Sanctuary Bay

by Laura Burns

“Here we are.” He surveyed the clearing. “Looks the same as always.”

  It did. The thick carpet of orange-brown pine needles was smooth, as if no one had been here in weeks. Sarah’s pulse sped up as she tried to ignore the memory trying to overtake her. The shot ringing out, echoing through the trees. Karina’s head snapping back, then slumping forward, her eyes dead. Her eyes …

  “This ring in the trunk. Did you guys do that?” Ethan’s voice brought Sarah back to the present.

  “The iron ring? Yeah. I mean, we used it to tie Karina’s hands to the tree. I don’t know who put it there.” They moved closer to the huge pine.

  “It’s been there as long as I’ve been here. I always wondered what it was for,” Ethan said grimly. “So Karina was here, with her arms up over her head.” He ran a finger along the circumference of the ring.

  Sarah nodded. “At least in my memory.” And deep down in her gut, she felt it was true, the way her memories always were.

  “I don’t see any blood on the ring, or the tree, or the ground. Wait—” He knelt suddenly, staring at the base of the huge trunk. “What is this?”

  Sarah bent down next to him and examined the weird little lump of yellowish gunk stuck to the wood. It was tiny—maybe half an inch long—and rounded as if it were a cylinder. “Part of a candle?” she guessed. “Or is it some kind of sap from the tree?”

  “I think it’s a bullet,” Ethan said slowly. “It’s made of wax.”

  “Okaaaay…” Sarah frowned. “How is it a bullet if it’s wax?”

  “I used to go on these crazy vacations with my family when I was little, and one time we were at a resort where they had lessons for the kids all day—you know, to keep them out of their parents’ hair?”

  Sarah nodded. There was no point in explaining that she hadn’t even known kids were allowed at resorts and she wasn’t entirely sure what a resort was anyway. She’d assumed it was a beach and sunsets and massages, based purely on the ads they put on city buses. But if there were children and lessons, well, she obviously hadn’t gotten the whole thing right.

  “One of them had a circus school, and Philip used to take trapeze classes and tumbling, things like that. I bribed one of the instructors to teach me trick shooting,” Ethan went on.

  “While you were a kid?” Sarah cried.

  “It’s not like my parents knew about it,” Ethan said. “Anyway, we used wax bullets in the guns. That’s what made it trick shooting. When you see somebody shoot an apple off a guy’s head or whatever, it’s not a real bullet.”

  “You’re saying that’s what this is? A fake bullet?” Sarah reached out and picked up the blob of wax. It was tiny and nondescript. She wasn’t sure she really believed it was a bullet and not just part of someone’s birthday candle. But it was the only thing in the entire clearing that was out of place. “The only reason a bullet would be here is if somebody shot a gun, at the tree.”

  “At Karina tied to the tree, you mean,” Ethan said. “You’re not crazy, Sarah.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Your brain isn’t malfunctioning. It did happen the way you said.”

  Sarah nodded. She felt as if her feet were back on solid ground again. “A fake bullet means it’s all just a Wolfpack prank.”

  “No reason to use wax if you’re trying to kill someone,” Ethan agreed.

  “She looked dead, though, Ethan. The way her head was slumped over, her eyes…”

  “It would hurt like hell to get hit by anything moving that fast, even if it’s not a metal bullet. Maybe it knocked her out?” Ethan said. He put the bullet in his pocket. “Where did the gun come from?”

  Sarah thought about it. “Nate. I don’t know where he got it from, he just had it.”

  “Fine. Nate pulls out a gun loaded with trick bullets, Izzy takes it and shoots, and Karina drops dead-ish. What happened then?”

  “Everyone took off, except me and Izzy,” Sarah said. “I was horrified about Karina. Izzy just made fun of me.”

  He stared at her, shocked. Sarah bit her lip. “Yeah, Izzy was … unhinged afterward,” she said. “She said we were all responsible for the murder, even if she was the only one brave enough to pull the trigger.”

  “Obviously she was in on it.”

  “Yeah, if it’s a Wolfpack mission,” Sarah said. “This morning she acted like she didn’t remember anything, just like the others.”

