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‘Hey,’ I reply distractedly. I jut my chin towards the car as it drives off. ‘Do you know that guy?’

Tahlia follows my line of sight, her eyebrows drawn together. ‘No, that’s not a kid from our school,’ she says flatly, voice low. ‘I’ve seen him hanging around before. Totally dodgy.’

I nod, keeping my hands tight in my pockets. ‘I thought so. Something about him seemed off.’

The car disappears around the corner. Isla fidgets with her bag, looking around nervously before she heads to class. I want to go to her, to grab her hand, to make sure she’s okay, but she is too far away, and I doubt she would ever let me do that. Her shoulders are tense, and she’s walking strangely, unlike herself. Something’s off. She’s not the same sister who used to talk boys with me, or laugh late hours into the night, trading secrets and brushing each other’s hair.

Dragging my feet toward the classroom, each step slower than the last, I can’t seem to focus. Dropping into a seat, I rest my chin heavily on my palm, trying to pay attention to what the teacher is saying. My thoughts keep drifting back to Isla and the stranger, the handover, and the way she looked over her shoulder like she knew she was being watched.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. When Mr Harrison turns to write on the white board, I quickly pull it out, seeing Ash’s name on my screen.

Ash: Looking forward to seeing you on the weekend. Can’t wait x

My chest lightens, a weight I didn’t even realise I was carrying lifting at once. I bite my lip, a smile tugging at my face before I can stop it, and tuck my phone back into my pocket.

I can’t wait either.

22

ASH

Now

I move quietly, my shoes crunching just loudly enough to hear over the ambient screams. I’m careful to stay in the shadows where the light doesn’t reach.

She’s here. I can feel the tension in the air, and the scent of her shampoo is faint but unmistakable, a scent I’ve memorised. I don’t need the sound of her footsteps to know she’s ahead.

I round a corner, catching a glimpse of her strawberry-blonde hair in the weak, flickering light of a lantern. She freezes, like she senses me too. A thrill runs through me as I follow her deeper into the maze, letting the shadows mask me. She laughs as I duck behind an archway, watching her scan the path ahead, her shoulders tense.

‘Cherryyyy,’ I whisper under my breath, and it’s enough for my lips to twitch into a ghost of a smile.

I step out from the shadows and Bryn startles, a small gasp escaping her. She spins, searching, and the look on her face makes me pause, losing focus for a moment. That smile can stop my heart in my chest. She moves again, faster this time, and I match her stride, careful to let her think she’s leading the chase. She throws herself into a dark corner, pressing against the wall, careful to quiet her breathing. Turning her back to me, she peers down the corridor, in the opposite direction to where I am.

Smirking, I step closer. ‘You can’t hide from me.’

She gasps, spinning to face me. The thrill in her eyes matches mine, making my pulse jump. The fog swirls around, barricading us from the rest of the world. She darts left. I follow. She freezes. I freeze. We play this game – predator and willing prey – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Every step, every turn, every shadow between us is charged. I’m close enough to taste the tension, the longing, the electricity neither of us can deny.

She rounds the corner, and I’m there before she can take another step, catching her wrist in my hand, holding her in place.

‘You can’t get away,’ I murmur, my thumb brushing along her skin.

She grins, breathless. I pull her toward a section of the wall that looks like part of the maze, but I know better. My fingers press against the hidden latch, and the wall clicks, swinging open into a narrow room behind it.

The door shuts behind us with a soft thud, cutting us off from the noise and the world outside. In an instant, my hands are on her waist, pulling her flush against me, and she’s trembling with what I assume is part nerves, part want, and it only makes me hunger for her more. Her eyes search mine, and I don’t give her time to think. I lean in, brushing my lips across hers. Bryn’s hands press into my chest, and she arches into me as I deepen the kiss. It’s fierce, heated, and desperate all at once. I can feel her pulse in her neck, racing against mine, and it makes the fire between us burn hotter.

She’s mine, and I’m not letting her go. Every second apart from her, every year, every stupid misunderstanding we’ve carried with us, they all crash out with this kiss, raw and unrelenting. Her fingers thread through my hair, tugging me closer, and I respond with the same intensity, kissing her harder, our teeth grazing, tongues brushing. She gasps, and it’s a sound I can’t resist. My hands slide up her back, pulling her impossibly close, and I feel her press into me, soft and firm all at once. The world outside the hidden room ceases to exist. The screams of the haunted maze, the distant footsteps, they all fade away, and I don’t care that not being out there means I might lose my job.

‘Have you been thinking about me, Cherry?’ I drawl, capturing her lower lip between mine and sucking on it until she moans.

‘Yes,’ she admits, her breath barely above a whisper.

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah. I’ve been watching those videos of yours.’

I pause, drawing back from her to stare down at her flushed cheeks and coy smile.

‘Oh?’ I ask. ‘Is that so?’