ON MY WAY to school the next day, I get a phone call.

The house was empty when I woke up; Sofia left on a business trip in the early hours of the morning, but I have no idea where my sister could've gone. We haven't spoken since she blew up at me, though judging by the name displaying across my screen, we're about to.

Holding my breath, I answer, placing the phone to my ear.

"Hey," she says, before I can speak, and my pulse gets louder in my ears as I look both ways for oncoming traffic, crossing the street. My stomach twinges with nerves.

"Hey, Audrey," I say, my tone light. "What's going on?"

"I'm not at home," she says simply, an edge to her voice.

Laughing quietly, I stick my free hand into my pocket. "I noticed."

"I'm not coming back."

My foot catches on a crack in the sidewalk, and I have to stop myself from plummeting to the pavement, her words catching me entirely off guard.

"You're not?" I ask dumbly, after regaining my footing.

"No," she presses, her voice still firm, though it's a little quieter than before. "I don't know. But I can't be there right now."

I blink away the first sign of incoming tears. "Oh," I say, my voice small. "I see."

"I forgot Mom was leaving today, too," she admits. "It wasn't my intention to leave you all by yourself. Maybe you can stay at a friend's house." Her words are flippant, though I can't help but hear between the lines, and focus on the sound of her actually still giving a damn.

"Don't worry about me," I say. But then it hits me that I'm going to be in the house alone, with no one but Scout, who may or may not still despise me. Normally, it wouldn't matter to me so much, but with the inevitable threat of Zoe and the doctor looming over me, I'm not a huge fan of the idea. Pushing that aside as I approach the schoolyard, I feel my eyebrows furrow. "Where are you, anyway?"

"I'm staying with a couple friends, they have an apartment in Vancouver," she tells me. "And listen, I know things aren't great between us right now, but if you do need me, don't be afraid to call. I'll do what I can to help."

Her words only serve to bring the tears back to my eyes, astounded by her ability to still show concern over me, despite the horrible thing I've done to her.

"This doesn't mean I've forgiven you," she says, her voice stern. "You really fucked me over, and it's going to take me a while to move past that." I sober a little, and she pauses. "It just means I'd be annoyed if something happened to you."

"Of course," I remark, my lips curling upward ever so slightly. "I understand."

She doesn't say much more before ending the call, and I sigh, feeling both relieved and disappointed, sliding the phone back into my pocket, finally reaching my destination.

I feel a sense of determination as I head inside the school, knowing my only goal today is biding my time until Mason and I go to the police.

✘✘✘

When lunchtime rolls around, I debate just hiding in the bathroom for the hour, but I have to keep up appearances, at least for a little while longer.

Sitting with my tormentors is nearly unbearable, but I find solace in the fact that this will be the last time. As I look around the table, I feel a burst of adrenaline. They have no idea what's in store for them. But in a mere few hours, I'm going to hand over the information that has the power to destroy their lives, with no chance of recovery. The thought gives me a sick sense of satisfaction, my lips twitching as I fight a smile.

"What's up with you?" Zoe demands, her voice sharp.

"I'm just happy," I tell her, shrugging, and her skeptical look remains in place. "It's going to be a good day."

Dylan leans forward, resting his chin on the table and gazing at me, curiosity and amusement still warring on his face. "And why is that?"

"I'm with my best friends," I explain, placing my hand on Zoe's arm and trying not to react when she goes stiff beneath my touch. "Why shouldn't I be happy?"

Lunch continues on, and I manage to keep my emotions in check, though my head still feels light from hysteria, as though I've had a little too much to drink, and I enjoy the feeling. It's the best I've felt since everything started, and I want to enjoy it while it lasts. When the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch, I stand, collecting my tray, and Zoe springs up from her seat next to me.

"Let's walk together," she says to me, a little too eagerly, and I agree with a hesitant nod.

The two of us exit the cafeteria and enter the hallway, and Zoe remains silent for most of the way, until we get to my locker, and I change out my books as she leans against the locker next to mine languidly.

"We should do something together," she suggests after I close the door, and I look at her in surprise, registering the intensity in her eyes.

I raise an eyebrow, having a bad feeling in my stomach. "Like what?"

