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“I wonder what they’re doing here,” Marcy said as the girls walked into Pearl’s Diner across from the library.

  “Same thing everyone else is doing here. ” Harper tried to sound unfazed by their presence. “It’s summer vacation. ”

  “But they’re like movie stars or something. ” Marcy turned back to face Harper now that Penn, Lexi, and Thea had disappeared inside the diner.

  “Even movie stars need a vacation. ” Harper grabbed her purse from underneath the desk. “I’m running out to the docks to see my dad. I’ll be back in a little bit. ”

  Harper hurried out to her old Mercury Sable, hoping to get to and from the docks without getting rained on. She’d just hopped in the car and started it when she glanced up. Penn, Lexi, and Thea were sitting in a booth by the window at Pearl’s.

  The other two girls were sipping their drinks, behaving like normal customers, but Penn stared out the glass, her dark eyes locked on Harper. Her full lips turned up in a smile. A guy might have found that seductive, but Harper found it strangely menacing.

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  She put the car in drive and sped off so quickly she nearly clipped another driver, and that was very unlike her. As she drove down to the dock, slowing her racing heart, Harper once again thought about how much better it would be if Penn would just leave.

  THREE

  Pursued

  Harper had been hoping to miss him, but lately it seemed that none of her trips to the dock would be complete without running into Daniel. He lived on a boat that he kept docked there, even though it was a small cabin cruiser, not really meant for habitation of longer than a day or two.

  Brian worked at the north end of the bay, unloading barges that came in. Because that side of Anthemusa Bay was used for working ships, it was less appealing to tourists, and most of the privately owned boats were moored down closer to the beach. Of course, there were a few locals who still kept boats at the working end of the dock, and Daniel happened to be one of them.

  The first time Harper had met him, she’d been on her way to see Brian at the dock. Apparently, Daniel had woken up and decided to pee over the edge of the boat. She just happened to look up at precisely the wrong time and got a full view of his manly parts.

  Harper had screamed, and Daniel immediately pulled up his pants. That was when he had jumped down from the boat to introduce himself and apologize profusely. If he hadn’t been laughing the entire time, she might have actually accepted his apology.

  Today, as Harper walked by his boat—aptly named The Dirty Gull—Daniel was standing shirtless on the deck, even though the air was chilled from the wind blowing across the bay.

  He had his back to her, so she could see the tattoo that stretched across it. The roots started just above his pants, and the trunk grew upward, over his spine, then twisted to the side. Thick black branches extended out, covering his shoulder and going down his right arm.

  She held her hand to the side of her face, saving herself from looking at him. Just because he had pants on and appeared to be pinning his clothes on a line to dry didn’t mean he wouldn’t drop trou at any moment.

  Because of her attempts to shield her vision, Harper didn’t see anything. It wasn’t until Daniel shouted, “Watch out!” that she looked up, and a sopping-wet something smacked her in the face.

  It knocked her off balance, and Harper fell back onto the dock, landing unceremoniously on her butt. Daniel jumped over the railing on the bow and landed on the dock.

  Harper immediately ripped the something from her face, still unsure of what it was exactly, except that it was wet and came from Daniel, so she could only assume that it was something horrendous.

  “Sorry about that,” Daniel said, but he was laughing as he picked up the item from where she’d thrown it aside. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Harper snapped. He held out his hand to help her up, but she swatted it away and got to her feet. “No thanks to you. ”

  “I really am sorry,” Daniel repeated. He kept smiling at her, but he managed to look sheepish about it, so Harper decided to hate him a little less. But only a little.

  “What was that?” Harper asked, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

  “Just a T-shirt. ” He unballed it and held it out to reveal an ordinary Hanes shirt. “A clean shirt. I was hanging my laundry up to dry, and the wind got ahold of it and blew it out to you. ”

  “You’re hanging your clothes up now?” Harper gestured at the overcast sky. “That’s completely idiotic. ”

  “Well, I was running out of clean clothes. ” Daniel shrugged and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. Harper could never tell if it was dirty blond or just dirty. “I know some ladies wouldn’t mind if I ran around without clothes, but—”

  “Yeah, right. ” Harper made a disgusted sound in her throat, which only made Daniel laugh again.

