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The guys were still talking about the women they were hoping to hook up with, and I’d grown weary of the conversation. So when my phone rang and I saw Annie’s name pop up, I was intrigued, and ready to use it as an excuse to call it a night.

“I gotta take this call, guys. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I threw a couple twenties down on the table and ignored their shit talking as I walked away.

By the time I got to the quiet outside, I’d missed the call. But it was weird that she had called me, so I immediately pressed redial. It rang twice.

“Raf?”

“Annie. What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry to call you. I know this is weird.” Her voice sounded strained. As if she’d been crying, maybe? The wind had picked up and the trees were swaying, lining the sidewalk with crunchy leaves, finally.

“No, it’s fine.” I said, as I walked over to the parking lot and got in my truck. “Are you okay?”

“I, uh… I’m not sure, Raf. I really need to talk to you.”

Now the intriguing curiosity I’d had was a full-blown eerie feeling. Something wasn’t right.

“You can talk to me, Annie. Tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t. Not on the phone.”

“Okay…”

“If I come back to Moon Harbor next week, can you meet up with me?”

“Uh… I mean—”

“Please, Raf,” she cut me off, her voice insistent and anxious. “I need to see you. I need to talk about things in person.”

“Okay, yeah, of course. What day?”

“I don’t know yet. As soon as I can get there. I’ll text you.”

“All right. Annie, are you okay?”

“I’m safe, but no, I’m not okay.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I promise I’ll explain it all when I see you.” My gut churned.

“Okay. Take care of yourself. Let me know if you need help with anything.”

“I will. Bye.” She ended the call before I could respond.

“What the fuck?” I whispered to the empty air in my truck.

I didn’t know Annie well anymore, but I’d known her well back in the day. And I’d never heard her like this. Never experienced such a strange feeling. There was something seriously wrong, but I couldn’t imagine what, or what she needed with me. We hadn’t been in each other’s lives for a decade. None of it made sense, and all of it made my blood run cold.

twelve

ELLIE

The Anchorage wasloud and bustling, filled to the brim with sexy nurses, slutty kittens, and all of the Stranger Things characters.

I’d decided on a mermaid costume, but in true Halloween fashion, the bottoms were less of a tail and more of a, well, bikini. It had a little ruffle made to look like a fin. My top actually covered my stomach, but it was so low-cut, I had to use double-stick tape to make sure I didn’t flash everyone. Though, as I walked through the room to try to find my friends, I felt like that had been a modest decision.

Sara had said to meet her at the same roped-off area we were at for Raf’s birthday, so I shoved my way toward the right side of the room, since I couldn’t see past the dance floor and filled up tables surrounding it.