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Investigation over.
They refuse to answer questions about any further rhetoric on the matter. After a few minutes, my phone buzzes, catching my attention.
“What now,” I mutter. I can’t take anything more tonight.
It’s from an anonymous number, so of course I swipe on it immediately, a hint of disappointment it’s not from him.
My heart jolts, then sinks.
A new photo emerges on my phone. A girl wearing solid underwear instead of lace. My tongue is thick in my mouth as I stare at her, wrapped up on a bed, her soft skin contrasting with the black sheets and dark duvet she’s on.
I recognize Lincoln’s bedroom immediately. The dark basement where he hides his true self from the rest of the world.
Mikael’s room now.
She’s wearing that hideous burlap mask. I blink a few times, trying to decipher what it is I’m actually looking at. The girl is wearing a basic black bra, her hands tied up behind her. Her hair is blonde, tousled over her shoulders. Her arm moves and my heart flutters even more.
It’s a video, I realize. The girl visibly moves, shifting her body. Rage coils in my belly. How fucking dare he?
My door bangs. “Summer, please let me in.”
I jolt, not realizing that Dani came home. Against my better judgment, I scramble to open the door I vowed not to open all night, inviting her in. Inviting Him in, too, as if my measly door would really do much to stop him.
Dani rushes in, her eyes red and puffy, wearing her coat. “Summer, are you seeing this? That fucker has Misty, and he’s live streaming her.”
I snap my focus to her, tilting my head as recognition hits me.
“That’s Misty, Summer,” she chokes out.
Burning bile hits my throat as my mind catches up with what I’m seeing. “How…how do you know it’s Misty?”
“The birthmark on her wrist. Haven’t you noticed it? And she’s missing. She never came to meet me and hasn’t come home. I’ve texted her a thousand times.” I now see the birthmark on her tied-up wrist. It looks like a crescent moon.
I’m too stunned to speak.
Dani sits on my bed. “He killed Grant, too. Shadowface is back, Summer.”
“What do we do?” I finally ask, daring to look at her.
“I’ve contacted the police, but they aren’t doing shit. I think they are in on this. He seems to target people who look like you.” Her eyes ripple as she beholds me. “But you knew that, didn’t you?”
If she only knew… I warned Misty to stay away from him; I told her Lincoln was mine. She didn’t listen and now she’s facing the consequences.
Dani stares at me curiously. “What’s going on, Summer?”
I glare at her. “The fuck if I know. I’m here, in my room, studying.”
“Sure. Grant gets killed, then Misty goes missing, and I’m supposed to believe you don’t know anything?”
She runs her hand through her braid. “The police think it’s a prank. It’s not the first-time people have messed around and sent fucked up photos and videos over the years, unfortunately. Whoever this Shadowface is, he’s broadcasting this video to our entire class.”
Dani lets out a gasp as Mikael comes into view on the live stream. His masked head is tilted, his movement confident and precise. His skin is completely covered, wearing a tight black T-shirt and pants that show off his toned physique.
Nothing like Lincoln—this is all Mikael.
Misty squirms and her tits rise and fall, and a burning sensation overwhelms my body. My heart rate spikes as he looks directly into the camera, directly at me, and waves. The same way he waved at the rave. He’s talking to me, as if saying, Hi, pretty girl.
“What a fucking freak,” Dani whispers, keeping her gaze locked on her phone.
