She boarded the boat last. Hannah gave her a hand.
Gretchen saw only one seat left, between Jackson and Patrick. She sat down, then stared straight ahead, pressing her hands between her knees.
Across from her, Gil sat between Cindy and Hannah. Hannah pushed off from the dock, and Jackson and Patrick began rowing.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m freezing,” Cindy complained, her teeth chattering.
“We pulled you away so fast, we forgot your coat,” Gretchen said fretfully.
“Here. You can wear this.” Gil slipped off his jacket and draped it around Cindy’s shoulders. “Feel better?”
“Mmm,” Cindy sighed. “Thanks.”
“If that’s not enough, I know an even better way to warm you up!” Gil added with an evil grin.
Gretchen rolled her eyes. Gil was such an animal. She didn’t know how Hannah put up with him.
Of course, Cindy was no better. She loved to wrap guys around her finger, to get them to do whatever she wanted. Gretchen hated to watch Gil—or any guy for that matter—turn into a drooling little puppy around Cindy.
But somebody else, she realized, hated it even more. Gretchen saw that Hannah was barely keeping her anger under control. It had to be hard having your boyfriend still be friends with his ex-girlfriend.
“Hey!” Patrick cried out suddenly. He stopped rowing. “What’s that?”
“What?” Gretchen demanded.
“Something in the water!”
“How can you see anything?” Hannah asked. “It’s pitch black out.”
“I saw a fin!” Patrick cried. “Over there.”
Jackson and Gil peered in the direction where Patrick was frantically pointing his finger.
Jackson raised an eyebrow. “A fin? In a lake? Give me a break.”
“I don’t see anything,” Gil murmured.
“It’s coming closer!” Patrick shouted. The boat started rocking from side to side as he hummed the theme from Jaws. “Dum-dum… dum-dum… dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum.”
Jackson rolled his eyes. “That’s really lame!”
“You’re such a loser, Patrick!” Gil laughed.
Gretchen groaned. It was another one of Patrick’s dumb jokes.
“Grow up,” Hannah muttered.
Patrick shrugged. “Admit it. You fell for it—for a moment.”
“So is this the entire guest list for my party?” Cindy asked. “Isn’t somebody missing?”
“Like who?” Hannah asked.
“Gretchen knows who,” Jackson sneered.
Gretchen felt totally confused. “I do?”
“You remember that tall guy with the long, black hair?” Cindy teased. “Your boyfriend? Marco?”
Marco. Gretchen felt her body grow tense.
“I didn’t invite him,” she answered sharply.
“How come?” Cindy pouted. “I like Marco. He’s so cute.”
“I’m trying to give him a hint,” Gretchen explained. “Maybe if he finds out he wasn’t invited to your party, we’ll be history. Then she added, “If you want him, Cindy, he’s all yours.”
“I’m sorry you guys are breaking up. I thought everything was going great,” Cindy said.
Gretchen dug her cold hands deeper into her pockets. “Not anymore.”
She stared out at the black water. She didn’t feel like talking about Marco Hughes anymore.
Couldn’t Cindy take a hint?
Sure, Gretchen and Marco seemed to be doing okay. Marco was totally different from the guys Gretchen usually went out with. There was something dangerous about him, and Gretchen had been instantly attracted.
With his long, black hair and silver hoop earring, not to mention the motorcycle he rode, Marco was a rebel. And they really had fun.
At first.
But as the weeks went by, she realized he was too wild. He didn’t care about rules. He didn’t care about schoolwork or grades or other people.
And he had a terrible temper.
Everything had to be done his way. Or else. The littlest thing could send Marco into a rage.
Gretchen didn’t like admitting it to herself, but she was a little bit afraid of Marco. She’d been trying to break up with him for weeks.
She even suggested that they see other people. But he wasn’t getting the message.
“Can we not talk about Marco tonight?” Gretchen begged. “I want to have a good time.”
