Page 99 of Wicked Games

“It’s not stupid. We’ve all lost people we care about here,” Zach said softly. “I know none of us had any personal items here, but the bedrooms are stacked with books. So we could look in each room for a book that reminds us of certain people, right?”

“Yeah, I really like that idea,” Brooke said, nodding fervently. “We could also look for some other things. Like with Kiara, for example. She had such beautiful hair. So for her, we could use the comb from her bathroom.”

“That sounds perfect,” Jasmine said, dabbing at her cheek with her sleeve. “Kiara would’ve loved that idea.”

I rose to my feet. “Brooke, you can take Carey and Evan’s rooms. I’ll take April and Tate’s rooms. Zach, you take Courteney and Rhys. And Jasmine, you can do Kiara. I think we can leave Hudson out of this, right?”

“For sure.” Jasmine gave me a tight smile. “Let’s go.”

I went to Tate’s room first and took my time looking around, pretending I deeply cared about finding an item that reminded me of him. I wound up selecting a copy of Fear and Loathing inLas Vegas from the bookshelf. It seemed like something a guy like him might’ve enjoyed.

With the book in hand, I headed to April’s room and hunted around, looking for some sort of clue while pretending to ponder what she might’ve liked. At one point, I purposely dropped Tate’s book on the floor so I could peer under her bed in search of any concealed trapdoors, but there was nothing there.

Mind whirling, I went to the shelf and started picking through the books, trying to figure out my next move. There didn’t appear to be anything unusual in this room, but Carey certainly seemed to think there was something worth looking for last night. I just had to figure out what it was and find it.

Jasmine stepped into the room a moment later. “Hey. I got the comb from Kiara’s bathroom,” she said, voice thick with emotion. “Did you find anything for April yet?”

I shook my head. “None of these books really make me think of her.”

Jasmine sniffed and stepped closer. Then she burst into tears and threw her arms around me. “I miss Kiara so much,” she said, nestling into the crook between my neck and shoulder.

“I know,” I muttered.

She tilted her face ever-so-slightly until her lips were near my left ear. “Keep looking,” she whispered. “Therehasto be something in here. I can literally feel it in my bones. You’re right about everything.”

I broke away from the hug a moment later. “I’ll keep hunting around,” I said, scratching the side of my head. “Maybe there’ll be something in the bathroom that really screams ‘April’.”

“It’s okay. You have a lot of time to think about it. No more games today, remember?” Jasmine said. “Anyway, I’ll go and start setting up the memorial table.”

She gave me a watery smile and stepped outside. I swept my gaze around the room once more, wondering if this was all a giant waste of time.

Even if itwas, I still had to find something in here for the memorial table, just so April wouldn’t get suspicious about our true motive for going through her room.

I frowned and twisted my lips, wondering what sort of stuff she might like. I honestly didn’t know her very well, even though we’d attended school together for twelve years. We ran in different crowds, so we never really spoke or interacted much beyond the occasional shared classes.

I knew she liked English class, because her dad taught the subject, and I knew she was good at math. I also remembered that she liked our art classes all the way back in elementary school. Maybe there was a book about writing on the shelf, or something about famous painters and sculptors.

Wait…

The word ‘art’ had shaken something loose inside my head.My eyes snapped to the large oil painting on the opposite wall, and a frisson of curiosity surged through me. When Carey and I explored everywhere the other night, we’d spent a lot of time checking behind paintings for any hidden doors or alcoves where the Game Master could be hiding something.

I couldn’t check now without making April realize I was onto her, if she happened to be watching me on the surveillance system, but something told me that giant painting was probably covering a lot more than old wallpaper. If it was some sort of entryway to the secret passage system I’d always suspected of existing behind these walls, then that would explain what Carey was searching for when she came in here. It would also explain how April managed to sneak around at night without any of us seeing or hearing her out in the hall.

The more I thought about it, the more certain I became that some sort of door lay behind the painting. I could practically feel the truth of it pumping through my veins.

I went back to the bookshelf and inspected it, heart pounding. Then I grabbed a random novel and strode back to the drawing room. “Here,” I said, tossing down the books on the table. “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for Tate, and Catcher in the Rye for April.”

“Good choice.” Brooke smiled. “April won an award for an essay about that book in ninth grade.”

“Cool. Now that we’re all here, should we huddle up and say a few words about everyone?” I asked.

Zach, Brooke, and Jasmine nodded enthusiastically and joined me in a tight group hug. “Stay awake tonight,” I whispered to them. “Leave your bedrooms at three o’clock and meet me in April’s room. I think there’s a door behind the painting there.”

Now there were only two things left for me to do. Wait for the middle of the night… and hope to God I was right.

Carey

“Dinnertime!” April called out in a sing-song voice, appearing next to me with a bowl of food.

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