Burned (20 page)

“I know,” Jordan said quietly. “But once I realized it, it was too late. Only now do I
really
know what love is.”

Emily looked up; the air felt electrically charged. Jordan was looking so deeply into Emily’s eyes that Emily felt a magnetic pull toward her. She thought about how Jordan had held her close on the glass-bottomed boat, accepting everything about her. And how she’d kissed Emily out in the open at the elevators. And how they could talk about anything, and how much they laughed, and how
right
kissing her felt.

She walked slowly back down the stairs until she was by Jordan’s side. When she slipped her hand into Jordan’s, it felt as though she’d come home. But then terror struck her. “What if someone else knows where you are?” She thought of A’s note.
Cute! You can room together in jail!

Jordan’s mouth made a line. “What do you mean?”

Emily swallowed hard. “What if someone recognizes you from the news … and tells?”

“I’ve kept a really low profile,” Jordan insisted. “I don’t think anyone on this ship is on the lookout for me, anyway. You shouldn’t worry.”

“But …” Emily trailed off, thinking of all the things A could do with the information. “What are you going to do when this cruise ends and we’re back on land? They’re going to catch you—you can’t run forever. What will happen to us? Will I ever see you again?”

Jordan pulled her close and rocked her back and forth. “Hey,” she said soothingly, rubbing a figure-eight pattern on Emily’s back. “Don’t worry.”

“But I
have
to worry!” Emily cried. “You need a plan! You need to figure out a way to stay safe!”

Jordan smiled placidly. “Em, I
do
have a plan.”

Emily blinked. “What is it?”

Slowly, Jordan led her out of the stairwell, past the busy arcade, and into one of the lounges, which had big velvet booths and long aquariums lining the walls. Other than Jeremy, who was leaning against the bar, talking to one of the bartenders, they were the only people in the room.

They sat down in a back booth near a glowing ATM machine. The second hand of the art deco clock on the wall made a full rotation before Jordan spoke again. “I’m never going back to the States,” she began. “You’re right—I’ll be arrested as soon as I set foot there. As long as I stay in another country, though, I’ll be safe. So when we dock in Bermuda, I’m getting on a plane. I was going to do it at our first stop in St. Martin, but then I met you, and I just … couldn’t.”

Emily’s eyes widened. “Where are you going?”

“Thailand. I have it all worked out. There’s a fake passport waiting for me in Bermuda, along with a plane ticket.”

Emily pictured a mental map of the world, trying to gauge the distance between Rosewood and Thailand. It felt like Jordan was going to the moon. “What are you going to do there?”

“Live an amazing life.” Jordan said wistfully, twisting a cloth napkin that had been set on the table in her hands. “It’s incredible there, Em—beautiful beaches, an amazing culture, and you can live like a king on nothing. I was thinking of teaching English to make money. And I want you to come with me.”

Emily sat back in the plushy booth. “
What?
”

“Think about it!” Jordan grabbed Emily’s hands across the table, almost knocking over a glass of water. “We’d
live
on the beach. You’d get to swim in the ocean every day. We could travel, have amazing adventures, and you’d get to escape everything here that you hate.”

A kid Emily didn’t recognize passed by them to use the ATM, and Emily pressed her lips together until he finished. Then she looked at Jordan plaintively. “But what if I wanted to see my family? Wouldn’t a plane ticket be really expensive?”

“You
couldn’t
see your family ever again. The authorities might figure out we escaped together—you’d be considered an accessory for hiding me. If you came back to the States, you could be arrested, too.”

The words hit Emily like a punch to the stomach. Never see her family again? Never live in America again?

Then again, what did she have in the States that she really treasured? A family who hated her? A college future she wasn’t even excited about? Good friends, yes, but they’d probably jump at the chance to get out of town, too. And there was Violet, of course, but the Bakers were the best parents she could ask for.

If Emily left, she’d never have to worry about getting arrested for Tabitha’s murder. She’d never have to worry about A coming after her, and she’d never be haunted by Ali’s ghost—or any other ghosts of Rosewood past again. Her family would probably celebrate her disappearance. It wouldn’t even register on Isaac’s radar. UNC would find a new swimmer.