She lifts a shoulder, her gaze riveted to my face. "I don't know, shopping?" she asks, before pausing. "How about tonight?"

I force a look of disappointment on my face, my posture melting into a slouch. "Shoot," I say. "Tonight doesn't work for me."

She doesn't say anything for a while as we leave the lockers, and nerves begin to twist in my stomach. We reach the classroom door and I pause outside of it. "Another night, then," she says, conceding, her mouth melting into a smile, and I hide my relief.

"Another night," I agree, nodding slowly.

Smiling again, she turns to leave, and I frown, making for my seat. That little encounter doesn't give me a good feeling, but I try to shake it off, knowing there's not much she can do to me before I turn her in. She's already fighting a losing battle.

The remainder of the day's classes go by in a blur, my mind too wrapped up in what I'm about to do to comprehend anything else. When the bell rings to signify the end of the day, I rise from my seat among my peers, eager to get to my locker and drop my books off. The plan is to head home and wait for Mason to call.

I rush to my locker, dumping my books inside and grabbing my backpack, pulling out my coat and throwing it on. I'm about to slam the door shut again when a slip of paper flutters to the floor, and I frown at it, feeling a sense of dread.

Glancing around the emptying hallway, I crouch down, plucking it up from the floor.

Allie,

Change of plans. Meet me at Boulder Trail. I'll explain.

My heart sinks in my chest, my movements dramatically slowing down. It seems this might not be coming to an end as soon as I thought, and I'm worried about the reason why, wondering if someone got to Mason, or threatened him. Feeling the sense of urgency return, I stuff the note into my pocket.

Something feels incredibly off about this new development, but I press on, exiting the school and beginning the long trek to Boulder Trail. If Mason is in any kind of trouble, I need to get there as fast as possible.

✘✘✘

Twenty minutes later, I find myself at the mouth of Boulder Trail.

I enter, curling my fingers around the crumpled note in my pocket. There's a crease between my eyebrows that's been there ever since I left the school, and I'm starting to think it may be permanent. I focus on my footing, taking care not to trip over the roots and fallen branches scattered across the ground. The woods are quiet, and eerie, and the sky seems distant above the looming trees overhead.

I come to a slow halt, pulling the note out of my coat pocket to examine it again to see if I missed anything, unfolding it and peering at the words scrawled on the page.

It's only then that I register that I've made a crucial mistake, causing my blood to run cold.

Mason never calls me Allie.

While the writing looks freakishly similar to his, the note can't actually be from him, and I curse my stupidity, knowing I'm mostly likely about to walk into a trap. My breathing quickens, and I dig into my other pocket for my cell phone, turning around. I need to contact Mason as soon as possible.

But when I look up again, I see that I'm too late, my breath catching.

The blonde girl stands several paces away, blocking the way back to the parking lot, and I swallow, my stomach bottoming out and my heart collapsing into my rib cage. She flips some of her hair over her shoulder, shooting me a bright smile, sending chills down my spine.

"Zoe," I say slowly, my voice careful, and I fight to keep it even, my mouth drying.

"He's really got you trained, hasn't he? I've never seen you listen to orders so well."

My limbs feel like lead. Hauling in a shaky breath, I give my head a slight shake, feigning ignorance as a last resort. "I..." I begin, my voice weak, so I clear my throat. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She rolls her eyes impatiently, crossing her arms over her chest, and it's then that I see the shiny glint of a blade in her hand. A sheen of cold sweat forms on my forehead. "Enough with the games, Allie," she tells me, irritation evident in her voice. "I'm done playing pretend."

Losing the smile, she takes a slow step toward me, and I take a trembling step backward in return, dropping my phone back into my pocket to hold both of my hands up. There's no point now in trying to pretend like I don't know exactly what she's referring to, as she's obviously become aware of the truth. "Have you been watching us?"

"Of course I have," she says, like it shouldn't even be a question. "I may have bugged some places in your house. And elsewhere. I have friends in high places." She sighs. "Unfortunately, Dylan doesn't believe there's anything between you and that snake, so I'm taking matters into my own hands."

Swallowing, I keep my hands up, taking another step back, wanting to put as much distance between us as possible. "Listen," I begin, trying to reason with her, my voice quiet. "You don't have to do this."