  He shook his head, disgusted. “What happened after Izzy made fun of you for being upset?”

  “She left,” Sarah answered. “Then I left to go get help. When I got back with Dr. Diaz, Karina was gone.”

  “And she still is.” Ethan rested his hand against the trunk of the tree where Karina had been. Sarah looked away. The moment felt too intimate. They’d found answers out here, but still not the answer they needed. Where was Karina?

  * * *

  Sarah’s cell buzzed the minute they stepped out of the woods onto the back lawn of the school.

  “Nate called a meeting for midnight,” she said. “God, I don’t even want to see any of them ever again.” Then she stopped, suddenly feeling as light as a helium balloon. “Wait. This is it!”

  “This is what?” Ethan asked.

  “The end. I’ll go to the meeting, and Karina will pop out,” Sarah said. “This is when they’ll tell me the whole thing was just a mission, a trick on me! We’ll probably end up having a huge party.” The relief was so strong that she almost felt dizzy. “And it’ll be over.”

  She could see Ethan’s shoulders relax. “That makes sense. Twisted sense, but still.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as the meeting’s over,” Sarah promised. “Oh! Diaz. Shit. He was calling Dean Farrell—do you think he told her already?”

  “Uh, yeah, it’s been over an hour,” Ethan said. “But I can go tell him it was just a prank.”

  “Do you think he told her about the Wolfpack?” Sarah asked, sudden terror filling her. “They’ll hurt me if they find out I told anyone.”

  “Lovely,” Ethan muttered. “Listen, I’ll talk to Diaz and we’ll figure it out. We might have to tell the dean you were hallucinating on cold medicine or something, but we’ll make sure she thinks the Wolfpack isn’t real.”

  “Thank you,” Sarah said. “Really.”

  “No worries.” He turned away.

  “And Ethan? You can’t tell anyone. Don’t even tell Karina I told you about the Wolfpack,” Sarah begged. “Please?”

  “Fine. I promise,” Ethan said. “But you should seriously think about whether these are the people you really want as friends.”

  “Your girlfriend is one of them,” she retorted.

  “And I’ll be seriously thinking about that,” he said.

  * * *

  At midnight, Sarah took her place in line in the Bone Man room. It was so hard to stand still. When were they going to bring out Karina? Maybe she was already in line! Sarah couldn’t wait for things to be back to normal.

  Ethan had texted, letting her know the Dean Farrell situation was taken care of—Dr. Diaz hadn’t managed to get the dean on the phone. Sarah felt embarrassed now that she’d ever involved anyone else. But she knew they wouldn’t rat her out. Dr. Diaz would probably just want to explore her episodes more. And Ethan didn’t trust anyone who worked at the school. He’d never go to the dean for anything.

  Besides, he wouldn’t risk getting me hurt, Sarah thought. She didn’t always like him, but she realized with some surprise that she did trust him.

  “Heil, Jager!” The chant began and Sarah eagerly joined in. Before long, the ceramic bowl was held to her lips, and she happily took a drink of the Blutgrog. Tonight was going to be perfect for super-sharp sensations. She was sure they’d have an epic party as soon as they told her the truth.

  Nate paced up and down between the two lines of pack members. “Tonight all members of our pack are present. Our pack. And it is ours. All of ours,” he said, his voice deep and booming. “Never forget that you have brothers and sisters. Neve
r forget that you are part of something much larger than yourself.”

  Sarah frowned. He was repeating himself, giving the same speech he’d given two meetings ago. She almost snorted. This was taking it too far. But she’d let the pack have their fun.

  “As a reminder of this, our great blessing, we will perform the next mission together. It is assigned to all of us,” Nate went on. “When we have completed it, I know we will be stronger than we have ever been.” He let out a howl and they all joined in, Sarah loudest of all.

  The Jager raised his hands for silence. “The mission will take place tomorrow night. Tomorrow night we will join in an act of sacrifice. Tomorrow night we will take a life, to honor what the pack has given us and to bind us.”

  Sarah felt a wave of dizziness. The hot robe, the dank smell of the room, the closeness of everyone around her, and Nate’s words—all heightened by the Blutgrog—flowed together into a memory of that other meeting. Her stomach lurched. She wasn’t going to just stand here and reexperience the beginning of the worst night of her life.

