The best-selling author of Before I Let Go is headed to a haunting cabin-set thriller for her next book.
Get a first look.
No one is safe inEven If We Break.
Credit: Sourcebooks
EW canexclusivelyannounce first details of the book, and reveal the official cover and an excerpt.
Heres what we know so far: Five friends go to a cabin.
Four of them are hiding secrets.
Three years of history bind them.
Two are doomed from the very start.
One person wants to end this.
No one is safe.
The rest, enticingly, is still a mystery.
The novel publishes Sept. 15 and isavailable for pre-order.
Excerpt fromEven If We Break, by Marieke Nijkamp
ONE
Finn
Were leaving the world behind.
With every step, were more alone.
Its just the five of us.
If only I could relax enough to appreciate it.
But I keep my eyes on the ground.
Its safer that wayand less painful too.
Carter falls into step with me, the two of us lagging behind the other three.
His face is almost as red as his shirt, and hes sweating.
The sun wont let us forget that its summer.
hey tell me you wore sunscreen, I say.
He rolls his eyes.
Im glad youre here, dude.
Its been a while.
Im not sure Im glad.
A weariness has settled in my bones and my joints, and it refuses to come out.
At least this is the last time well come together as a group.
Too much has changed.
Some friendships arent meant to last.
Weve outgrown one another.
There is too much hurt and history between us.
But Ever wants us to try one last time, and for Ever, Ill do anything.
Even if it means pretending everythings okay and putting costumes and characters over the cracks between us.
Even if itll break me.
Even if itll break all of us.
I glance toward the front of the group, where Ever navigates the road.
Theyre with Liva, and the sight of her perfectly styled hair and flawless smile makes me tense up.
Pain stabs at my legs and radiates to the rest of my body.
If Evers why Im here, Livas why I wouldnt be.
Carter is unperturbed by my silence.
So, what do you think Ever prepared?
I mean, we all know this game will be another murder mystery.
Our characters are only good at solving murders.
But this is our last weekend together.
It must be something special.
Do you think itll be our boss fight?
Take down the BBEG?
Theyve been secretive for weeks.
But I continue my silence, trying desperately not to care.
We have the perfect location for it.
Have you heard the ghost stories about this mountain?
Apparently they go back for decades.Centuries.
Do you think Ever will weave some of that into our story?
You know, for full immersion?
It would definitely make this weekend memorable.
I cant help myself.
Ghost stories, huh?
This doesnt seem like a haunted place.
The mountain is green and blossoming under the summer sun.
The foliage still smells of rain and the aftereffects of a storm.
Birds chirp, eagles call, and every part of it is so tranquil, it chafes.
Only the road itself is imperfect, scarred by a year of minor quakes.
Strange music coming from the shadows.
The last thing the murderers victims heard before he killed them was a music box melody.
He looks up at the mountain and grins.
Peopledieon this mountain, Finn.
You soundwaytoo excited about that.
Besides, if peopledied, how did anyone know the music box was the last thing they heard?
Wouldnt it be fun to play through the night and then meet actual ghosts?
This is exactly why Fatima, my therapist, says white people die in haunted houses.
We have no nose for danger whatsoever.
Wheres your sense of adventure?
I roll my eyes.
Wheres your sense of self-preservation?
You dont think anything would actually happen?
No, I dont think anyoneactuallybelieves in ghosts.
Not even nerds like you who go to the library to dig up local haunts.
Hes your average pasty-white all-American boy, with sparkling blue eyes and curly blond hair.
Liva mentioned it the other day when we wereoh.
He must see how my face falls at those words, because his face falls too.
Carter has never tried to talk about what happened.
Maddy sort of brought it up once, asking how I was doing, but she was deeply uncomfortable.
Ever faced it head-on, but they approach everything that way.
And even then, I couldnt tell them all of it.
This is why I dont want to be here.
Its not just what happened between Liva and me.
The group fell apart after I got into that fight.
Wed barely gotten used to Zac leaving.
We were picking up the pieces.
I cant help but think I dont belong here anymore.
No matter how much I used to, once upon a time.
No matter how much Id give to belong once more.
Its okay, I lie.
Were all together, and thats what matters, right?
We have to try.
Or at least pretend.
After all, isnt that what the whole weekend is about?
Were only here to fall apart again.
Carter tugs at a strand of his sand-colored hair.
He doesnt meet my eye.
Im sorry, dude.
One day, Liva and I will have the conversation we need to have.
But it wont be today, and I wont be the one to instigate it.
I meant to askare you looking forward to college?
Just like that, Carter has changed the topic, and something has subtly shifted in his face.
