The rain died at dawn.
Looking out, Claire realized she could see the lake through the trees. They were near the shore. She emerged from beneath the shelter of the rock overhang and listened to the birds calling from tree to tree. She wondered if that meant they were safe.
She wondered if she’d ever feel safe again.
She shivered. She was soaking wet yet again, her clothes stuck to her skin. Jack was either asleep or unconscious. So far, he was still alive. But for how long? How long would any of them be able to stay alive withthatout there?
Reyva and Mariana emerged on either side of her. She couldn’t bring herself to look at them. If she did, all of this would feel real. “So,” Mariana said, “do we want to talk about what just happened?”
“Not particularly,” Reyva said.
“If we believe what Arthur said...,” Mariana began.
“If we believe heisArthur,” Claire said.
“Or was,” Reyva corrected her.
“Whoever he is, he can’t be dead,” Claire said. “Dead peopledon’t talk and don’t walk.” Now, with the rain over, the clouds dispersing, and the birds twittering again, it seemed clear they’d all leapt to an impossible conclusion. It was far more likely that his wounds weren’t as bad as they looked. Head wounds bled a lot, after all, and as for his twisted legs...
“Claire.” Reyva said her name firmly. “He was dead. His skull was bashed in.”
Except for that unescapable fact. She knew that. She’d seen it with her own eyes, and both Mariana and Reyva had seen it too. “It’s just...”
“I know,” Reyva said.
Mariana continued. “Ifwe believe him... then years ago, our parents were at summer camp here. They snuck out of the Lake House and discovered a cave. Opened it. Went inside. And they released something evil.”
“Sounds like a ghost story,” Reyva said.
“Whatever we’re dealing with? It’s not natural,” Mariana said.
Claire shuddered harder. Mariana was right.
There was no way to know how close he was. He was familiar with this island, and they weren’t. How long would it take for him to hunt them down? And where were they supposed to go? It was anisland. No boat. No bridge. No hope.
“Our parents left their friend behind, to be possessed by an ancient evil spirit. They did it to save themselves,” Mariana said. “He was the reason the camp was shut down.”
“You think our parents left him behind?” Claire said.
“I think exactly that,” Mariana said.
Reyva’s frown deepened. “It said it only needed one. Onebody to live in.”
No. This couldn’t be what had happened. There had to be another explanation, didn’t there? Because the current story relied on believing their parents had done something unforgivable. “You believe that our parents sacrificed their friend to save themselves? Andthenthought it was a great idea to send us back here?”
Mariana snorted. “Do I believe that my parents could have made a mistake in their own lives that negatively impactedmylife? And that they wouldn’t notice or care? Yeah, I think I can imagine that.”
“But to send us here,” Claire said, “knowing what they did.”
Maybe Mariana’s parents could have, but Claire couldn’t believe it of hers. She knew they cared about her. Maybe they didn’t understand her, but they cared. They must not have known what they were doing. Hadn’t the wild man said that? He’d talked about a compulsion. Her parents wouldn’t have knowingly sent her into a trap—put her in the path of an ancient, evil spirit.
I’m positive this wasn’t in the camp brochure, she thought.
If there ever was a camp.
How could there not have been a camp? Jack had said there wasn’t and hadn’t been for years, but what was a lie and what was the truth? She couldn’t tell anymore. All of it made her feel sick.
“We can ask them when we see them again,” Mariana said decidedly. “And wearegoing to see them. Right?”
