Again, I own nothing.

I was planning just to post Chapter 3 tonight, but in the interest of moving things along to the interesting part of the story I went for an extra update. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Sacrifice

At about 10:30, Tori finally pulled into the parking lot by the beach, her heart pounding a million miles a minute. She was not sure how to explain this. She was not sure what she would say, or how they would react. She was not sure if she'd be able to control herself when she first saw Blake, having woken to the horrible idea that he was dead. She simply knew that, now that it was not her own life at stake, she could not afford to wait around and hope for last-minute salvation.

Somewhat-unsteadily, she made her way down the beach towards the spot where she and her friends always met. Tori felt like she was about to vomit.

"Hey there, babe," a voice said from behind her. Tori froze. Slowly, scarcely able to breathe, she turned around, and found herself face to face with him.

Him. Dil. The person who was going to kill Blake. She reached up to brush a trembling hand through her hair, trying to hide her panic.

"Hi, Dil…." She avoided his eyes as much as possible.

"Hey, look at me," he demanded, and firmly tilted her face to his. "What would you say to some…personal time between you and me?" Tori hesitated. What could she possibly tell this monster? If she said no, Blake was certainly doomed….

…On the other hand, if she accepted…would it turn this hellish nightmare around? …Wouldn't that be worth a little self-sacrifice?

Tori knew in that moment that she held Blake's life in her hands. Determined not to waste any more time, she made her choice.

"….Sure, Dil. That sounds…great," she managed to force out, plastering on a smile that she hoped was convincing.

"Great!" Dil smiled at her, and Tori was thankful to note that there was nothing murderous about it. "How about a picnic at the beach? Tomorrow night?"

"Sounds good," Tori said as perkily as possible. Just pretend it's Blake. Just imagine you're going on a date with Blake and everything will be fine.

"Awesome. I'll pick you up at 7:00 tomorrow, then." Dil glanced at his watch. "Sorry to do this to ya, Tor, but I have someplace I have to be pretty soon."

"Oh, it's no problem," Tori reassured him. Probably the most sincere part of this conversation, she mused bitterly. She was actually grateful that Dil was going to be leaving so quickly. That would leave her to steel herself for what was to come.

However, she could never have prepared herself for Dil leaning in for a kiss. It was the worst possible thing to have happened. If she didn't respond, Dil would suspect something, and Blake's life would be forfeit. Not to mention, they were drawing a lot of attention from bystanders. So she did the only thing she could.

She kissed back, even though with each passing moment Tori felt more…tainted, more than she had ever felt in her entire life.

The sound of approaching footsteps broke the pair apart. Dil glanced behind Tori for a second, then took her hands and stared her in the eye.

"Catch ya later, Tor. I'll see ya at 7 tomorrow." he said with a funny little smile. And then he was gone. Tori let out a deep sigh. Finally. But her relief was to be short-lived.

Hardly had Tori started to pull herself together when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She gave a little shriek and spun around, but it was only her friends. Tori grabbed for her heart, which she was sure was beating about a million miles a minute.

"...Don't…do…that," Tori gasped, taking deep breaths to steady herself, before looking up. To meet five demanding, very angry gazes. Tori raised an eyebrow. "Guys? What's wrong?"

"What's WRONG!" Blake burst out suddenly. "What's WRONG! How can you ask that?"

"No, seriously, guys, what did I do?" Tori asked, less-certainly.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, TORI?" Blake asked, gesturing vehemently towards Dil's retreating back. Oh. Tori hadn't known that her friends had seen. That complicated things, a lot.

"Uhh…" Tori fidgeted nervously.

"Tori, I thought you said Dil was a total creep!" Dustin protested. Tori was about to reply, 'He is!', but thought better of it.

"I said no such thing," Tori said, but her voice faltered, and she knew her friends saw the lie. What am I going to do? She thought miserably.

"I just can't believe you!" Blake yelled. He shook his head and pushed roughly past her.

"Blake, wait…!" Tori said, grabbing for his shirt. He spun around and glared at her in hatred, as Cam grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.

"Tori, I can't believe you did that!" Tori felt her heart would break at the disappointed look on Cam's face. "How could you? Especially considering how Blake's been there for you through all of this dream bullshit!" The dream…the dream! I have to tell them about the dream…. Tori thought frantically.

"Guys, please, let me explain…."

"Well, as long as you're explaining, Tor," Shane spat, "Why don't you tell us what you and Dil are doing at 7 o'clock tomorrow night?" Tori froze. Now she was really in deep trouble.

"Just…a…friendly…picnic." Tori finally admitted, in the smallest voice imaginable. Her friends' jaws dropped. Blake let out a strangled noise and headed for the parking lot without another word. "Look, there's something I really have to tell you guys. I—" But most of her friends had already left, jogging after Blake. Jogging to comfort a friend who might not have much time left to live. The very thought sickened Tori, but she couldn't let go of it.

Dustin was the only one who hadn't completely abandoned her. He lingered behind the others, staring after her with a mixture of pity, concern, and sympathy. Maybe Dustin will listen, at least, Tori thought with a sudden bit of hope. But no, the other guys were shouting for him to come on. If he came back now, then he'd be in the doghouse, too.

"Call me later, Tor," he mouthed at her, imitating a cell phone with his fingers. And then, one more glance filled with remorse, and he was gone. They were all gone.

I can't believe this, Tori thought. This is like a nightmare. A total nightmare. Oh God, what have I done? Falling to her knees in the sand, Tori sobbed harder than she had ever before in her life. She had lost her best friends.

At least Blake will live now….Tori thought mournfully.

…But at what price? She wondered as she trudged to her van as slowly as possible. Even though the good waves were just coming in, somehow she couldn't bring herself to surf anymore.