“I won’t mention his name again,” Cindy promised. She made an X over her heart. “Cross my heart.”
“Hope to die,” Gretchen and Hannah finished together.
“There’s the island!” Jackson announced.
When the boat neared the dock, Jackson hopped out and tied it up. Hannah climbed out next and gave Gretchen a hand. Then Gil and Patrick helped Cindy.
Standing on the dock, Gretchen listened to the slap of the waves against the wood pilings and the wind in the trees. She saw big gray boulders on the shoreline, and beyond them, a thick mist floated over the dark woods.
Gil clicked on a flashlight and led the way to a rockstrewn path in the woods. The path that led to his grandfather’s cabin.
As she trudged along the rough path, Gretchen thought about the decorations in the cabin that she and Hannah had worked so hard on.
They had rowed over by themselves that afternoon to decorate the cabin and bake Cindy’s birthday cake. Gretchen felt especially pleased with all the candles they’d arranged in the front room.
Then she remembered. She was supposed to run ahead and light the candles before the others came in. The cabin would look really awesome.
She hurried ahead of her friends and raced up the path into the dark, misty woods.
Behind her, someone called her name. “Gretchen! Wait up! Do you want me to walk with you?”
Jackson!
Walk alone in the woods with him? No way! The thought creeped her out.
“No thanks,” she called back. “I can go faster by myself.”
Gretchen ducked her head and kept moving.
The path grew steep. She gasped for breath and slowed her pace.
She heard the wind howl through the trees and saw the long bare branches above her tossing from side to side.
Dead leaves swirled along the ground. She blinked as fat raindrops splattered on her face and hair. They’d made it to the island just in time.
Gretchen spotted the cabin and ran up the wooden front steps to the covered porch. She took a deep breath. Made it.
But as she reached for the doorknob she heard a creaking sound. Something moved in the shadows on the porch.
She turned to the side and saw the two empty rocking chairs swaying to and fro. Invisible party crashers?
“No ghosts. Just the wind,” Gretchen whispered to herself. She hurried inside.
Gretchen flung the front door open. She reached for the light switch along the wall and flipped it up.
No lights.
Gretchen stared into the darkness.
She jiggled the switch up and down. What’s going on? she thought. It worked perfectly this afternoon.
She jiggled it some more, then gave up.
Gretchen took a few steps into the darkness. She didn’t feel scared. She knew the floor plan by heart.
The door opened to the front room. The kitchen and a bathroom were to her right. A stairway near the kitchen door led to the second floor where there were two bedrooms and another bathroom.
Gretchen decided to find a candle. She walked deeper into the room.
What was that?
She stopped—and listened.
Silence. Then she heard it clearly.
A footstep.
Then another.
Gretchen wanted to run, but her legs suddenly felt like two cement blocks.
The slow, heavy footsteps moved closer.
Gretchen turned and stumbled toward the door.
A tall figure jumped out of the shadows behind her.
<
br /> Strong arms reached out of the darkness and wrapped around her.
She opened her mouth to scream.
A rough hand covered her mouth, smothering the sound.
The arms pulled her close.
Squeezing hard. Harder.
I’m dead, she realized. He’s going to kill me!
Chapter
6
Gretchen gasped for air. She squirmed and struggled to break free. No—please! Please! she silently begged.
To her surprise, the hands released her.
Gretchen stumbled, then whirled around to face her attacker.
“You?” she gasped.
“Surprise!” he cried. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
Marco.
Gretchen’s pounding heart slowed. She felt her body sag with relief.
“Hey, Gretch,” Marco laughed. “Did I scare you?”
“Yes!” Gretchen shouted. She pounded his chest with both fists.
She felt her fear drain away, replaced by simmering anger. She had been looking forward to a night away from Marco. Now here he was, standing in front of her.
She pulled a box of matches out of her pocket and lit one of the candles.
“Hey—it was just a joke,” Marco said.
