Elliot:
We need to talk. Now.
I roll my eyes and write back that I’m busy. Not an entire lie but whatever. I push off the railing and finish off my prerolled, flicking it onto the snow. I walk back inside, the door slamming behind me with a hollow echo. The hallway stretches long and dim, my boots hitting the floor in steady beats. Always controlled unless I’m chasing something, then it's a different story. Getting back to my room, I plop on my bed and stare at the ceiling. I already saw the picture. Got it hours ago. Same unknown number, same two words.You forgot.Except I didn’t. Not all of it. Not the important parts. Not the parts that matter.
A flicker passes my mind. The woods, cold air. That sound. I shove it down. Not now. It doesn’t matter. What matters is they’re panicking, I can feel it from here. Kade is losing his temper and Elliot is digging for answers. Trying to piece something together that was never meant to be whole again. My lip curves slightly. They always hate not knowing. Especially Elliot. My phone buzzes again. Kade this time. I answer. Pressing the green button without saying anything right away.
“You ignoring us now?” he grits, and I smile.
“That depends. You done spiraling yet?” I ask, and he pauses.
“Don’t start,” Elliot cuts in from the background. Ah. They are together. Figures.
“Well, this should be fun,” I mutter.
“What do you remember,” Elliot asks immediately, and I shut my eyes. Same old Elliot.
“Nothing,” I lie, and silence greets me. I know he’s pissed because he can’t see my face. He can’t read the room over the phone.
“Bullshit!” Kade snaps, calling me out, and I huff.
“Careful,” I murmur. “You’re starting to sound desperate.”
“We know something happened that day,” Elliot growls. Of course you do.
“They told you that?” I ask.
“Enough,” he says, trying to scold me. I can hear it though in his voice. The control is slipping. Perfect.
“Then what do you want from me?” I ask. “Closure? A bedtime story,”
“We want the truth,” Elliot says, and there it is. The dangerous word. Truth. I run my hand over my face and sit up. I stare straight ahead, looking at everything and nothing.
“You think you’re ready for that?” I ask, and silence. Neither of them answer. Because they don’t know. They can feel it, and whatever is coming back isn’t going to sit nice and clean in their heads. It's going to rot there the same as it did before. I stand from the bed and walk over to my desk, leaning against the edge. “You two always do this,” I say. “Digging, picking at things that are better left alone.”
“Someone sent us that for a reason,” Elliot growls.Yeah, no shit. And I have a feeling I know why.
“Yeah, I know,” I deadpan, not giving them anymore. No emotion, just one word answers.
“We’re going to the location in the photo,” Kade adds, and that gets my attention, but I don’t say anything, I just smile and shake my head.
“There it is. The bad decision.” I laugh, and Elliot growls.
“Are you coming or not?” he asks, and I freeze. The woods, that day, a flicker. Blood, dirt. Cries. Then nothing. I exhale then take a deep breath.
“No!” I say simply.
“Why not?” Kade demands. Because I don’t need to go back. I already know enough, but mostly, because I want to see what happens when you do, but I don’t say any of that outloud. Instead…
“I’ve got something else to worry about,” I reply.
“And what’s that?” Elliot asks, and my gaze drifts. Not to them. Not to the past, but something else entirely. A different problem, a different unraveling. Rowyn. The way she looked at me with so much hate. The way she was breaking. My smirk returns only darker this time.
“Friday,” I say, and silence greets me.
“Initiation,” Kade exhales, but Elliot doesn’t speak. Except I can feel the shift through the line. That anticipation. That edge of something twisted and electric. Despite everything. This still matters.
“Yeah,” I grunt. “Initiation night,” I say. All this shit crawling out of a fucking hole to smack us in the face isn’t nearly as important as what’s to come. The present is still very much in play.
