Harry
Hope you’re ready to run
My heart races. They’re here, watching me.
Kane
How long do I get before you start your chase?
GlowStick
What fun would it be if we told you?
Harry
You need to get out of the truck first.
I don’t need to be told twice. I grab my phone and climb out. The night air is cool against my skin, and I’m suddenly grateful I wore leggings and a fitted long-sleeve shirt instead of shorts.
The quarry stretches out in front of me, surrounded by dense woods on three sides. If I’m going to run, I need to pick a direction and commit. My phone buzzes again.
Breadstick
Ten seconds
Shit. I use my phone’s flashlight and take off into the trees, my heart pounding as adrenaline floods my system. Behind me, I can hear the crunch of footsteps, but I don’t look back.
The ground is uneven beneath my feet, with roots and fallen branches littering the ground. I duck under low-hanging boughs to the sounds of them racing behind me, moving through the trees. A branch snaps to my left, another to my right. I spot a clearing ahead and sprint toward it, thinking to use the open space to change direction and throw them off. Yet as soon as I break through the tree line, I realize my mistake.
It’s not a clearing; it’s a dead end. A small space surrounded by thick underbrush and fallen logs. I spin around just as three figures emerge from the trees, their glow masks lighting the darkness.
“You’re trapped now,”the one in the middle says, who I call GlowStick. I think this one is Bodhi.
The three masked figures stand between me and the only way out, and my heart races in readiness for whatever is going to go down tonight.
“So what happens now?” I ask.
GlowStick reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small silver bag.“Now you get your gift.”
He tosses it to me, and I catch it reflexively. The bag is light, and when I open it, I find black tissue paper wrapped around something small.
I pull the tissue paper away to reveal a simple silver slip chain with a small red heart pendant.
“You bought me a necklace?” I look up at the three masks staring down at me.
“We bought you a reminder,”Harry corrects.
“Of what?”
“Of this,”GlowStick says, waving his hand between our bodies.“Us and the fact that you keep saying yes when you should probably say no.”
“And you want me to wear it?”
“We hope you will,”Breadstick says.“But the choice is yours. It’s always yours.”
“Why?” I ask. “Why me?”
“Because you’re Leila Kane,”Harry says,“and you make your own decisions.”
