Chapter 85

When I arriveat the anatomy lab the next day, Rachel is staring down at the cadaver with a horrified expression on her face.

We've been working on the arms and legs—earlier in the week, Rachel completed a perfect dissection of the left arm, undoubtedly with the aid of her lover, Dr. Matthew Conlon. I remember how Mason used to ogle Rachel too—what is so damned attractive about Rachel? Why are men falling for her left and right? Of course, it probably didn't take much to lure in a pathetic loser like Dr. Conlon.

I approach Rachel, who seems nearly frozen.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

That's when I see for myself what Rachel is staring at.

Somebody has massacred our cadaver. The arms and legs have literally been shredded. Someone has taken a scalpel and done a truly horrible dissection that is bordering on brutality.

"Oh my God," I breathe.

My first thought is: Mason.

Mason must have done it. God knows why, but I saw something terrible in his eyes yesterday. And if he's capable of doing this, what else is he capable of?

I have to tell someone. I have to get Mason help. I have to—

"What happened here?" Dr. Conlon limps over to us. There is a concerned crease between his dark eyebrows.

Rachel whispers in my ear, "Sasha, don't…"

I don't know what that means, though.

"Someone destroyed our cadaver!" I speak up. The tears welling up in my eyes are real.

Dr. Conlon's mouth falls open as he inspects the damage. Rachel is strangely silent. I wonder if she's told Conlon about the blackmail letter. He seemed a little too cheerful in class this morning to know about it.

But he doesn't seem cheerful anymore. Dr. Conlon's face grows very dark.

"I can't believe a student in my class would do such a sick thing," he says. He looks up at me. "Do you have any idea who did this?"

I need to confess. I need to tell him all about Mason. That he's sick and needs help—before it's too late. I don't need to admit to my part in it.

But I can't say it. My jaw feels glued shut. And before I can stop myself, I slowly shake my head no.

Here's the sad truth:

I want Mason to fail.

Nobody deserves to get through life as easily as he does. Nobody deserves to live in that giant house with two doting parents, to be handsome and brilliant, to get absolutely everything he wants in life. I want Mason to sink deeper and deeper into the hole.

So deep that he can never crawl out.