Chapter 8 - Insights

"... she was pretty sure it was the creepy staring that did it," Joe finished. He and Frank had just filled in the spy on everything about the initial meeting with the twins, the Anarchists and finally Stanford's best friends.'"Do you know anything about the guy?"

They were both in the dorm room they shared. It was temporary accommodation on the top floor, right next to one of the security team's own accommodations. Instead of risking discovery by meeting them in person, Gray had decided to use an encrypted server to video chat with them. He had personally installed the programme on Frank's laptop while they waited for one of his agents to finish with Joe's dye job on Saturday they had arrived.

"This happened on Friday," Gray sighed. "That's why I didn't show up with the dean at your place. I had to stick around with the kid until they did a full psychological check on him." At Frank's frown, he elaborated saying, "Brandon, that's his name, was muttering the same thing too, asking Temperance to stop making him do things. He kept apologising to her the entire way to the ER… since there's only one Temperance in the entire college, I had to wait to learn what was going on."

"So, did you?"

"I was informed that he fell asleep during the interview, so the report was inconclusive," Gray said. "When he woke up, he didn't remember a thing."

Joe turned to Frank who hummed thoughtfully. "That's similar to what happened to Stanford. Alex and Kevin were both adamant that she forgot everything about her overdosing incident too."

"You two have uncovered a lot in just eight hours - more than we ever learned tiptoeing around these kids for weeks," Gray admitted, trying not to look too sour about it. "Keep up the good work."

"We will," his brother grinned back devilishly at the Network agent. "In fact, we're heading out in a couple of hours to a welcoming party they are throwing for us in their common room."

Gray's eyes went wide in alarm. "They invited you to one of those already?!"

"Yeah," Frank said, frowning. "Why are you panicking? I thought you wanted us to get closer to them–"

"I do," Gray said distractedly as he started to fiddle with his phone. "Just…Hang on a second."

After a short moment, another window popped up, signalling that they were now in conference with agent Nadine Halliday as well. The middle-aged, freckle-faced agent with bright green eyes greeted them as her video came to life on the screen alongside Gray's.

"Hi boys, Gray's saying you're making great headway," she said, her smile widening into a grin. She was the behavioural analyst on the team, and she was the one who had put together their covers to appeal to the Saunders twins in the best way.

"We are," Joe nodded. "He got a little, um, agitated when we told him we are going to party with them," he smirked at the spy who merely gave them both a level look.

"Ah," she nodded, understandingly. "I know why I'm invited to this little discussion then. Have you spoken to Temperance and Constance at all?"

"We met them just before the first lecture."

"What was your first impression?" She preferred to ask questions and gauge their responses before explaining her theories. It was something Frank had noticed right away when they had met her for the first time.

"They were intense," Joe volunteered his take on the girls first. "They did this weird twin thing when they saw us. Stared at us like we were a pair of bugs under a scope and stalked towards us together, in complete sync," Gray nodded while Halliday remained attentive, listening to Joe's description. "The walk, the gestures, the smiles… all of it was perfectly timed."

"They were trying to intimidate us," Frank shared his observations. "Or maybe they were trying to get our measure. But something we did must have worked because they were cool with us after."

"Not to mention they were waiting for us when we came out of the forensic lab," Joe added. "Just to let us know about the party."

Frank cast his mind back to the memory of the two silver-haired beauties waiting for them in the corridor. The sight had reminded him of two lionesses waiting for their prey.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Temperance asked, immediately latching herself onto Joe's arm.

"I'm wiped out," Joe said shyly, glancing at Frank. Only Frank saw the look of distaste in his eyes before he wiped it out with an apologetic grin he flashed at the limpet on his arm. "I was thinking about ordering some food for dinner and crashing–"

"Oh, darling, don't be a drag," Constance said, slithering her own arm around Frank's waist. It took everything in him to stay relaxed without going rigid against the not-quite-invited intimate touch. "You're too young to sleep that early."

"All this core strength that's wrapped around you like a flame needs an outlet," Temperance sang, waving her free hand to indicate the both of them. "It needs freedom to go wild…"

"Are you two planning something?" Frank asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, we are," Constance purred, resting her head against Frank's shoulder. He let the smile on his face widen, effectively hiding his grimace while Joe stayed still, equally uncomfortable with the forwardness of the twins. "We wanna throw you two a party, to welcome you and introduce you to the rest of the circle properly."

"When?" Frank mumbled, firmly ignoring the tickle on the shell of his ear caused by her warm breath.

"Tonight at seven," Temperance declared. "Drop by our common room."

"Tonight!" Joe chuckled, managing to sound very humbly surprised. "That's some fast party organising right there."

"Darling, we get things done," Temperance beamed up at him. "You'll know more when you get to know us better."

"Looking forward to it." Joe sounded earnest even if it was painfully clear to Frank that he wanted nothing but to run away from the two predators as far as he possibly could.

"What you need to understand is that both of them show many signs of narcissistic personality disorder," Halliday said, bringing Frank back to the present. "The symptoms of this mental condition include an excessive need for admiration, disregard for others' feelings, an inability to handle any criticism and a sense of entitlement. Therefore you need to be very careful when you interact with them, especially if you're surrounded by their other followers."

"What happens if we accidentally trigger them?" Frank asked, thinking back to the rapid mood swing the twins had displayed when they had brought up Carl Winters.

"They get highly emotional," Halliday said. "They never react to even the slightest perceived disrespect or ignorance you display towards them rationally or calmly. They are highly volatile and can even get violent if not handled quickly."

"So basically we should avoid pissing them off–" Joe said with a sideways grin.