  “Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “I really am. I know you don’t believe me, but you can let me make it up to you. ”

  “You can make it up to me by not traumatizing me every time I walk by,” Harper suggested.

  “Traumatize?” Daniel smirked and raised an eyebrow. “It was just a T-shirt, Harper. ”

  “Yeah, it was just a T-shirt this time. ” Harper glared at him. “You’re not even supposed to be living on these boats. Why don’t you get a real place, and this won’t be a problem?”

  “Easier said than done. ” He sighed and looked away from her then, staring out at the bay. “You’re right, though. I’ll be more careful. ”

  “That’s all I’m asking,” she said and started walking away.

  “Harper,” Daniel said. Against her better judgment, she stopped and looked back at him. “Why don’t you let me buy you a coffee sometime?”

  “No, thanks,” Harper replied quickly, maybe too quickly judging by the wounded expression that flashed across his face. But he erased it just as fast and smiled at her.

  “All right. ” He nodded. “See you later. ”

  Harper turned away from him without saying anything more, leaving him standing alone on the dock. She was actually taken aback by his invitation, but she wasn’t tempted. Not even slightly.

  Sure, Daniel was kinda cute, in a grungy rock star sorta way, but he was older than her by a couple of years, and he didn’t have his life together at all.

  Besides that, she’d made a pact with herself that she wouldn’t date until college. She was too focused on getting her life in order, and she didn’t have any time to waste on guys. That had been her plan all along, but she really recommitted to it after her dip into the dating world last fall.

  Alex had set her up with his friend Luke Benfield, insisting they would be a good match. Even though they went to the same school, Harper had never had any classes with Luke and didn’t really know him, but after much prodding from Alex, she finally caved.

  The only time she’d really seen Luke around was when he was at Alex’s house for a Halo party or some other video gaming event. Harper didn’t usually partake in those activities, so her interaction with Luke had been minimal before they went on a date.

  The date itself went well enough that she’d agreed to go with Luke on a few more. He was nice and funny, albeit in an overtly geeky manner, but in his own way, he was sorta cute. It was when they’d elevated their relationship to kissing that things went sour.

  Harper had only kissed one other boy, at a slumber party in the eighth grade on a dare, but even with her limited experience, she was certain that kissing wasn’t supposed to go the way it went with Luke.

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  It was slobbery and far too eager, like he was attempting to devour her face. Then his hands suddenly went crazy, and at first she wasn’t sure if he was trying to feel her up or having a seizure. When she was certain it was the former, she decided to stop seeing him.

  He was a nice enough guy, but there wasn’t any physical chemistry between t
hem. To break it off, Harper had told him that she needed to focus on her schoolwork and her family, so she didn’t have time for a relationship. Still, things ended up being awkward between them the next time she ran into him.

  That only solidified her views on romance. She didn’t have the time or the need for all that drama.

  *   *   *

  Gemma leaned against the edge of the pool and took off her goggles. Coach Levi stood over her, and she could already tell by his expression that she’d beat her time.

  “I did it, right?” Gemma asked, smiling up at him.

  “You did it,” Coach said.

  “I knew it!” She grabbed the edge of the pool and pulled herself up and out of the water. “I could feel it. ”

  “You did great. ” Coach nodded. “Now just imagine how great you’d do if you didn’t waste your energy on those nightly swims. ”

  Gemma groaned and took off her swim cap, letting her hair fall free. She looked around the empty pool. Nobody else on the swim team practiced during the summer, but then again, nobody trained as hard as she did.

  They rarely spoke of it, not in real terms, but both Gemma and the coach had their eyes on the Olympics. The games were years away, but she was determined to be in top form by the time they came around. Coach Levi took her to every meet he could, and she won almost every time.

  “It’s not wasted energy. ” Gemma stared down at the water that dripped around her feet. “It’s something fun I do. I need to relax. ”

  “You do,” Coach agreed. He folded his arms across his chest, holding the clipboard to him. “You need to have fun and kick back and be a kid. But you don’t need to be swimming at night. ”

  “You wouldn’t even know that I was swimming if Harper didn’t narc on me,” Gemma muttered.

