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“Is Marjorie back?” Rhiannon demanded.
Coral frowned. “Think she’s still out on the four-wheeler.”
Rhiannon bit down hard on her lip. She stormed into the next room; Ann was brushing one of the dogs. When she saw Rhiannon, she withered. It was so obvious being around other people drained her. But other people were the whole purpose of Halcyon. Whycome,if you’d rather have solitude?
“Do you know the gate code?” Rhiannon demanded.
Ann gave her a strange look. “No. Why?”
Rhiannon called through the open door into the kitchen. “Do you, Coral?”
“Me?” Coral laughed. “They don’t give me any responsibility around here.”
Behind Rhiannon, someone snickered. Gia typed on her laptop at the table. There was a stack of spreadsheets next to her. Naomi stood on a chair, changing a light bulb. Neither of them looked at her.
The children had eaten early; she saw signs of their dishes stacked in the kitchen sink. To Rhiannon’s relief, tonight wasn’t acommunal meal—Coral had left some grab-and-go veggie-stuffed pitas on the table. Rhiannon took one and shoved it into her mouth, practically forcing it down just to get in some sustenance.
Teddy was playing with some of the kids in the main room; Rhiannon swooped in and picked him up. “Bedtime,” she announced, kissing him on the top of his head.
When she looked up, Amy was giving her a curious smile at the other end of the hall. A chill went through her, and suddenly she couldn’t trust her, either.
She lugged Teddy down the hall. Rushed through bedtime, skipping pages in his favorite book, turning off the light fast. She needed her child ensconced in the safety of sleep.
Then she lay on top of the covers, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. She kept her ear trained for Marjorie coming back from wherever she’d been. Her mind felt scattered, and she had no idea what she would say to get Marjorie to relinquish the gate code—even if Marjoriewasn’tthe voice, she was very particular about people coming and going. Then again, before, when she’d recruited Sarah and Lenna, she’d said she needed medical tests for a preexisting condition; Marjorie hadn’t questioned that. Could she say Lenna needed medical care? Or her baby? She had to get Lenna out of here. She owed her that.
The pillow was cool and soft. The sky outside had turned a dusty purple. There were sounds from down the hall—dice rattling in a cup. Game night. So freakinginnocent,and yet there was a wolf lurking.
She stifled a sob. It wasn’t fair. To any of them. All these kids…
Something shifted in the corner, almost imperceptibly, shadow upon shadow. Rhiannon bolted awake, but she didn’t dare move. She peered behind the chair. Something was lurking behind her mountain of clothes.Someone.In her room.
The figure stood. She moved through the darkness like a ribbon, like she had all the time in the world, somehow knowing that Rhiannon would be too petrified to scream. Rhiannon remained still as she slithered over to her bed until they were just inches away from each other.
“Hello, Pigeon,” the voice whispered.
There was something very familiar about this voice—not just because she knew it from the phone call, but from real life, too. Before Rhiannon could say a word, before she could evenbreathe,there was a hand over her mouth and something sharp was piercing the inside of her arm. She swung around, and for a split second, she saw the face of the person who was hurting her.
She couldn’t believe who it was.
33
Lenna
October
Present day
“A person?” There is dust in Lenna’s eyes. Dust in her throat. “Where?”
“There,” Sarah says. “Oh shit. Get behind me.”
She yanks Lenna to the right. The dog seems to rise up like he’s going to bark.
“Shh,” Sarah warns, snapping her fingers at him. “Cosmo,quiet.”
Lenna tries to peer in the direction of Sarah’s gaze. The rocks block her view. “What should we do?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you should have told Marjorie where we were. Safety in numbers? They could have come for us.”