"Endearing yourselves to them might help you win their confidence," Halliday agreed. "Which is what you seem to have done already." Then she grinned. "Besides, I don't know if you two are aware, but you interact with the rest of us as a very synchronised unit as well," she told them, making them exchange another quick glance, confirming her observation right there. "You're very much in tune with each other. I think that is one of the factors that may have made you very attractive to them."

"As long as we don't break cover and keep giving them the attention they clearly demand, we should be able to get what we need and get out right?" Frank inquired.

This was a party he really didn't want to go to and he knew Joe felt the same. But it was the fastest way for them to search for the information they needed.

Then they could get the hell out of Lincoln College.

"In theory, yes," Halliday agreed. "Now, I know the rumours around the girls are wild and frankly unbelievable. They might not have any extra human abilities as the other students seem to believe, but they are not the type to forgive and forget if you make any mistakes with them. I believe they have the capacity to become extremely vindictive if provoked. So, please tread carefully."

"In other words, boys," Gray said gravely. "Try not to get on their bad side, and keep your guard up all the time you spend around them."

..o0o..

There were only about fifty students gathered in the common room, Joe realised as he and Frank entered the area just twenty minutes past seven. The music that was playing through the two wall-mounted speakers wasn't that loud, but it had a very exotic, almost haunting quality to it, rendering a very enigmatic atmosphere. The room was dark and had only mood lighting and beautifully woven strings of colourful lights hugging the walls and the ceiling. There was a faint scent in the air, something that smelled like a mixture of flowers, fruits and incense, making him feel as if he had just stepped into a hidden monastery instead of a party thrown by a bunch of twenty-year-olds.

They were both dressed in casual jeans, t-shirts and button-down shirts with their sleeves rolled up to elbows. Since the clothes and the sports shoes they had on were supplied by the Network, they were all very expensive products of niche brands, presenting them both in very understated elegance.

"There you are!"

Joe turned to his right at the same time Frank did. Temperance and Constance glided over to where they were with alluring smiles on their prettily made-up faces. They both wore long, body-hugging gowns, Constance in emerald and Temperance in very dark red, almost as if they had known and planned to match with their preferred Castellanos twin.

Joe tried not to shiver at that abrupt realisation.

"We were starting to wonder if you had forgotten," Constance said, beaming. Then they were both kissed on the cheeks before Temperance moved closer to Joe while Constance grabbed Frank's hand.

"Forget a party!" Joe gasped, clutching his heart dramatically. "And one that's thrown for us… That would be…Sacrilege!"

Temperance giggled and wrapped her long fingers around his elbow. "You are adorable," she batted her eyelashes at him and started to tug him towards a corner where a collection of drinks waited. "Come with me."

Joe turned and found that Frank was being dragged in the opposite direction. He had the same startled look Joe was sure etched on his own expression.

"Don't worry," Temperance whispered in his ear before he could say anything. "Constance will take good care of your brother." She promised, knowing exactly what had bothered him.

Divide and conquer it is, Joe sighed and let himself be escorted by Temperance. Although he was sure that Frank would have insisted that it wasn't necessarily the right use of the phrase, that they were the ones who were being divided and that they had to avoid being conquered at all costs.

She took two glasses from the tray and handed him one with a smile. It was a blood-red concoction that smelled like fruit juice with a dash of alcohol in it. He took it and sipped, never breaking eye contact with her gleaming gaze over the brim of his glass.

It tasted divine and he felt a jolt running down his entire system the moment the cool, smooth liquid ran down his throat.

"Wow!" he didn't have to fake his appreciation as he gave her an admiring smile. "What is this? It tastes…magical!" he let out a soft growl.

"A fruit punch," Temperance said coyly. "A very old and secret recipe from Egypt, all I can say is that there are some apples, strawberries, dragon fruits and a bit of cinnamon in there. The rest I can't tell you," she winked.

"It's so good," Joe admitted while sipping some more. Temperance did the same with hers, closing her eyes and licking her lips seductively as she enjoyed the taste of her drink.

God help me, Joe sent out a quick prayer to any deity listening, knowing that he had to play this game with her for the next several hours until the party ended. She was stunningly beautiful and he couldn't completely ignore the flicker of interest he felt forming somewhere deep in his gut.

"Does it have any almonds or peanuts?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the thick liquid sloshing in his glass rather than her performance. "I'm allergic to both." He wasn't. But it was something mentioned on his cover. Halliday speculated that the girls might pounce on anything they perceived as a vulnerability of their potential…prey.

"Of course not," Temperance stated confidently. "We know exactly what you'd like to eat and drink: what's safe for you and what's not. We wouldn't give you anything that could harm you." her eyes widened as if she found the very notion of it absolutely terrible.

"And you figured all of this out by reading our auras?" Joe exclaimed, making sure to sound suitably impressed, and more than a little awed.

She brought up a hand and cupped his cheek. Her feather-light touch was cold on his warm skin due to the drink she had been holding and his eyes fluttered close almost on their own accord at the gentle contact. His heart started to race and he hoped she couldn't hear the wild thumping inside his ribcage.

"Oh, my darling…" she whispered so close, he felt her breath brush against his lips. He opened his eyes with a soft gasp and found her standing so very close to him, her silvery gaze locked onto his own with a glint so intense, it felt lethal.

"You have no idea," she murmured. Joe found it impossible to look away from the shine in her eyes. "An aura is like an open book, a wonderful halo around one's entire being, fluttering in the wind for all the world to see," she continued as the rest of the world fell away from Joe's awareness. "When you can see an aura and know how to read what it's saying, you get to own that person for good, my dear darling."