A flash of anger darts over her face. "Ever since we met, you've been screwing me over. Yet somehow, you're still everyone's favorite. Allie, Allie, Allie." She throws her hands up in frustration, and I flinch at the way she's waving the knife around. "You're all anyone ever talks about—all he ever talks about."

"Zoe," I murmur, continuing to take slow steps away from her, but she continues to approach me. "You can have him. Please. We can put this behind us."

She barks out a crazed laugh, and it's clear the seemingly perfect and put-together girl is long gone now. "You may forget, but I don't," she says, fixing me with a cold stare. "And I hold a killer grudge."

"Please," I try again, "if you can find it somewhere in your heart to forgive me—"

"This isn't about forgiveness!" she snaps, her tone aggravated and shrill. "This is about justice. This is about what you deserve."

Hauling in a shaky breath, I realize my words are futile. She's clearly beyond reason at this point, and the thought that there's nothing I can do to convince her otherwise is alarming, causing bile to rise in the back of my throat. My vision becomes increasingly blurry, and I briefly consider pulling out my phone to call for help, but it would be too bold of a move. I'd probably have a knife lodged somewhere in my flesh before I could even dial.

"If you let me go, I won't even go to the police. We can go on like this never happened," I plead, clasping my hands together.

"If you think I'm going to trust you that easily, you're more foolish than I thought." She sighs, pausing. "I'll make it easy for you, since you're still not grasping what's happening here," she says, raising her eyebrows, the cold blue of her gaze chilling me to the bone. "You took away my future, now I'm going to take away yours."

When she moves toward me, I turn around, bolting in the opposite direction. Feeling my heart in my throat, I dart through the trees, veering off the path and jumping over tree trunks and fallen logs, struggling for breath. I don't feel anything but panic panic panic, and I let out a string of breathy expletives as I run.

It feels strikingly similar to the scene I've seen in my dreams so many times, and I can only hope it won't end the same way. I hear Zoe's hurried footsteps pursuing me, hear her silky voice taunting me, and I swallow my screams. I hear the sound of the waterfall, and I try to run in that direction, hoping there will at least be a few tourists milling about, and I can get some help.

I make the mistake of looking away from the ground, not paying attention to my footing, and one of my shoes catches on a root, sending me tumbling down the small overhang of earth, and a strangled yelp leaves my mouth. When I finally come to a halt, I land on a large stone, and I inhale sharply, forcing down another scream of pain.

Gritting my teeth, I clench my fists, looking up toward the top of the hill I just fell from. The good part about my descent is that I'm shielded from view now, and I don't think Zoe saw me catapult to the ground. The bad part is everything else.

Breathing in through my nose, I try to ignore the searing pain flaring up on every inch of my skin, dragging myself along the ground closer to the edge of the hill, blowing away a strand of hair that falls into my face.

My name echoes around the woods, like a twisted game of hide and seek, as I reach the wall of earth, sitting up and leaning my back against it. I tuck my knees to my chest, and look up, hoping I've concealed myself enough to pass by her notice if she walks this way.

Thinking quickly, I reach for my phone in my pocket, the task difficult with how much my fingers are trembling. I pull it out, swiping the screen with my thumb as I hear her footsteps overhead. I'm about to dial 911 when a loud thud causes me to look up at breakneck speed.

Zoe has just jumped down from the overhang, landing directly ahead of me, and my heart stops, my eyes widening. She straightens up from her crouching position, a sadistic smile adorning her features. "Found you."

I scramble to my feet, still clutching my phone in my hand, and I hope to discreetly dial for help, moving my fingers slowly as she appraises me from head to toe, crossing her arms over her chest and pulling her lips into a pout. I remain silent, too focused on pressing what I hope to be the right numbers, and my lack of words makes her narrow her eyes. Her gaze flickers to the phone in my hand, and her grin returns. In one quick motion, she rushes at me, and the hand not currently gripping the knife encircles around my throat, forcing me backward until I collide with the forest wall behind me, a grunt of pain escaping my lips as I squeeze my eyes shut, the phone slipping out of my hand and clattering to the dirty ground.

