“Advice for the ages,” a voice commented behind us.

Lily froze, then let both hands drop to her sides. I turned sharply and saw Campbell standing in what had once been the doorway.

“Don’t let me interrupt you,” she said airily. “Please, go on.”

Lily cast a sidelong glance at me. “It’s not her fault, either, but perhaps a flying tackle would not go astray?”

“Bring it on, blondie.” Campbell smiled. “I’m an Ames. We’re taught how to fight dirty from the crib.”

Lily was not at a loss for a response for long. “Speaking of Ames family members and cribs—I understand that Sawyer isn’t your sister and that your real half-sibling is still out there somewhere.”

“Adopted, presumably,” Campbell replied smoothly.

Sadie-Grace chose that exact moment to stick her head in through the doorway. “I can’t talk about adoption,” she said solemnly. “Greer told me that I’m not allowed to say that word.”

CHAPTER 30

By the time the rest of the White Gloves and Candidates arrived, the four of us had made our way out of the remains of the house and around the perimeter of the island. Three-quarters of it was walkable, but the northmost stretch featured a series of steep drop-offs and a heaping ton of debris.

It was like Mother Nature had been using the island for her castoffs: dead wood and decomposition and trash dredged up from the deep.

“Candidates, there are half as many of you as there were a month ago.” For once, a White Glove other than Victoria took the lead. Hope let her gaze linger first on Campbell, then on me. “And there are twice as many of you as there will be a month from now.”

The Candidates are many. The Chosen are few. I waited for someone to chime in with the phrase, but not one of the White Gloves did.

“Do you know why you’re here? Why you’ve made it this far?” Hope let the question hang in the air. “Do you know what the White Gloves really are?”

“Maybe you’ve heard rumors,” Nessa chimed in. “But you’ve only heard what we want you to hear.”

“You’ve heard,” Hope continued, “that we come from a certain kind of background and a certain kind of family.” That would have elicited an eye roll from me—and possibly a gagging sound—except that she followed that sentiment with these words: “Maybe you think that makes us powerful.”