Hawthornes always seemed to weave their way into Evelyn Hastings's life one way or another. Other than one persistent Hawthorne, Evelyn had never really spoken directly to any of them. But lately, a new Hawthorne has been appearing too much, prying...
Connor's hold on Evelyn's hand tightened, his palm becoming clammy.
"What the fuck does that mean? Pip?" Connor croaked.
Pip's mouth opened and only a croaked "Um" came out.
"She knew it was you," Ravi said. "She knows who you are.
"What does 'You're getting closer' mean?" Connor asked.
"To finding Jamie," Pip said.
"Or what happened to Jamie," offered Evelyn.
"That smiley face, though." Ravi visibly shivered.
A few moments later, Pip jumped right back up, frantically typing. Who are you? Where's Jamie?
Unable to send message. User not found.
"No," Pip whispered. "Nonononono." She pressed Layla's profile, bringing them back to her now empty page. No Posts Yet was written where photos would usually be. User not found at the top of the screen. "No," Pip hissed.
"What?" said Connor.
"She's gone." Pip ran her hands down her face, slumping in her chair.
"Fuck. She deactivated her Facebook too," Ravi groaned.
"And Tinder," Pip said. "She's gone. We lost her."
Quiet settled over the room, seemingly trapping the air in the room as well.
"Bitch works fast," Evelyn muttered.
"She knows, doesn't she?" Ravi said gently, just breaking a whisper. "Layla knows what happened to Jamie."
Connor's hand receded, moving up to hold his shaking head. "I don't like this," he uttered. "I don't like this at all."
"She knew it was me." Pip stared absently in Connor's direction. "I think Layla knows everything."
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"Dude, what happened to your leg?" Ravi asked, pointing to Evelyn's scar. The quiet had subsided and most of the tension, leaving only a thin layer of worry and fear in the room.
"Oh, summer camp." Evelyn shrugged.
"What kind of summer camp? A shooting range?" he asked bewildered.
"Apparently." Evelyn looked up at Ravi who was giving her a Tell me the story look. Evelyn turned toward Connor who was also giving her that look. "Fine."
"Wait!" Connor screeched. He scooted forward, leaning into Evelyn. "Continue."
"Where do I start?" Evelyn chewed on her lips. "Should I start with Ellingham or do I start at the summer camp?"
"Ellingham!" Connor said. "I really like Ellingham."
"What's that?" Ravi asked, Pip now sitting beside him.