  “Your sister is worried about you,” Coach said gently. “And I am, too. It’s not about training. The bay is dangerous at night. Another kid went missing just the other week. ”

  “I know. ” Gemma sighed.

  She’d already heard about it a dozen times from Harper. A seventeen-year-old boy had been staying at a beach house with his parents. He went out to meet some friends for a bonfire, and he never came back.

  That story in itself didn’t sound that bad, but Harper was quick to remind Gemma of the two other boys who had gone missing in the last couple of months. They left one night, and simply didn’t come home.

  It was usually after Harper told these stories that she’d run to Brian and start demanding that he keep Gemma home. Brian didn’t, though. Even after everything that had happened with their mom—or maybe because of it—he felt it was more important that the girls have the chance to live their lives.

  “You’ve just got to be careful,” Coach told her. “It’s not worth throwing this all away for some stupid mistake. ”

  “I know,” Gemma said, this time with more conviction. After all the hard work and sacrifice, she wasn’t about to let any of this slip away from her.

  “Okay,” Coach said. “But Gemma, that really was a great time today. You should be proud. ”

  “Thanks. I’ll do even better tomorrow. ”

  “Don’t push yourself too hard,” Coach said, but he smiled at her.

  “All right. ” She smiled back and pointed to the locker room behind her. “I’m gonna hit the showers now. ”

  “Try to do something fun tonight that doesn’t involve water, okay? Expand your horizons beyond the aquatic. It’ll be good for you. ”

  “Yes, sir. ” Gemma saluted him as she walked backward to the lockers, and he laughed.

  She showered quickly, mostly just rinsing the chlorine from her hair. All the time in the water should’ve left her with crazy dry skin, but she used baby oil every time she dried off. It was the only thing that prevented her from turning into an alligator.

  After she’d gotten dressed, she went out to unlock her bike. The rain had come back, pouring down twice as hard as it had earlier. Gemma flipped the hood up over her head, regretting her decision to ride the bike to practice, when a horn honked behind her.

  “Do you need a lift?” Harper asked, rolling down the car window to yell out at her sister.

  “What about my bike?” Gemma asked.

  “You can get it tomorrow. ”

  Gemma thought about it for a second before running over and hopping in her sister’s car. She tossed her gym bag in the backseat and buckled up.

  “I was on my way home from work, and I thought I’d swing by and see if you needed a ride,” Harper said as she pulled away from the gymnasium. Practice lasted only a couple of hours, but Gemma would usually grab lunch and then hit the weight room. She wasn’t buff, but she needed her body in peak physical condition.

  “Thanks. ” Gemma turned the vents so the heat would blow directly on her. “The rain gets pretty cold. ”

  “How was practice today?”

  “Good. ” Gemma shrugged. “I beat my best time. ”

  “Really?” Harper sounded genuinely excited and smiled over at her. “That’s amazing! Congratulations!”

  “Thank you. ” She leaned back in the seat. “Do you know what’s going on tonight?”

  “With what?” Harper asked. “Dad’s making a pizza for supper, and I was thinking of going over to Marcy’s to watch this documentary called Hot Coffee. What did you have planned?”

  “I don’t know. Nothing. I think I might stay in tonight. ”

  “You mean like stay in in?” Harper asked. “No midnight swims?”

  “Nope. ”

  “Oh. ” Harper paused, surprised. “That’ll be nice. Dad will like that. ”

  “I guess. ”

  “I can stay home if you want,” Harper offered. “I could rent movies to watch together. ”

  “Nah, that’s okay. ” Gemma stared out the car window as Harper drove them home. “I was thinking after supper I might see if Alex wanted to come over to play Red Dead Redemption. ”

  “Oh. ” Harper exhaled deeply, but she didn’t say anything.

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  She wasn’t thrilled about their friendship, but she’d already said her piece on it. Besides that, it was better if Gemma was at home playing video games with the boy next door than running around all over town in the middle of the night.

  “There are only three,” Gemma said, pulling Harper from her thoughts.

  “What?” Harper looked over to see Penn, Thea, and Lexi walking down the street.

  It was pouring rain, but they didn’t have any jackets on and didn’t seem to mind. If it had been anybody else, she would’ve offered them a ride, but she purposely sped up as she drove past them.

