Page 117 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

Freya tilts her head. “Were you two, like, close?”

“Oh, yeah. Definitely. Super close. He was always making me smoothies and I just wanted to, you know, manifest some gratitude?”

Luckily, she doesn’t think to check if I’m actually carrying incense or matches. I squeeze by her and go out onto the balcony. It’s a small space, but it’s got a stunning view of the ocean. From over the railing, I can also see the courtyard several stories below.

It seems like no one has touched the space since Anton died. The pool chair is still there, covered in a blanket that smells strongly ofweed. On the ground is a laptop charger, but the laptop itself is nowhere to be seen. There’s a metal table with two chairs pushed into the corner, and a terra-cotta pot with a hibiscus plant in it.

I don’t really want to touch this gross, crumpled blanket, but I hold it up with two fingers and shake it out. Nothing. I glance back to check no one’s watching me on the balcony. Fortunately, everyone inside the Video Village is laser-focused on their screens, their backs to me.

I continue my search, scouring the floor of the balcony by the light of the moon. I check the ashtray on the table, look over the chairs, and even run my hand through the gap between the railing and the balcony. It’s slow going in the darkness, and I wish I had my phone with me to shine a flashlight on everything.

I don’t know how many minutes have passed, but my knees are aching by the time I decide to call it. The key isn’t here. I straighten up—and I see something glimmer out of the corner of my eye. I move my head, and there it is. A glint of moonlight being reflected back at me. It’s in the planter, just the tiniest speck.

I go over to the pot, and sure enough, there’s a corner of something metallic poking out of the dirt. I dig in the soil, and a small key with a key chain comes away in my hand. I dust off the dirt and pocket it quickly, my heart racing. I’ve found it. I can’t believe my good luck.

I’m so distracted by finally being able to get more information on Anton that I almost miss the sound of someone sliding the door open.

“Hey, sorry, I was just—” I start, but whoever it is doesn’t wait for me to make up an excuse for still being out on the balcony.

Before I can turn, I feel hands on my back, and one hard shove sends me tumbling over the balcony rail into the darkness below.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Hell Is an Emotional Roller Coaster

I’m in free fall.

For a split second, I’m not sure which way is up or down. The wind is cold and biting, and I get the funny feeling you get when you’re in an elevator going up, like my body can’t quite catch up to what’s happening. I reach out for something, anything, and manage to grab onto a metal rail.

My entire body shudders as I stop falling with a hard jolt. I’m holding on to the rail of another balcony, a couple stories down. I try to yell, but nothing comes out. I try to breathe, but I’m not taking in much air. It’s only on the fourth attempt that I can get enough air into my lungs to shout, “Help! Someone!”

The quiet that stretches out after my plea is long and terrifying.

Can’t anyone in the Video Village hear me? But then I remember that most people were wearing headphones and focused on their work. Is anyone else awake? I shout again, to no avail.

No one is coming, I realize. I feel tears start to slip down my cheeks in fear and frustration. My hands are shaking, and I know it’s not going to be long before my grip slips.

“Help! Help! Please!” I yell with everything left in me, shouting and shouting until my fear threatens to choke me.

Then there’s a scuffle and the sound of a glass door scraping open. For a heart-stopping moment, I’m afraid I’m going to see a stranger,whoever pushed me, come to finish the job.

But instead, it’s Daniel’s face that peers over the balcony and Daniel’s arms that pull me up and into the villa. I throw my arms around him, probably soaking the soft fabric of his sleep T-shirt with my tears of relief. Together, we sag onto the rug on the floor.

Daniel strokes my back, his arms tight around me. I’m pressed to his chest, and I can feel his heartbeat, steady and strong.

When he finally speaks, his voice is raw. “Are you okay?”

I nod. My pulse is still jackhammering away, but the rush of terror is fading now as I breathe in Daniel’s scent.

“Alice, what happened? Where did you go?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” I explain. “And then I remembered what Leah said about Seth, how it was his idea to poison the cast. But I knew that wasn’t true, so I went and talked to him.”

“You talked to Seth in the middle of the night,” Daniel says flatly.

“And then I remembered that I’d seen Anton on the balcony of the Video Village, and I had to check it for his key.” I reach into my jeans pocket, and for once, I’m grateful for the uselessly tiny and tight pockets on women’s pants. Anton’s key chain is still safely tucked away. I take it out and hold it up triumphantly. “And look! I found it.”

But Daniel doesn’t celebrate with me. Instead, he says, “That doesn’t explain why I found you seconds away from falling to your death. For the second time in twenty-four hours.”

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