  “Together we will offer up the most precious gift—a human soul,” the Jager told them.

  “Okay, stop. You got me good!” Sarah burst out. “Now bring out Karina and crank the music!”

  Everybody turned to her, shocked. Dead silence followed her outburst.

  Nate flew at her. “You do not speak while the Jager speaks.”

  Sarah stepped forward to meet him, yanking back her hood. He stopped short. “Enough, Nate! Mission over, okay?” She felt a spurt of anger. “You put me through hell, you know that? It’s time to end the game.”

  “Sarah,” he said. “Return to your place. Now. And I’ll think about how you should be disciplined.” The rest of the pack remained quiet. All held their positions in line, facing forward, motionless.

  “How much longer are you going to go on?” she demanded. “Should I tell you the rest of the speech?” She raised her voice, addressing the whole pack. “‘When we have made this sacrifice together, we will be closer than any oath or vow, no matter how sacred, could make us. We will be as one, one brain, one heart, one body, one pack,’” she quoted Nate. “Isn’t that right, Jager?”

  Nate gaped at her.

  “I get it, okay? You’re repeating the same mission again. You’re pretending it never happened, just to make the prank even more extreme,” she said. “But it really is enough. I went crazy all day searching for Karina.” She looked up and down the lines. “You here, Kar?” she called, raising her voice.

  There was no sound. No laughter. Nate slowly lowered his hood. His caramel eyes were wide. “Sarah? Wh-what are you talking about?”

  Several other members, including Izzy, pulled their hoods off too. They looked puzzled.

  The lightness in Sarah’s body disappeared. “I’m talking about how you all tried to convince me Karina was dead. Last night we dragged her to the Pine Tree. She was the sacrifice Nate was just talking about. Izzy shot her with a wax bullet, and you’ve all been pretending you don’t remember, trying to make me think I’m crazy … or something…” Sarah trailed off, her eyes darting around the room. Breath suddenly shallow, she waited for someone, anyone, to acknowledge that they knew what she was talking about.

  Nate’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. Grayson and Luke glanced at each other, and Luke shrugged. Everybody seemed baffled. Sarah felt the hair on her arms stand up. Something wasn’t right. If they were still pulling a scam on her, there should be at least one person who gave it away, intentionally or not.

  “Izzy,” she said, whirling around to look her roommate in the eyes. “You remember what happened to Karina. I know you do. You were the one who pulled the trigger.”

  Izzy took a step back, her face pale. “I … I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sarah,” she whispered.

  Sarah stared at her. The sneer on Izzy’s full lips as she said they had all killed Karina flashed through her mind.

  But that Izzy wasn’t here. This Izzy’s lips trembled, and her blue eyes were frightened. She looked so confused. They all looked so confused.

  “You really don’t remember?” Sarah asked. “Karina in the woods, tied to the Pine Tree?”

  “I haven’t seen Karina in a long time,” Izzy said slowly. “I think she must’ve run away or something.”

  “Maybe she went home,” Harrison suggested.

  “Home? Nobody’s allowed to go home,” Sarah said.

  “Well … maybe it was an emergency,” Nate said haltingly.

  “Why does it matter?” Kayla asked. “I thought we were getting a mission.”

  Sarah was speechless. The rest of them looked back at Nate, waiting for the mission. As if everything Sarah had said didn’t matter. They weren’t acting like Karina was dead or even like she was missing. They were acting as if it didn’t matter at all, as if they didn’t care about Karina, even though she was one of their own, even though the Jager had just given a big speech about how they were all brothers and sisters.

  They don’t even seem to remember her that well, Sarah thought. It’s like their brains turn off whenever I make them think about Karina.

  “The mission will be a sacrifice,” Nate said, though his voice didn’t sound so commanding anymore. He seemed like regular Nate now, not the Jager. “A true sacrifice, a terrible sacrifice.”

  “No,” Sarah said, more quietly this time. “We are not going to sacrifice anybody.” Whatever was happening, she wasn’t going to let it go any farther.

  “Sarah. You have to stop interfering,” Nate protested.

