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I give her a weak smile, knowing the horrors I plan to inflict on anyone who deserves it. “I sure hope you’re right.”

My eyes fall back to where Tommy and Remy were standing, but they’ve disappeared. They are watching…everyone is watching. But knowing they are there doesn’t make me feel better. They are giving themselves an alibi.

Stephen’s girlfriend is stumbling around aimlessly from too much drink, and when I glance over, Talia has Stephen by the hand and is pulling him into the woods.

I walk through the party, and nobody pays me any mind. With my wig on, I’m invisible. My stomach swirls—the sickness stirring inside me. I stand off to the side, my heart pounding when I realize I am truly alone. This isn’t a coordinated approach; Talia expects me to do this all on my own.

It’s up to me now.

I gaze up at the sky, wondering if leaving with Tommy would have been the better choice. He’d offered, more than once, to take me away from all this. Perhaps it isn’t too late?

I retreat into the trees, away from the group, away from the firelight, and take a shaky breath. Suddenly, I can’t breathe. My vision swims, and my stomach churns. I stumble into the woods, desperate for space. I follow a small path to another clearing, barely managing to contain the vomit as it surges out of me. It scorches my throat on the way up, and then I cough it out.

I let out a small sob, clutching my stomach.

I can’t… I just can’t.

I don’t have that darkness in me, not like they do… I’m not one of them, and I never will be. I could never kill someone in cold blood the way Talia does. Mama and Father Malcolm were different. They deserved what they got.

I’m not some kind of omen… I’m nothing.

It’s then I see him, staring at me from a few feet away from behind the shadows of a tree, and my frail heart beats at the sight of the mask that haunts my dreams.

My lips part as I take in his tall frame and dark clothes—his leather jacket.

Remy. It’s always been Remy lurching from the shadows.

“Remy,” I whisper, needing him desperately at this moment. “Is that you?”

He doesn’t say anything and stays still as a statue. Why is he just staring at me like that?

“Remy,” I whisper again, and the masked man shifts and shakes his head slowly.

A cry shrieks from the night, and when I look over, I see a menacing figure hovering over a girl a few feet away. Her head hangs low, and her frightened eyes are staring right at me, dazed and confused.

I run over to her and drop to my knees, ignoring the masked man. Driven by pure adrenaline. “Tina. Are you okay?” I look up at the masked figure staring down at me. “She has nothing to do with this, leave her out of this.”

A tight female voice cuts from the side. “I knew it was you, you demonic bitch.” I whip my head around to see another masked figure—a girl from the looks of her slim frame. Three more masked people walk up behind her.

“What did you do to her?” I demand.

Cindy shrugs, a smirk playing on her lips. “You and Talia aren’t the only ones who know how things work around here. Shadowface is just as much ours as he is yours. And now, we hold all the power.”

I remember Father Malcolm’s words: “The devil found me a long time ago, little girl.” This entire town is insidious and has been for longer than anyone could ever imagine. Cindy’s been indoctrinated for who knows how long.

My heart freezes when I realize I’m surrounded. Someone grabs me from behind and covers my mouth before I can scream. I don’t bother fighting as Cindy walks up to me, and the one holding me rips off my wig and shoves me to the ground.

I land on the twigs with a hard thud, my white hair falling into my face. One of them grabs my arms and pulls me up, covering my mouth. A couple of them gasp, and I glance around desperately seeking my family who promised they would protect me.

“Oh, sweet Jesus. It is her…” one of the other girls whispers. “Cindy was right all along.”

Six of them in total, all wearing masks.

Cindy steps in front. “You killed my father, didn’t you?” she accuses, her voice breaking.

I say nothing.

“Admit it…” she shrieks.