“I know you’re in there,” his voice called out. “Talk to me.”
Rowan-in-the-bathroom’s eyes darted in the direction of the voice then back to my face.
Fergus was right about one thing. It did feel like my brain had broken, seeing Rowan’s face here and hearing his voice there. I stepped backwards. The floorboard cracked loudly underfoot.
“Tamsin?”
The voice was in the living room now.
Rowan-in-the-bathroom looked at me and shook his head vigorously. It was everything I’d feared. I’d pulled him into my shit. Now he was in danger, too.
CHAPTER 42
What are you doing here? I mouthed at him.
Rowan-in-the-bathroom pushed his face further into the gap in the door.
“I wanted to check in on you. Then I saw the door was open and I was worried something had happened, so I stepped inside and then I heard that… thing… and I ran and hid.” His voice was hushed and shaky. “What is it? Why does it sound like me?”
My chest went tight and my hands started to sweat. This was all my fault. I had to get him out. How in the hell was I going to get him out?
“Are you alright?” the voice called from just down the stairs.
Rowan-in-the-bathroom flinched back behind the door.
“It’s coming, it’s coming!” he whispered. “Quick, hide in here.”
The bottom step of the stairs creaked in the dark.
Rowan-in-the-bathroom reached out his hand to me.
I went to grab it, taking one hand off the axe, then stopped.
“She will hunt you.”
I remembered Fergus’s story. One mum downstairs. One in the bathroom. Who do you choose?
I put both hands back on the axe. Rowan-in-the-bathroom looked at me, panicked at first, then slowly shocked.
“Tamsin? What are you doing? Come on.”
I stepped back.
“Tamsin! Are you nuts?”
I backed away toward the stairs.
His face curdled into anger.
“You’re going to get us both killed!”
“I’m sorry,” I said, “but you’re not Rowan.”
He sank against the bathroom door. The skin around his eyes twitched.
“You really think that thing is me?”
“No,” I said. “Neither of you are Rowan. Rowan’s not here.”
