5 In a blink , I was in a dark , grimy room . A heavy shovel was in my hands . On the floor lay a man with a bloody head . Across from me , Caleb stood , his face pale with fear . The fifth life . A business rival of the Vaughn family had kidnapped Caleb for revenge . I'd been with him , so they took me , too . The man on the floor had been about to cut off Caleb's arm . I'd snuck up behind him and knocked him out with the shovel . As we were escaping , Caleb used me as a diversion . I'll never forget it. We were almost at the door , my hand in his , when he sudd enly shoved me to the ground , scrambled outside , and slammed the heavy door shut , I heard his muffled voice from the other side . " Ava , they're coming back ! You have to stall them ! I'll get help , I promise ! " Then his footsteps faded , and he was gone . Of course , they caught me . They weren't just kidnappers ; they were animals . They took me back to their hideout and ... I will never forget that pain . Never , I don't know if Caleb ever came back with help . They killed me on that filthy mattress before I could find out . Now , in this dark room , I took a deep breath . I glanced at the unconscious man on the floor , then raised my eyes to meet Caleb's . He crept forward and checked the man's pulse . " He's alive . Come on , let's go ! " He ran to the door and peeked out . " Damn it . I swear , nothing but bad luck ever happens when you're around , Ava . When we get out of here , I'm going to kill you . " I almost laughed . A bitter , broken sound . I'd just saved his life , and the animal thought I was the problem . It didn't matter . He wasn't getting out of here . He was going to die right here , 09.57 0 Chapter 1 Suddenly , the synthesized voice screeched in my head , frantic . " Warning! Warning ! Host must complete the objective . The death of the target will result in a loop reset and mission failure . The Host will never return home . " W 09:57 Chapter 2 No one cared about me . After it was all over , Caleb just sauntered up to me with a grin . " Hey , it was just a joke . Don't get so worked up about it . " Just a joke . A joke that gave me a crippling depression that ended with me jumping off a bridge into a cold , dark river . 7 Caleb's voice pulled me back to the present . He was leaning against the classroom doorframe , a mocking look in his eyes . " The \ principal is waiting for you . Bring your backpack ." I stood up and grabbed my bag . As I passed the desk in front of me , I deftly palmed the small paring knife the girl used to sharpen her art pencils and slipped it into my sleeve . The walk down the hallway was a gauntlet of stares and whispers . " Yo , Caleb , where you taking her ? Getting busted for making out in the janitor's closet ? " one of his friends called out , draping an arm over Caleb's shoulder . Caleb glanced back at me and sneered . " Get real . I wouldn't touch that . She stole my watch . The principal wants to see her . " He said it loudly , making sure everyone in the hall could hear . The whispers intensified . I kept my head down and walked, my finge- rs tight around the handle of the knife . We entered the principal's office . His parents were already there , sitting in chairs , looking important and annoyed . His mother shot \ me a look of pure loathing . The principal sighed . " Ava , did you take Caleb's watch ? If there's been a misunderstanding , now is the time to clear it up ... " I clutched my backpack . " I took it , " I said calmly . " But it's not in my bag . I hid it in the empty classroom next door . " " See ! " Caleb's mom exploded . " I told you she was a little thief ! And she's not even ashamed of it ! No shame at all ! " lignored her and turned to Caleb . " Could you come with me , Caleb ? I'll give it back to you . " He let out a short , cold laugh . " Fine . " I walked toward the empty classroom , Caleb trailing behind me with a cocky swagger . As soon as he stepped inside , I slammed the door shut and clicked the lock . " So , Ava , " he said , his back still to me as he surveyed the empty room . " What's the plan here ? You gonna beg me to forgive you ? We ' re all alone . Maybe if you take your clothes off , I'll take a few pictures and we can call it even . "