“He was wearing pajamas. In the middle of the day. And this guy and Jake were arguing. Jake was saying that this other Jake was going to get him into loads of trouble. And then they left. And I didn’t think I could follow them without them knowing…”

“You’re saying there’s another Jake clone on campus right now?” Pippa asks, incredulous.

“Either that, or I’m hallucinating,” I tell them.

“So where is this other Jake now?” Pru asks, looking as confused as I feel.

“I don’t know,” I say. “But things have been super weird since the dance last night. Archer with that over-the-top speech, and Jake with his goat… Ransom collapsing… And now, the teachers are gone? What if…”

I pause, collecting my thoughts.

“What?” Pru presses.

I lean in closer, whispering. “What if Tessa, and Archer, and Jake…aren’t Tessa, Archer, and Jake? What if the guy who let that goat loose is the other Jake clone I saw. What if—Ansel, what happens if you try calling Archer?”

Ansel immediately dials on his plum. “It’s ringing.” He ends the call. “Voicemail.”

“Beach party!” someone yells, and we all turn to see a couple of kids standing on tables, addressing the student body. “Bring sodas and anything else you can get your hands on. The party started ten minutes ago!” they shout.

Everyone in the dining hall starts cheering as dinner breaks up, and Pru, Ollie, the Similars, and I make our way outside into the warm night. The “party” on the shore of the lake is already in full swing. That was fast.

“Do you think the teachers are in danger?” Pru asks. “I mean, where are they? They can’t all be at the hospital with Ransom, can they?”

“Shouldn’t we tell someone?” Pippa asks, speaking up over the loud, electronic music that’s pumping through outdoor speakers. The party’s growing larger, and louder, with each passing minute. I shiver in the warm air with an eerie sense of something being wrong, but not knowing what it is. Meanwhile, the rest of Darkwood is so oblivious, they’re throwing the party of the century.

We wander over to the shore of the lake. Kids are dancing, some are drinking from flasks and others straight from vodka bottles, and there’s a bonfire going. A kid I recognize from Pru’s crew team is keeping watch over the lake from a makeshift lifeguard tower. Smart, given that these kids might get out of control…

“Someone buzz Tessa,” I tell my friends, leading them to a quieter spot, away from the lake. “Does anyone have her number?”