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I wasn’t sure if I should be glad they weren’t getting them or worried that only I was. “Cici, have you talked to someone about the upstairs window? Or cameras? I might as well mention now that I saw a person moving around out there.”

Cloe’s expression shifted. “My dad’s supposed to call me after five.” She paused. “I’m sorry, did you just say yousawsomeone?”

Ari cut in with a gentle reminder. “We have to keep in mind that this is just the beginning, and not officially. We’ll need to try and get used to the fact that we will be seeing people like you did this morning, Sanj. It’s going to be our new normal until this is all over.”

She was right, and once Monday came along, things would only kick up a notch. It didn’t make accepting the fact that some random person was going to be hanging around outside our house any easier to swallow. I exhaled, raking a hand through my hair. “Ashton’s Marked, by the way. Just tossing that out there as well.”

“That isn’t surprising to me,” Roxxi replied.

“How did he tell you? Did he send a screenshot or describe it?” Cloe asked, ever the analyst.

“He read the note out loud. It was… vague. Something about his sins will be catching up to him.”

Roxxi tilted her head. “And what sins would those be? Unseasoned foreplay and emotional whiplash?”

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh. That would be wildly inappropriate. Ari did the same, suddenly fascinated by a spot on the sectional.

Cloe sighed. “If Ashton’s in, it’s only a matter of time before he starts acting like a martyr about it.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not if you like being guilt-tripped into comforting a grown man through his 'poor me' era,” Roxxi muttered.

Cloe shrugged. “It’s not always a bad thing, but with Ashton? It could go either way.”

“I didn’t think he’d be in this. I never thought to ask,” I admitted.

“None of us thought we’d be in this, Sanj,” Ari said gently.

“Yeah, you’re right. What do we do about it?”

“We remember who the fuck we are,” Roxxi stated. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t freaked out. I hate the idea of some rando even thinking about being near our house where we lay our heads at night. I’m just gonna picture our Huntsmen as emotionally stunted, and pitiful college dudes with musty dicks. I guarantee at least one Huntsman fits that description.”

Cloe crossed her arms. “We don’t know that they’re all guys. One or more of the Huntsmen could be women.”

Roxxi shrugged. “That’s fine. They probably have pH issues then.”

Ari’s nose wrinkled. “I think I’ll picture them like the men in my books.”

“That’s one way to pop your Hunt cherry,” Roxxi joked.

“Guys, please? This thing doesn’t start for a few more days, and I’m already about to lose my mind.”

“They can’t hurt us, Sanj,” Cloe reminded me comfortingly.

“That’s only somewhat true,” Ari corrected, a bit hesitant.

“Don’t say that kind of ominous shit and not explain,” Roxxi warned.

“It isn’t anything new, though. You guys don’t remember hearing about some of this last year?” Ari asked.

“I barely made it through last year, period. All my focus was on cheer and keeping my GPA alive.”

“Right. So, I was reading earlier and remembered this story about a guy who dropped out after The Hunt. Did some digging, and apparently, he got dragged outside of town in a trunk.Then they made him get out and run half-naked through the woods… while wearing a sheep mask.”

Roxxi’s brows rose. “And the school just let that slide?”

Ari gave a shrug that essentially said,yeah, pretty much.“The Hunt’s supposed to be a test of mental fortitude and fun.”

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