Chapter 2

Elowen's POV

I'm lying in the dark thinking about Daniel. He's staying on the second floor of the villa right next to ours, but he rarely joins in when everyone's horsing around and being loud. The quiet one who always sits in the back during our group hangouts. I didn't even think he'd come on a group trip like this.

The reason I'm thinking about him is because of that dream I had three days ago, the one that changed everything. At the time, I thought it was just a nightmare, but after three days of watching... I'm not so sure anymore.

*The dream started at Jake's big confession moment. I'm standing there watching him tell Madison he loves her under those cheesy fairy lights. Everyone's waiting for me to flip out. They want the drama.

And I gave it to them.

I pushed through all those people and started screaming at Jake. "You can't do this! You said you'd wait for me!" God, I sounded pathetic. Everyone had their phones out, recording everything. Madison looked like she wanted to disappear.

Jake stared at me like I was dog shit on his shoe. "Are you fucking kidding me right now? I never said that. Stop making a fool of yourself."

"But we've been together for—"

"We've been nothing," he said. His voice was ice cold. "Did you honestly think I'd pick you over her?"

People started laughing. Actually laughing at me. Someone yelled "pathetic" and I just lost it completely.

I ran to the lake. I wasn't thinking about jumping or anything dramatic like that. I just needed to get away from all those faces. But the dock was wet and my heel slipped.

The water was freezing. When I came up gasping, people were running over. Someone pulled me out while I kept saying "It was an accident! I swear it was an accident!"

Nobody believed me. They all thought I tried to kill myself over Jake.

"She's completely lost it," someone said.

"So embarrassing," said another.

Jake walked away with Madison like I didn't exist.

My parents showed up an hour later. Mom wouldn't even look at me. "Pack your stuff," she said. "You're going to stay with Carol for a while."

"Mom, please, I can explain—"

"You embarrassed us tonight. We can't have Alice seeing you like this."

Carol was Dad's weird cousin who lived in some crappy trailer park. I barely knew her, but I was desperate. I had nowhere else to go.

The first week was fine. Carol was strange but whatever. Then her boyfriend showed up with his creepy friends. They kept staring at me and talking about me like I wasn't there.

"She's pretty enough," one guy said. "Bet we could get good money."

I tried calling my parents but they blocked my number.

Then Carol drugged my food.

I woke up in a van with zip ties on my wrists. There were other girls there, all of us crying and scared. The men talked about selling our organs like we were car parts.

"This one's young," someone said, poking at me. "Kidneys should be worth a lot."

I died on a metal table in some warehouse. The last thing I saw was a flickering light bulb.

But then something weird happened. I could still see everything after I died. Like I was floating above, watching.

Weeks went by. Months. Nobody came looking for me.

Except Daniel.

He was the only person who filed a missing person report. He posted my picture everywhere online asking if anyone had seen me. When they found my body, he came to identify it. He paid for my funeral.

And he was the only person there.

Jake didn't show up. My parents didn't show up. Alice didn't show up.

Just Daniel, standing by my grave crying.*

That dream felt more real than anything I've ever experienced. And for the past three days, everything has been exactly like what I dreamed, except today I didn't make a scene at Jake's confession ceremony.

But why would Daniel care about me? We hardly even talk.

The thought makes my stomach flip. If the dream was real, if it was some kind of warning, then I can change things. I can save myself.

And maybe I can find out if Daniel actually gives a shit about me.

I grab my phone and scroll to Daniel's number. My finger hovers over the call button.

This is crazy. What if I'm completely wrong? What if he thinks I've lost my mind?

But then I remember him at my funeral, all alone and crying. If there's even a tiny chance that he cares...

I get up and grab a sundress from my closet. If I'm going to test this, I might as well do it right.

Twenty minutes later I'm standing at the same lake from my dream. The water looks black and scary in the moonlight. I take a deep breath and call Daniel.

He answers on the second ring. "Elowen?"

His voice sounds sleepy but worried. My heart starts beating faster.

"Daniel, I..." I make my voice sound shaky and scared. "I was taking a walk and I slipped. I fell in the lake. I'm soaking wet and I don't know how to get back without everyone seeing me like this."

I hear movement, like he's getting out of bed.

"Where are you?"

"The wooden dock behind the main lodge."

"Stay there. I'll be right there."

He hangs up. I stare at my phone, shocked by how fast he responded. He didn't even hesitate.

I walk into the shallow water and soak my dress and hair. The cold water makes me gasp, but I need this to look real. When I climb back out shivering, I see headlights coming through the trees.

Daniel's car pulls up and he jumps out before it even stops completely. He's wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, his hair messy from sleep. He has a thick blanket in his hands.

"Jesus, Elowen, you're freezing." He runs over and wraps the blanket around me, pulling me against his chest. "What the hell were you doing out here alone?"

I look up at him with water dripping from my hair and I see something in his eyes that makes me stop breathing. It's not just worry. It's fear. Real fear that something could have happened to me.

Holy shit. The dream was right. He actually cares.

"I couldn't sleep," I whisper, letting my teeth chatter. "I wanted to clear my head and the dock was slippery..."

He guides me to his car with his arm around my shoulders. "You could have drowned. These lakes are deeper than they look."

He helps me into the passenger seat and turns the heat up all the way. While we drive back to the lodge, I watch his face in the dashboard lights. His jaw is tense and his hands are gripping the steering wheel.

"I should take you to your room," he says when we get there.

"No." I said, "I mean... I just fell in a lake, Daniel. I don't want to be alone right now."

He looks at me and I can see him struggling with something. "Elowen..."

I let my lip tremble a little. "Please? I know you probably think I'm some spoiled princess who can't handle getting a little wet, but I was really scared out there. I kept thinking about what would have happened if nobody found me."

His face softens. "I don't think that about you. I just... okay. I'll get you some dry clothes in your room and you can shower."

"Bathroom's there," he says, pointing. "Take as long as you need."

"Daniel, Just grab whatever's on top in my dresser. First drawer." I smile at him. "You're really sweet for doing all this."

His cheeks turn red. "It's nothing. I'll be back in ten minutes."

The second he leaves, I move fast. I go to his closet and find a white button-down shirt. It smells like his cologne, something clean that makes me want to bury my face in it.

I take the world's fastest shower, then put on his shirt. It hangs down to my thighs and the sleeves go past my hands. Perfect.

I dry my hair just enough so it won't drip everywhere, then climb onto his bed and wait.

When I hear his key in the door, my heart starts racing.

Daniel walks in carrying a bag of my clothes. He looks up and freezes.

I'm sitting cross-legged on his bed wearing nothing but his white shirt. The moonlight from the window makes the fabric see-through.

"I hope you don't mind," I say, smoothing the shirt down over my thighs. "Your t-shirt was way too big, and this smells like you. It makes me feel safe."

He drops the bag. His mouth opens but no sound comes out.

I tilt my head and let my hair fall over my shoulder. "There's just one problem though."

"What?" His voice cracks.

I look down at the bed, then back up at him with the most innocent expression I can manage.

"I got your sheets wet. What are we going to do about that?"