“You nearly scared me to death,” Gretchen snapped. “For your information, there’s an escaped killer on the loose. He—he murdered three girls. I thought—”
Marco ran a hand through his long hair. “How was I supposed to know that?”
“The police are keeping it quiet,” Gretchen told him.
“Then how did you find out?”
“Patrick found out from his father, who told him not to spread it around.”
“You can’t be angry at me for something I didn’t know,” he argued. He tried to pull Gretchen back into his arms, but she wriggled free.
Marco stared at her with a hurt expression. Then he folded his arms across his chest and sighed.
She couldn’t help but notice the way his white T-shirt hugged his muscles or the way his blue jeans were molded to his legs.
Marco had a great body.
Most girls at Shadyside High would love to trade places with her, she knew. But she really didn’t want to go out with him anymore.
She couldn’t help it. It was just the way she felt.
Gretchen stepped away from him and shrugged off her jacket. She hung it on an oak coatrack near the front door. “How did you even know I’d be out here?” she asked.
“Your mom told me when I called your house tonight,” Marco replied.
He leaned against the banister leading upstairs and gave Gretchen a sly smile.
“I hid my boat on the other side of the island so I could surprise you,” Marco boasted. “You can’t get away from me so easily, Gretchen. Don’t you know that?”
Gretchen frowned.
Does he know that I want to break up with him? Has he figured it out?
Probably not. Marco is so vain…
She heard sounds at the door and saw the beam of Gil’s flashlight against the front windows.
A few seconds later, her friends piled through the doorway into the cabin.
Hannah caught sight of Marco, then threw Gretchen a puzzled look.
Later, Gretchen mouthed.
“Marco’s here?” Cindy squealed.
“You didn’t think I’d miss your birthday, did you?” Marco grinned.
He threw open his arms and Cindy raced into them, giving him a hug.
“I bet I look like a mess,” Cindy muttered, pushing back her hair.
Some mess, Gretchen thought. Cindy looked perfect as always.
“We wanted to light all the candles first,” Hannah apologized.
“This place looks great!” Cindy raved.
“It does, doesn’t it?” Gretchen agreed.
She and Hannah had spent three hours decorating. Streamers were strung from one end of the living room to the other. Silver foil stars hung on the walls, along with gold and pink balloons. A HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner was positioned over the fireplace.
Gretchen had scattered candles, all different colors and sizes, throughout the room. She quickly began lighting them.
She stepped past their sleeping bags, piled in one corner of the room. Gretchen didn’t think they’d be doing much sleeping tonight.
They’d be too busy partying.
Gretchen lit the last candle and blew out the match. “There. Now everything is perfect.”
“Happy Birthday, Cindy,” Hannah cried.
Everyone gathered around Cindy. “Happy Birthday!”
Cindy gazed around the decorated room. “No one has ever done anything this nice for me before. I can’t believe you all went to so much trouble to surprise me.”
“Why not?” Gretchen asked. “You’re our friend.”
“This is the best birthday I’ve ever had,” Cindy gushed. “I’ll remember it as long as I live.”
Later, after the horror began, Gretchen remembered Cindy’s words.
“I’ll remember it as long as I live.”
Chapter
7
“Let’s not forget the presents!” Gil cried.
“Or the food!” Patrick chimed in. “I hope we brought enough. I’m starved.”
“As usual,” Hannah murmured.
“If we run out of food, we’ll have to go hunting,” Marco said.
“Hunting? What’s to hunt? There are no animals on Fear Island,” Gretchen told him.
“Sure there are,” Gil responded. “Right, Patrick?”
Patrick nodded, his brown curls bouncing. “There are plenty of wild animals out there. Lurking in the shadows.” He lowered his voice to a sinister tone. “Waiting to pounce and kill when you least expect it.”
“There are not!” Cindy declared. She glanced around the room nervously, then asked in a tiny voice, “Are there?”
Gretchen playfully swatted Patrick’s arm. “Stop trying to scare us.”
