Azalea: "The moment I realized White Robe had followed me to Hannah's house, I screamed the loudest I've ever screamed in my life."

Hunter: "Yeah, and that 'party' at Callista's was anything but."

Hannah: "I just kept feeling like everything was falling apart—like no matter what we did, we couldn't stop our world from unraveling."

Alejandro Roberto Gonzales-Santos:

Turns out Callista had invited everybody and their dog to that lake-house party. I'd gotten an invitation in the mail on Saturday, and Hunter had said he'd drive me so I wouldn't have to bike there alone.

The moment he pulled into my driveway to pick me up, I noticed Azalea wasn't riding shotgun. I shuffled up the driveway, hands tucked into my pockets, then pulled open the passenger door.

"Where's Azalea?" I asked as I climbed into the car.

"She's...she's not coming," he answered, his eyes falling.

"Couldn't convince her?"

He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, dude. Are you guys still okay?"

Hunter sighed. "I hope so. She said she wasn't angry, but...man, she did not look happy when I dropped her off at Hannah's." He looked up at me, hesitated. "Sara not coming?"

"Nah," I answered matter-of-factly. "She said she needed to rest. She had to work really late at the clinic last night."

Hunter held silence for a moment, then lifted his head and gripped the gear shift with his right hand. "Well, hey, so what if it's just us?" he said, confidence finding its way into his words. "Let's have a blast at this party, bro."

I nodded my head and smiled back at him. "Amen to that."

****

To say Callista's lake house was massive would be an understatement. Countless ropes decorated with miniature lights were strung across the sprawling expanse; the trees of the surrounding forest, the dock overlooking the peaceful water, even the three-story home itself—all were adorned with sparkling white lights that shone like crystals through the night. As Hunter and I stepped out of his car, Callista ran and greeted us with open arms.

"Hunter, Alex! Hi!" she gushed. "I'm soooo glad you could make it." She paused, feigning shock. "You didn't bring any dates? Well, I guess we'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

I glanced at Hunter uneasily.

"I'm just kidding!" she almost screamed. "Goodness! Lighten up, you two." She looped an arm around mine, grabbing Hunter with her other one. "Come inside."

As soon as she'd dragged us into the house, the first thing I noticed was the music—reverberating, pulsating through the air, jittering along my limbs. The main room was dark, save for a disco ball that hung from the ceiling and spun dots of light onto everything. Along the side wall was an open bar the size of Manhattan.

"Free drinks," Callista offered haphazardly, then paused. "What? Don't tell me you two don't drink."

I gulped, turned to Hunter.

"Oh, come on!" she squealed. "For crying out loud, it's a party!"

After some hesitation, Hunter unlooped his arm from inside Callista's. He sighed and shook his head softly. "Callista," he tried, "when you invited me to this party...I had no idea this is what you were talking about."

Callista rolled her eyes. "Oh, get a grip, Hunter. It's just alcohol—"

"I have a grip, Callista," he stressed, then closed his eyes briefly. "Look, I accept your apology, and I'm glad you had a change of heart about me and Azalea...but this—all of this—it's not who I am. I love a good party as much as the next guy, but your idea of fun is breaking the law."

Callista pouted. "You sound just like her."

"What?" Hunter puzzled. "Like who?"

"Like Azalea," she glowered, crossing her arms.

"Callista..."

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" she barked. "You just came here to judge me! I bet Azalea sent you here to prove how much of a slut I am, didn't she?"

Hunter looked shocked. "What? No, that's not it at all. Azalea didn't even want me to come tonight. Look, I'm not trying to judge you—"

"Save it, Hunter! I tried apologizing to you, and you and your stupid girlfriend still won't get off your high horse! Well, you know what? SCREW YOU!" She turned on her heel and stomped away.

"Callista, no! Wait!" Hunter chased after her, following her angry, pounding footsteps down the hallway.

ZZING! ZZING!

Just as I was preparing to bolt after Hunter, I felt my phone buzz inside my pocket. I fished it out and glanced straight at the screen, my eyes going wide the moment I saw the caller.

I clicked Answer immediately—"Sara?"

"Alex, where are you?"

"I'm at Callista's party—the one I told you about, remember?"

Sara hesitated. "...Alex, I...I think someone just broke into my apartment."

My mouth fell open. "What?" I practically screeched. "A-are you okay? Did they take anything?"

"I don't think so," she breathed lowly. "I've been looking around and—oh no. NO!"

"Sara! Sara, what is it?"

"The key!" she screamed. "Someone stole the key! It's gone!"