When I open them again, her nose is inches from mine, her eyes alight with a blue fire. Her gaze drops to the cell phone briefly, and she kicks it away, causing a resounding crunch to fill the air as it hits a rock. "You won't be needing that anymore," she tells me sweetly, and I struggle to wriggle free from her grasp.

She moves her hand from my neck to my forearm, yanking me forward and shoving me ahead of her with such force that I stumble back to the ground, whimpering in pain. I latch onto a nearby root, trying to drag myself away. She grips a handful of my coat roughly, pulling me back in her direction as I attempt to dig my nails into the dirt, anything to tether myself to the ground.

Suddenly, there's a ringing sound in the air, causing us both to freeze, and I look over my shoulder, quickly locating my smashed cell phone lying a few yards away. The ringing continues, and it takes me a second to process what it means.

Mason.

A glimmer of hope rises in my chest, too strong and sudden to tamp down. Pushing myself off the ground slightly, I begin to make a run for it, scrambling into a crawling position and pulling out of her grasp. But my fingers are only able to graze the screen before I feel a sharp kick in my side, sending me down with a brute force, and I land on my back, gasping for air.

The ringing stops, and I gaze up at the distant sky, tears filling my eyes again. I was so close.

Not willing to give up the fight just yet, no matter how much my body aches and groans in protest, I push myself to my feet one last time. She comes at me quickly, but I manage to turn on her, latching onto the wrist of the hand that holds the blade, clenching my teeth. Despite the tight hold I have on her, she swings the knife, and it catches me across the cheek, causing a red-hot burning sensation to flare up on my skin, but I don't let go, gasping in pain.

Her teeth are bared, making her look positively wolfish, and with the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I jerk her hand as hard as I possibly can. To my relief, her grip on the knife loosens, and we both watch as it slips from her fingers, catapulting to the forest floor.

Zoe makes a dive for it, and I follow suit, tackling her. She lets out a yelp, trying to shrug me off as she inches her way toward the shining point of metal. Panicked, I reach for a large branch sitting nearby, curling my fingers around it and rising to my feet.

With her back to me, she doesn't see me standing over her, doesn't see the crazed look in my eyes as I shift my new-found weapon between my hands. When she reaches for the knife, I strike, hitting her on the back of the head, and all of her movements cease, her body going limp.

The forest is silent, save for my rapid breathing and the chirping of distant birds in the trees, and I remain frozen in place, staring down at her unmoving body. It takes a few seconds for the adrenaline to wear off, but when it does, my eyes widen, heart dropping into my stomach.

The branch slips from my fingers, forgotten, and after much hesitation, I crouch down, creeping toward the girl and placing two fingers to her neck. My shoulders sag in relief when I feel that she still has a pulse. Swallowing, I run a trembling hand through my hair, wondering what the hell I'm supposed to do now.

My phone.

Springing into action, I dart over to where the device is still sitting, several paces away, and I eagerly gather it into my hands, the broken glass of the screen poking into my fingers. It barely flickers to life beneath my touch, and when I look at the screen I see there's no service and little battery life left.

I dial 911, but it doesn't go through. I try Mason's number, only to wind up with similar results.

"Come on," I lament, voice wavering.

Taking a few steps forward, I attempt to get at least one bar of service, but I have no luck, no matter where I stand, or how high I hold my phone. This goes on for a few beats, until it gives up what little battery life it had left. Frustrated, I shove it into my pocket, dragging another quivering hand through my hair. My only hope now is to make it back to the parking lot and try to find help.

I turn back to face Zoe, only to find that she's vanished, the spot where her body was previously lying now vacant.

I stop short, whirling around as I scan all areas of the forest for her, but coming up short. My chest rises and falls rapidly as I begin to panic, wondering where she could have gone. Not wanting to stick around to find out, I break out into a sprint, scrambling my way back up the overhang and doing my best to locate the trail again.

It feels as though I run through the woods forever, until finally reaching the clearing and exiting out into the parking lot. It takes a while of waving my arms frantically for anyone to stop, and longer to convince someone to give me a ride to the police station.

As I sit in the passenger's seat of a stranger's car, I feel a deep sense of dread. I made it out alive today, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Zoe strikes again.