Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I shake my head before I can do or say anything else. “No. I just left.”
Cooper chuckles, shaking his head while squeezing the steering wheel. “Damn, girl. You definitely got in. You must tell me everything.”
I should have known Cooper wasn’t going to drop it the second I got into his car this morning.
“I’m serious, Shi! I think you’re in!”
I’m not going into depth with Cooper on what that means. For one, I’m not sure if I’m even allowed to ask questions with other people.
“What happened with you?” Distraction is always best when it comes to Cooper, and since he has the attention span of a two-year-old, it almost always works. I’m hoping this is one of those times.
“I was eliminated first! Don’t you remember?” He looks between the road ahead and me.
So I was there? I don’t think right now is a good time to let him know that I don’t remember anything past us getting to the mystery house we were at.
“Oh, yeah! And the others?”
He pulls into a parking spot at the main beach, takes the keys out of the ignition, and turns in his seat to face me. “I’m worried. Should I be worried?” His eyes narrow when he asks the second part.
“They were all eliminated but you, baby. Come on—” He nudges his head to the door. “Let’s get some water in you.”
I push open the door and grab my surfboard from the roof rack, thinking over what he just said. I need to know what happened to me after we got there and why I don’t remember. I’d usually be able to ask Cooper any and all, but right now, I know that if I ask him what happened, and that I don’t remember, it will only make him spiral down the rabbit hole of whatever weird game the big, dark stranger had us all playing.
The water is cold around my legs, and the more I walk out, the more I want to sink farther beneath the crashing waves. My mind is warped and twisted and turned as I try to lift my foot from the sand, but it sinks farther and farther in. The sound of waves crashing and crows squawking fill the space around me. Why don’t I remember? Not one thing. Cooper catches wave after wave, and eventually I swim back to shore. The fatigue is rooted deep in my bones, and I know that if I force myself out here any longer, Cooper will know something is wrong. I need a bigger distraction than dead-end questions this time, and I hope that eventually when, or if, I can tell him, he won’t hate me for what I’m about to do.
I pull my phone out and open a text to Dani.
We are down at the beach. He wants to talk with you.
Just as I hit send, another message pops up.
Swim out to The Landing.
The number isn’t in my phone, and besides that, it doesn’t have any numbers at all. I know who it is.
Can’t. I’m not alone.
I stare back down at my phone screen, waiting for him to continue.
Do I look like the type of person you say no to, Shiloh?
Tossing my phone onto the shore, I start walking down the beach until I know I’m away from Cooper. He’s way out at the break and too far to see what I’m doing, so I quickly skim into the water and start paddling out to the jump. The closer you are to the rocks, the angrier the water, and it’s not until I’m halfway there that I turn over my shoulder, sitting up on my board to see how far I’ve gone. I’ve been out here a lot, but never alone. The water gets choppy the farther out you get, and it doesn’t calm down until you’ve swum into the cave entrance. The sky rumbles up above me as a single raindrop falls, hitting me on the edge of my nose.
“Great.” Lying back down on my tummy, I keep paddling through the water until I hit the opening, peeking down over my board to make sure I don’t see any shark activity. I’ve seen a few in my years, but none that have come too close.
Sitting up on my board again, I slow my paddling when I see a tall figure standing at the edge of the shoreline. I keep paddling in farther, noticing the speedboat that’s beached. As soon as I know I can touch the ground, I slip off my board and walk through the water.
The man turns around and I notice him as the same one from yesterday. Tonight, he’s wearing a dark hoodie and jeans—a complete difference to his getup last night.
“Your first task,” he says, and I shiver once my body is exposed to the air. At least…I think that’s why I shiver.