COLD WATER SMACKED QUINN’S FACE. Her eyelids fluttered.
“Quinn? Quinn? You okay?”
The world fizzed into focus. Kara was inches away, her expression twisted with worry. Quinn tried to sit up, but sank back onto the hot cobblestones. “Emma,” she muttered. “Em.”
Kara and Josh exchanged curious glances.
“Heatstroke,” said Josh. “I told her to come into the water.”
“Hush,” said Kara. “Give me that glass.”
Quinn held up a limp hand and turned away. She thought Kara was going to douse her again with ice water. Instead, Kara slipped her arm under Quinn’s neck.
“Here. Take a sip.”
Kara tipped the glass, just enough to wet her friend’s lips. Quinn opened her mouth and let the cool liquid run down her throat. She took another sip and raised her head. She gripped Kara’s shoulder. “It’s Emma. She’s here.”
Kara took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She looked at Josh, then back at Quinn. “You passed out. You must have been dreaming.” Her voice was soft and comforting, but her words were firm.
Quinn searched past Kara, past Josh, toward the hotel. She squinted and scanned each of the windows of the topmost floor. There was no pink-capped figure staring down at her. She couldn’t understand it. She was so sure.
“Listen, Kara. I saw her. She’s here. Emma is here.” Quinn hoisted herself back onto the chaise and took the glass from Kara’s hand. She drank a few more mouthfuls and set it down. “You have to believe me. I saw Emma. It was her.”
“Riiight,” said Josh slowly. “Like the time you saw her at the zoo?”
“And the time we had to chase after that girl at the mall with the same jacket as Emma?” said Kara.
“And all those pink caps,” added Josh.
She shook her head. “This was different. I swear. This time I really saw her. I have to find her.” She tried to stand, but Kara pulled her down.
“Quinn. You passed out. You must have thought you saw her. Josh, go get help.”
“I’m fine.” Quinn shrugged free from Kara’s hold.
She stood up, still a bit weak in the knees, steadying herself against the top of the chaise, and stepped into her boots. She darted toward the side of the hotel where she’d seen Emma, shading her eyes, searching all the windows once again. She could feel the other guests watching her, including Rico, but none of them mattered. All that mattered was Emma.
“Satisfied?” called Josh.
“Emma is here. I know she is.” Under her breath, she added, “And I’m going to find her.”
Without warning, Quinn sprinted the length of the pool toward the entrance to the hotel. Over her shoulder, she heard Kara shouting.
“Quinn! What are you doing? Josh—grab your stuff! Quinn! Wait!”
Before Kara could catch her, Quinn ducked inside the hotel, made a sharp turn, and disappeared into the corridor that led into the wing where she’d seen Emma. Behind, she heard Kara’s muffled calls, but Quinn wasn’t going to stop, not until she’d found her sister.
The hallway seemed endless. Quinn ran as fast as her jittery legs would carry her. She searched frantically past door after door for a stairwell that could not be found. Somewhere on the topmost floor, Emma was waiting. She had to get to her—before she disappeared again. Before it was too late.
Quinn turned several corners, stumbled up two or three steps, then hurtled down a few more. She twisted and turned through the hallway that rose and fell, coiling through the hotel like a giant snake. In the back of Quinn’s mind this didn’t seem architecturally right, but she pushed the thought far away. There was no time to think about anything except Emma.
At an intersection, Quinn halted briefly, catching her breath. She searched left, then right, then straight ahead, unsure which path to take. Kara’s calls had long disappeared and suddenly Quinn felt very alone.
There had to be an emergency stairwell or an elevator somewhere. If only she could find it. She scrambled a few steps to the left, when she came to a complete and dead stop.
Ahead, a figure stood by a door. She recognized the yellow-and-black ball cap. Quinn’s heart, already beating out of control, threatened to burst through her rib cage. She could hear blood thudding in her ears, but she willed herself to remain statue still.
The man was bent, fumbling with a key. He was cursing violently. Quinn was not fifty feet away, but luckily he hadn’t noticed her.
