Truth or Dare (42 page)

“What, is the guy not cute?” her mom teased.

Sydney kept staring at the envelope, unable to tear her eyes away. “Something like that,” she said shakily. She quickly threw the rest of the dishes into the dishwasher. “You sure you didn’t see who dropped it off, Mom?”

Her mom shook her head. “The whole thing was very clandestine. I’m not pushing or anything, but if you ever want to talk about it…” She kissed Sydney on the forehead. “I’m here. And contrary to popular belief by my daughter, I actually did have boyfriends before your dad.”

Sydney managed to choke out a laugh. “Thanks, Mom,” she said,
backing away toward her room. “Maybe later. I’ve got some, uh, homework to do now.” With a final, forced smile, she slipped into her room, letting the door slam shut behind her.

She didn’t bother taking off her shoes before collapsing on her bed, the envelope clenched tightly in her hand. She thought about ripping the whole thing into shreds and forgetting she’d ever seen it. But she couldn’t do it. Her fingers were tearing it open before her brain could tell them to stop.

Inside was a folded-up piece of paper, with a Post-it note stuck to the top of it. Typed onto the Post-it was a message.

Thought it was over? This just posted: It’s not. You still have one more dare to complete. Come to the Justice at midnight tonight to celebrate the end of the Festival--and end this all for good. Unless you want this transcript to become the talk of the town…

Sydney’s fingers were trembling as she unfolded the paper. It was the official transcript of a call to the Echo Bay firehouse.
I, uh, want to report a fire
, the first line read. Sydney gasped as she scanned through the rest of it. It was, word for word, the call she’d placed to the firehouse years ago, about the Melon Street fire. At the bottom, in large, bold type, was the number the call had come from.
Her
number. This was how the darer knew about that fire. She stared blindly at the transcript, her pulse racing as the letters blurred together into an inky mass.
Joey Bakersfield couldn’t have left her this note. He was in jail! But if he hadn’t, who had?

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was still several hours until midnight. Standing up, she paced furiously through her room. She felt wild inside, as if there were an animal in there, clawing to get out. She’d been so ready to move on, start fresh, and now here was another dare, pulling her right back to where she’d started. She would go tonight, she decided—even though the idea of going out on the ocean made her feel a little uneasy. But she had to end this, whatever that meant.

Going over to her desk, she pulled out Winslow’s phone book. If she’d gotten a note, maybe Caitlin and Tenley had, too. She quickly flipped to the T’s and dialed Caitlin’s number. But the call went straight to voice mail. She left a quick message, asking Caitlin to call her. Then she returned to the phone book, sighing as she flipped to the R’s. She was not looking forward to calling Tenley. But as it turned out, she wouldn’t be. Because Tenley Reed’s number was unlisted. She knew she could call Guinness on his cell to get it, but she couldn’t seem to make herself dial the number. Just thinking about talking to him right now twisted her stomach into knots. Sydney tossed the useless phone book back onto her desk. She was just going to have to wait.

She tried everything she could to pass the time over the next few hours. She attempted to read. She took a stab at her homework. She stared blankly at her latest photos. She even called Calum. But nothing worked. In the end, she just paced and paced, watching the clock tick away the seconds. Finally, eleven forty rolled around. The apartment was dark, the only sound the steady hum of the home gardening network, which her mom always fell asleep to. Quietly, Sydney snuck out the front door, taking her car keys with her.

The streets were eerily still as she drove to the Yacht Club, Echo Bay closed up tight for the night. She couldn’t help thinking about the last time she’d taken this drive. She’d just gotten her first dare, and she’d been almost excited, thinking Guinness would be there waiting for her. But this time, as she pulled into the Yacht Club’s parking lot, it wasn’t excitement she felt. It wasn’t even curiosity. It was pure dread.

Even in the dark, she remembered where the
Justice
was docked. She and Guinness might be finished, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about that day all the time: the first time she’d seen him in months. When he brought her onto the yacht and showed her his room, she’d felt as if he was finally opening up to her, really letting her in. But it had been just another false start.

