She reached the desk in three strides. “Tenley!” she called out. The ledger was opened to the first page. A date was marked at the top, a receipt stapled beneath it. Emerson thumbed through more pages. Each one had reservations written out on the top, and the corresponding receipts stapled below. Her heart gave a patter as she found the page for today’s date. A pre-Halloween drink special had originally been penciled in, but it had been X’d out with a red marker. Underneath was a new note: Winslow party, 9 pm–1 am. A receipt was stapled on the page. Emerson didn’t even see the price on it. All she could focus on was the name, signed neatly along the bottom. Abby Wilkins. “Holy. Shit,” she said.
“Did you find something?” Tenley asked excitedly, coming up behind her. Silently, Emerson pointed at the book. Tenley’s mouth rounded into an O as she took in Abby’s signature. “It’s really her,” she whispered.
Emerson grabbed the ledger off the desk. It was heavy, but she drew it close, studying the receipt. She’d seen Abby’s signature just the other day, at the bottom of the Homecoming Nomination Memo. It had looked exactly like this: painstakingly neat, each letter rounded to perfection.
“Uh, Em,” Tenley said slowly.
Emerson looked up to see Tenley staring at the desk. The color had drained from her face. Emerson followed her gaze. There, lying innocently on the desk, was a single sheet of paper.
“It was hidden under the book,” Tenley said shakily.
Emerson stepped closer. On the paper were five school pictures, the kind taken at Winslow every year. The first was of Meryl Bauer, the second of Nicole Mayor, the third of Kyla Kern, the fourth of Tricia Sutton. The last one was of Caitlin. They were photos of the Lost Girls.
At the bottom was a note.
You’re next—cross my heart and hope to die. Correction: hope YOU die.
“She knew we’d come down here,” Emerson breathed. “She left this for us.”
No sooner had the words left her lips than the door to the office slammed shut with a resounding bang. Tenley leaped backward with a scream, bumping up against the desk.
Emerson sprinted to the door, pushing at it with all her might. It didn’t budge. She tried again and again, but it was futile. “We’re locked in,” she whispered. At that moment, someone cut the lights.
Total darkness washed over the room. Emerson yelped, holding tightly to the door. She couldn’t see even an inch in front of her. “Don’t move,” Tenley ordered. Emerson could hear her rummaging around. A minute later a beam of light broke through the darkness.
“Meet my new friend,” Tenley said darkly, “the flashlight app.” She jabbed at the phone’s screen several times. “I don’t have any service.”
“Of course you don’t!” Emerson cried. “We’re in a vault. Underground.” She couldn’t stop the fear from creeping into her voice. Already, the air seemed to be growing thinner, staler. “How are we going to get out of here?”
Tenley shined the flashlight around the room. There were no vents visible, no heating ducts, nothing. The beam passed over Emerson, making bright spots dance before her eyes. “We scream,” she declared.
They both dove for the door at once. “Help!” Emerson yelled, pounding her fists against it.
“Let us out!” Tenley joined in. Their voices looped around the tiny room, echoing in Emerson’s ears.
“Abby!” she howled. Her knees felt weak, as if she might collapse at any minute. “Come back! Let us out!”
“Emerson?” The familiar voice cut through their screams.
“Josh?” She banged wildly against the door. “We’re in here!”
Tenley raised her eyebrows at her. “Who’s Josh?” she mouthed.
Emerson ignored her. “Get us out!” she begged.
Emerson could hear a clicking sound as Josh fiddled with the lock. “Hold on,” he said. “This thing is complicated.… I don’t know if you need a code.” There were several more clicks, and the sound of something spinning. “Got it!” he said. “No code.” With a loud creak, the door opened. Emerson threw herself into the dimly lit hallway. A wrinkle formed between Josh’s eyebrows as he peered into the dark vault behind them. They all spoke at once.
“What happened?” Josh asked.
“Who are you?” Tenley asked.
“What are you doing here?” Emerson blurted out. She was trembling all over, and she took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself.
