‘Honestly, sometimes it seems like it might be.’

‘So it’s evil?’ I say. ‘You’re telling us we’re stuck in a real-life horror movie?’

Madzikanda shakes her head. ‘I don’t think it’s malevolent. If anything, I think it’s trying to help you.’

‘Help us?’ Kellen looks at her in disbelief. ‘By trying to kill us?’

‘It’s just giving you a little … push.’

‘Off a cliff?’ Kellen says.

‘I know it’s probably difficult to hear this right now, but everyone who’s gone through this experience came out the other side grateful for having done so.’

‘Yeah, I’m really grateful. Just love it when my heart stops,’ Kellen grumbles.

‘Personally, I can’t get enough water filling my lungs,’ I chip in.

‘Look,’ she says, ‘I know it doesn’t sound that way now. If somebody had said that to me when I was in the loop, I’d have probably punched them. But trust me, it’ll all make sense in the end.’

‘Yesterday you told us that we had an objective,’ Kellen says. ‘Something we had to figure out? I’d given up on trying to get Rhys to try and stay with me, but then this morning he said he loved me. Could that be it, miss? Is all this really about me and Rhys?’

‘You tell me,’ she replies.

‘But he’s an asshole,’ I protest. ‘You said it yourself!’

‘I said that because I thought he didn’t want to be with me …’

‘He doesn’t wanna be with you!’ I say. ‘He was just in shock!’

‘Wow …’ Kellen says. ‘Jealous much?’

‘Jealous? Why would I be jealous?!’

‘He tried to save me, Zach! You said it yourself.’

‘Tried and failed,’ I mutter.

‘You’re being a dick.’

‘I’m telling it how it is. This isn’t about Rhys. Crawling back to him would be an astronomical mistake. You heard what Miss said – we need to stop wasting time.’

‘Wasting time?’ he says. ‘I’ve done enough of that the past few days with you.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘You’re excused,’ he snarls, storming out of the door, slamming it behind him.

‘What an asshole,’ I say.

‘Because you handled that so well yourself?’ Madzikanda frowns. ‘You two do see what’s happening here, right? Like, you can’t be that oblivious?’

‘What do you mean, miss?’

She gives a long-drawn-out sigh. ‘If you and Kellen don’t start being honest with each other, I think you’re gonna be stuck here a while.’

‘Being honest with each other? What’s that supposed to mean?’

She stands up and goes over to the door.

‘I’m going to go and make some bad decisions because Lord knows they won’t stick. Tell the others Capture the Flag is cancelled. Come and find me when you’ve figured it all out, though, won’t you? I’d quite like to be there for the finale.’

‘Let’s get out of here,’ I say, finding Bec and Chase in the dining hall.

‘What about the game?’ Bec asks, confused. ‘What’s going on, Zach?’