Secretly known

31

Elli's POV

There is no way I am going to let that happen. I won't let them sacrifice themselves for us. Not after everything they already had to go through. Even if they hadn't gone through it, I still would not let them do it. Not for us. Not for me.

There has to be another way.

Caleb, who still hasn't left, seems to have sensed my discomfort. I am fully convinced he is going to let out yet another snarky remark. But that wasn't it at all.

Honestly, I am extremely surprised about what he says. Does he care or does he just do it to taunt us even more?

„I understand that you're upset. Whether you believe me or not, I'm not just a heartless monster. Which is why I give you 48 hours to say your goodbyes. Make the most of it".

After saying that, he poofs out.

Is this really happening? Am I still awake? This certainly feels like a dream. Maybe there are no such things as ghosts and all of this has been me being asleep. No. That would mean Reggie isn't real and I can't have that.

I'm not losing him.

There is no way.

I look at the rest of us. Julie has no expression on her face. She kind of looks numb. Understandably. She thought all of this was planned and now she found out she was missing and her – our – therapist is the ghost that has been messing with the guys. Plus, either something happens to her and me or Alex, Luke and Reggie. Not to forget, today is her birthday...

She has gone through numerous heartbreaking moments in her life, but this... This is a whole other level.

Dad doesn't say anything either. He probably does not know what to do. He thought everything will go back to normal and BANG- something else happens. I don't blame him for his confusion. Our lives have been turned upside down countless of times.

And then there's the guys. I can see that they are sad, but that's not everything you can make out on their faces. They seem determined. I think. Why do they have that look on their face? They aren't actually considering going to Caleb, right? They can't. We're going to find another way. 48 hours may not seem to be that much, but I bet we can find a loophole. There's always a loophole. We can't give up hope. We can ask Willie and Flynn to help us. Even Carrie if we have to. She'll understand. She'll help.

Right...

Flynn and Carrie.

They aren't here. Right now they don't even know that Julie is no longer missing.

Ivy...

I have to tell Ivy. Will she be mad at me? I have kept this secret from here for a very long time. Even though I know she knows I don't like talking about my feelings and such, I'm not sure if she is going to forgive me for all of this.

I kept a huge secret. I never kept such a huge secret from her. She is my best friend.

I can't lose her, too.

Why do I always lose people?

It's like wherever I go, someone either gets hurt or leaves. I can't lose any more people. I just can't take it.

I take another look at their faces. It's evident that for them none of this is up for debate. Yet, no one is saying anything. The silence in this room is sickening. My stomach feels like it's turning. I think I'm going to be sick and throw up or something. I can't be here any longer.