Fear Games

1. Rachel, Do You Remember Me?

RACHEL

I awoke in the middle of the night to my cellphone ringing on my bedside table. When I looked at the time, I saw that it was nearly three in the morning. Who would possibly be calling me this late?

Unless it was an emergency. I didn't recognize the number. Had something happened to Emerald?

I was quick to pick up the phone and answer. "Hello?" I said, trying my best to hide my concern.

"Rachel? Is this Rachel?" The voice belonged to what I guessed was a male, but I didn't want to assume. Something about the voice seemed familiar to me...

"This is she," I said. "May I ask who's calling?"

"Rachel, do you remember me? It's Josh," the guy on the other end said. "Josh Mitchell."

My mouth dropped open, and for a moment I was at a loss for words. Could this really be Josh? The Josh? The one who killed Damien, the final Fear Games killer, and left Eden and me with a note asking us whether we wanted to continue the Games? I'd always wondered what happened. If I was being honest, for the longest time I figured he was dead.

But here he was on the other end of my phone call. Once I finally found the words to say, I spoke. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, it's me," Josh said. He sounded as if he was in a rush. "Listen, I don't have much time. I've called to warn you."

"Warn me of what?" I asked. My stomach dropped to the pit of my stomach. What could be happening that could warrant a phone call after twenty years? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"It's happening," Josh said. "She's coming for us."

"She?" I asked. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"I can't say anything else," Josh said. "You and Eden need to prepare for the worst. You're not safe. Neither are your kids. I—" Before he could finish his sentence, I heard a gasp and what sounded like the phone dropping to the ground.

"Josh?" I said, jumping out of my bed. "Josh, are you there?"

No response.

I was just about to hang up when I heard a hissed voice say into the phone, "Buckle up, bitch." Then I was met with the dial tone and I dropped the phone to the floor.

There was no way. After all these years, I'd built a family, built a life for myself. There was no way that we could be in danger again. Could we? Who was that voice on the other end of the phone?

I reached down and grabbed my cell, then searched through my contacts for my best friend. I hit call and it rang four times before she picked up.

"Rachel?" Eden said. "Why are you calling me so late?"

"We have to meet tomorrow morning," I said. "Before you go to the school. Josh just called me. I think we might have a problem."

EDEN

When I woke up the next morning, I crawled out of bed and went straight to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. There was absolutely no way I could start my day off without it. Especially considering it was my first day teaching English at the new private school in town, Valley View. My daughter Cinder was starting her sophomore year, her second year at the school.

Originally I was teaching at Easton High School, the school that Rachel and I went to as kids, but I got a better job offer from Valley View and took it. Besides, Easton always sort of rubbed me the wrong way after everything that happened to us. The only reason I stayed in this dreadful town was because of my husband, Jacob. This morning when I awoke, I found that I was alone.