Above me, the sky rumbles. I raise my eyes and see a fork of lightning through the leaves.
A thunderstorm. That’s going to make it harder to hear them, but it will also make it harder for them to hear me.
I peer around the trunk in the direction I need to go. No one is around; the forest is dead quiet.
They could be hiding and watching me. Lillian has been watching in the shadows for weeks. For years. Kayla doesn’t know how to sneak around, though; she will be tripping and falling all over the place.
She’s a liability to Lillian. What happens when Lillian realizes that?
I press my hand to my stomach and breathe through the wave of nausea. What if she kills Kayla?
The sky rumbles again, and the thunder is followed by a quick flash of lightning.
Forget Kayla.
I look around again. Nobody. Pushing off the tree, I sprint to the next one, planting my feet on the ground quickly and quietly like a deer escaping a predator. My heart thuds faster with every step.
I’m not supposed to be the prey out here.
The sky lights up again and thunder rolls.
I still don’t know exactly where I am, but I think I’m close to camp.
Trees whiz past in a blur of brown and green.
I pant harder, trying to get enough oxygen.
You need to hurry up.
Lillian could be anywhere.
If I don’t get out of here, I’m going to die.
Go, Esme! Now!
With my stomach tied in knots, I push myself to go even faster. My feet hit the ground harder and my pulse thuds so fast I can’t hear anything else.
I dodge trees, bouncing off each leg to get around each obstacle as quickly as I can. The sky lights up. I push harder.
A slicing pain in my side makes me double over, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop.
Thunder cracks through the air.
Breaking through the trees, I fall to my knees. Camp.
I raise my head and gasp.
“What is going on?” I whisper, vision blurred.
With my last ounce of strength, I haul myself to my feet and grab a branch so I don’t fall.
Four cop cars. Red and blue lights flash across the camp, bouncing off trees.
What happened here while we were in that little cabin with Lillian?
We were gone for only two hours.
Turning, I lose my footing and slam right into Rebekah.
56
I leap backward and she shows her palms. “I’m not goin’ to hurt ya.”
“You were working with Lillian!”
“Yes, but I never expected…this. She was so broken when I met her at a support group a few years ago. I thought she just wanted to frighten y’all, to make you think about what you did and to be sorry. She said she wanted you to be as scared as she was that night. I got that, so I agreed to come here as a CIT and help her.”
I back up, my eyes scanning the forest. I haven’t heard Lillian or Kayla for a while. That’s both reassuring and unnerving.
“What changed your mind?”
Rebekah takes a breath. “When I went to the cabin to find her a little while ago, I saw…”
“Jake.”
She nods, wide-eyed. “I knew she saw him that night too, but I never thought…This is crazy, Esme. We need to get away from her. Where’s Kayla?”
I swallow the urge to throw up. “She’s with Lillian.”
Rebekah gasps, one hand flying to her heart. “She killed her, too?”
“No,” I say. “Kayla’s on her side. We were in the cabin and Lillian said either we both die or just me. Kayla chose herself.”
Rebekah’s jaw drops. “What? How could she?”
I don’t know, but she did. Somehow I need to get Kayla back.
“What’s happening here?” I ask, looking around.
“It’s been evacuated. The cops got an anonymous call about an hour ago about someone stalking the camp. The cops took all the kids to the police station until their parents can pick them up. I came back to find you and Kayla. I’m sorry, Esme. I didn’t know how out of hand this would get. Lillian never made it sound like she wanted to hurt anyone.”
“She wanted revenge.”
“I swear I didn’t know that she was so dangerous.”
“Is anyone still here?”
“Andy. He’s talking with the cops.”
“Who would call the cops? We all agreed we wouldn’t. It doesn’t make sense.” I lean into the tree I’m holding and try to make the pieces fit together.
“I don’t know, Esme, but we need to get away from the forest.”
“Esme!”
Rebekah and I jolt at the same time and swing around.
“Olly.” My jaw drops. I start to run to him but stop myself. “What really happened the night of the fire? Jake was with you the whole time?”
He looks over my shoulder. I do the same. No one is there.
“I left him out of the retelling, just like you left Kayla out. After the fire started, Jake and I didn’t go back to my brother. We stayed and watched the whole thing. Lillian saw us. We ran and eventually bumped into her again a little while later. Jake told her off. I didn’t want to admit that we were scared of a girl, but we so were. After that, Jake and I agreed to keep quiet,” Olly says.
“You saw her after, when she was burned, and didn’t help her or tell me!”
“You’re lecturing me on morality?”
“Hey, y’all can’t do this now!” Rebekah snaps. “Lillian could be here any freakin’ second!”
A shrill siren cuts through the air as another cop car races along the road and into camp. We watch from across the lake as it screams to a halt.
“Let’s go,” I say, and start running for help.
At least that’s what I want to do, but I’m stopped by the bang of a gun.
The hollow sound radiates through me.
I turn. Rebekah and Olly are looking at me with wide eyes.
Was it me? Did Lillian shoot me?
I don’t feel pain.
Then I see it. A red circle spreading across Olly’s shirt.
“No!” I scream as he falls to his knees.