It looks like we’re not alone here, though I don’t see anyone else. But I’ve learned to read the environment and the body language of my prey. I borrowed a few studies from Maddy on body language, actually. I may not need it the way she does—I’m not broken the way she is—but it was helpful.
And quite frankly, it gives me a rush now. Like a boss fight at the end of a game, when you know you’ve done all you can to prepare and ready yourself, and you know only one of you will walk out alive.
Today, that’ll be me.
This mountain is mine. I’m the hero of this story.
I wait until Finn’s climbed his way up onto the boulders again, as awkwardly as he did when we first arrived here earlier today. I couldn’t let him fall then. It would’ve ruined the game.
Besides, I’m not a bad person. I’m a pragmatist.
Liar.
Thief.
Addict.
Worthless.
“Finn…” I call out to him softly, and watch him tense once more. I reach for the hunting knife that’s strapped to my leg and carefully unsheathe it. My hand throbs, and I welcome the pain. I don’t plan to stab him—nothing so mundane—just to scare him and make him lose his balance.
Traitor.
“Who’s there?” His voice trembles.
I hold my breath and let the silence draw out.
Again, “Who’s there?”
There’s so much fear in his voice. It’s delicious.
“Finn…” I let my voice dance on the night air, as I start to circle around him for the best approach. The rocks are sharp and the cliffs are high, and I want to be careful not to slip.
“I know you’re out there. Stop trying to scare me!” His voice catches and breaks.
I can’t help it; I laugh.
And with that, I step into the moonlight.
Thirty
Ever
Liva.
You’re okay smashes against No.
This hurts. I’m frozen to the ground as she advances on Finn, a knife in her hand. She is only a shadow at first, and there’s a distance between them, but some shadows have sharp teeth and sharper claws. Her free hand is carefully bandaged.
Finn has his back to her, his eyes focused on the boulders, to draw her out as far as he can, but he’s already higher up them than either of us planned.
Unless he recognized her soft whisper, he doesn’t know it’s Liva yet.
Frantically, I try to catch Maddy’s eye, to make sure she’s on deck to stop Liva. She’s as pale as I must be, but her gaze is trained on her former best friend. We move along the trees, using the darkness to our benefit, trying to catch up. She’s holding her cape in both hands, but she has to find a way to get close without being noticed.
Liva’s tread across the boulders is careful. Everything about her is tense and measured: the set of her shoulders, the clenching of her jaw. The way her eyes flick back and forward, and how they glow against the moonlit sky.
Does she know we’re here? She must have an inkling.
How can it be Liva? Or maybe: Were we so oblivious?
It is a weird thing, observing her now. It’s hard to consider her an enemy in the most rational sense of the word, because I’m convinced none of us feel it. Emotionally, she’s still our friend. She’s alive. Of course she is. I know we need to save ourselves, but I want to save her too. From herself, if need be.
What happened to her?
She walks closer to Finn still, and he must hear her, but he keeps his back to her.
A few steps away from me, partially covered behind a tree, a flash of movement. Maddy. Gravel crunches and the sound echoes through the night air.
Liva freezes. Her head snaps toward the sound. Her hands go to her belt, and she crouches into an almost defensive stance. As far as I’m aware, she hasn’t done any martial arts, but she’s certainly trained somewhere. She seems comfortable with these movements. She handles her knife with ease.
Finn comes to the most uncomfortable bit of the climb, and Liva has started to climb the boulders too. She gains quickly now, even if she keeps her pace steady and her eyes everywhere around her. She can’t know for certain we’re here, but she has her guard up.
I have to protect him.
“Liva!”
I dash out from the tree line toward the boulders, revealing my hiding spot. The single shout has a dramatic effect on Finn, who spins around and nearly falls over. It has a less dramatic effect on Liva, who simply turns.
There’s a moment of realization that crashes over her. Of resignation. Then a smirk. A smile. And it’s one I’ve seen a thousand times before. It’s so familiar, but it was never yet so deadly. “So you managed to get out. How impressive.”
I start walking toward her but slowly, like one would approach a wild animal. “You need to stop this, Liva.”
“You were always smarter than any of us gave you credit for. You know that, right? You could’ve been the best of us.” She takes a step back, to keep the distance between us. “With the right upbringing, the right people around you…”
Her words lash out at me. “You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
“You pieced it all together, didn’t you? Clever Ever.”
That’s why the note was there, in her room. It wasn’t to throw us off her trail, or not only that at least; ironically, it was the only truth she told. Liar. She lies. She always lied.
I haven’t pieced the rest together yet. I don’t want to.
I climb the boulders to approach her, and she backs away, keeping a careful distance between us. We circle around each other like predator versus prey, and I honestly wouldn’t be able to say which is which. Perhaps we’re all predators. Or perhaps we’re all prey. If the latter’s the case, we’re fighting for our lives.
“We’re your friends.” I
