December 16, 5:00 AM
Someone whisperedmy name in the dark.
At first, I thought it was Ben — or maybe Jacob — my brain was still a scrambled mess from the night before, from the punishment, from how my body still ached in ways I wasn’t ready to think about. But the whisper wasn’t warm or familiar. It was sharp and urgent.
“Chrissy. Wake up. We don’t have much time.”
My eyes snapped open.
Two silhouettes stood at the foot of my bed.
Number Two and Number Eight… two of the men who might or might not be the real Ben Stonewood.
Panic hit me so hard I shot upright, heart in my throat.
“What the hell are you doing in here?”
“Shh.” Two held up both hands. “You can scream if you want, but that’s only going to make him come faster.”
The bottom dropped out of my stomach.
“Who?” I whispered.
Eight flicked his eyes toward the door.
“Stonewood.”
Cold rippled through me.
“He doesn’t know we’re here,” Two said quickly. “But he will if you don’t get out of this room right now.”
“I… what the fuck are you talking about?” My voice shook. “I didn’t do anything wrong except — except —”
“Except get caught with the groundskeeper, right,” Eight finished flatly.
I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood.
“I already took my punishment for that. It’s over and done with.”
They exchanged a look, then Two stepped closer.
“Listen. We shouldn’t even be doing this, but we couldn’t stand by anymore. Not after what we heard last night, not to mention the nights before that.”
I froze.
“What exactly are you saying?”
Eight leaned in just enough that I could feel the heat of his breath against my cheek.
“That Jacob isn’t really who you think he is.”
The world went still. My pulse roared like a jet engine inside my skull.
“What?”
They exchanged another look, the kind you give someone right before you tell them Santa Claus isn’t real and the monster under the bed is.
“Jacob is actually Ben Stonewood,” Two said simply.
