Informationen zum Autor Natasha Preston is the #1 New York Times bestselling author whose thrillers have scared readers around the world. She lives in England with her family. Klappentext #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Preston is back with another pulse-pounding, twisty read! Would you accept the dare? In Marley's town, seniors are given a prank as a rite of passagea dare, if you will. The dares start out simpleegging houses, balloons filled with glitter, chickens running loose in the halls. But this is no child's play. Accepting a dare means you could be expelled, arrested, or worse. No one wants to back down from a dare. But saying yes has consequences, too Leseprobe 1 Monday, May 22 Senior pranks are a rite of passage. Sometimes they're fun and sometimes they're killer. They're the last dumb thing you do in high school before you get to do a whole bunch of dumb things in college. But if you go to my school, they can stop your college dreams dead. Sophomore year I couldn't wait to participate in senior pranks, but in the last two years the pranks have really escalated. The Wilder brothers­putting their last name to good use­took over. Five of them, all a year apart in age and all headed for prison if it weren't for their parents' money, came up with a way to raise the stakes. Everett Emmett Rhett­ ugh Garrett Truett Their parents really went with that matching-­name theme. No wonder they have issues. I think I remember a kid ribbing Everett about it once. Only once. There's rumor that the kid had to move to another country. The brothers all like to exert their dominance. They assign you a prank. A dare, really. If you're brave enough­or stupid enough ­to turn it down, a forfeit is forced upon you. Arrests, expulsions, not walking at graduation, and even college rejections are what we face now. That is if we accept the dares . . . or if we don't. Saying no has consequences too. I watch Rhett laugh and shove one of his followers as he makes his way into the cafeteria, cutting in the line because he doesn't have to wait like the rest of us. My best friend, Lucia, twirls her shiny black hair around her finger. Ignore him, she says, pushing what I think is supposed to be a burrito away from her. She's curled up with her boyfriend, Jesse, so far evading the eyes of any teachers monitoring for PDA. Jesse throws a scowl in Rhett's direction, still holding a grudge against him for getting starting quarterback at the beginning of the year. Jesse and Atlas are better. Rhett's family is richer. The dares are going to start soon, I say, turning my nose up. Rhett's probably already plotting. With only three weeks left of school, senior pranks are right around the corner. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to go all out to prank Principal Fuller, but I don't want to get messed up in Rhett's games. Atlas leans in, kissing my cheek. Nothing's going to stop you and your big brain from going to UCLA. Last year Billy Halsten had his place at Ohio State stripped because the fire he set in a trash can spread and gutted a 7-­Eleven. It was his dare from the second-­born Wilder brother. Not to destroy a building but to keep the fire department busy while someone else stole a CPR mannequin. Since then, the whole thing has made me want to skip the last few weeks of school altogether. There's no way Rhett is going to listen to Fuller's warnings. We're to keep it safe. No stupid stuff. The Wilder brothers only do stupid stuff, and I think Rhett might be the worst one of them all. And I already know Atlas and Jesse won't back down from a dare. Nothing will stop college because I'm not playing, I tell hi...

Autorentext

Natasha Preston is the #1 New York Times bestselling author whose thrillers have scared readers around the world. She lives in England with her family.

Klappentext

*#1 New York Times and USA TODAY* bestselling author Natasha Preston is back with another pulse-pounding, twisty read!

Would you accept the dare?**

In Marley’s town, seniors are given a prank as a rite of passage…a dare, if you will. The dares start out simple…egging houses, balloons filled with glitter, chickens running loose in the halls.

But this is no child’s play.

Accepting a dare means you could be expelled, arrested, or worse. No one wants to back down from a dare. But saying yes has consequences, too…

Leseprobe
1

Monday, May 22

Senior pranks are a rite of passage. Sometimes they re fun and sometimes they re killer.

They re the last dumb thing you do in high school before you get to do a whole bunch of dumb things in college.

But if you go to my school, they can stop your college dreams dead.

Sophomore year I couldn t wait to participate in senior pranks, but in the last two years the pranks have really escalated. The Wilder brothers ­putting their last name to good use ­took over. Five of them, all a year apart in age and all headed for prison if it weren t for their parents money, came up with a way to raise the stakes.

Everett

Emmett

Rhett ­ugh

Garrett

Truett

Their parents really went with that matching-­name theme. No wonder they have issues.

I think I remember a kid ribbing Everett about it once. Only once. There s rumor that the kid had to move to another country.

The brothers all like to exert their dominance. They assign you a prank. A dare, really. If you re brave enough ­or stupid enough ­to turn it down, a forfeit is forced upon you.

Arrests, expulsions, not walking at graduation, and even college rejections are what we face now. That is if we accept the dares . . . or if we don t. Saying no has consequences too.

I watch Rhett laugh and shove one of his followers as he makes his way into the cafeteria, cutting in the line because he doesn t have to wait like the rest of us.

My best friend, Lucia, twirls her shiny black hair around her finger. Ignore him, she says, pushing what I think is supposed to be a burrito away from her. She s curled up with her boyfriend, Jesse, so far evading the eyes of any teachers monitoring for PDA.

Jesse throws a scowl in Rhett s direction, still holding a grudge against him for getting starting quarterback at the beginning of the year. Jesse and Atlas are better. Rhett s family is richer.

The dares are going to start soon, I say, turning my nose up. Rhett s probably already plotting.

With only three weeks left of school, senior pranks are right around the corner. Don t get me wrong, I m going to go all out to prank Principal Fuller, but I don t want to get messed up in Rhett s games.

Atlas leans in, kissing my cheek. Nothing s going to stop you and your big brain from going to UCLA.

Last year Billy Halsten had his place at Ohio State stripped because the fire he set in a trash can spread and gutted a 7-­Eleven. It was his dare from the second-­born Wilder brother. Not to destroy a building but to keep the fire department busy while someone else stole a CPR mannequin.

Since then, the whole thing has made me want to skip the last few weeks of school altogether. There s no way Rhett is going to listen to Fuller s warnings.

We re to keep it safe. No stupid stuff.

The Wilder brothers only do stupid stuff, and I think Rhett might be the worst one of them all.

And I already know Atlas and Jesse won t back down from a dare.

Nothing will stop college because I m not playing, I tell him. We re sticking with eggs and glitter and balloons. That s enough.

Atlas pouts, and I can feel myself starting to relent. He s ridiculously good-­looking ­dark skin, full lips, football player s physique. He s been mine for the last three years. Come on, babe, we ll stick to the boring pranks, I promise. But we can t miss out on this.

The ones we ve planned are boring. Kind of. They ll …