Chapter 2

Two hours later, the water in the bathroom finally stopped.

Robert stepped out.

When he saw me, he came right over, his voice much softer than before. "It's so late. Why aren't you in bed?"

I didn't answer. My gaze drifted to the bathroom.

He bent down and scooped me off the couch. Barefoot, he carried me toward the bedroom. "Emma, I admit I was a little harsh earlier. But you need to get to sleep right now. I'll stay with you."

Robert pulled the bedroom door almost shut, leaving it open a crack.

I looked out through the gap. A trail of wet footprints appeared at the bathroom door.

"It" crossed the living room and headed straight for the walk-in closet.

The comments popped up again.

[Emma must know something. That's why she was camped out on the couch.]

[Robert's actually sacrificing himself by sleeping next to her just to get her out of the way. Poor guy.]

[Don't feel bad for him. At the party tomorrow, Robert and Selena are both taking the potion and slipping into the pool. Let's see how cocky she is then.]

As I read the comments, it suddenly clicked. The potion only made the body invisible. To stay hidden, you had to be stark naked.

So Selena had slipped into my house early, stashed her clothes in the walk-in closet, swallowed the potion, and waited naked in the bathroom.

A small smile tugged at my lips. This is getting interesting.

Early that morning, Selena finally texted me back, "Emma, I was at the gym yesterday, and my phone was in my locker, so I didn't hear it. See you at the pool party later."

The tradition of our annual pool party began after Selena saved my life when we were 12.

That day, we'd snuck off to go rafting, and a huge wave flipped our raft in deep water.

Selena shielded me from the raft with her arm before it could slam into me, then pushed me to the surface and got me to shore first.

Once I made it to shore, I ran frantically for help, and the rescuers got to Selena in time to save her arm.

After that, the date became our day. Every year, we invited a few friends over to celebrate surviving the water together.

Thinking about it made my heart ache.

Selena had once been the best friend I'd trusted with everything.

And she'd stabbed me right in the back!

With Robert still sound asleep, I quietly got up and turned on the five cameras I'd installed around the pool.

Invisible?

So what?

The cameras have to catch something.

At ten that morning, the friends we'd invited to the pool party started arriving.

Selena was wearing a modest, retro-style black swimsuit with an open back. The man beside her was her boyfriend, David Foster, a gentle, straight-arrow engineer.

Selena walked over, annoyance clear on her face, and pinched my toned waist as if taking her frustration out on me. "Emma, your body looks amazing."

The comments started moving again.

[Robert's got the potion ready. As soon as everyone's busy with the barbecue, he and Selena are slipping into the pool to hook up.]

[Emma thinks dressing like that will get Robert's attention? Selena's the main character here!]

[This pool is about to witness Selena and Robert's love.]

I looked over at the pool. The grill, the skewers, the bottles...

A plan began to form.

I smiled to myself.