My name is Emily. Two years ago I lost everything. I thought I could start a new life. I thought Abby was gone. I thought I'd never see Jasper again. I thought I would never have to play another game of hide and seek in my life. Turns out I was wron...
On the ground is Doreen. I quickly help her up and when I do, she pulls me back down. She's holding a big stick and she tries to hit me with it. My eyes are wide as I shine the flashlight at her. I can't talk to her, but I want to know why she's trying to kill me!
She swings the stick and as I try to move, she swings it back, hitting me on the arm. She hits my leg and knocks me to the ground. That's when she kneels over me. With two fingers she slides through the strings in her lips, ripping open the stitches.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Emily, Helena isn't dead," she whispers.
Tears run over my lips and I'm crying because I thought she wanted to kill me. She looks behind her. "Jerod, now!" She then looks at me and grabs the pocket knife, slitting her own throat. "Go to the car. Helena will be there." She speaks fast before falling next to me on the ground.
Jerod rushes to her and puts his hand on the body. "I found a dead body!" he yells. He takes out his phone and shows me a message. The message says, "Don't worry. It was part of the plan."
In that moment, Doreen fades away and we are all in front of The Drop again. Mr. Harmon appears in front of us and something about him seems a bit off. He seems... tired. His eyes are decorated in large, dark circles and any excitement he had is now buried under disappointment. Even Mrs. Harmon looks at him strangely.
Mr. Harmon doesn't ask who the murderer is. Instead, Abby rolls her eyes and walks in front of him. "Dad?" she asks. "Aren't you going to ask who it was?"
He nods. "It was Emily. Lights off. Begin."
Strange. I look at my card. Thank goodness it's blank and that I'm not it. Thank goodness because... I won't be playing this game anyway.
***
I never thought I would make it to the car in one piece. I was sure I should have been disqualified or something. But I wasn't... which was weird. And why was Mr. Harmon acting so... strange? Did Helena have something to do with this?
I shine my flashlight at the car. Sure enough, someone is inside. I open it, making Helena jump. She had been sleeping.
"Emily!" she says, getting out of the car. "You made it."
"What are you-" Before I can finish, she holds her hand out in my face.
On her middle finger is the silver ring. "But how?" I whisper.
"Mrs. Harmon gave it to me " Helena says. "But she told me something else. When she gave me the ring, I was able to read her thoughts. She thinks Mr. Harmon isn't our problem."
"What!" I say a little too loud.
"SHHH," she says. "Get in the car."
When we're in the car, she looks at me real seriously. "Mrs. Harmon told me he's been trying to fight it. Remember when you moved in with him and he didn't allow hide and seek?"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"And when he said don't go on the fourth floor?" She takes a deep breath. "He was trying to fight it. It isn't Mr. Harmon. He's trying to fight it but Mrs. Harmon doesn't know why. She's seen it here and there, but she's sure that he's being controlled."
That's when I think about the game. How he didn't announce anything or seem to care much about it.
"Before you saved yourself, the book counted you as a sacrifice, which gave Mr. Harmon the strength and evil idea to switch bodies with Mrs. Harmon," Helena says.
"So? What does that mean?" I ask. "We can't destroy the book. But can we stop Mr. Harmon?"
Helena shakes her head. "We need to sacrifice our souls to the book and find the main evil source that is controlling Mr. Harmon."
I give her a look like, Umm, yeah, right! She only takes my hand and everything around us turns white. The whiteness slowly fades away and I'm able to see objects like chairs, tables, and a door.
When everything comes into focus, I see where we are. I know where we are. We're in Carmen's living room. Helena sees the fear in my eyes.
She looks me in the eyes and smiles. Her hand rests on my shoulder. "Hey, we're going to stop this once and for all. I promise."
I sigh. "I don't know. I'm just... so tired." The depression takes over and I want to cry again, when all of a sudden, Helena lifts me and actually spins me around.
"Then get untired, prick," she says making me laugh.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When she puts me down, she quickly takes my hand and spins me around as if we're dancing. "Are you awake now?" she asks playfully.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The fun doesn't last for long, though. Carmen walks in the room with the book in her hand. Helena takes my hand and holds it tight. I'm glad she does, because I would have run away otherwise. Carmen's father walks in. The fact that he has holes for eyes isn't something I had been expecting.
