I sit like that in silence until I feel someone’s presence beside me. Grandfather. The rock is wide enough for two and he doesn't ask for an invitation before he sits beside me. If I wanted to jerk away from him, it’s already too late. So, I just sit, trying hard not to let my anxiety show. “The
LESLIE’S POVI heard him wrong–that’s the first thought that crosses my mind. The waves are loud. They must have muffled his words, distorted them somehow and made me hear something entirely different. Something ridiculous. So I wait, I wait for the waves to crash and for the momentary silence that
LESLIE’S POV“Why?” I croak out, “Why did you make us believe you were ill?” Why did you deceive me? I want to ask but I tuck the question away, afraid of how vulnerable and hurt I’ll sound to him. He didn’t deceive just me, he deceived Kian as well. Grandfather avoids looking at me as he begins,
LESLIE’S POV“We need to talk.”She says ‘talk’ but she stands like she is battle ready. Her eyes have that same look of utter disdain and disregard for me that I have already gotten used to. It’s alarming that she left the campsite to find me here and for a second, a flicker of worry coils deep ins
I still remember the sharp pain I felt in my chest when she suddenly made that announcement in the hospital ward. Those words had widened the gaping hole from seeing my grandmother lifeless in a morgue. It was the moment my entire world came crashing down and yet—“And yet you ask me what you have d
LESLIE’S POVPASTTHREE YEARS AGO–A WEEK AFTER THE PARTY.My boss is having a meeting outside the office today and I am with him. Usually, the job of going out with him to meetings lies with Peter but he has casually said it several times that I am more efficient than Peter during meetings like tha
There, I returned to work but I could barely focus. I’ve been holding up so well but it all just seems too much for me to handle today. The landline on my table rings and I immediately answer. “Come to my office.” he says through the phone. I immediately leap off my seat, smoothening my clothes bef
KIAN’S POV“We’re going home.” I announce as soon as I step out of my tent the next morning. Grandfather is awake already, sitting outside his own tent and by the looks of it, he has been awake for quite a while. Leslie’s and Beverly’s tent are still zipped shut and the outlines of their sleeping f
LESLIE’S POV I join Kian’s mother outside the room, closing the door behind me. She is still stewing in anger, face red with rage that’s waiting to be unleashed. Usually, I would do anything to pacify her so I wouldn't be at the receiving end of that unbridled rage. Now? Irritation is all I feel at
LESLIE’S POV (One Week Later) “If the police show up again, spray them in the face with the fire extinguisher or something.” Cole’s irritated voice filters through my phone’s speaker and it makes me crack a smile for the first time in a week. “Pretty sure I would get arrested for that.” “Not
LESLIE’S POV My reflexes work faster than they ever have. Fast enough to help me roll away, and bump into Beverly in the process. Mike relentlessly stalks towards me and that’s when I get a good look at his affected leg. I time his movement and before he can take another angry swing of his weapon
LESLIE’S POV Seconds after Beverly crumples to the ground, my breath is still caught in my throat. I’m still trembling as I watch her sprawled on the floor, body jerking uncontrollably. I’m amazed at my strength to still remain standing despite the traumatising scene in front of me. To still grip t
LESLIE’S POV Our hearts are already in our mouths before we see what jumped at us—a ginormous rat, every bit as scared as us. It runs at full speed and scurries into the nearby bush. “All clear.” She mutters and we both step into the shed using her phone’s flashlight. It’s a full shed; a bunch of
LESLIE’S POV We’re barely two minutes away from the abandoned school gate when the engine starts to sputter, the entire truck shaking with the intensity. “No…no…no…no, not now!” Beverly lets out a panicked groan. I am preoccupied with looking behind us to make sure we’re not being followed but at
LESLIE’S POV Kian doesn’t know it—the name of Mike’s sister. I can tell from the way his entire face has gone even paler than it was before. Earlier, it had been pale from the pain of the injuries from the accident that I still don’t know the extent of. Now, he has turned ashen from something m
LESLIE’S POV The sound of my name reaches me from somewhere distant. The sound is repeated just like the throbbing ache in my head. When I finally manage to pry open my eyes, the feeling of deja vu washes over me. My hands and legs are bound tightly just like three years ago in that warehouse.
BEVERLY’S POV The familiar beeping sound that comes from my phone causes me to jerk upright. My eyes train on the screen, following the movement of a blinking red dot on the map. He’s on the move. I slam a couple of bills on the coffee table before hurrying out of the cafe where I had been havi