Nina Somehow, I managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours that night. Those few hours of sleep were fraught with nightmares, but at least I slept. When I woke up the next morning, I knew what I needed to do. I couldn’t mention any of this to Enzo or Luke, because I knew that I wouldn’t get a tr
The bell on the shop door jingled when I entered. It was dark inside, and while my eyes adjusted from the bright sun, I heard the gruff voice of an older woman who sounded like she’d been smoking cigarettes for fifty years call out to me. “Mornin’, hun,” she said. My eyes adjusted so I could final
Enzo I had only just woken up after a mostly sleepless night of wishing I could just explain everything to Nina without either scaring her or pushing her away, when I heard banging on my front door. Groaning, I dragged myself out of bed and opened the door to a surprise: Luke. “She’s up to somethi
I quickly finished packing up my camping supplies, formulating a plan as I did so. I couldn’t just randomly show up in the woods and drag Nina home; for starters, I didn’t want to get shot, and secondly, I couldn’t have her friends getting suspicious. I had to figure out a way to make it seem like i
Nina Jessica, Lori and I had begun setting up camp not far from where the businessman had been murdered when I heard twigs and leaves crunching in the forest. Someone was coming. “Oh my god,” Jessica complained as she fiddled with her tent poles, “this is impossible! Lori, I need help!” “Guys,”
Nina Everyone went silent when Jessica suggested that we play Spin the Bottle. “C’mon, guys!” she said, her pretty face flushed from the beer. “It’s just a game.” “I’m down,” Matt chimed in. Lori shrugged, which was usually a sign of consent. James, Enzo and I, however, all stayed silent. “James
“Ooh, you could cut the tension with a knife it’s so thick,” Matt said. “Shut up!” Jessica growled, smacking him on the back of the head. Enzo stood and walked around the fire, stopping in front of me. I looked up at him, my heart racing a mile a minute, half of me hoping that he would just walk a
Nina “James… Run.” “What?” he said. “I’m not gonna leave you out here.” I cocked my shotgun as the yellow eyes continued to stare at me from the darkness, accompanied by the sound of a deep, horrifying growl. “You have to run, James,” I said, raising the barrel of the gun to point it at the crea
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied