Answer the phone on your bed, Celia.
I read the message aloud, my eyes flicking back and forth between the message on my screen and the black box sitting on my bed. After a few moments, another message pops up, but this time, it’s a picture of my sister.
Instead of the usual selfie I’m used to getting every few days from her, it’s just a closeup of her face. Instead of her bright green eyes shining with love and happiness, I see pure terror. Willa’s face is covered with grime, and there’s some type of cloth tied around her mouth. Black streaks of what is probably mascara run from her eyes and stain the light-colored fabric. I run my fingers across the screen as tears stream down my face, and another message comes across the screen.
Willa
Will you answer the phone now?
CHAPTERTWO
CELIA
Gasping in shock, I drop the phone to the ground and scramble toward the bed on my hands and knees. My entire body shakes with nerves as I reach up and grab the mysterious box, wasting no time wrenching it open and grabbing the nondescript phone, wishing for it to ring again.
I can’t imagine what kind of trouble Willa has gotten herself into. I’m at a loss. However, the only thing I need right now is a sign my sister is all right. A million questions are running through my mind, trying to make sense of the picture when the phone rings. I answer immediately, not wanting to waste any more time with these games.
“What do you want with my sister?” My grip tightens around the phone, clutching it in my hands as if it’s going to disappear.
“Do you love your sister?” a mysterious voice filters through the line, sending a shiver down my spine.
Of course, they’re using a voice modulator. He or she has gone through more than enough trouble of getting closer to me and remaining unseen. Why would they give any information away?
“What kind of fucked-up question is that?”
My entire body recoils at the question, but I don’t dare pull the phone away from my ear. Out of all the things they could ask at this moment, they ask if I love my sister. They’re obviously aware of how much I care about Willa or none of this would’ve happened—the phone, the pictures, nothing. How the hell did Willa get mixed up with them in the first place? She’s always been the person to walk on the wild side, for sure, but I never imagined ever receiving a phone call where her life hangs in the balance.
“A question both of your lives depend on.”
It’s as if a lightbulb goes off in my head. Everything that’s been going on for the last few weeks. The feelings of being followed every time I left my dorm and the items being moved around while I was gone everything led to this moment. Someone wasn’t stalking me or trying to get close to me; they were looking for information. Anything and everything they could learn about me and then use against me in the future.
Whoever is on the other end of the line is already aware of how much Willa means to me and that I’ll do anything in my power to guarantee her safety, even if it cost me my life. Willa has spent her life protecting me from the outside world, and now it seems it’s my turn to protect her.
“You’ve been watching me?” I whisper, pushing to my feet and inching toward the small window near my bed.
I need to be as sneaky as possible. My hand reaches out, parting the sheer pale pink curtains hiding the inside of my room from prying eyes. My eyes immediately begin scanning the open green space, looking for anyone that looks out of place.
“We’ve been doing a lot more than watching you, Celia.”
My attention remains focused out the window, flicking back and forth between the few small groups of people outside enjoying the nice weather. There are a couple of students sitting beneath a tree on a blanket with their heads angled toward each other, with books sprawled out in front of them.
I doubt they have anything to do with this.
My eyes scan the entire area, stopping on a few bikers riding down the small path between buildings. I watch them closely, looking to see if they do anything out of the ordinary or if they shouldn’t belong, but nothing sticks out to me. Not that I’d know either way. I never pay that much attention to anyone in the quad or around campus unless I have to—something I’m regretting right now. Having a better idea of the usual habits of other students would come in handy right about now.
“You look gorgeous in navy blue, Celia. It brings out your eyes.”
My body immediately drops to the floor like a deadweight, terror rooting me in place. Goose bumps cover my entire body, my breathing wild and unsteady as my heart beats erratically in my chest. My eyes search frantically around my small dorm room for somewhere to hide but come up with nothing.
Not that it would matter. These people have made it more than clear they can find me wherever I am, and there’s no escaping their reach.Should I call someone?This has gone so far beyond anything I could’ve imagined. The police will have no choice but to believe me with all this evidence. All I need to do is take the phone to the police and tell them what happened. They’ll handle everything else.
But what about Willa?
I have no idea when they kidnapped her. Could she have been with them this whole time? Waiting for me to come and rescue her? I can tell the police everything that has happened, but will they really go looking for my sister? I’ll be protected, for sure, but then what?
“Are you prepared to answer the question now?”
My mind runs through every scenario, trying to get Willa and me out of this situation, but nothing comes to mind. I’m all the way in Massachusetts, and Willa is lord knows where. It’s obvious that these people will stop at nothing to get whatever they want from the two of us. I just need to play along for now.