Then she had an epiphany. Was she getting a do-over of that night? Could she change fate? Could she get out of the car, hail Madison a cab, and send her home another way, staying out of this mess completely? Then Naomi would never have anything against them. She would never become A. This nightmare wouldn’t be happening.
But when she tried to pull the door handle to leave, her fingers wouldn’t respond. And then, unwittingly, she felt her hand twist the key in the ignition and rev the car’s engine. Before she knew it, she was pulling into traffic. Stop! she told herself, but her foot continued to press the gas.
“Get on 76 West,” Madison mumbled, pointing to the sign above them. Hanna tried to steer the car in another direction, but it was useless. She found herself merging onto the highway, just as she had the first time.
She focused on the road, which was barely visible through the rain. “Stay on 76 until 202,” Madison instructed.
Those were the directions to get to Rosewood. “Where do you live, exactly?” Hanna asked, even though she now knew.
Madison giggled. “You’re going to hate me, but I don’t exactly remember. My parents just bought a new house, like, last week, and I keep forgetting the address. But I think I can get us there.”
An oncoming car sent up a plume of water against the windshield. Pull over! she told herself. Wait at least until this rain stops! But, frustratingly, she kept driving.
Madison directed Hanna to Reeds Lane. Hanna’s heart thudded as she navigated the curves, dreading the moment that was about to come. And then, there it was: A car appeared out of nowhere, veering straight into her lane. She screamed and cut the wheel. Madison let out a strange urp sound, and her head banged against the seat. The tires skidded on the wet road, and before Hanna knew it, the car had slid down the embankment. She hit the brakes hard, and the wheels locked and the back end fishtailed.
“Help!” she screamed. A huge oak approached in the windshield. She tried to turn away from it, but it was too late.
There was a deafening crunch, and then a symphony of shattering glass. Hanna shielded her face and felt the airbag deploy. The seatbelt cut hard against her shoulder and waist, and then everything stopped. When she opened her eyes, the radio was still playing. The engine still hummed. A tree branch poked through the windshield. Glass had shattered everywhere.
Hanna looked to her right. Madison’s head was tilted at a strange angle. A thin ribbon of blood flowed out of her nose. When Hanna looked down into the footwell, she screamed. Madison had no legs. She was only a torso.
“Madison?” Hanna whispered shakily. She shook Madison’s shoulder. “Madison?”
Suddenly, Madison’s eyes popped open. Hanna recoiled. The girl’s eyes were clear and lucid, and she stared unflinchingly at Hanna.
“Your name isn’t Olivia,” she said in a haunted voice. “It’s Hanna Marin. I know everything about you.”
Hanna’s eyes boggled. She pushed the airbag out of the way and tried to scramble out of the car, but Madison caught her arm before she could. When she turned back, it wasn’t Madison’s face staring back at her. It was Ali’s.
“Hey, Hanna!” The corners of Ali’s lips stretched wide into a smile. “Miss me?”
Hanna shot up in bed, breathing hard. She was in the calm, quiet stateroom on the boat. The covers had been thrown back, and she was clutching a pillow with her trembling fingers. She pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to erase Ali’s face from her thoughts, but her smile was burned in her brain.
“Are you okay?”
Naomi was sitting on her own bed, looking curiously at Hanna.
Hanna jumped. “H-how long have you been sitting there?”
Naomi smiled, her wide blue eyes seemingly innocent. “Not too long. You were really passed out, though. Saying some crazy stuff, too.”
“L-like what?” Hanna gasped. The dream spun in her head. What if she’d called out Madison’s name?
Naomi shrugged but didn’t answer. She grabbed Hanna’s hands to pull her up. “I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” Hanna echoed weakly.
Naomi pulled a plastic bag from behind her back and took out two candy-colored wigs. “Look what I found in one of the shops on the concourse level! Won’t they be perfect for our routine tomorrow?” She plopped the blue one on Hanna’s head, then arranged the purple one on her own. “I think I know why you’re acting so weird, Hanna. You have stage fright, don’t you? You’re freaked about singing in front of all of those people. But it’s going to be great. I’ll be right next to you. Nothing can go wrong—I promise. So are you still in?”
The fruity Kate Spade perfume Naomi always wore was suddenly so overpowering that Hanna thought she might throw up. She looked down at her arm. Naomi was still gripping her wrist, and her eyes flashed, looking so much like Madison’s.
She pulled her arm away fast. “I-I have to go.”
Naomi frowned. “Why?”
Hanna stood up, her mind a blank. Her only goal was to get to the front door as quickly as possible. “S-something came up,” she stammered.
“But what about the talent show?”
Hanna glanced back just once. There was such a hurt look on Naomi’s face, but Hanna knew now it was all just a facade. “I’m sorry,” she practically whispered. Then she flung the door open, slipped into the hall, and slammed it shut before Naomi could follow her.
She was almost to the elevators when she caught sight of herself in the hall mirror. The blue wig Naomi had bought sat crookedly on her head, half of the hair sticking straight in the air, the other half sweeping across her forehead. As she reached to pull it off, something fluttered out and skidded to the floor. It looked like a receipt. On the back, something was scrawled in blue felt-tip pen. When Hanna leaned down to look closer, her heart stood still.