83 BELIEVE

KAREN'S POV "Paulina, what is it?" I asked Paulina, my heart rate picking up as Percy and I exchanged a quick, worried glance. "Just come with me," she insisted, and we followed her, curiosity and concern quickening our steps. We arrived at a little clearing not far from our house, and there it was—an envelope, looking oddly out of place against the green grass. Percy reached it first, opening the envelope to reveal a photograph. My breath hitched as I saw the image of Max and me, captured in a moment of our past happiness. I hadn't seen that picture for quite a long time. "How on earth is this here?" Percy asked, and his voice tight with tension. Then he played the voice not, a little speaker found in the envelope as well. The voice was distorted, but the message was clear: "Karen, you belong to me." It repeated over and over, sending shivers down my spine. I felt the color drain from my face as the implication hit me. "Max is still alive," I whispered, the world