  “This mission goes too far,” she replied. “We’re not murderers.” She stepped out of line, into the center aisle where only the Jager was allowed. “Murder isn’t what we stand for, and it won’t bond us for life,” she told her packmates. “It will scar us for life. It’s a line nobody should ever cross, because once you do, it changes you.” Her eyes found Izzy’s.

  Izzy gazed back blankly, no trace of recognition at the words she’d said in the woods. Sarah felt a cold, numb feeling settle in her gut. Izzy didn’t remember what she’d done to Karina. None of them did. They genuinely thought this meeting was the first time a sacrifice had been discussed.

  “We’re not murderers,” she said again.

  Izzy nodded. So did Cody. A low murmur ran through the room, and she saw several people agreeing.

  “You’re right, Sarah,” Nate said. “No sacrifice.”

  There was a long silence. Nobody seemed sure how to act. After a moment, people began shedding their robes and filing out.

  A shudder ran through Sarah’s body, and she sank down to the ground. What was happening?

  “Sarah?” Nate sat down next to her, his gorgeous face etched with worry. “I hope you don’t think I was serious. I’d never kill anyone.”

  “Then what were you talking about?” she asked. “Because honestly, Nate, I am utterly baffled. If the mission you were just talking about wasn’t really to murder somebody, what was it? A mind game?”

  “What? No.” He studied his fingernails for a minute, lost in thought. “I would have stopped it before things got out of hand,” he finally said.

  “You mean before one of us got picked? After we dragged them out to the woods?” Sarah asked. “After we tied them to the Pine Tree?”

  Nate’s leg began bouncing up and down, fastfastfast. Sarah had seen the nervous tic before, but never from Nate. Other people got nervous. Nate was always smooth and in control. She stared at his leg, fascinated.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” he said. His leg bounced.

  “There’s an iron ring in the Pine Tree. You tie the sacrifice to it,” she said.

  Nate’s leg bounced faster.

  “You get out the gun. You get out the wax bullets, so you can fake the whole thing, right?” she asked.

  “I don’t know.” His leg moved so fast it was more like vibrating than bouncing. Sarah watched it. Watched him. Unflappable Nate.

  “
Tell me, Nate, where does the sacrifice go afterward? Do they go hide somewhere?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, “but we are all as one. Brothers and sisters.”

  “Right. Except when we kill one of our own,” Sarah pressed.

  “One pack, one mind. Brothers and sisters.” Nate’s leg moved furiously. His eyes were fixed on the floor, unfocused. “The Bone Man calling.”

  “What?” she asked. “You’re not making sense.”

  “Bone Man.” Nate’s entire body began to rock back and forth. He was freaking out—and it freaked her out. “Bones and blood man. Blood Man.”

  “Nate.” Sarah reached out and took his hand. “Nate?”

  Suddenly his head snapped up and he met her gaze. His leg stopped bouncing. His brilliant smile appeared, and his laserlike intensity was back. “I have to go.” He got up and headed for the door without a backward glance.

  “Where are you going?” Sarah demanded.

  “I just have to go,” Nate replied. Then he was gone.

  14

  The next morning, the first thing Sarah saw when she opened her eyes was Karina’s bed. She stared for a few seconds, trying to will her roommate to come back from the bathroom, yawning, and drop to the ground for her yoga stretches just like always. But she knew it wouldn’t happen.

  Then she looked over at Izzy’s bed. It was empty too, but the covers were thrown back. Sarah was glad Izzy had taken off early. She couldn’t deal with another surreal conversation. What she needed was someone she could trust. She needed Ethan. She’d sent him a text update last night, and they’d agreed to meet up first thing this morning.

  Sarah scrambled into her clothes. When she reached the coffee place, Ethan was already there. He’d staked out a small table all the way in the back. She hurried over and sat down across from him, realizing a Nutella latte, her favorite, was already waiting for her. She glanced at him curiously before smiling to herself and taking a sip.

  “So, if it wasn’t a prank,” he said, “where’s Karina?”

  Sarah shrugged helplessly. “They … barely seemed to remember she existed.”

  “Because they’re playing you,” Ethan said. “They’re trying to mess with your head.”