35. Elody

35ELODY

“No one panic,” Corinne says.

“Babe, that’s literally the worst thing to tell people when they’re about to panic.”

As usual, she ignores me.

“Let’s just wait a few minutes,” Corinne says. “It might come back on.”

“It’s not coming back on,” Aaron snaps. “We’re fifteen miles from the mainland. Where do we even get power from, anyway?”

Max marches toward the closet, fists clenched.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

He throws open the door.

“I’m assuming there’s a generator out there.” Max digs out a flashlight and a rain jacket, tugging it on even though it’s way too small. “I’m going to find it.”

“Oh, so you’re some kind of electricity expert who’s going to save the day?”

“Do you have a better idea?” he asks sharply.

I clamp my mouth shut. I don’t know why he’s being such a dick. It’s not like I’m the one who just exposed him in front of everyone.

Max starts for the patio door, but Logan blocks his path.

“No way are we letting you go off by yourself.”

“We can’t split up,” Corinne says.

“If you guys want to come, fine.” He pushes past them. “But I’m not just going to sit here in the dark.”

“I think it’s a great idea, actually,” Aaron says. “Every man for himself now, right? It’s a big house. We have enough rooms for everyone to lock themselves up alone.”

Kira shakes her head. “I’m with Corinne. No one splits up.”

After how she just reacted to those DMs, you’d think Kira would be fine sending Max off alone to get nabbed by a psycho killer, but I guess she’s too nice for that. Or maybe she’s afraid of what he’ll do if she lets him out of her sight.

“Like I said: invitation still stands.” Max slides the door open and walks out into the storm.

Corinne curses under her breath and heads to the closet. “We can’t let him go off alone.”

Kira follows her. Of course she does. Even after all that, the big game Kira was talking just now, she’s still going to chase Max into the rain like a lost little puppy.

Well, not me. Not anymore. I start walking toward the stairs.

“Elody, wait.”

“Sorry, babe,” I tell Corinne. “But my hair looks good right now. I’m not going out there.”

She blows out a breath, all frustrated. “Fine. Meet us back here in ten minutes.”

I don’t answer her, just keep walking up the stairs. Behind me, a door slams shut. When I look back, Aaron’s gone, the downstairs bathroom door closed. Corinne gives Kira a tired look and shrugs. They pull up their hoods, click on their flashlights, and run out into the rain, Logan trailing after them.

At the top of the stairs, I open the door to my room and step in quickly, clicking the lock behind me. God, my heart is going crazy. I need to pull it together. Taking a deep breath, I climb onto my bed and reach for my pillow. I need to scream or something, get all of this out of my system, and then—

There’s something under my pillow. What the hell? I feel for the smooth rectangle stuck to the back of it and pull it off. I have to angle it toward the window to see what it is in the dark. When I do, my blood rushes, beating in my ears.

A picture of me and Mom from four years ago, when I was fourteen. My birthday. We’re at the table at some expensive restaurant I don’t even remember except that it was freezing and dark, and she picked it because Instagram said it was the place to be. I’m sitting in front of a giant slab of chocolate raspberry cake that they brought us but I never ate. She’s behind me, her hand on my shoulder like a claw, white-knuckled.

I flip the photo over, and there, written in the same serial-killer scrawl as the note on the DVD:

THINK I DON’T SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU, BABE?

I drop the picture on the bed, panic jumping up and choking me.

Someone knows. Someone knows everything.

Mom’s Botoxed, smiling face stares up at me from the picture, but all I can see is the way she looked when she was dying. On the floor, looking up at me. Begging with her eyes for me to get the inhaler and call 911, save her life. Telling me she needed me.

I would have done it. I was going to. But it felt so good, I just wanted a few more seconds of it. Being the one with all the power.

Someone knocks on the door, and my skin starts to buzz.

They knock again, and I swallow, my mouth dry.

“Yeah?”

“It’s Aaron. Can we talk?”

I stare at the door like it might turn see-through if I look long enough, wondering if it was him who did this. If he knows.

“I thought it was every man for himself,” I say, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

“Elody, come on.” He gets quieter. “I think I know who the Sponsor is.”

I go cold. “What?”

“Just—can we talk? I need to do this before they get back.”

This is a bad idea. I know it is. But Aaron sounds genuinely freaked out. And the thing is, he’s never been that great of an actor. He got away with it on The Magnificent Millers, but it’s not as easy to fool everyone when you’re not twelve and adorable. If he really knows something …

I take a breath, wipe my face, and open the door. “Let’s talk, babe.”

Aaron steps inside, looking over his shoulder.

“Lock it,” he says.

“But—”

“Please. Just do it.”

I click the lock.

“Okay,” I start. “What’s—?”

Aaron’s hand flies over my mouth, pushing me back against the door.

“Don’t scream,” he says.

I try to push him, bite his clammy palm, but he’s stronger than he looks. I freeze, my heart pulsing.

When he speaks again, it’s calm and slow, almost a whisper.

“I said don’t scream.” Something hard and metal presses into my chest. Aaron smiles, tightening his hand around the gun, his breath hot and sour on my face. “It’s time for us to have a chat, babe.”

He clicks off the safety.