“It’s happening tonight. We can’t make it as big as my original plan, since that’ll be too hard to keep quiet from Higgins, so it’ll just be a small group of us girls. We’ll take plenty of Instagrams, though, and make everyone else jealous.” She gives me a conspiratorial smile. “You in?”
To be back in Lana’s good graces and welcomed into her inner circle again, all without having to say goodbye to Chace, is more than I dared to dream. Nothing could keep me from this party.
“Definitely,” I tell her. “Where is it?”
“In the woods, just past the bridge,” she replies. “We needed a private spot so we can drink without getting caught, and this’ll be perfect. Meet us there at nine?”
I nod, still smiling, even though she knows I’ve always found those woods to be the creepiest place on Oyster Bay grounds. Especially at night.
“You don’t know how much this means to me, Lana. Thank you.”
I’m deep within the forest of moss-covered trees, trying not to panic. The woods are still dead silent, with no sign of anyone here but me. When I reach the low cliff that splits my path in two, a sick realization dawns on me.
I turn around slowly, my flashlight bouncing its paltry glow across the trees. There it is—another note pinned to a tree. I step forward with trepidation.
DID YOU REALLY THINK I’D FORGIVE YOU? WHAT A JOKE! HOPE YOU’RE NOT STILL SCARED OF THE WOODS, BECAUSE NO ONE IS COMING FOR YOU. YOU’RE ALL ALONE, JUST LIKE YOU DESERVE TO BE.
I stagger backward, an icy chill running through my body. She lied to me. She led me into the woods alone, when she knew I’d be terrified. I’m an idiot, such an idiot for believing her about the party, for thinking we were actually friends again.
The sound of a high-pitched trill fills the air, and I scream as a yellow-eyed owl swoops down from the sky, landing on the branch closest to me. I never knew I was scared of owls, but this one, with its blood-red coloring and beady stare, is downright fearsome. I break into a run, blinded by tears as my mind struggles to process what Lana’s done. And then my ankle slams into a stump and I’m howling in pain, my body rebounding backward. With a cry of shock, I feel myself falling, tumbling over a precipice. The earth scratches my face, sticks scrape along my skin, until my head hits a slab of rock—and everything turns black.
I’m lying half awake in an unfamiliar bed, surrounded by beeping machines and the sterile smell of disinfectant. I struggle to blink, and when my eyes finally flutter open, I find myself looking up at the hazy figure of an unfamiliar woman standing over me. She has glossy dark hair and eyes that remind me of someone—but somehow I know I’ve never seen her before in my life.
“M—Mo—” I try to call out for my mother, but I only manage a feeble croak. My head feels heavy, my body listless, like I’ve swallowed sleeping pills. The strange woman hastily grabs my hand, covering it in her cold palms.
“It’s all right,” she says, her voice low and smooth. “Don’t tire yourself by trying to speak. Just listen.”
There’s something hypnotic about her voice, and I lean my head back against the pillows, feeling my consciousness begin to drift. But then her grip tightens on my hand.
“I know about you and my son. And it needs to stop.”
My eyes snap back open. Chace’s mother? What is she doing here? Where am I? And why is she looking down at me with such contempt?
“I know all about what you’re pushing him to do, but if you think you can destroy my family, you’re severely mistaken.” Her silky voice is a sharp contrast to her threatening words. “Stay away from my son. And if you tell one other soul about the car accident—my husband and I will make sure you never speak again.”
I stare up at her in horror as she wipes the scowl off her face, replacing it with a cold smile.
“Do we understand each other?”
There’s a frantic pounding in my chest and I can’t answer, I can’t so much as move my head. The machines’ beeping turns into a squeal, and I watch helplessly as Mrs. Porter slips out of the room, just before two nurses come running in.
I wake to the sound of my mother’s voice, crying out in relief.
“She opened her eyes!”
I blink up at her, my eyes flickering from her familiar face to my foreign surroundings.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice coming out thin and wobbly. I try to swallow, but it feels like a blade is stabbing at my throat. “Where am I?”
Mom hovers over me, tears running down her cheeks as she strokes my hair.
“You’re in the hospital, sweetie. You were found in the woods behind the school, badly hurt. I’ve never been so scared in my life.” She looks closer at me. “What happened to you, darling? What were you doing there?”
I lean back against the pillow, trying to remember.
“I was—it was—”
But nothing comes to mind. All I can recall is the fear, and the piercing pain. My hand flies to the left side of my face. It is covered in thick bandages.
“Am I going to be okay?” I whisper.
Mom wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Yes, darling. Thank God for that.”