Kai makes a snap decision, his foot hitting the accelerator as he yanks the wheel. The car jerks violently, veering right as we explode through the low bushes lining the road.
We hit the field hard. The car bucks and jolts, tyres struggling for grip on the uneven ground. My heart is a drum, hammering in my throat as we hurtle towards the road on the other side.
Almost there—
The impact is sudden.
A sickening crunch.
The world tilts.
Weightlessness.
A moment of absolute silence—
Then we flip.
My head cracks against the roof. The world blurs, spins—
And then nothing.
21
What The Hell Happened?
Kai to Tess: You mean too much to me, please don’t leave me. [undelivered]
Tess
ItfeelslikeIgot hit over the head by my own terrible life choices goingsixty miles per hour in a school zone.
It fucking hurts.
With a groan, I pry my eyelids open, though they put up a hell of a fight. The room swims into focus—stone walls, dim lighting, and a door with a big-ass metal latch straight out of a horror movie.
Oh my god.
I’ve been kidnapped.
That would explain why I’mtied to a damn chair.
Panic claws up my throat as I yank at the restraints. No luck. My brain, still sluggish from whatever fresh disaster led me here, struggles to catch up.
Pain shoots down my arm as I continue tugging at the restraints. Looking down I see that it’s scraped and bruised.
Roaming over the rest of me I note a lot of superficial cuts but nothing that seems glaringly wrong.
What thehellhappened?
The last thing I remember is…
My breath catches.
The car accident.
Kai?
Nico?