There was a light coming from the
Justice
’s deck, but when she climbed on, she found it completely empty. “Hello?” she called out tentatively. She waited a few seconds, but still no one spoke, no one appeared. She glanced at her phone. It was minutes to midnight. She felt herself growing angry. What was she doing here all alone? Was this just another trick of the darer’s—another game? “Hello?” she called again, louder this time.

She paused. She could swear she heard a sound coming from downstairs. It struck her suddenly that it could be Guinness’s dad or, worse, Guinness. Adrenaline rushed through her. She took a deep breath, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. Whoever was down there, she could handle it, especially if it meant putting an end to all this. But she was breathing fast as she made her way down to the cabin.

At the bottom of the stairs, she heard the noise again. A faint sound of shuffling, coming from the extra bedroom. Guinness’s room. Sydney stalked over to it before she could lose her nerve. But when she flung open the door, it wasn’t Guinness she saw, but Tenley.

Tenley was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her head bent low as she flipped through a photo album. “Tenley?” Sydney said.

At the sound of Sydney’s voice, Tenley leaped up from the bed, sending the photo album tumbling to the floor. Sydney crouched to pick it up, her eyes widening when she saw the photographs encased inside. They were images from her
Fissures
series. She thumbed hurriedly through the pages. One after another they looked up at her, a collection of her very best photos. “Where did you get this?” she blurted out, forgetting for a second about everything else.

“Guinness put it together,” Tenley said, her voice raw.

“
Guinness?
” Sydney shook her head, running her finger along the gold-rimmed edge of one of the pages. It was a pretty album, made out of light green cloth, with a pattern of vines twisting around it. She couldn’t believe Guinness would do that. She thought of the photos he’d shoved at her outside his car. She’d been so sure he hadn’t even looked at them. But what if he’d been making copies of them for this? She hugged the album to her chest. She felt as if her heart were being sawed open yet again.

“He loves your photos,” Tenley said. “He thinks you’re
special
.” She spat out the word like a curse. “I could never be that for him.” Sydney looked up, and for the first time she noticed the tears staining Tenley’s face. “If only Lanson’s penthouse wasn’t being renovated this summer.” Tenley shook her head angrily. “Then I would never have had to live with Guinness in the first place.”

Sydney tightened her grip on the photo album. “That’s why he was here?” she whispered. All along he’d made her believe it was for her, for
them
. But it turned out he was the one playing games.

“Well, it certainly wasn’t for the family bonding.” Tenley sighed, looking weary. “You win, Sydney. He wants you.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Sydney was quiet for a second. “And you know what? We both deserve so much better.”

“Like a full-grown man who doesn’t live off his daddy anymore?” Tenley grumbled.

Sydney laughed in spite of herself. “And who knows that a date entails actually going
out
in public?”

“And has a wardrobe that consists of more than just beat-up T-shirts?”

“Call me crazy, but I don’t think that’s too much to ask for,” Sydney said. Lifting the photo album, she threw it at the wall. It bounced off, smashing to the floor, and she felt the crack in her heart begin to seal up, just a little. As she looked over at Tenley, an idea suddenly struck her. “Were you the one who sent me that note? So I would come and see the album?” She gave Tenley a tentative smile. “You could have just called, you know.”

Tenley’s face darkened. “So you got another dare, too.”

“I don’t understand,” Sydney said slowly.

Tenley looked as if she was about to reply when suddenly the boat lurched forward. Tenley let out a gasp. “Are we
moving
?”

For a second, they just stared at each other. Then, in unison, they raced toward the stairs. They reached the deck only seconds later. “Caitlin!” Tenley yelled. Caitlin was standing alone in the middle of the deck, looking pale and unsteady as she leaned against one of the couches. Tenley rushed over to her, and Sydney followed closely. “What are you doing here?” Tenley asked worriedly. “The doctor said you were supposed to stay in bed.”

Caitlin’s hand was shaking as she held up a small slip of paper, marked with the darer’s trademark font. “I had to come,” she said, her voice trembling. “I had to find out the truth.”

Under their feet, the floor of the deck began to whir, and suddenly they lurched forward again, faster this time. The wind lifted Sydney’s hair as she looked out at the water.

“We’re moving,” Caitlin breathed.

Sydney looked back at them, her eyes darting from Caitlin to Tenley. “But if we’re all here,” she said slowly, “then who’s driving?”