I felt my breathing turn erratic. "No...this—this can't be happening. Check your purse again, Sara. It's gotta be there."

"It's not, Alex! It's not here!"

Panic began surging through my brain. "W—what do we do?"

"I...I don't know." Her voice was shaky. "Alex, what if White Robe's the one who stole the key? What if he's gonna try to break into the hospital again?"

"But why would he try to..." I froze. "Oh, no. My dad!" I was breathing heavily now. "Sara, I'm on my way. I've just gotta...CRAP! I left my bike at home!"

I started running in the direction I'd seen Hunter chasing Callista. "Sara, I'll call you back," I said into the phone. "I'm gonna borrow Hunter's car, and I'll meet you at the hospital."

"O-okay," she quivered. "Please hurry." After a few more tenuous gasps, she hung up the phone.

I slid my phone back into my pocket and continued ambling forward until I'd made it to the end of the hallway. My eyes darted around frantically, trying desperately to see under the dim, palely orange light. "Hunter?" I called. "Hunter, are you there?"

At first, I heard nothing, just the hollow roil of air blowing amid the humming flicker of fading brightness. But then...then I heard a whisper:

"Hannah, just breathe. Tell me where you are so I can help you."

What the...Stefan?

I moved closer to the sound of his puny, shallow voice.

"I'm still at Callista's party," he said. "Weren't you supposed to be with Azalea?"

I heard mumblings on the other end but couldn't make out any words. I turned the corner and saw Stefan standing in the middle of the walkway, phone pressed against the side of his ear.

"Stefan, what are you doing!?" I barked out. "Is that Hannah you're talking to?"

"I've gotta go," he said into the phone. "I'll be there to get you as soon as I can—"

"STEFAN!" I screamed. "I asked you a question!"

When he looked up at me, I could see fear in his eyes. "Hannah's in trouble."

"What do you mean trouble? Did she put on the wrong dress and forget her matching shoes?"

"Alex, what's wrong with you? I'm serious—Hannah's in danger!"

"Why should I care!? Hannah doesn't care about me or you or anyone else but herself."

"That's not true," Stefan shot back defensively. "She cares about me...and she cares about you too, Alex."

I gave him the most sarcastic glare possible. "Save it, Stefan. If you really believe that, you're lying to yourself. She's nothing but a selfish attention whore, and you know it."

"How can you say that? She's..." He quivered, balled his fists, shut his eyes for the briefest of moments. "...Can't you tell?"

I scowled, raised a brow. "Can't I tell what?"

"That she's still in love with you, you idiot! That the only reason she's been acting weird lately is because she's crazy about you!" Stefan's once-terrified demeanor was swallowed up in a sudden flame of confidence. "I can see it in her eyes every time she's around me. Even at the hospital—she left my side to spy on you and Sara.

"I'm not saying she doesn't have feelings for me, but they're nowhere near as strong as what she has for you. And yeah, maybe she's mad at you for smothering her...but more than that, she's mad at herself for losing you."

I was speechless, absolutely speechless. But Stefan had plenty to say:

"She makes me out to be her knight in shining armor, but I'll never ever be that for her. I can't...protect her like you can. The fire in the student lounge made that pretty clear." He sighed, his eyes falling to the floor. "But you—you're her dream, Alex. And I want to hate you for it, but I can't. It's...I—I admire you. I wish I could be like you—I wish I was one of those guys who sweeps girls off their feet and everything, but...but that's not me. And no matter how much Hannah pretends, I know she's not happy—not like she is when she's with you." He paused, trembling. "It doesn't matter how much I like her. Please, Alex. Don't give her up. You two...you belong together."

For a moment, I couldn't speak. I could barely think. Of all people, Stefan had just begged me to get back together with Hannah.

"O—okay," I exhaled finally. "I hear you, Stefan." I hesitated. "Th...thank you."

He smiled, lowered his eyes.

I hesitated. "...Now, what was it you were saying earlier? About Hannah being in trouble?"

"She's lost," he answered quickly, snapping back to attention. "She just called me and said she woke up in the woods. She's not sure how she got there—the last thing she remembers is seeing Azalea run outside to go after somebody in her backyard."

What? "Did she see who it was?"

"I—I don't know. She said she couldn't make out the face but that it looked like a woman. She's not really sure about much more than that, but...Alex, I think she's in danger. We have to get to her before White Robe does." He lifted a set of keys from his pocket. "Come on. I'll drive us."

I took a moment to steel myself, then nodded my head. "Alright, let's do it—"

BAM!

Stefan and I both whirled to face the wall to my right. The heck?

Stefan stared at me with wide eyes. "What was that?"