  “There’s only three. ” Gemma turned to her sister. “What happened to the fourth one?”

  “I don’t know. ” Harper shook her head. “Maybe she’s sick. ”

  “Nah, I don’t think so. ” Gemma rested her head on the seat and leaned back. “What was her name?”

  “Arista, I think,” Harper said. She’d heard their names from Marcy, who’d heard them from Pearl, who usually was pretty accurate when it came to town gossip.

  “Arista,” Gemma repeated. “What a stupid name. ”

  “I’m sure plenty of people think our names are stupid,” Harper pointed out. “It’s not nice to make fun of something people can’t control. ”

  “I’m not making fun of her. I’m just saying. ” Gemma turned around to watch the diminishing figures of the three girls. “Do you think they killed her?”

  “Don’t say things like that,” Harper said, although the idea had actually crossed her mind. “That’s how rumors get started. ”

  “I’m not spreading a rumor. ” Gemma rolled her eyes. “I’m asking you what you think. ”

  “Of course I don’t think they killed her. ” Harper hoped she sounded more convinced than she felt. “She’s probably sick or she went back home or something. I’m sur
e everything is fine. ”

  “But there is something off with those girls,” Gemma said reflectively, more to herself than to Harper. “There’s something not quite right. ”

  “They’re just pretty girls. That’s all. ”

  “But nobody knows where they came from,” Gemma insisted.

  “It’s tourist season. Nobody knows where anybody’s from. ” Harper rounded a corner and turned to her sister, meaning to admonish her for feeding the gossip.

  “Watch out!” Gemma screamed, and Harper slammed on the brakes just in time to stop herself from driving over Penn and Thea.

  For a minute neither Harper nor Gemma said anything, not that Harper could hear anything over the pounding of her own heart. Penn and Thea just stood directly in front of the Sable, staring through the windshield at them.

  When Lexi knocked on the window next to Gemma, they yelped in surprise. Gemma glanced back at Harper, as if unsure what to do.

  “Roll down the window,” Harper said hurriedly, and Gemma complied. She leaned forward and forced a smile at Lexi. “Sorry about that. We didn’t see you there. ”

  “It’s no problem. ” Lexi smiled broadly, oblivious to the rain pouring down her blond hair. “We were just looking for directions. ”

  “Directions?” Harper asked.

  “Yeah, we got a little lost, and we wanted to go back to the bay. ” Lexi leaned her slender arms on the car and looked down at Gemma. “You know how to get down to the bay, don’t you? We always see you there. ”

  “Uh, yeah. ” Gemma pointed straight ahead of them. “Just go three blocks down, then make a right onto Seaside Avenue. That’ll take you right there. ”

  “Thanks,” Lexi said. “Will you be down at the bay tonight?”

  “No,” Gemma and Harper said in unison, and Gemma shot her sister a look before going on, “It’s no fun to swim in all this rain. ”

  “Why not? The water’s still wet. ” Lexi laughed at her own joke, but Gemma didn’t say anything. “Oh, well. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you around anyway. We’ll keep an eye out for you. ”

  She winked at Gemma, then straightened up and stepped back from the car. Gemma rolled up the window, but Penn and Thea were slow to move out from in front of the car. For a moment Harper was afraid that she’d have to throw her car in reverse to get away from them.

  When they finally stepped out of the way, Harper had to fight the urge to floor it away from them. Instead she offered them a small wave, but Gemma stayed rigid in her seat, refusing to acknowledge the girls.

  “That was bizarre,” Harper said as they drove away and her heart began to slow.

  “And creepy,” Gemma added. When Harper didn’t say anything, Gemma glared over at her. “Oh, come on. You have to admit that it was creepy. Why else wouldn’t you have offered them a ride home?”

  Harper gripped the steering wheel and floundered for an excuse. “They seemed to enjoy the water. ”

  “Whatever. ” Gemma rolled her eyes. “They came out of nowhere. You saw that! They were behind us, and then suddenly they were in front of us. They’re, like … supernatural. ”

  “They took a shortcut,” Harper argued lamely as she pulled into the driveway next to her father’s beat-up Ford F-150.