Slowly, Gabby reached out and grabbed Emma’s wrist. Emma flinched. What was going to happen next crystallized before her: Gabby was going to throw her over the side of the cliff. She was going to kill her swiftly and neatly in a matter of seconds, and then tell everyone that Sutton had tripped or stumbled. A new headline formed in Emma’s head: Girl Gets Away With Murder—Twice.

All at once, something broke loose inside Emma’s body. She wasn’t going to die—not tonight. “Get away from me!” she cried, shoving Gabby backward.

Rocks cascaded beneath Gabby’s feet. Gabby’s mouth made a small O. There was a scrambling sound, and her arms wheeled in the air for balance. Time seemed to slow down. Gabby’s sneakers slipped beneath her as though she were skating on ice. She grappled for something to steady herself, but the only things around her were thin tree branches and razor-sharp cacti. A startled screech rang out in the darkness. There was a deafening swoosh of rocks, another shrill wail, and then Gabby was falling.

“Gabby!” Madeline cried, rushing to the edge of the cliff.

“Oh my God!” Charlotte screamed.

A single wail punctuated the air. A series of crashes sounded, a body smacking against tree branches, jutting rocks, sharp cacti. And then, agonizing moments later, there was a crash, a clear but distinct sound of a heavy falling object finally hitting bottom.

Chapter 28 - The Darkest Place in the World

Chapter 28
Walled In

Emma’s stomach lurched like she was about to throw up. “Oh my God.” She stared at her hands as though she didn’t recognize them. She hadn’t just pushed Gabby. It couldn’t have been her. She was a nice girl, Emma Paxton, not capable of violence, even if the person she’d hurt was about to hurt her.

“Jesus, Sutton!” Charlotte pressed her hands to her head. “What did you do?”

“Gabby?” Laurel’s voice echoed in the rocky ravine. “Gabby?”

“She isn’t dead.” Madeline’s voice shook. “She can’t be. She’s okay down there.”

Emma peered over the ravine. She couldn’t see the bottom. She looked at her hands again, and they began to tremble. All at once she felt horribly disgusted with herself. Who had she become? “I didn’t mean . . .” she sputtered. “I didn’t think . . .” Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“What the hell happened?” Charlotte demanded. “Did you push her?”