Page 33 of Hunting Pretty

In my mind, I did.

I bolted upright, my lungs seizing as I gulped in air. My hands fisted in my sheets as I kicked out against fading ghosts.

A weak dawn filtering in between my curtains cast the familiar shapes in shades of gray: the massive chestnut armoire, the vintage writing desk Ebony bought me in Paris, the brocade wallpaper.

I was in a bed. In my bed at McKinsey Manor.

I was okay. I was safe.

There was no faceless man. No velvet couch.

It was just a dream.

A nightmare.

I shuddered as I flung my sheets drenched in sweat to the floor.

My alarm wouldn’t go off for another two hours, but I knew there was no use in trying to fall back asleep.

I splashed water on my face in my marble en suite bathroom. I kept the lights off so I didn’t have to see the remnants of horror on my face in the gilded mirror.

I grabbed for the pills that Dr. Vale prescribed, their clattering doing little to ground me. I thought I’d taken my pills yesterday but perhaps not.

I tapped two smooth round pills out into my palm and swallowed them down with a mouthful of water.

I held on to the sink, my head heavy as I let my breathing steady.

There was a real monster lurking at Darkmoor. I didn’t need to be making up my own.

Fifty minutes later I was walking back into theDarkDiariesoffice with three extra-large takeaway coffees from 3fe café in my hands.

Lisa was slumped in the armchair with her eyes half-closed. She reached out her hands and made grabby fingers. “You better have a good damn reason for making me come in this early.”

I shoved two of the coffees in her hands.

Lisa straightened as she glanced at both cups, setting one aside. She took a long sip of the other. “I’m listening.”

I pulled out my notebook from my bag and flicked through the pages until I’d reached the small hidden pocket I’d glued into the back cardboard. I pulled out the articles I’d torn from various newspapers.

“Look.” I spread them one by one in front of Lisa in a chilling tableau.

There were three articles.

About three girls, each article showing a college photo of each girl smiling.

Sarah Hickey.

Keela Hawkins.

AndLiath Byrne.

All three were young and pretty Darkmoor college students.

All missing in the last two years.

But most telling of all… All presumedrunaways.

The radiator spluttered and the clock ticked in the silence as it grew thicker.

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