Chapter 48
By the time we’re back at Camp Crestview, the sun is so far set that most of the camp is in shadow. I look around, confused by the eerie quiet, before glancing at Kayde for an explanation.
“It’s because of you.” He tells me flatly. “Shawn told all the counselors about Grey, and they made the campers go to Otter Hall for a ‘sleepover.’ It isn’t the worst idea in the world.”
“Unless you’re a child-killing ax murderer looking to up your body count,” I can’t help but snort, and the withering glance I get in response is so worth it. “God, I have…no idea where to start.” But my heart pounds in my chest as I think of Kinsley’s unconscious body and the idea of Shawn hurting her.
It dawns on me that this will be faster if we split up.
But that’s also one of the worst ideas I’ve ever come up with in my life.
Still, I look at Kayde with an apology on my face, and his lips press together like he knows exactly what I’m going to say. “I’m not going to like what you’re going to propose, am I?” he asks darkly, eyes narrowed. “I swear to God, Summer. If you’re about to suggest?—”
“Splitting up will be faster. And he has Kinsley,” I remind him, my voice soft. “I cannot lose Kinsley to Shawn.”
I see him weigh the idea in his mind, and his grimace tells me he’s come to the same conclusion as me. “Fine.” Kayde’s hand flexes at his side. “But if you find him, if you find any trace of him, you call me. Understand? Even if you have to send up a fucking smoke signal, you get me there. Don’t you dare confront him on your own.”
I’m nodding even before he’s finished talking. “Promise, I’ll get you. I’ll call you and tell you where I am,” I say as he strides over to me, jerking my chin up to him.
“Don’t you dare do anything stupid,” Kayde snarls lightly, leaning down to nip my lower lip in lieu of a kiss. “Or I’ll kill you.”
If I’m not already dead,I don’t say. But I grin recklessly and give him a quick, two-finger salute before jogging toward Otter Hall. “I’m going to find Liza,” I tell him over my shoulder. “See if she can help us.”
“I’m going to start searching around the perimeter.” He’s jogging away in the other direction as he says it, and I’m close enough to the heavy glass doors that I don’t answer.
For a few moments, no one notices me. At least, until Daniel’s eyes find mine and I worry he’s going to pass out as his mouth opens and closes like a fish. “Summer?” he chokes out at last, looking to his side where Darcy stands, ashen-faced. “We heard…Shawn said?—”
“Where’s Liza?” I ask flatly. “Better yet, have you seen Shawn in the past hour?” The two of them trade looks, and it’s hard not to notice the war of emotions and guilt on Darcy’s face.
But I don’t have time for her shit tonight.
“We haven’t seen Shawn in a few hours now,” Daniel admits. “He left saying he was going to call the cops and Fink. But umm…” He chews his lower lip. “I’m starting to think something’s wrong with that since no one has showed up.”
No shit, Daniel,I want to snap. But instead I close my eyes hard and nod. “Liza?”
“She’s been gone for awhile, too. Maybe thirty minutes?” He glances at his watch, then up at me. “Maybe forty. She said she was going back to the cabin for a first aid kit. One of the kids fell into a table and she wanted to clean the cut with peroxide.”
“But she’s not back either?” A bad feeling sinks into my stomach, and I’m already heading back for the door.
“No?” Daniel looks at Darcy, who won’t meet his gaze. “Are you okay? You look kind of awful, and Shawn said?—”
“Call the police,” I order, calling the words over my shoulder. “Call Fink.”
“What do we tell them?” Daniel asks, and I pause, knowing all the kids can hear me.
“Tell them…” I trail off, unsure. “Tell them we need help.” I don’t know what else to say. I don’t know how else to get them here, and I don’t want to alert Daniel and Darcy to what’s going on.
God knows they wouldn’t be any help.
Turning back to the door, I slow my steps when I see the figure blocking my way. A wry grin hooks my mouth into a half smile, and I put a hand on my hip to stare at Melody, unamused. “I need to go,” I tell her, voice quiet but no less urgent. “Let me through, Mel.”
“Sure,” she agrees, stepping to the side. But when I push through the doors, I realize instantly she’s on my heels, and she’s slipped out the door before I can actually do anything about her presence.
“Melody…” I glance at Otter Hall, then at her. “Please go back inside. You cannot come with me.”
“Are you going after Grey?” Her eyes are wide in her face, but she doesn’t look afraid. Just…anxious, maybe. Like she’s unsure how to feel. “Is that what this is about?”
Right. She’s talked to our temporary resident serial killer.
“I hate you know about him. But no. I’m—” I break off, trying to think of what to say.
Fuck it.
“I’m looking for Shawn. And…” I suck in a breath. “And Kinsley.”
“Shawn?” She tilts her head to the side. “He left hours ago. And Kinsley never showed up to Otter with her cabin.”
“Yeah, I know that.” I run my fingers through my hair, wishing I had a change of clothes. It’s not an important thought, but the feeling of my stiff, muddy clothes against my skin isn’t a pleasant one. “Look, I can’t explain. Things aren’t great, and I can’t take you with me. Something could happen.”
“So you shouldn’t go alone,” Melody agrees. “I won’t get in the way.”
“You could get hurt.” I shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other, well aware that time is not on my side. “Come on, Mel, I need to go.”
“Then go. But you’re taking me with you one way or the other,” Melody warns, arms crossed over her chest as she gives me a demanding look that’s far beyond her years. I shake off my unease and finally my resistance crumbles.
“If I tell you to run away, then you run,” I sigh at last. “Is that clear?”
