“Huh, okay,” I said, nodding slowly. I wondered what I saw that night in the observatory. Maybe the lights were just a weird reflection from the stars, or some sort of optical illusion.
I spotted the English class guy making eyes at Trina again, and a small smile curved up my lips. “He’s looking at you again,” I said. “Go over to him.”
“I can’t leave you alone.”
“I’m fine. I need to pee anyway.”
She bit her lip. “You sure you don’t want me to go with you?”
“I’ll be fine. Where’s the nearest bathroom, anyway?”
“You’ll have to go in the woods,” she said, nodding toward the trees.
“What?”
She grinned. “I’m kidding. Just walk down to the boathouse.”
My face fell with relief. “Right. Duh.”
I watched her go over to her crush, and then I headed east along the shore, making the lengthy trek toward the boathouse. I didn’t really need to pee. I just wanted to splash my face with cold water to stop it from burning up at the constant thoughts of Hunter.
About ten minutes later, I arrived at the boathouse bathrooms. The doors were open, and the lights were on. Chris must’ve arranged for them to be available when he planned the party.
Shaking my head at the ludicrous thought of an eighteen-year-old negotiating with a headmaster over a party on school grounds, I stepped into the ladies’ bathroom and headed over to the first sink on the left.
“Hey, get the fuck out, Virgin!” someone shouted at me.
I whirled around to see a guy sitting in one of the toilet cubicles, pants around his ankles. A half-naked brunette girl was straddling him.
“He said get out, you perverted freak!” she screamed, hands rushing to cover herself.
I scoffed. “You’re fucking in a toilet, but sure, I’m the perverted one in this scenario,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Before the couple could respond with any other nasty insults, I turned and left.
I decided not to go back to the party right away. Adam and Trina were having fun with other people, and while I didn’t begrudge them that, I didn’t really want to hang out there alone when most of the other guests hated me.
Instead, I walked to the very end of the main dock and sat down, breathing in the cool, fresh air as I took in the beautiful nighttime view of the lake. Then I squinted toward Harker Island. Was it my imagination, or were there lights there again?
I grabbed my cell phone and opened the camera app. Then I used the zoom function to get a closer look at the island.
I was right. There were definitely lights flashing on the island, yellow and orange like the ones I saw on my first night here.
“What is that?” I murmured to myself, brows furrowing.
A wicked idea took root in my mind. I turned my head over my shoulder, eyes drifting toward the storage area back at the boathouse.
I shouldn’t… I couldn’t…
“Oh, fuck it. I’m doing it,” I muttered to myself.
I hurried back down the dock and let myself into the boathouse storage area with my student keycard. Then I grabbed a single scull and some oars.
I carried it all down to the water, and ten minutes later, I was powering my way across the lake. It was freezing-cold without my usual fleece jacket, but it was peaceful too. Nothing but the sound of the water splashing under the oars.
After another few minutes, my lungs started to burn, and I groaned and blew out a deep, regretful breath. This was a stupid idea. I was only halfway to the island, and I was already exhausted.
I should’ve known better.
I considered going back, but then I thought about the strange lights again. A burst of adrenaline flooded through me, and I sped up, setting my teeth in a determined grimace.
When I finally made it to the island shore, I dragged the boat up to a safe spot and left it there. Then I stepped onto a dim path leading through the densely-packed maple, birch and pine trees.
I could hear voices now. Music, too.
I kept going, clumsily stepping over mossy rocks and damp leaves. The path finally became easier to navigate as a faint orange glow illuminated it from somewhere up ahead. The farther I went, the brighter it got and the louder the voices and music became. Soon I knew I was right next to whatever was happening on this island.
I bit my lip, suddenly feeling more cautious, but my curiosity won out in the end. Swallowing hard, I stepped behind a tree and peeked out at a clearing in the middle of the grove.
My eyes immediately widened. “What the hell?”