gyming together. Carmen and I now texted every day and shared inside jokes. It didn't hit me until just a few weeks ago when someone had snapped a picture of me and Luciana on one of those podiums at Trak the other day, posted it on VieuxRiche and gained twenty thousand followers in the following six hours. When I went to the rooftop party, I didn't need to introduce myself. Everyone knew who I was- they knew my name and they knew I was now one of them.

Being part of the Elite, you will come to know things that those on the lower rungs of the social ladder don't. Like how there is a secret side entrance to Katie Yates's Hampton's guesthouse or the fact that Orson Calloway had an UberChopper where the pilots served champagne and beluga caviar with pule cheese, cold boiled potatoes and chives, or how bouncers will not check IDs closely if you slip a hundred dollar note beneath your card, or how the kitchen at the Waldorf stays open around the clock and makes the best truffle grill cheese sandwiches, absolutely dripping with oil and grease, perfect for when you're drunk. It's like being an Elite gives you entry to a whole new world.

"Hello, ladies," Hanif introduces himself, interrupting my train of thought with his sudden arrival. Phineas is silently trailing behind him with Parker and Aidan in tow. Aidan keeps himself casual with Balenciaga sweats while Phineas is wearing a crisp Ralph Lauren Polo, Tommy Hilfiger tartan trousers, and Gucci sunglasses, looking like a dad about to hit the country club with the exception of the two bottles of Kahlua and vodka. "How are my favourite girls?"

"Hungover and hungry," Luciana answers for us. "Pour me a coffee, will you?"

Apparently, 'coffee' is a mixed drink of vodka, Kahlua, coffee, and cream. As Phineas and Hanif distribute the drinks within us, I swirl my coffee before taking an experimental sip. It's sweet with a burn. 

"Jesus Christ," I hear myself say, "We just fucking woke up."

Aidan smirks at me. "Well, West Coast, that's how we do it in NYC. Breakfast with a little kick."

"Relax, Ames," Parker cajole, returning back to her chair with a flourish. "Look at it this way- it's happy hour somewhere."

All of you are alcoholics, I yearn to reply with but instead, I laugh along with everybody else and toss back my coffee with a kick. It's actually pretty good once you keep drinking it.

"Hey, where's Orson?" I try to casually ask as I notice he's missing from the group.

Parker arches her eyebrows, "Why so interested, Ames? I thought you're not into him."

"I just realized he's been missing since we saw him at the party," I smoothly answer, "Wondered if he's already dead so I can figure out when to throw my next party."

Carmen let out a peal of laughter, "God, I feel you, Ames. Sometimes, my brother can be so insufferable."

"Well, I think he's...you know...a bit occupied," Hanif winks at me to make sure his double entendre had its intended effect. "Found a little birdy from St. Augustine. You know, how those Catholic girls go."

Luciana let her bottom lip pout a little as she embraces the caffeinated liquid, "Of course, he does but so what? He isn't here and I can't be fucked to talk about him." There is no doubt she is still slightly sour about him. She drinks the last of her coffee and wink at Hanif, "Double-shot please."

"I'm not your fucking maid," Hanif grumble.

"No babe, but you are my butler," Luciana purr, "Aren't you?"

Hanif sticks his tongue at her but pours her the Kahlua to half her glass then the pot of ice coffee. "Does that means I get to spank you?"

Luciana giggles and squeals as she plants a big wet kiss on Hanif's cheeks. Parker slowly slides down her sunglasses to wiggle her eyebrows. Luciana smacks her on the arm. Carmen sighs but her eyes are ever so slightly creased to show a smile that betrays her own instincts. Phineas is indifferent. I grin to show solidarity. 

"I need the bathroom," Luciana mentions to Hanif, her eyes glittering like dark pools of dim hazel.

"Want me to show you?"

They disappear in a second and everybody melts away in conversation, not really caring that Hanif and Luciana have disappeared for almost twenty minutes. It's unlikely and strange. They're a mismatched couple but not necessarily odd. It's interesting. My brain begins to toss and turn and rifle through my collection of toxic epiphanies and shredded schemes to wonder what I should do with that information. Hmm...

-

I settle myself in a small booth at the back of the library where no one can really see me and if they do, I just look like a mangled college student searching for information on the internet. It's a Sunday afternoon and though my weekends are now frequently dominated by social events of the Elite, I manage to find time for myself because everyone else is busy.

Aidan and Carmen are off on a romantic weekend getaway to Upstate New York, Parker has her MUN conference, Luciana is being forced to accompany her mother at the new launching of the YSL lipstick company (along with the camera crew, of course), Orson, Hanif and Phineas are doing a Lost Boys' Weekend in Las Vegas so that leaves me in New York by myself.

I'm glad for it, though. I've been so swamped with their events and keeping up with attending all these parties I hadn't had time to dig up any dirt on the Elite, except for the fact that Hanif and Luciana are now officially fucking each other on the down-low. It's something, but it's not juicy enough to kill their social careers.

I know what you're thinking. Why invest so much time? Why be out with them all the time? It's because the only way I can secure my permanent spot in the Elite is to be present at all their social events. It's the only way I can truly get in.

Nonetheless, any free time I get I learn how to cherish it.