Hes bottled his vulnerability, put his mask back on.
We all have our secrets, of course.
Carters is that beneath it all, he actually used to be a decent person.
Youre going east, right?
Carters father taught him to be in control of conversations, to always have the last word.
Once, we were close enough that he wouldnt have had to ask this.
Plus, its about as far as I can possibly get.
I want to be safe, and here isnt safe anymore.
Carter huffs with the effort of dragging his ludicrous bag.
Im headed in the opposite direction.
I cant wait to get out of here.
This townthis stateis getting too small for me.
I want something that challenges me.
Somewhere you’ve got the option to prove yourself?
My tone is harsher than I intended.
This version of Cartera bragging blowhardbrings out the worst in me.
I take my eyes off the path and glance up at him.
Yeah, I want to prove myself.
Something wrong with that?
Having ambition isnt a bad thing, is it?
I want something more.
Somethingbetterthan all of this.
Cant argue with that.
But when I turn the corner, I curse.
The path is blocked by another barricade of boulders that almost reaches as high as we do.
A tree has cracked and is leaning on the boulders.
This wasnt here yesterday either, Ever says.
They must have slid down the slope during last nights storm.
Well have to climb over.
Do you think you two can manage?
They turn and glance at Maddy and me.
Well climb over first, so we can help you on the way down.
Were only an hour into the trip and already things are going sideways.
I shouldnt have come.
But I tense my jaw.
Something like anger or disappointment flashes in Evers eyes.
They hate it when I refuse to accept help.
Do you need a hand?
Carter offers, already reaching out to me.
I shrink away from it.
Its better if I find my own way across.
I cant trust any of them not to let me fall.
Sure, your call.
Carter falls into step with Maddy and offers her his assistance instead.
Shed gone pale at the sight of the boulders.
After this trek, her knee must not be in great shape either.
Im sure Livas family will pay to fix it at some point, but they havent yet.
Ever and Liva make their way across first, holding onto the tree for balance.
Im just incapable of admitting they exist.
And they keep closing in on me.
Your mind is playing tricks on you, my friend Damien would tell me.
Asking for help isnt weakness.
And limitations arent a weakness either.
So what should I do with them, then?Id ask him.
Hed ruffle my hair.
I know its difficult.
I know the rest of the world teaches us differently.
But youre not lesser because youre different.
You dont have to push yourself in an uncomfortable mold to be considered acceptable.
But instead of speaking up, I wait for Carter and Maddy to cross too.
I focus and listen, but I dont hear them fall.
Its an endless drop and a harsh silence.
Then its just me.
I realize what a terrible decision it was to wait until last.
Finn, are you sure?
Ever says from behind the rocks.
Im worried about you.
That settles my resolve, and I take the first step, climbing on one of the smaller boulders.
It shifts and moves under my weight, but up is relatively easy.
Its going over thats the problem.
Without sure footing, all I can do is place my crutches first.
From this boulder to one higher up, a rock that looks a little more steady.
On the other side, someone shouts something, but my world has narrowed down to these rocks now.
Whatever they say, its not louder than the blood pumping in my ears.
I reach the highest point.
The fallen tree hangs over the rocks, allowing the narrowest of gaps.
I turn sideways, one knee first, so I have a way to brace myself.
Then pull the next crutch and try not to launch myself down, continuing to ignore the pain.
I find a good place to put the crutches and turn all the way through.
Another step
And I feel the crutches slip out from underneath me.
Then my knee buckles.
I can only close my eyes and let myself
Collide.
Strong arms come around me, bracing against my downward momentum.
Then, other hands join the first person, holding us up and slowing us down to a stand.
Evers voice comes harsh and angry like punches.
You fool of a Took.
Ask for help when you need it.
Firmly on the ground, I open my eyes.
I nearly, nearly flinch.
Dont Out of all my friends leaping up to help me, why was it Liva who succeeded?
Pain burns in my ankle, but my anger burns hotter.
Liva lets go off me and steps back.
Ever is directly behind her, glaring at me.
Maddy, pale with worry.
Breathe until I get my equilibrium back and my hands dont tremble with rage anymore.
Wait until the angerat myself, at Liva, at this cursed mountainwithdraws into the usual shadows.
I thought you were smarter than that.
Ever hands me a bottle of water out of their backpack.
Underneath their words are others:I thought you were okay with this weekend.
For them, I am.
Or I thought I could be, at least.
As I catch my breath, I glance around at the group.
Were a collection of individuals, all of us broken, all of us fragile.
But the thing that scares me most isnt that I might break us apart further.
Its that I want to.
