“I want to be Mistress of Awesomeness,” Gabby piped up immediately, as if she’d been thinking about this for a while.

“I’ll be High Princess,” Lili chimed in.

“There are a bunch of rules, too,” Charlotte said. “Which includes no lying during games like Never Have I Ever and Two Truths and a Lie.” She fake-coughed out the name Gabby into her palm.

“I didn’t lie!” Gabby protested. “I told two truths! The false one was the dead body. I would never touch something dead.” She shuddered.

Madeline shifted onto one hip. “So you cheated to get on the Homecoming Court?”

Lili made a small, embarrassed eep, but Gabby shrugged. “Guilty as charged. We hacked into the site and voted for ourselves hundreds of times. Told you guys we’re smarter than you think.”

“I guess you are.” Emma hiked her backpack higher on her shoulder. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough camping for one night. I think the hot springs can wait for another day.”

“Let’s get the hell off this freaky mountain.” Madeline grabbed Gabby’s flashlight and shone it on the trail. “You know the way back, right?”

“But of course!” Gabby trilled.

As they started up the ridge, another thought popped into Emma’s mind. She pulled Gabby aside. “It was an awesome prank. But, um, next time? Maybe don’t cut a light fixture quite so close to my head.”

Gabby stopped. Even in the blue-black darkness, Emma could see consternation wash over her face. “You mean that light in the auditorium? We didn’t do that! God, Sutton! We’re not insane!”

Then she moved ahead of Emma, her long ponytail swishing. Emma stood still a moment, a cold realization vibrating all the way down to her fingertips. Of course Lili and Gabby hadn’t cut that light to fall on her. Someone else had.

My killer.

Chapter 32 - A Moment in Time

Chapter 32
The Moment We’ve Been Waiting For

Bzzz. Bzzz.

Emma opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on a sleeping bag on the floor of the Mercers’ family den. The blue light of the muted TV flickered across the room, bags and containers of Thai takeout lay abandoned on the coffee table, and several dog-eared copies of Us Weekly and Life & Style were facedown on the carpet. The time on the cable box said 2:46 A.M. Charlotte, Madeline, and Laurel slept beside her, and Gabby and Lili were curled up near the fireplace, their brand-new Lying Game membership cards still clutched in their hands.

Bzzz.

Sutton’s phone glowed next to Emma’s pillow. The screen said ETHAN LANDRY. Emma was immediately alert.

Emma slid out of the sleeping bag and padded into the hall. The house was eerily still and dark, the only sound the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the foyer. “Hello?” she whispered into the phone.