The night on the island was unusually still—no wind, no waves, no whispers from the others. Just silence. You crept through the trees toward the abandoned watchtower, heart hammering in your chest. Kayleigh was already there, waiting, her flashlight barely illuminating her face.

“You came,” she said softly, relief flickering in her eyes. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

You closed the door behind you. “You said it was important.”

Kayleigh nodded, her usual calm replaced by something tense—almost fearful. “It is. But you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone. Especially not Amber.”

The way she said her name sent a chill through you. “Kayleigh… what’s going on?”

She looked around before pulling a folded paper from her pocket—one you instantly recognized as part of the island’s restricted files. The edges were burned, the ink smudged by saltwater. “I found this in the admin hut. It’s about Amber.”

You took it from her, scanning the faded text. The words didn’t make sense at first—phrases like ‘phase two subject integration’ and ‘leader control variable.’ You frowned. “What is this supposed to mean?”

Kayleigh’s voice broke through the stillness. “It means Amber wasn’t stranded here by accident. She was sent here. She’s part of the experiment.”