Page 96 of Hide And Seek

“That doesn’t mean they’re murdering people,” Levi said, though he didn’t sound completely convinced.

Jasmine pushed on. “Think about it. They volunteered to go into town that first night. They’re both endurance athletes, so no one questioned it.”

“Yeah, because it made sense,” Simon said.

“Exactly,” she replied. “Which also makes it the perfect cover if they didn’t actually want to go to town.”

A few people shifted in their seats, uneasy now.

“Okay, but why?” Caitlin asked. “Why would they do this?”

Jasmine’s forehead creased. “Because of what happened two summers ago. You guys remember the Olympic trials thing, right?”

“Oh shit,” Tamsin murmured. “I forgot all about that.”

“So… you think they came back for revenge?” Jesse asked.

“Well, I think it’s a hell of a coincidence that only Legacies have been killed so far,” Jasmine said flatly.

I could practically hear the gears turning in everyone’s heads. Doubt. Fear. Possibility.

Before anyone could say anything, the dining hall door slammed open, and every head snapped toward it.

Chris staggered inside. He was pale and shaky, and his clothes were streaked with dark, drying blood that caught the light in uneven patches.

“Oh, fuck. What happened?” Garrett said, already pushing back his chair.

Chris lifted both hands slightly, like he was bracing for impact. “It’s not mine,” he said, voice rough. “It’s not my blood.”

“Where’s Knox?” Sutton demanded, already on her feet.

Chris didn’t answer straight away. His chest was rising too fast, like he couldn’t quite get enough air.

“Chris,” Sutton said, sharper now. “Where the hell is he?”

Chris dragged a hand through his hair, smearing something dark across his temple without seeming to notice. “We were in the woods,” he finally said. “Same area we checked before. Just going over it again, making sure we didn’t miss anything.”

No one spoke. No one even breathed too loudly.

“He was right behind me,” Chris went on. “Like, just a couple of steps back. We were talking, and then…” He swallowed hard. “He stopped answering.”

A chill slid through me.

“I thought he was just messing with me at first,” he said. “So I turned around and…” His voice hitched, and he shook his head. “He was gone.”

“Shit,” Jesse muttered.

“I called out to him,” Chris continued, breathing harder now. “Walked back the way we came. Checked everywhere. I thought maybe he’d tripped, or wandered off, or…” He trailed off again, jaw tightening. “I looked for ages.”

“And?”

Chris’s gaze flicked around the room, like he didn’t want to say it out loud. Then he exhaled shakily. “I found him,” he said. “He was hanging from a tree.”

A sharp, collective intake of breath rippled through the room.

“He was upside down,” he added with a wince, like the details were clawing their way out of him. “Hanging by his ankles.”

“Oh my god,” Wren whispered.