Chase casts her a sidelong glance. “What’s wrong with Ryan?”
“Nothing,” she says. “It just feels wrong. It should have been you.”
Chase looks uncomfortable. There’s always that unspoken rivalry between him and Ryan. But it alsodoesfeel wrong in a way I can’t articulate. It’s not because she was Chase’s girlfriend. And I wish I could say that none of us needed saving. But that’s not the truth. Emily needed saving. I guess the unsettling part is that Ryan came back for Mila, but left Emily behind.
“I guess I have some questions for Ryan now,” Chase says, ruffling Mila’s hair.
I sigh. “Me too. I wish he’d stuck around.”
Chase looks at me in surprise. “What?”
“Kennedy told me he packed his bags and left a note. I guess things got a little too intense. I know he was having a hard time.”
Chase looks crestfallen. “He should have woken us to say goodbye.” He chews the side of his cheek thoughtfully. “I wish you wouldn’t worry about whatever you saw. It was just us three on the boat—kind of hard to board without anyone noticing. You were asleep on the couch. We came out here and…” He starts to drift, and I wave a hand in front of his face. “Clearly drank too much,” he finishes, rubbing his eyes. “Jesus, I haven’t blacked out since freshman year.”
Mila looks thoughtful. “Did you actually see Ryan leave?”
“No.”
“Then he’s probably still here.”
Chase and I both turn to her. “Why?”
“I heard him, up in the attic.” She eyes me. “I figured it was you at first. Insomnia and all. I couldn’t sleep with the footsteps pacing back and forth all night.” Mila turns to Chase. “That’s why I woke you and suggested a moonlight sail. It’s quiet on the water.” She looks at me. “When we found you on the couch, I realized it couldn’t have been you in the attic. Kennedy was with us—so it had to be Ryan. Probably creeping around, basking in the death sparkles of his sister.”
I make a face and she returns it. It’s comforting, in a way. It makes it feel like things are still sort of cosmically balanced. No one believes in anything, and Mila thinks I’m a loser.
“Kennedy said she found his note just before you went out,” I offer.
Mila shakes her head. “I was the last to leave, and I heard the footsteps again as I left.”
“But why would Kennedy lie about Ryan leaving?” I say.
Mila shrugs. “Maybe she didn’t. Maybe he lied to her.” That gets my attention. Hecouldhave left the note to fake Kennedy out and then stuck around to investigate unseen. But why wouldn’t he tell me?
“I’m sure it’s all a misunderstanding.” Chase takes off his T-shirt and hands it to me. “You must be freezing.” I strip off my soaking T-shirt and pull his on. It’s like wearing a dress. It’s strange how the temperature drops so quickly from day to night. The chill of the lake air hangs on your bones, seeps into you. It sucks the heat right out of every cell in your body. Chase and Mila seem calmer now, the odd events of this evening forgotten. But then, they didn’t see that figure disappear under the water. They didn’t wake up on the dock, soaking wet in the dark. For all they know, I’m lying about everything. It must be nice to be believed. By the time I reach the dock, Kennedy is gone. Up ahead, the lights in the house seem to glow brighter, the kind of unnatural brightness that hurts to look at, and suddenly blink off all at once.
“Did you see that?” I whisper.
“Seriously?” Mila groans.
“Blackout,” Chase says with a hint of uneasiness.
My eyes travel up to the attic. I could have sworn that before the lights snapped off, I did see something. A shadow, a blur. I take a careful step onto the dock and begin to walk quickly toward the house. If Ryan is still there, I want to get to him before Kennedy does.