“Why don’t we get you upstairs,” Josh said gently. “Then we can—”
“Forget upstairs,” Tenley snapped. She marched over to him. She barely reached his chest, but the glower on her face made her look scary nonetheless. “I want to know exactly what just happened,” Tenley demanded. “How did you find us in there?”
Josh held his hands up in surrender. “I’d just gotten to the club when I saw you and Emerson go downstairs,” he explained. “I grabbed a drink and checked out the place for a bit, but when you guys didn’t come back, I thought maybe there was a second party room down here or something. I was on my way down when I heard a bang.”
“Was there anyone else down here?” Tenley asked eagerly.
“No one. Though the door to the fire exit is open.” Josh gestured to a door in the back, which stood slightly ajar. A red EXIT sign dangled above it. “I think I might have heard footsteps out there, but I stopped paying attention when I heard you screaming.”
Emerson’s heart plummeted. No matter how close they got, the darer—Abby—was always a step ahead of them. “You sure you didn’t see anyone at all?” she pressed.
Josh shook his head. “Sorry, Em.” He put a hand on her arm, looking concerned. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Emerson shifted uneasily. “I… we…”
“It was a prank,” Tenley jumped in. “Just this stupid thing seniors do at our school. Emerson got a little freaked out.” She glared warningly at Emerson. “Right, Em?”
Emerson managed a weak smile. “Right.”
“Well, you still look shaken up.” Josh said. “Let’s go upstairs. I’ll get you some water, okay?”
Nodding mutely, Emerson let Josh guide her up the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tenley making faces at her, trying to catch her attention, but she ignored her. She was still trembling, and it was taking all her effort not to burst into tears. Tenley had told her all about the hot tub and the bottles, but this was the first time Emerson had experienced it for herself—just how far this darer was willing to go.
She squinted as they reentered the club, readjusting to the flashing lights. The music rushed at her, pulsing under her skin. “I’ll get you both water,” Josh said, gesturing toward the bar. “Unless you want something stronger?”
“What I want is to get out of here,” Tenley snapped. “I’ve had enough pranks for one night. You coming, Emerson?”
Emerson bit down on her lip. If she left, she’d end up alone in her room, jumping at every sound. “I think I’m going to stay for a bit,” she said.
Tenley shook her head. “It’s your grave. I’ll find Sydney before I go. Tell her about the prank,” she added pointedly.
Emerson made no move to follow her. “Your grave?” Josh asked, watching Tenley walk away. “What did she mean by that? And is she always that scary?”
“It’s just an expression,” Emerson said. They took a seat in the back of the club. “And, yes. If there’s one thing Tenley is, it’s intense.” Across the room, Emerson could see her friends on the dance floor, laughing, having fun. It seemed strangely faraway, as if she were watching it on a TV screen.
“What really happened down there, Em?” Josh asked. He touched her arm and, despite everything, she felt a rush of warmth jolt through her. “Are you covering something up for Tenley?”
“No,” Emerson said quickly. “The whole thing was a stupid prank, just like she said.” She did her best to feign annoyance. “High school crap. I bet you don’t miss it. Speaking of which”—she crossed her arms against her chest—“what exactly are you doing at a high school party?”
“I came to see you,” Josh admitted. “I overheard some guys in town talking about the party, and I thought you might be here.” He gave her a sheepish look. “First you bolt from my cottage, and now you’re avoiding my calls? I didn’t know what else to do. It feels like last summer all over again, Em. I came to Echo Bay to get closure, not to repeat history.”
Emerson looked up. Under the flashing strobe lights, his eyes seemed to flicker colors. “Is that the real reason you came to Echo Bay? To get closure on us?”
Josh toyed with the silver napkin holder on the table. “Yeah,” he said softly. “Everything about the book is true, but I guess I kind of used it as an excuse to see you. I’ve tried so hard to move on, Emerson, but it’s just not the same with anyone else. I think about you constantly. Wonder what you’re doing, what you’d say about things. I had to come here. I had to see you.”