Her eyes brighten, and Mel nods. “Yeah, of course Summer. I won’t get in your way or whatever you think. I just want to help.”
“Then come on.” This is such a bad idea, and I don’t wait for her as I jog across the camp toward Liza’s cabin.
The door swinging open on its hinges certainly doesn’t inspire confidence. I slow to a walk at the deck, one hand out for Melody to stop behind me. “Stay out here, okay?” I ask, barely glancing her way as I walk up the stairs.
I don’t think Shawn is here. And judging by the scene in front of me, I’m not sure Liza is either.
Inside the cabin, I immediately find a first aid kit spilled all over the floor; the contents scattered like it dropped and burst like a water balloon. I sidestep all of it, heading to the back of the cabin to look for any signs of life.
Noise from the door catches my attention, and when I look up, I see Melody hasn’t listened to me. She’s inside of the cabin, picking up the pieces of the first aid kit and stuffing them back into the broken plastic box. I waver, considering calling her out for not listening to me, before deciding it just isn’t worth it.
I go back to my search, looking for anything that might show me where my friends are, and coming up empty. Once I’m satisfied every inch of the cabin is empty, I head back to the front, where Mel is just setting the plastic box back up on the cabinet.
For my part, I shoot her a look from under raised brows, and Mel has the decency to duck her head. She knows she was supposed to listen to me.
She’d just decided she knows better.
“I’m not sure where to check…” I begin, stepping out on the deck past the cabin door. My words trail off at the sight in front of me, and I narrow my eyes at the shape of Darcy hovering at the foot of the steps, her arms wrapped around herself as if she’s keeping herself from falling apart. “What do you want?” I snap. “What could you possibly want?”
“I didn’t know,” she whispers, looking up at me with wide eyes. “Summer, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. He just said—” she breaks off, biting her lip as she looks at Melody.
“Yeah, it’s impossible to get her to go away. Whatever she hears is on her.” I figure I’ll give Kayde’s advice a try, and treat her like she’s older than twelve instead of a normal kid like the others.
“I won’t even tell my mom,” Melody agrees sagely. How kind of her.
But Darcy hesitates still, and when I take a step down toward her, she flinches like she might run. It prompts me to step back, but my eyes narrow in confusion at her actions. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that Darcy did something to feel guilty for.
“He told me he couldn’t stop dreaming about you,” Darcy murmurs finally. “He said it used to happen, but he could ignore it. But then, with Kayde coming back, and him being clear about his feelings toward you, he said it was different.” She looks over her shoulder, as if she’s afraid Shawn is behind her. “He said he just wanted to teach you a lesson. And that the kids would be the way to do it. I don’t know, though.” Her brows knit together in doubt.
“Sometimes I think he just likes hurting them. He pushed her, Summer.” Darcy squeezes her eyes shut, and I hear Melody’s sharp intake of breath.
“So I heard.” My voice is flat. Even. “Did you know he has Kinsley now? And Liza too, judging by the inside of her cabin.” Saying their names makes panic jump in my chest, but I push it down with the rest of my emotions so I can focus on getting through this with the least amount of damage done possible.
Her nod is jerky. “He said he won’t hurt them, though,” she promises quickly. “It’s not about them. It never was.”
“And you believe him?” This time I’m quick to take the stairs down to her, and before Darcy can run away, I reach out and grip the front of her shirt to drag her to me. “You fucking believed him, Darcy? After he pushed Emily off a cliff? After what happened with the knife in his room? I’m willing to bet that wasn’t an accident, either.”
When she starts to reply, I cut her off. “No, I don’t care. I don’t give a damn about your reasons, or whatever you think of him. Where the fuck is Shawn?!” I’m louder than I intend to be, and I jerk her hard, throwing Darcy off balance.
“I’m sorry!” She breaks into sobs, her shoulders trembling, and falls into me. Any other time, I would try to be supportive. I’d attempt to be the better person.
But nearly drowning has taken that ability away from me. At least for now. I step back, a sneer on my face as Darcy crumples to the ground.
“I didn’t ask,” I snap coldly. “I don’t want your apologies. All I want is my friends. Where the fuck are they, Darcy?”
“If I tell you, you can’t tell him,” she gasps, still sobbing with her face in her hands. “I’m afraid of him, Summer. I didn’t used to be. But after Emily, I confronted him. I asked?—”
I don’t mean to do it. Not really. But I just don’t care about her explanations, and I need to find my friends. Swiftly, I shove my foot against her shoulder, pushing her back onto her elbows and getting a startled, wide-eyed look in response.
“Where are they?” My voice is cold, and when she shivers, I realize I sound much more like Kayde than myself.
And maybe that should worry me a little. But I don’t have time for worry right now. Or the brain capacity for it.
“North of Dormouse cabin,” Darcy whispers finally, eyes trained on mine and wide with fear. “You know that tree you like? The one you always climb?”
Of course he’s at one of my five favorite trees. My third favorite, to be precise.
“Great. Wonderful.” I don”t thank her. I set off past her, my strides long and quick. “If Daniel hasn’t called the police and Fink, then you’d better make sure it gets done,” I snap, barely looking at her as I speak. “Or so help me, Darcy, I’ll drown you just like Shawn tried to drown me. Only, there isn’t a serial killer in the woods to stop me from finishing the job.”
I’m not sure if I’ll regret the threat, but I can’t bring myself to care, either. Not when Darcy is part of what caused this, and certainly she could’ve prevented it.
All she had to do was tell me sooner than this.