That evening, after almost flying out from Harper’s house, Cora walked to her best friend’s house. Jaden's journal pressed against her chest like armor and her questions like a blade.
Streetlights cast long shadows across the sidewalk, and every rustle of leaves made her jump. She'd read the journal three times now, each reading revealing new horrors, new connections.
Callie opened the door before Cora could even knock. "I saw you coming," she said, her voice flat. "You shouldn't be here."
"Too bad." Cora pushed past her into the familiar house, now strange and hostile in the gathering dark. "We need to talk."
In Callie's room, nothing had changed—the same fairy lights, the same photos on the wall, the same pile of stuffed animals on the bed. But everything felt different. Tainted.
Cora pulled out the journal and Jaden’s list of the names, watching best friend’s face.
"I'm on that list, Callie." Her voice shook. "Are you going to let them kill me too?"
Callie froze. Her hands twisted in her sweater sleeves, a nervous habit Cora had never noticed before. After what felt like hours, she whispered, "You don't understand what you're getting into."
"Then help me understand." Cora opened the journal, flipping to the pages covered in strange symbols. "What are these? What was Jaden trying to tell me?"
Callie's eyes fixed on the symbols. Something like recognition flickered across her face, followed quickly by fear. "Where did you get that?"
"His room. He knew something about The Circle, didn't he? About you?"
"Stop." Callie's voice cracked. "Please, just stop."
"No." Cora stood up, anger burning through her fear. "No more lies. No more avoiding this. Tell me the truth."
Callie sank onto her bed, shoulders hunched. When she spoke, her voice was barely audible. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."
"Like what?"
"The Circle... it wasn't just a club." Callie's words came faster now, tumbling out like she couldn't hold them back anymore. "There were rules. Rituals. Things we had to do to prove our loyalty."
"What kind of rituals?"
"The lighthouse." Callie shuddered. "That's where the initiation ceremonies happened. Where they made us swear the oaths."
"They? Who are they
But Callie was shaking her head, terror clear in her eyes. "I can't. They'll know if I tell you."
"They already know that I'm looking." Cora held up the journal. "Jaden wrote about you. He said you were scared. That they were watching you too."
"I didn't know how far it would go," Callie said, her voice trembling. "I told you, I left before... before it got bad. But you need to stop digging, Cora. Right now, that’s it. You don't know what they're capable of."
"And you do?" Disgust rose in Cora's throat. "You know what they did to Jaden? To Emily? To all of them?"
Callie's silence was enough as an answer.
"You're just going to let this happen?" Cora's voice cracked with fury and pain. "More people are going to die, Callie. I'm on that list. Does that mean anything to you?"
Callie wouldn't look at her. Wouldn't speak. Just sat there, shoulders hunched, letting the silence stretch between them like a wall.
"You're a coward," Cora spat. The words tasted like poison. "All these years, I thought you were my best friend. But you're just like everyone else in this town—willing to let people die to keep your precious secrets."
She stormed out, slamming the door behind her. The sound echoed through the quiet house like a gunshot.
The streetlights cast strange shadows as Cora walked home. She thought of Jaden's last moments, of his desperate attempt to warn her.
And she thought of her own name on that list, waiting its turn to be crossed out.