Patrick threw up his arms. “Okay, okay. But that animal growling sound you just heard is my stomach.”
“Yeah, let’s eat!” Gil exclaimed, starting for the kitchen. “But first, everyone take your boots off. House rules. My grandmother will freak out if we get mud on the rugs.”
Gretchen could see Jackson watching them all. Not saying anything. A serious, almost angry, expression on his face.
Why is he watching us like that? Gretchen wondered. She dumped her boots by the front door with the others.
Is Jackson studying us? Why isn’t he joining in like everyone else?
If he doesn’t want to be here, why did he bother to come at all?
“Aren’t you coming into the kitchen, Jackson?” she asked.
“I’m going to start a fire,” he replied curtly. “You know. For roasting the hot dogs.”
In the kitchen, Gretchen helped Hannah empty the refrigerator while Gil, Patrick, Marco, and Cindy brought paper cups, plates, and napkins out into the living room.
Gretchen saw the canisters of flour and sugar they had used to bake Cindy’s birthday cake. They still cluttered the kitchen counter. Dirty bowls and pans filled the sink.
“Wow. Look at all that. We really made a mess baking today,” Gretchen observed.
“Don’t worry about it,” Hannah said. “Everyone will pitch in to clean up later.”
Gretchen moved the canister of flour to one side so she could reach a bag of hot dog rolls. “I guess.”
“So what’s the deal with Marco?” Hannah asked, handing Gretchen a package of hot dogs. “I thought you didn’t want him here tonight.”
“He called my house, and my mom told him where I was.”
Hannah made a face. “Oh, wow.”
“It’s not Mom’s fault,” Gretchen said. “She doesn’t know I want to break up with him.”
Hannah crammed her arms with bottles of ketchup, mustard, and pickles. “What are you going to do?”
Gretchen shrugged. “Try to keep
my distance.”
“Good luck. This cabin isn’t very big, in case you didn’t notice,” Hannah reminded her.
“Yeah, I noticed.” Gretchen sighed. She followed Hannah into the living room. “I’ll have to make the best of it. It’s only one night. How bad can it be?”
♦ ♦ ♦
As Gretchen walked into the living room, she saw the fire blazing in the hearth. Gil handed out skewers for roasting the hot dogs.
Gretchen cooked her hot dog in the fire. Then she looked around for a place to eat.
She spotted Marco sitting on the floor next to Cindy. So Gretchen took a seat on the couch. But he instantly got up and sat down next to her.
Gretchen felt trapped.
She had a feeling that if she got up and sat on the floor, or even escaped to the kitchen, Marco would follow her.
He tried to put his arm around her shoulders. But she jumped up to get another soda.
I used to love when Marco put his arms around me, Gretchen remembered. I used to love when he hugged me. When he kissed me.
Now I don’t want him to touch me ever again. I only want him out of my life.
“Anyone want another hot dog?” Cindy asked. She held out a hot dog that she had just finished roasting.
“I’ll take another one,” Gil called out. He held out his plate. “Hmmm. Looks good. What a chef.”
“Thanks,” Cindy replied with a sweet smile.
“And the hot dog looks pretty good, too,” Gil added, laughing.
Cindy giggled.
Gretchen felt as if she were going to gag on her food. She sneaked a glance at Hannah. Hannah sat staring at Gil, her mouth set in a tight line.
“You want some mustard and sauerkraut?” Cindy asked Gil.
“Gil doesn’t like mustard on his hot dog,” Hannah cut in. “He likes ketchup.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Cindy insisted. “He likes mustard, don’t you, Gil?”
Gil didn’t answer either Cindy or Hannah. He grabbed the hot dog and took a bite. “It’s fine just the way it is,” he replied.
Hannah leaned over and reached into a cooler for a can of Coke. She popped the can open and handed it to Gil. “Have a soda.”
Cindy shook her head. “Gil doesn’t like Coke. He likes ginger ale.”