Tuesday, 12:05
AM

CAITLIN LEANED HEAVILY AGAINST A COUCH ON THE
deck of the
Justice
as she looked out at the water. It was a different ocean than the one she’d surfed on—dark and roiling, like a beast gathering its strength. And it was rushing past them, faster and faster.

“We’re picking up speed,” Sydney said anxiously. “I just don’t understand
how
.” She glanced over at the helm, where the steering wheel and rudder sat unmanned.

“I think there are some electric controls down in the cabin,” Tenley said. “I’m going to go check the engine room.”

“I’ll come,” Caitlin volunteered quickly. Her head was throbbing and there was a thin film covering everything—but she wasn’t about to let Tenley go exploring on her own.

“And leave me up here alone?” Sydney exclaimed. “Uh-uh, no way.”

“Then come, too,” Tenley said impatiently.

“Now, now,” a voice said from behind them. “There’s no need to bicker, girls.”

Caitlin’s breath caught in her throat. She knew that voice.

She whirled around, gripping the couch to steady herself. Standing at the top of the steps that led to the cabin was a pretty blond girl with clear blue eyes and silky, shoulder-length hair.

“
Tricia?
” Tenley gasped, and at the same time Sydney yelled, “What the hell is going on?”

“What, don’t you like our little boat ride, girls?” Tricia waved a hand at the waves rolling past them. “Your stepdad really had this thing equipped with the latest in boating technology, Tenley. I’ll have to thank him. I didn’t even have to be up on deck to drive the boat!” She smiled thinly at them, her eyes eerily calm. “The computer in the engine room is all set to take us exactly where I want to go.”

“Which is
where
?” Sydney asked furiously.

Tricia acted as if she hadn’t heard her. “You know what I want to do right now, girls?” She clapped her hands together, looking excited. “I want to play a little game. How about some truth or dare?”

“I think we’ll pass,” Tenley said sharply, inching closer to Caitlin.

“Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice,” Tricia replied coldly. “But don’t worry, I plan on going first. Because I have a dare for all of you.” She paused, digging something out of the pocket of her jeans. It was a piece of paper. Unfolding it, she held it up for them all to see. Typed across the paper, in an old-fashioned typewriter font, were five words.

I DARE YOU TO DIE.

Caitlin’s muscles went rigid. “You?” she whispered.

Next to her, Tenley grabbed her hand. “
You’re
the darer?”

Tricia laughed, a thin, shallow laugh that didn’t quite reach her
eyes. “Joey Bakersfield was so easy to set up. Especially after I found out he was drawing that creepy graphic novel. Poor boy has such a crush on our little Angel. And you were all champing at the bit to blame him anyway.”

“Enough!” Tenley snapped. She sounded brave, in control, but Caitlin could hear her breath coming out in fast, uneven spurts. “Where are you taking us?” she demanded.

Tricia wagged her finger at Tenley. “Come on, Ten Ten, I can’t tell you that. It would ruin the surprise.”

Caitlin could feel Tenley tense up next to her. “Then I’ll go find out for myself. It
is
my boat, remember? I know where the engine room is.”

“You can try,” Tricia said. “But I spent months studying boating so I could work that equipment.”

“It’s a computer,” Tenley spat out. “How hard could it be?” She gave Caitlin’s hand a squeeze before dropping it. “I’ll be back, okay?” she whispered.

Caitlin nodded, and Tenley took off for the stairs, racing down to the cabin. Caitlin took a few steps after her, but the more she moved, the queasier she felt, and she wobbled a little on her feet. Sydney hurried to steady her.

“Thanks,” Caitlin said gratefully. She leaned against her, waiting for the world to right itself.

“Aw, so cute,” Tricia sneered. “Little Miss Perfect and the pariah. It’s almost as sweet as Lady and the Tramp.” Caitlin recoiled at the hatred she saw in her eyes. “Too bad your friendship won’t have time to blossom.”

Caitlin let out a choked gasp, the hospital food she’d eaten earlier rising in her throat.

“You didn’t think I was serious about that dare?” Tricia raised her
eyebrows. “That’s how all games work, girls. In the end, there can only be one winner.”