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Mary’s shoulders.
    â€œI’m burning! Make it stop burning!” Mary wailed.
    The towel fell off. Blisters had formed on her shoulders.
    The coach grabbed for the towel. “I don’t know what to do!” she screamed.
    â€œHelp me! Help me!” Mary wailed, her cries growing weaker.
    And then the coach turned, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. She turned—and stared right at me.
    I’m caught, I realized.
    I’m trapped back here. Nowhere to escape.
    What do I do now?

chapter
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9
Hope
    I jumped up when I heard someone pounding on the front door.
    Had I been napping? Did I fall asleep on the living room couch? I blinked several times, my heart thudding. I didn’t remember falling asleep.
    The pounding continued. I froze in the middle of the room, staring toward the door.
    Who could it be? No one lived here in this old sorority house. No one knew I’d been hiding here for over a week.
    I moved unsteadily to the door. “Who is it?” I called out.
    â€œIt’s me,” a familiar voice replied.
    I didn’t want to see Darryl. I didn’t want to see him ever again.
    But he was pounding on the door so urgently, andhis voice sounded so excited. I couldn’t help myself. I pulled open the front door.
    He burst in, breathing hard. Hurried past me, into the living room, his hair wild, his hands balled into tight fists.
    â€œClose the door! Hurry!” he ordered.
    I obediently shut the door. I suddenly felt dizzy. Why was he here? Why was he so pumped up?
    â€œI did it for you, Hope,” he choked out breathlessly. He began pacing back and forth in front of me, fists swinging at his sides. His leather bomber jacket was open. The red T-shirt he wore underneath was torn at the collar.
    â€œDid what?” I demanded. I had a sudden cold feeling in the pit of my stomach.
    â€œI burned her,” Darryl said. He stopped pacing. I’d never seen his eyes so wild, so crazy. “I burned her. I burned Mary.”
    The words didn’t make any sense to me. “Mary?” I asked. “From Fear Hall?”
    He nodded. “She’s dead. I did it for you, Hope. I knew you wanted me to.”
    â€œYou what?” I cried. The cold feeling shot through my whole body. I grabbed the front of Darryl’s jacket. “Did you really kill again? Are you telling the truth? You really killed Mary?”
    He nodded. He took a deep breath. “I watched her skin burn from the chlorine while she sat in the Jacuzzi. She kicked and screamed for a while. Then it was over.”
    â€œNo!” I cried. “No—you didn’t!”
    He nodded again. “I almost didn’t get away. Ialmost got caught. The swim team coach. What’s-her-name. She was in the training room. She saw me.”
    â€œShe recognized you?” I cried.
    Darryl shrugged. “I don’t know. She saw me. She started to scream. I didn’t know what to do. I was trapped, back against the wall. I had to get out of there.”
    â€œSo what did you do?” I whispered. I shut my eyes. I really didn’t want to hear the answer.
    â€œI ran,” Darryl replied. “I lowered my shoulder and barreled right into her.”
    â€œYou knocked her over?” I cried, my eyes still shut.
    â€œI shoved her into the Jacuzzi,” he replied breathlessly.
    I gasped. And opened my eyes. “You killed her too?”
    He scowled at me. “How should I know? I didn’t hang around. You know? I ran out of there while she was still splashing and crying.”
    â€œAnd you ran all the way here?” I asked him. My eyes went over his shoulder to the front door. “Did anyone see you? Did anyone follow you?”
    â€œNo. Why would anyone follow me?” he replied. He sank into the leather armchair.
    â€œNo!” I shouted. “Get up!” I tugged him up by the jacket sleeves. “Get up, Darryl. You can’t stay here!”
    He narrowed his