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Emely's face had completely drained of color, and she stared at Miles as if he had completely lost his mind.

“Damn it, fuck off!” Mikhail growled.

I realized I had been staring too long and that more and more people were turning to watch the scene Miles was provoking.

“Come on,” I pulled Bay past the nearest fire basket. “They’re distracted.”

“Let’s see how long it takes before they start fighting,” Bayla remarked.

“Miles had to promise me he wouldn't get into a fight today.”

Bayla couldn't help but grin.

“Bayla!” someone called.

Startled, we both turned around and spotted... Nash?

Bay looked at me with alarm. So did Nash, who stared at me as if he hadn't expected to see me there.

Shit.

“Go without me!” Bayla whispered, quickly pulling me around the next group of beer-drinking students who were laughing and crowding around the fire basket, seemingly unaware of the fight that was starting about sixty feet away. “Otherwise, you can forget about it.”

I wanted to protest, but Bayla just left me standing there, disappearing among the students. Just before Nash reappeared in my field of vision, Bayla bumped into him and distracted him.

With a sigh, I pulled the black hood of the Vanderwood hoodie I was wearing under my leather jacket over my head so that no one could spot me as the sun sank toward the horizon, and quickly pushed past the next group of students, skillfully dodging Jenny Bexley and a few drunk baseball players, before moving inconspicuously toward the edge of the forest.

“Oh my God! Parker?! What are you doing with that Bexley bitch?!”

I spun around and looked back at Jenny, who was leaning against a young, attractive man, obviously a baseball player wearing a pine green Vanderwood baseball cap, with a girl dressed entirely in pink in front of her. Kelly Hepburn.

“I thought you were serious about me!” Kelly suddenly whined.

Jenny looked up at the baseball player in irritation before lifting both brows at Kelly, a smirk playing on her lips.

That was the moment Barbie dramatically spun around and ran away, sobbing.

Great, more drama. There was apparently so much going on here that Miles probably wouldn't even be noticed by many. But as long as Kieran was distracted...

I turned around to keep walking, hoping desperately that my plan would work, although I didn't even know where exactly the guy lived. I could only rely on Julie's descriptions and hope to arrive at a large lake with modern lodges.

Then I entered the forest.

He was a good stalker

Pisca

The Copeland Woods were different from Fogs Forest. Not as dense and dark, much more overgrown with healthy-looking plants. Even at this hour, you could still hear birds chirping and didn't feel like you were being watched.

The low, orange-glowing sun penetrated the thicket from the coast, and through the fading party music on the beach, I thought I could hear the waves breaking.

It should have calmed me down. But I wasn't calm. Everything inside me was pulsing, ready for the next adrenaline rush.

A whisper made me prick up my ears. Or was it the wind in the branches?

I slowly continued walking along the small path, looking around with a wary eye.

When I spotted two people in the distance, I stopped abruptly.