“Constance?” came the voice.
“Gray?” I breathed, then gathered myself, trying to sound like I wasn’t astonished to hear from him. “What’s been happening?”
“I’ve been doing a bit of hitchhiking, that’s what.”
“Listen, I’m sorry about how I was last time we spoke. I—”
“Don’t sweat it.”
“I feel bad. I shouldn’t have just left you high and dry. I’m just . . . incredibly stressed. And I—”
“You thought I hurt my wife.”
“No . . .”
“Where are you now?”
“Greece. I’m in Greece.”
“Why did you decide to go to Greece? You said the police wanted you to stay in London.” His voice, in that peculiar Australian way, sounded both serious and casual at the same time.
“I know. They still do. But I had to keep looking for Kara.”
“So, where are you right now?”
“The Acropolis Museum, Athens.”
“Alone?”
“Yes. Why—？”
“I’ll see you there. In about twenty.”
“You what?”
“Twenty minutes. Outside the entrance to the museum.”
“You’re in Athens?” I spoke that louder than I meant to.
“Yes. But Constance . . . if you call the police or if I see anyone or anything suspicious, you won’t see me at all.”
I couldn’t blame him for being cautious, not after our last conversation. “Gray, trust me, it’s just me here. There won’t be anyone else.”
“I hope so. I’ll be there soon.”
He hung up. The distrust in his voice was my fault, and it was up to me now to repair the damage and show him that I was on his side.
50. Evie
RAIN POURED DOWN ON THE GARDEN.
I ached to take my breakfast and eat it outside, but I’d have been washed away in the downpour. A thick, melancholy light was trapped within the monastery halls and rooms—acid grey and unrelenting, tinting everything and everyone with its dull poison.
The projected images of the fifth challenge still stained my thoughts. It seemed to me that the images flashing too fast to register in the last section of film were even worse than what I’d seen.
Duncan had lost his place in the program afterwards, and he’d been sent home. I didn’t judge him as harshly in retrospect. He’d done the best he could with what he understood of the world. Poppy had been unable to stop crying after the challenge. She’d hugged me and said she couldn’t take any more. She wanted out. The mentors had allowed her to take the place of someone else who was supposed to be eliminated. We promised to keep in contact after the program was over. And then she left. Poppy had always been too sensitive for these challenges, especially so soon after the death of her boyfriend. It felt empty here without her.
Just one more challenge. Then I’d be leaving this place far behind.
I wasn’t certain how I’d remember the monastery. There were so many hollow spaces and unseen parts. Two people had died. I still couldn’t grasp it all and make it fit together. Perhaps that would be the final challenge—to understand my time here and the monastery itself.
As I took my plate of soup and bread from the kitchen into the refectory, I took a quick glance around at the small group of people sitting at the table and felt a keen sense of loss. This was what was supposed to happen, and I should have been overjoyed to be among the second-last group. But I wanted everyone here making it through to the end, especially Saul.
Another missing face was Kara’s. She hadn’t given me the chance to know her, but I hoped she’d head home now and go back to college.
The others at the table gave me a nod as I sat down. We were the last eight participants: Richard, Cormack, Mei, Louelle, Thomas, Yolanda, Hop and myself. Two would be eliminated. Then we’d have the final six.
We ate in silence for most of the meal. The soup was good, but after a minute or so, it seemed to me to be saturated with the same grey hue as the rest of the monastery, the taste turning bitter. I couldn’t finish it.
“Well, here we are.” Cormack pushed his empty plate away.
“The home run.” Richard sipped a noisy spoonful of soup. “We all go home in brand new beautiful skins. We’re butterflies.” He slitted his eyes at Hop in a comical way. “All except for Hop, who told me on the first morning that he has no intention of changing his degenerate ways.”
Hop grinned self-consciously, but then his smile slipped. “I’ve kind of figured out a few things about myself since then.”