Slowly, carefully, she took a step backward, certain any quick movement would draw his attention. One foot, then another, her palms cold and clammy. She hesitated, her body tense, like a sprinter waiting for the blast of a gun.
The key didn’t seem to be working. The man raised his head and cursed, and just as he was turning in her direction Quinn made her move. She wheeled around and, legs pumping, she bolted back the way she’d come.
Ducking around the corner, Quinn scrambled through the intersection and plowed straight into Kara, sending both of them flying, landing flat on their backs. The clothes Kara had been holding scattered.
“What’s wrong with you?” said Kara. “How could you take off on us like that?” But Quinn was already up, dragging Kara to her feet, scooping up their clothes and pulling her toward the upper lobby through the open space.
“Quinn. Stop,” said Kara, digging in her heels.
Quinn yanked harder, pulling Kara toward the stairs. She scrambled down step after step. Once they reached the bottom, they paused long enough to scan the upper lobby.
All was quiet. There was no sign of the man with the ball cap. Quinn had been lucky. He hadn’t seen her. She bent over, her hands on her thighs, catching her breath. How could she explain her fear of him? There was no rational reason—just a deep, dark feeling.
“You have to stop doing this,” said Kara. “You have to stop imagining people are after you.”
“But Emma,” said Quinn between gulps of air.
Quinn felt a cool hand on her back. She looked up and saw Persephone.
“Are you all right? Can I help you?”
“Yes,” said Quinn quickly, straightening her back, calming her breathing. “I need to get upstairs. I need to find somebody. Is there a way up?”
“The elevator,” she said, pointing toward the metal cage. “Except, it’s been slower than usual today.”
“Is there no other way, then?” said Quinn. “This is a pretty big building for such a small elevator.”
“It’s an old building. We’re up to code, of course. There’s an emergency stairwell at the end of each corridor.”
“Really?” said Quinn. “Because I couldn’t find one.”
“Oh, they’re a bit tricky to find. Why do you need to go upstairs? Your room is on the first floor.”
“Yes,” said Kara. “It is. Let’s go back to our room,” she said to Quinn. “I told Josh to meet us by the door. He’s probably waiting.”
“Just a second,” said Quinn. She turned to Persephone. “I need to find another guest. Can you help?”
“I can try,” said Persephone.
Kara rolled her eyes but said nothing. Quinn left her standing at the base of the steps. At the front desk, Persephone had already taken out her guest book.
“Date?” she said.
“Excuse me?” said Quinn. “Don’t you mean name?”
“No,” said Persephone. “We go by dates here. Much easier to track. When did the guest arrive?”
Quinn sighed. “I-I don’t know. Her name is Emma. I don’t know when she would have arrived.”
Persephone raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. Well. That’s a bit more difficult, isn’t it? Emma. Emma what?”
“Emma Martin.”
“Martin? Isn’t that your surname?”
“Um, yes,” said Quinn, then redirected the conversation. “You really need to get some computers. Would be a lot easier.”
“We prefer to keep things simple,” Persephone said, flipping through the goose-fat pages, her long, lean finger scanning up and down the names she’d scrawled in fancy script and then crossed out.
“Why are they all crossed out?”
“To keep track of who’s come. And gone,” said Persephone. She met Quinn’s eyes head-on. “Sorry,” she added quickly. “No Emma.”
Quinn leaned over and snuck a peek at the book. Before Persephone snapped it shut, she saw something very strange.
Kara approached the counter. “Come on, Quinn. Let’s go back to the room. My parents are probably back. And Josh is waiting.”
Quinn glared at Persephone a moment longer. Her face seemed so perfect. So plastic. Her eyes wide and unblinking. The woman placed her two hands on the cover of the book, then picked it up and stowed it neatly under the counter.
Reluctantly, Quinn drew back from the desk. She followed Kara into the corridor that led to their room. Her mind had left the crazy man with the ball cap and even Emma for the moment. All she could think about was the guest book and what she’d seen.