I can’t breathe—I can’t breathe. He’s hugging me.

  This boy, is hugging me.

  I can’t breathe. My head is spinning, and I feel like I’m about to faint. He… he just killed his uncle! His uncle is lying here, lifeless, right beside me. I can’t think. I can’t see. I need to—

  *Huff, huff.*

  I’m hyperventilating. My whole body won’t stop trembling and I'm tearing up. Why is his uncle’s hand on my lap? Ew, ew, it’s still warm, and I can feel the blood soaking through. And this psycho—why is he still hugging me?

  I want to push him off, kick him away, anything. But I can’t. My body is frozen.

  Focus, focus. My breathing. I have to calm down. I can’t—

  “It’s okay now,” the boy’s voice cuts through. “Take slow, gentle breaths in. My mom said the faster you breathe, the worse it gets. You’re losing oxygen and trapping carbon dioxide. Trust me, breathing slowly really helps. I’ve been through this. Hannah went through this too.”

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  What? What the F_CK is he talking about? Why is he calm? Why is he *smiling*? He just killed his uncle! Does he know that?!

  And now, he’s giving me advice? His hand pats my back, which somehow makes everything worse. I can’t see straight. My heart is pounding so hard it’s all I can hear. It’s in my ears, my chest, my fingers—everywhere. I can hear it more than the noise around me. My view is swirling. I need to get out of here.

  “Hey! Don’t try to get up. You’ll hurt yourself.”

  Hurt? Is that a threat? Is he going to kill me too? Ugh! My stomach. Did I get hit in the stomach? I feel sick. Ergh....blurgh!

  “See? I told you! Now you've vomited.” he says like it’s no big deal. “You should’ve stayed put.”

  NO! I shouldn’t even be here. I need to find my aunt.

  There!—It’s the door.

  “Hey, Kyle, sis! Don’t go out there—it’s not safe!”

  I need to—

  _______________________________________________________________________________

  When did all of this happened?

  Oh, right. A week ago.

  It all began with Mom asking me to visit Aunt Marie. She told me to head to some random island where Aunt Marie lives. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I mean, I’d only talked to Aunt Marie a few times online—WhatsApp, Messenger, stuff like that.

  What if I’d just said no? What if I’d told Mom I couldn’t go because I had volleyball practice, or that I wanted to hang out with my friends? What if I’d just ignored her request and gone to bed like I wanted to?

  I wouldn’t be here, stuck on this stupid island. I’d be home, living my normal, quiet life. I miss my family—Mom, Dad, Kyle. I miss my friends.

  I remember how it all started so clearly. The sunlight streaming through my bedroom window. The breeze coming in. The obnoxious beeping of my alarm clock.