The words stung, the tone underneath them even worse. “Andy, please, we want to help—”
“Go,” he said harshly. Then, again, he bellowed through the storm. “Go!” At his command, I took a step back, and then another. The group followed my lead, and we walked back to our huts in silence. Sorrow ripped through my chest as I tried to figure out why Andy had seemed so angry with me specifically. Was it just my imagination? It felt so real. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to comfort him and had no idea how. We split up into our huts without a word, and Brad and I stood in front of the sliding glass door, staring out into the dark night, the sky turning white with lightning more frequently as the storm raged. From there, we couldn’t see Andy. Emily’s body may as well have been a figment of our imagination, but we knew they still existed out there. Beyond where our vision reached, our friend was experiencing the worst heartbreak of his life, and we were completely powerless to help him.
“What happened?” Brad whispered, his breath on my ear.
I shook my head in horror, staring out into the dark night through the glass as I swiped away another tear. I couldn’t stop myself from crying every time I thought of Andy. “Do you think it was an accident?”
Brad didn’t answer, but I hadn’t expected him to. How could any of us answer something so horrible. It had to be an accident, didn’t it? If it weren’t, it meant someone had killed Emily on purpose. And, if that was the case, that meant someone on the island was a murderer.
Which meant any of us could be in danger.
Any of us could be next.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nick
The next day started off as a strange mix of awkward and solemn. Andy hadn’t shown up to breakfast, and still, no one knew quite what to say. Megan cried all night, I couldn’t sleep, and from the looks of it, we weren’t the only ones. The sky was cloudy, and though the storm had died down, the evidence that it had happened was all around us—limbs and debris spread across the once-pristine beach. Workers were out there, cleaning it up, acting as if nothing had changed. Perhaps hoping we would, too, but we couldn’t.
Like it or not—understand it or not—everything had changed.
We sat at the breakfast table in silence, and as I thought about it, I realized I didn’t think anyone had talked the entire morning. Was this what the rest of our trip would be like? If so, I would’ve preferred to go home.
“Should we check on Andy? Or ask Manu how last night went?” I asked, finally breaking the silence as I picked at my food.
“Let him sleep,” Natasha said. “Lord knows he deserves that much.”
“When do you think the police will get here?” Laura asked.
“Soon,” Natasha said. “By dinner, I’d think. They’ve probably already sent a boat out for help, right?”
I shrugged, though she wasn’t looking at me. Brad, who she was looking at, nodded. “I’d say so.”
“Maybe we should just all go home,” Jaren said, huffing out a breath as he read my mind. “I mean, I don’t think any of us feel like vacationing right now. We should get Andy back, help him figure out what’s next.”
“What is next?” Megan asked. “Does he need to contact her family? Or will the police do that?”
“I don’t know,” I said, when no one answered right away. “I don’t think any of us knows how this is going to work. All we can do is be there for Andy. And, honestly, I’m with Jaren. I’m okay to leave if everyone else is.”
Slowly, I watched all the heads around the table nodding.
“I’m going to check on him,” Brad said finally, pushing back from the table. His breakfast was completely untouched. “I won’t wake him if he’s asleep, don’t worry. But I’m not going to let him lie around alone all day. If I were him, I can tell you I wouldn’t be sleeping.”
“I’ll come with you,” Laura said, starting to stand up, but Brad put a hand out.
“No, just…let me have a minute alone with him, okay?” He leaned his head toward his shoulder, and she nodded.
“I can’t eat anymore anyway,” Natasha said as he walked away. “I’m going back to the hut to change clothes.” She put a hand on Jaren’s shoulder as she stood. “You coming?”
He nodded, standing to join her. Together, they tossed napkins onto their plates and left the table. Megan pursed her lips, staring around before clearing her throat. “I think I’m going to go back to our hut, too. Come with me, Nicky?”
I looked at Laura, the only one left at the table, and I couldn’t help feeling conflicted. She stared down at her plate, chewing slowly as if lost in thought. “Yeah, I’ll meet you back there, okay? I need to go check in with Manu about a few things.”
“O-okay,” Megan said, caught off guard because I hadn’t mentioned it until that moment. Namely because I hadn’t made it up until right then. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, it’s okay. It won’t take me long.” I waved her off, my heart swelling with hope as I waited for her to continue leaving. Thankfully, after a moment’s pause, she pushed her chair back.
“Okay, then. See you soon.” She looked down at Laura, leaning her head down to meet her line of vision. “You okay? Want me to walk you back to your hut?”
My chest tightened. No.
“It’s okay,” Laura said, giving her a small smile. “I’m going to wait awhile. I need to eat something, even if I don’t want to.”
Megan nodded, looking between the two of us. “Okay…” She was obviously uncomfortable leaving us together, and I should’ve just left with her, but I couldn’t. There was something I had to know. A few things, honestly.
Finally, she sighed, walking away practically
