Chapter 4

The drive to the remote trailhead was long and silent, at least for me.

Mark kept up a cheerful patter with the other interns, occasionally trying to draw me in. I gave one-word answers.

Emily sat in the back, pointedly ignoring me, occasionally giggling at something Mark said.

We made camp near the trailhead as dusk settled.

Mark built a large fire, pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

"Loosen up, folks! Thanksgiving Eve!"

He encouraged everyone to drink. I stuck to water.

Emily, after a whispered conversation with Mark, came over to me.

She held out a thermos.

"Here, Sarah. I made you some special herbal tea. Mom used to make it for you when you were stressed. To calm your nerves."

Her voice was soft, almost pleading. For a second, she looked like my little sister again.

The memory of my first life, the betrayal, cut through me.

I took the thermos. "Thanks, Em."

I pretended to sip it, the metallic taste of the cheap thermos familiar.

Later, when Mark was regaling the others with a story, I tried to pull Emily aside.

"Em, we need to talk. About Mark. About this trip."

She looked at me, a strange expression on her face. Smug, almost pitying.

She thought the tea was already working.

She leaned in close, her voice a low whisper.

"Just go with it, sis. When you wake up, all your worries will be over, and we'll be on our way to a new life."

A new life. Her words chilled me to the bone.

I dumped the tea onto the ground when no one was looking. It smelled faintly sweet, but with an underlying chemical bitterness. A sedative, just like I suspected.

The next morning, as we reached the canyon entrance, I stumbled.

"Whoa, Sarah, you okay?" Mark asked, his voice laced with false concern.

I pressed a hand to my head. "Dizzy. That tea Emily gave me... I don't feel right."

I looked directly at Emily. "What was in that tea, Em?"

She flushed, stammering. "Just... just herbs. To help you relax."

"Relax?" I said, my voice loud enough for the others to hear. "I feel like I've been drugged."

I turned to Mark. "I can't go on. I'm too unwell. I'll wait at the trailhead."

Emily looked horrified. Panic flashed in her eyes. This wasn't part of their plan.

Mark' s smile tightened. "Now, Sarah, don't be dramatic."

I insisted, feigning weakness. I sat down on a rock.

Later, hidden behind a thicket of trees, pretending to be sick, I heard them. Mark and Emily. Their voices were low, urgent.

Mark was angry. "Clumsy! I told you to be careful with the dose! She has to be on this trip. The plan only works if she's with us. It has to look like an accident."

An accident. So Emily could claim the life insurance. Or the inheritance from our parents. He'd coached her on that too, I was sure.

My sister, my little Emily, was actively plotting my death.

The cold resolve I' d felt after my reawakening solidified into ice.

There was no protecting her now. Only myself.