She looked at Jordan’s huge, hopeful eyes, her parted lips, and the adorable dimple next to her eyebrow. She had found so much in one person, and letting her go seemed like a terrible mistake.

And could she really afford to make another one of those?

“C’mon, people, two more reps!” the Jillian Michaels impersonator yelled as she stood in front of the small workout room, raising two pale-blue dumbbells over her head. “Do it even though it hurts! Feel the burn!”

Hanna’s arms felt like rubber, but she lifted the dumbbells as high as she could anyway, letting out a grunt. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she was making a constipated, old-woman grimace.

Then she dropped the weights to the floor and sighed. “Give yourself a round of applause!” the instructor whooped. A few people burst into tepid clapping.

Hanna collapsed onto her mat. It was Saturday afternoon, and she’d been in the gym for two hours now—before taking the 7-Day Shred class, she’d pounded on the treadmill for thirty minutes, then tried to lose herself for another twenty on the StairMaster. But none of it had helped her forget about Naomi, or A, or Naomi
as
A.

Everyone in the class headed for the door, and Hanna draped a towel over her shoulders and followed. But when she saw Naomi’s shining face in the window, she backtracked.

“Hey there, superstar!” Naomi said brightly, pushing into the room. She was dressed in gray terry-cloth shorts, a white tank top, and New Balance sneakers. “You vanished so early this morning! Have you been here this whole time? You should’ve told me you were coming to the gym—I would’ve joined you!”

“Uh, it was a last-minute thing,” Hanna said, avoiding Naomi’s gaze, which felt far too intrusive.

Naomi linked her arm through Hanna’s. “I was just talking to the Pilates instructor—she sounds really awesome. Maybe we could sign up for a joint session tomorrow?”

“Uh, sure.” Hanna fiddled with her towel, unnerved by how close Naomi was standing to her. A vision of Gayle’s dead body on the driveway flashed through her mind.
Naomi did that
.

Naomi placed her hands on her hips. “Are you pissed at me?”

“Of course not,” Hanna bleated, trying to sound innocent.

“Well, you’re acting weird,” Naomi said, hurt evident in her voice. “You’re treating me like I have barf in my hair.”

Hanna mustered a carefree shrug. “I’m just tired.” Then she gestured toward the fountain, mumbled how she was dying for a drink, and made a beeline for the faucet.
She knows everything
, a voice inside her head roared.
Everything she told you was a lie. She’s not happy her cousin was in the crash—she’s furious, and she’s out for blood
.

When she was finished drinking, Naomi was waiting. “Can we at least rehearse for the talent show this afternoon?”

Hanna felt trapped. Thankfully, at that very moment, her cell phone chimed. It was only an e-mail from Shopbop.com about summer must-haves, but Naomi didn’t know that. “Mike wants to meet me—he says it’s an emergency. Bummer.”

Naomi looked suspicious. “Do you still
want
to be my partner for the talent show?”

“Of course!” Hanna lied, afraid of what Naomi might do if she said no. She shot her an I’m-sorry-I’m-so-busy smile. “We’ll catch up soon, okay?” And then, ducking her head, she darted for the stairwell door and scrambled to the floor her room was on—she was desperate for a change of clothes. She feared Naomi would follow her, but she didn’t appear on the landing.

Hanna unlocked her door and rushed inside. Even though it had only been a few hours since she’d been there, the room didn’t seem like hers any longer. Naomi’s suitcase was in a completely different place now. Different clothes were on her bed, and the chair had been moved to the window. Hanna peeked around for Naomi’s laptop, but it was nowhere to be seen. She’d probably never leave it unattended again.

She collapsed onto her bed for a moment, all at once feeling as tired as she’d pretended to be at the gym. Her head sank into the cool, soft pillow. Her aching limbs relaxed into the cushy mattress. It felt so good to stretch out after so many hours of exercise. The white noise of the fan was lulling and soothing.
I’ll just close my eyes for a minute
, she thought to herself, her breathing slowing. And then, darkness surrounded her like a heavy blanket, cloaking everything.

