I type out a buzz to Pru, Ollie, and the others, hoping Harlowe’s too busy driving to notice.

Maude, Thea, and Pippa missing. Harlowe did this. LOOK FOR THEM.

We’ve cleared campus now. Enough humoring her. I want to know what the hell’s going on. “Okay, Harlowe. I’ve played your little game. Now tell me where my friends are.”

“Not yet,” she says as she easily steers us along a curve onto the highway. “I need time for them to stew a little. Besides, I never said I’d tell you where we’re going. You’ll find out when we get there. That was the deal.”

“Why are you even doing this?” I press, catching Harlowe’s eyes in the rearview mirror. They look determined. Cold.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she answers. “Ivy, Graham, and I have been waiting to be in the Ten—sorry, the Nine—since the day we first got to Darkwood. You weren’t going to initiate us and seemed to want to rob us of that critical milestone, so we decided to take matters into our own hands. With a twist, of course. One that emphasizes our core values.” She’s talking about clones. About how she doesn’t accept or want them here. Ivy and Graham must agree.

Burning inside, I glance out the window, taking in our surroundings. We’re on a fairly deserted section of road. There isn’t much to see besides trees. A couple of barns. A lone diner.

“They never did anything to you,” I seethe. “They don’t even know you. This is all Madison’s doing, isn’t it? She got to you. Convinced you to take on her family’s cause.”

“Now I’m offended, Emmaline.” Harlowe narrows her eyes in the mirror. “You don’t think I can form my own opinions? Think for myself?”

I don’t answer. There’s no point in getting deeper into this argument with her. I need to focus on my friends. A buzz comes in from Pru, saying she’s on it, but no luck yet. Maude, Thea, and Pippa aren’t in their rooms…or anywhere else in Cypress.

Harlowe flicks on the radio. A popular song starts playing as she takes an exit onto a second highway, and I feel myself start to sweat. How far away is this place, anyway?

“I hope you peed before you got in,” Harlowe remarks, seeming to settle in as she switches the station. “We’ve got a long drive ahead of us. I gassed up first,” she adds with a smirk. “We can go four, maybe five hours before we’ll have to stop. Sorry I didn’t bring snacks. No time.”

What? I feel the hair on the back of my neck prickling.