Free Secrets of the Sisterhood (The Cinderella Society, Episode 1) by Kay Cassidy

evil. I’d always thought that was just a church thing, but I was beginning to understand it on a whole new level. Even if the evil that roamed in this case was in the form of hateful girls in short skirts.
    Gaby turned back to the board and wrote the second Cindy commandment below the first.

    PROTECT THE REGGIES

    “Power is key,” she said. “Everything about the Wickeds comes down to power: who has it and why. If they don’t have power over someone, they figure out how to get it.”
    Lexy definitely had to be a Wicked. Which just made things very complicated with Cassie. And with Ryan.
    “There aren’t many of us compared to the Reggies, so our goal is to give a Reggie the tools to save herself, and step in as backup to give her confidence. The best way to protect a Reggie is to help her protect herself. When she stands up for herself instead of backing down, she gains back some of her power and the Wickeds lose some of theirs. Sometimes it can be an ugly tug of war”—she tapped PROTECT THE REGGIES on the board—“and that’s when we can help. Provide support, tools, and backup if we’re there.”
    Gaby capped the marker and put it back on the tray. “It’s not easy, but by the time you’re done with your Alpha and Beta training, you’ll be ready to do battle with the Wickeds and come out on top. Any questions so far?”
    Her question met seven glassy-eyed stares around the table.
    Did I have questions? Only about a bazillion. But I didn’t ask any of them. Mostly because I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answers. The still, small voice inside reminded me to breathe. One step at a time.  
    Gaby nodded at our blank looks. “Yeah, you look like I probably did at the beginning. It’s a lot to take in at first.”
    She consulted her book again, then closed it. She looked at Sarah Jane for a second like she was gathering her thoughts, then took a deep breath and launched into her last topic.
    “Okay,” she said, “about the fourteen . . .”
    My system got a dose of verbal caffeine. This was one question I actually did want an answer for.
    “Every year, we offer bids to seven girls to begin their training as Cindys and fulfill the Cindys’ mission. Who can tell me The Cinderella Society’s creed?”
    Kat’s hand went up first. “Celebrate your strength, embrace your future, and be extraordinary.”
    “ Perfecto . To continue building the Sisterhood, we offer bids to seven girls every year. Until now, so have the Wickeds. But if Audrey’s intel is right—and she’s rarely wrong—the Wickeds have stepped it up a notch and recruited fourteen girls this year.”
    Hence the double.  
    “So they’ll have more than we do,” Mel said slowly, trying to grasp the significance. “The scales tip in their favor. How does that affect us as Alphas?”
    Gaby held up a hand. “In more ways than we can get into on day one. I’m sure there are already people hot on the trail of that particular problem. For now, just focus on your CMM . That’s the best way to prepare for whatever they’ve got planned.”
    When Gaby retreated to her office, our mentors (or “big Sisters” according to Gaby) headed into the lounge. All of the Alphas opened our binders and started dutifully reading the rest of the WELCOME TO THE SISTERHOOD section. Which was about the history of TCS rather than makeovers. Not nearly as fun.
    Until I got to page seven. Turns out our little organization wasn’t so little after all. Who would’ve guessed a secret society dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world had thrived in Mt. Sterling for more than a century?
    I mean, really . . . Mt. Sterling? Montgomery University might be the premier women’s college of the South, but still.
    Halfway through the history section, I started to skim. Where was the good stuff? I snuck a peek at the other sections Gaby had mentioned. Behind WELCOME TO THE SISTERHOOD there were several more tabs, including the much-anticipated APPEARANCE