When she opened her eyes again, she was sitting in an unfamiliar BMW. A pine tree air freshener spun from the rearview mirror. The radio was set to a hip-hop station.

She blinked and looked out the window. It was pouring outside. Tall buildings surrounded her, and a neon sign for South Street Steaks flashed in the distance.

The passenger door opened, and a figure flopped into the passenger seat. “You really don’t have to do this, Olivia,” a familiar voice slurred. “I’m totally fine to drive.”

Hanna blinked hard. It was Madison. Her blond hair was mussed, her face was flushed, and she was wearing the same striped T-shirt she’d worn that night at the bar. Hanna looked around again. This
was
that night at the bar. The air felt like summer. Madison’s breath smelled thickly of booze. Hanna had a salty margarita taste in her mouth.

Then she had an epiphany. Was she getting a do-over of that night? Could she change fate? Could she get out of the car, hail Madison a cab, and send her home another way, staying out of this mess completely? Then Naomi would never have anything against them. She would never become A. This nightmare wouldn’t be happening.

But when she tried to pull the door handle to leave, her fingers wouldn’t respond. And then, unwittingly, she felt her hand twist the key in the ignition and rev the car’s engine. Before she knew it, she was pulling into traffic.
Stop!
she told herself, but her foot continued to press the gas.

“Get on 76 West,” Madison mumbled, pointing to the sign above them. Hanna tried to steer the car in another direction, but it was useless. She found herself merging onto the highway, just as she had the first time.

She focused on the road, which was barely visible through the rain. “Stay on 76 until 202,” Madison instructed.

Those were the directions to get to Rosewood. “Where do you live, exactly?” Hanna asked, even though she now knew.

Madison giggled. “You’re going to hate me, but I don’t exactly remember. My parents just bought a new house, like, last week, and I keep forgetting the address. But I think I can get us there.”

An oncoming car sent up a plume of water against the windshield.
Pull over!
she told herself.
Wait at least until this rain stops!
But, frustratingly, she kept driving.

Madison directed Hanna to Reeds Lane. Hanna’s heart thudded as she navigated the curves, dreading the moment that was about to come. And then, there it was: A car appeared out of nowhere, veering straight into her lane. She screamed and cut the wheel. Madison let out a strange
urp
sound, and her head banged against the seat. The tires skidded on the wet road, and before Hanna knew it, the car had slid down the embankment. She hit the brakes hard, and the wheels locked and the back end fishtailed.

“Help!” she screamed. A huge oak approached in the windshield. She tried to turn away from it, but it was too late.

There was a deafening
crunch
, and then a symphony of shattering glass. Hanna shielded her face and felt the airbag deploy. The seatbelt cut hard against her shoulder and waist, and then everything stopped. When she opened her eyes, the radio was still playing. The engine still hummed. A tree branch poked through the windshield. Glass had shattered everywhere.

Hanna looked to her right. Madison’s head was tilted at a strange angle. A thin ribbon of blood flowed out of her nose. When Hanna looked down into the footwell, she screamed. Madison had no legs. She was only a torso.

“Madison?” Hanna whispered shakily. She shook Madison’s shoulder. “
Madison?
”

Suddenly, Madison’s eyes popped open. Hanna recoiled. The girl’s eyes were clear and lucid, and she stared unflinchingly at Hanna.

“Your name isn’t Olivia,” she said in a haunted voice. “It’s Hanna Marin. I know everything about you.”

Hanna’s eyes boggled. She pushed the airbag out of the way and tried to scramble out of the car, but Madison caught her arm before she could. When she turned back, it wasn’t Madison’s face staring back at her. It was
Ali’s
.

“Hey, Hanna!” The corners of Ali’s lips stretched wide into a smile. “Miss me?”

Hanna shot up in bed, breathing hard. She was in the calm, quiet stateroom on the boat. The covers had been thrown back, and she was clutching a pillow with her trembling fingers. She pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to erase Ali’s face from her thoughts, but her smile was burned in her brain.