Far across town from Jon's house, where he was starting to freak out about what his wish could have possibly done, sat the opulent premises of the Gorgon Club. It was a white marble clad building built in a faux classical style that sat right in the heart of Lakeview's richest area, among the mansions and golf courses peopled by the town's elite. Indeed, the Gorgon Club, since it was founded in the early days of colonial America, had counted among its members the leading citizens in every generation of the town. Successful politicians, decorated academics, star athletes, titans of industry and even the odd national celebrity, held membership in the secretive, exclusive club. For all that though it wasn't especially well known; to all outside appearances it was just your typical private club where the well heeled got together to drink, smoke and complain about taxes and only a handful of fringe conspiracy theorists thought any different. One of those, Allister Devries, would occasionally rant that the club was secretly full of aliens that were running the whole town, but like with everything that came out of the eccentric antique dealer's mouth, most everyone in Lakeview knew to pay it no heed.
He was right of course. Not about the aliens, the members of the Gorgon Club were entirely human, but they did run Lakeview. It was hardly even a real conspiracy because they ran it through almost entirely conventional means, rather than any kind of shadow government or complex scheme. It turns out that when your membership includes most prominent city leaders, the biggest landowners and employers around, and so on, you ended up having a lot control just as a matter of course.
"I see George is late," Richard McMillan grumbled from his seat at the large round table. Tonight was the long awaited night when the inner council was supposed to begin The Selection, but George Sanders and his wife Daniela still managed to be tardy. The other modern day couples representing the six founding families of Lakeview were already there, waiting impatiently. Richard pulled a chair out for Susan, who took it gracefully, before he sat down himself. Susan gently took his hand and rubbed it with her thumb to calm him, which despite himself, did make Rich relax a bit. Sue could be very empathic and after nearly twenty years of marriage, the former model was very good at defusing Richard's temper.
"He'll be here eventually," Gwen Meadows, a short well dressed woman who ran the largest law firm in the city, counseled from her seat next to her well muscled younger second husband, Raoul. She'd waited a respectable year after the death of her first husband to marry her hunky pool guy, and while it had still caused a minor stir, three years on the couple seemed very happy. In fact, Raoul turned out to be remarkably similar to her late husband, Wendell, and fitted almost seamlessly into the Meadows life. Almost because it was common knowledge that Biff did not get along with his stepfather.
Mayor Charles Vanderfield flashed a winning smile, "yes, let's not be impatient, friends. Our missing members will be here before you know it and we can get under way."
"I don't know why we're all in a rush to get started anyway," his beautiful wife, Esme, muttered. While many of the others seemed tired or impatient, she alone looked trepidatious, a pensive expression on her elegant features.
"Now, Esme," Rochelle Star, an athletic red haired woman in her late thirties still dressed in her tennis whites from the game she'd played before coming to the club, chided. "You know The Selection is for the best, for the town, for the families, for everyone." Rochelle's wife Heidi twined her fingers with hers in a silent show of support. "It's a little nerve racking, sure, but we've all been through this rodeo ourselves once upon a time, and I think the results speak for themselves."
Esme pouted, "I understand that, but in our case, I think she is already doing quite well without the benefits of The Selection"
"Doing well, sure" Steve Farber Sr. conceded from his own seat, "but with The Selection, she can be more than merely good, she can be extraordinary and secure your legacy."
Esme sighed but nodded, "I'm just going to miss her, is all."
Charles kissed his wife on the cheek, "she's not going anywhere, darling. That's the whole point - you remember how it was for you. She's just going to be improved."
Esme scoffed, "that was different. My predecessor was wasting every-"
"Are we late?" George Sanders asked as he sauntered in, his wife, Daniela, rolling her eyes on his arm. George had an almost permanent easy going nature and a flexible relationship with time. It was somewhat hard sometimes to believe he was the town's police chief.
There was a bit more grumbling and a few final pieces of small talk, but they all knew there was little point in delaying. Tonight was the night The Selection would begin, and they might as well get down to business. Starting with Susan, one member of each couple placed their ceremonial candle on the corner of the heptagram that lay across the round table, while the other member lit it. There was one empty point, and one empty chair, that had once belonged to the Lost Family, but six was more than enough for the magic to do its work. Multicolored smoke filled the room and energy crackled around the circle as Richard asked, "shall we make our choices?"