With my free time, I used it to be myself. With no makeup and my blonde hair tossed into a simple ponytail, I don't look like Amory Scout. I'm now Bronte Emerson. And it feels good to be me, for once. I don't have to worry about whether my lipstick is smudged or whether I'm saying the right things to make them laugh and like me. I don't have to project this cool, hot and brilliant persona a popular girl is supposed to have, a personality that appeals to the masses and seems untouchable yet friendly at the same time, a feat that is virtually impossible. I just get to be me.

In the meantime. 

I open up my laptop and begin to scour through Luciana's deleted files I've downloaded from her computer. There are a lot of deleted photos- from what I've gathered, they were photos that didn't make the cut for Luciana's photo album on Facebook. Even in unflattering lights, Luciana still manages to appear gorgeous in bad lighting and awkward positions. As I methodically clicked away on the photos, I tucked my loose hair behind my ear and scroll further down, ignoring photos that appeared the same until I stopped at a particular photo.

The photo was Luciana, Parker, Carmen and another girl I didn't recognize posing by the beach. What beach I didn't recognize, probably Cinco de Mayo or even the Maldives, but I didn't recognize the girl. All the other photos feature girls who aren't part of the original trio is either the Conroy twins or other girls who I've met from other private schools. This girl was a new face completely.

She was pretty with dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin. She's definitely Elite material from just the looks perspective. But who is she? I know every other random girl that has come up in their photos but I didn't know her. I scroll further down. More photos of her. There's one of her at the beach and now there's one of her with Parker at a country club. Dressed in a chiffon baby-doll dress, she's been caught in the middle of laughter with Parker, who is equally ethereal and god-like. Even at fourteen, Parker's azure eyes and saffron hair are maintained to pure perfection. I punch in another sequence for the next photo.

She appears again. The scenery change. It's London and they're in a hotel ballroom, dining for tea. This time the whole group is in it and of course, it's another immaculate display of wealth- flowers and rich brocade, fur, velvet, embroidery, silver thread on black, with pearls and ivory lace. This unknown girl is no exception, wearing a hunter green trench coat, made of silky triacetate, which doesn't wrinkle, and keeps its pleats. She smiles up at me and it's a naughty, inviting expression, like a mischievous come hither. She looks older here, at least fifteen. I check the date. January 19, 2013.

These photos of her started appearing around the date of October 2012 and she only disappears from their photos around mid-2013. Just right after the trial. I hadn't begun my investigation into their lives. 

But that doesn't make sense. Did Carmen and everybody else they knew just delete every photo of her? Never mentions her? How could that be? You can't just...delete a person, especially a person who had contact with people like the Elite. Who is she? And why did Luciana delete every photo she had with this girl, especially if she had taken so many photos of them together? My mind whir with possibilities as my hand flies to my smartphone and dial Hadley.

"Hey," she greets, "I was just about to text you. Where are you?'

"At the library," I say breezily, "You know, New York University Library. You?"

"At home. You wanna grab a coffee?"

"Um, can you bring me a latte?"

"Yeah sure. Any special requests?"

"Almond milk, no sugar." I can't afford to slip back up a clothing size. Comments under VieuxRiche is starting to notice I'm the largest girl out of the whole Elite, though they do appreciate my 'curviness'. Which is basically a pity pat for hey, you're kind of chubby but thick is in so...

"Are you about to leave?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Can you grab me your yearbook from 2012?"

I can practically hear Hadley's eyebrows knitting. "Why?"

"I think I found something important."

-

"So why did you want my yearbook from 2012?" Hadley wonders as she arrives in record time, only fifteen minutes with two lattes in hand. 

"Do you know this girl?" I move my computer around and point at the unknown girl looped around Parker's arm.

Hadley scrunches up her eyes to read the face. "I...think I saw her before. She used to go Kensington, I think."

"Was she friends with Carmen, Parker?'

Hadley shrug, "I'm not sure. You know me, I don't really keep up with them."

"She appeared in all their photos from 2012 to August 2013. She was like in all their photos for a good ten months. And then she completely disappeared. I've never heard of her until now. It's like...she died."

Hadley's eyebrows scrunch in confusion at the group picture on my laptop, "Even if she did die, It doesn't explain why they deleted the photos. I mean, they all look pretty cosy with her. Like best friends."

"Do you have the yearbook?" I ask sharply, my heart jumping excitedly. This could be it. The dirt I've been looking for, dirt that they completely kept buried.

Until now.

Hadley rummages her back for the yearbook and produces it. I eagerly flip through, looking for the homeroom class they would be in according to the year. Eventually, the page appears. I see her, standing side by side Luciana. She beams at the camera, up at me, eyes glistening and shining. She has thick dark eyelashes that frame her sultry almond-shaped dark eyes and a wealth of dark hair. She is beautiful, of course, Elite-material right there. So she was a Kensington student. And then she isn't anymore. She also seems to be part of the Elite, a good friend of theirs, before they delete every photo they had of her and she ceases to exist. I scan the bottom, where the list of names of the kids in the homeroom is featured. The girl is no longer unknown to me. She has a name.

"Did you find anything?" Hadley leans in, intrigue.

"It's time to do a little digging," I say, touching my mouse pad to move my cursor over to Google Chrome.

It's time to find you, Helena Marx.

dedicated to erosful for loving this story from the very start.<3