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“Shit, Cooper!” I scold him, zipping up my bag and shoving my dress off until I’m in my bikini. “You scared me.”
“Good…” He raises his dark eyebrows. “You not suiting up?”
I shake my head, taking a large skull of water. “It’s too muggy. I can’t breathe and would rather feel the water on my skin today.”
His face scrunches as he hesitates. “Look, I’m all for you flashing what God gave you, but these assholes could be weird and there’s only one me.”
I stop him by pushing my finger to his lips. “They’re from Netflix, right? Like they’ll be anything bad.”
Cooper’s brows pull in slightly, but before he can answer, I snatch my board and run for the ocean, laughing as soon as my toes hit the water.
The rain wouldn’t stop pelting down over my face as I stood on the other side of the window, watching as girl after girl disappeared through the entry onto the ship. I knew it was going to be busy tonight, and I kind of counted on it. I needed to sneak in undetected. My friends would be there, so as soon as I was in, I knew I’d find my way back around. I brushed my hands down my skirt once again, thinking over the words in my head. I recited them like the alphabet, like a poem I wanted to memorize.
The heavy footsteps of my boots hit the wooden gangway that led onto the ship as it rocked against the wind. The sails were down, but the music was loud, and I was pretty sure someone was singing behind a guitar. I needed to hear him closer. Feel what his voice felt like against my skin. I knew this would be a bad idea. My being here wasn’t going to end well, but I had seen the tabloids. I knew where to be at the right time.
I reached the landing and took a deep breath. The stars were extra bright tonight, and the ocean was almost flat. Hades Hollow always had a swell to it, so this kind of weather was rare. I shuffled through the ship as I watched people from left to right. Lanterns hung over the stray ropes all over the place, and right in the middle of the back there was a boy playing a guitar and singing loudly against the night. He looked up at me from behind the most beautiful eyes ever, flashing me a dazzling smile.
Oh wow. He was worth it. The lyrics wrapped around the tip of his tongue like a poem does to a poet. His trance entrapped me. I didn’t want to leave. Moving around the barrels, I found an empty spot in the corner to study him as the flames from the small fire burning in the middle left a dusting of shadows around his face. I knew that I shouldn’t be here, that it was breaking every rule that I’d ever been given, but I had to see him. I just had to. Nothing ever made much sense to me, but this did.
Shiloh
Iremember when I was thirteen years old, and Cooper found out that Ruin had a crush on me. Ever the protector, he tried to fight him after school in the library. It didn’t get far. Ruin’s father was an attorney here in Hades Hollow, and Ruin knew how to weaponize him. Cooper may be impulsive with his loyalty, but he’s not stupid.
“So you never told me how you managed to get this deal,” I say to Cooper as I paddle through the water, looking over my shoulder briefly to catch their small tin boat following far enough away for them not to hear. “I find it hard to believe that so many people are this interested in Hades Hollow.”
We keep paddling out until we get to the break that separates the ocean from The Landing.
“They hit up Mom. She and yours sorted it all. I just said fuck yes to being on TV.” He pauses, sitting up on his board. I shuffle up until I’m straddling mine, legs hanging in the water.
“And they checked out?” I look over my shoulder to see their boat gaining distance. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for doing tours, obviously, but a Netflix doco?” I breathe out a sigh. “I just don’t know.”
I follow Cooper deeper into the cave until the boat enters. Standing on the shoreline, I pull my board out of the water and toss it down onto the sandy beachfront. The cave is darker because of the shading from the sun, and for as long as I can remember, it has always been the hideout spot for every generation of teenagers in Hades Hollow. Well, those who are brave enough to venture into it. I watch as Cooper drags his board out before helping pull the small boat filled with cameramen onto the shoreline. Everyone who knows Cooper knows how much something big like a Netflix documentary would help him and his fascination with getting famous.
“Thanks, man!” one of the guys calls out as he helps carry cameras and equipment off the boat. He catches my eye once they’re all on the shore, and I’m once again second-guessing what I’m doing here. Best friend aside.
Manny winks at me, unbuttoning his shirt before picking up his case beside him. “Lead the way.” He brushes past me and my fingertips prickle.
We spend the remainder of the two hours we have with them showing them around the cave. They cling to every word I speak about the history of the caves and the longer we are in here, the more I want to leave. It is a little after lunchtime when we finally make our way back to the shoreline and I wrap my ankle up as Cooper helps them load the boat with their camera equipment—what pieces they came with.
“Here—” Manny tosses an envelope at me as he hops into the hull of the boat.
I lean down to snatch it up from the sand, glaring up at him as they start sailing away. If this prick thought I would get money tossed at me like some stripper on a pole trying to dance for her rent—I tear open the top and pause when I peek inside to see a single black card with matte black finishing and white lettering.
Reopening of Whisper Manor
When: Sunday
Time: Midnight
The edges are curled with silver ink, and patterns of the ocean waves run down the middle.
“Huh,” Cooper interrupts from over my shoulder, and for a moment I forgot he was still here. “We are going.”
I shove the card back into the envelope. “I don’t know. I mean, who are these guys and how do they know about Whisper Manor? It all seems…” I fold up the envelope and shove it into my front. “Weird.”
“They were there this morning, so I guess they know the new buyer? Welcome to Hades Hollow…” Cooper grins at me, slapping my ass and running back to his board.
I panicked, I think. Looking back when Manny gave us the invite to the reopening, I told myself I wouldn’t go. I didn’t want to. But when I opened TikTok yesterday and saw how many people were attending this damn thing, it was inevitable that Cooper and I would be going.
