Circle of Lies (Red Ridge Pack) by Sara Dailey, Staci Weber

road narrowed, and I was literally driving on a dirt path with gigantic trees and brush on each side. Shit. Maybe this was a prank. I was going to get lost and die out here.
    I pressed my foot down on the brake and brought the car to a stop. Searching for my cell phone, I prayed that I could actually get a signal. Surprisingly enough, I had four solid bars. What were the odds of that out here in the boonies? But I wasn’t going any further until I was sure there was a house on the other end of the path, so I texted Alli:
    Teagan: Hey, I’m hoping u forgot to mention that u live in the woods. On a dirt path. Worried I’m lost.
    Seconds later, my phone chimed.
    Alli: Ur going the right way. I told u it was kinda out of the way. No worries. Keep driving.
    Still unsure if I was crazy for believing Alli, I put my car in drive and kept going.
    Only a minute or so down the path I breathed a sigh of relief. The whole area opened up, and right in front of me lay the most picturesque scene imaginable. I stopped my car and stared. In the middle of a vast open area was a small lake, and lining its banks, a ring of massive houses. It was like a hidden neighborhood in the middle of nowhere. Totally off the grid.
    A hidden compound, eh? Again I was reminded of a cult. A beautiful people cult.
    As I contemplated turning around, my cell chimed again.
    Alli: R u coming? I see you. Drive around to the left. I’ll meet u outside.
    Too late to turn back now. Hesitantly pressing the gas, I turned my car to the left and drove slowly down the curved road.
    Alli’s house could’ve had its own zip code, it was that huge. Her life was so different from mine. She stood outside and waved her arm over her head to get my attention. I pulled my car into her long driveway and got out.
    She led me to the front door and said, “So…whatcha think? A little weird, right?” She almost sounded embarrassed.
    Oh, thank God. She knew this was strange.
    Relieved, I replied, “Well, a little. Shocking is more like it.” Then I laughed to soften my words. “What is this place?”
    “The estate. All of the adults here work at a pretty profitable company together, so the company built this for their families. Kinda like a perk, I guess. That’s why Cade and all of his friends seem so tight. They all grew up together, though they don’t broadcast the fact. Aiden and me are the new kids on the block, but it’s not so bad.”
    So, the beautiful people all came from their own little community that didn’t discuss itself. Yeah, that was definitely odd, but I supposed royalty has always had a way of protecting itself. And I didn’t have much more time to think about it, because Alli opened her front door and my jaw immediately hit the floor.
    My God. This wasn’t a house. It was a mansion. Something you’d expect to see on MTV Cribs .
    Alli shut the door behind us and laughed. “I know it’s a bit much, but it comes with the job when you work for the company.”
    “It’s beautiful, Alli,” I whispered. “I can’t believe you live here.”
    Alli showed me through a kitchen built for a top-tier chef and then up the stairs to the second floor. There didn’t appear to be anyone else home. I started to ask where Aiden was but decided against it. I didn’t want her asking any questions in return that I wasn’t ready to answer.
    We walked into her bedroom, and again I was in awe. It was literally as big as my whole house. Thank God I didn’t bring her home with me, I found myself thinking. This place was unbelievable.
    Alli plopped down on some comfy chairs by her window. “So…where should we start?”
    The econ assignment was to make a PowerPoint presentation or a video, and also to make a poster. I made my way over to the chairs, trying to pretend like being in this monstrosity of a bedroom was no big deal and said, “How about an outline?”
    *****
    It was soon after seven. Alli and I were working hard on our project, but the end was nowhere in