“No, Coy! It’s a creepy fucking shadow! Come on!” I yank on his arm. “We need to hide or something.”
“What is it?” Curly calls from somewhere behind us.
“Moira saw a shadow.” Coy peers down the hallways as I keep yanking on his arm.
“Coy!”
That’s when the scream comes again, closer this time, and when I look, the shadow child is there, its eyes burning like embers as it stalks toward us.
“Geo was right.” Coy swallows hard as Curly runs up. “Take her. Lock yourselves in the bedroom.”
“What? No. You’re coming with us. Coy!”
Coy turns to me, his eyes sad. “Moira, I’m sorry. For everything.” He kisses my forehead. “Take her, Curly. Now!” He turns and runs toward the shrieking shadow as Curly drags me backwards.
“No! Coy!” I scream for him as Curly gives up and scoops me into his arms and runs. “Coy!”
The scream comes again and again as Curly races through the tunnels. When we cut through the tree room, another shadow steps out of the darkness and blocks our way.
Curly puts me down and points to one of the trees. “Go, Moira. Go now. Run into the woods and hide. Don’t make a sound. I’ll tell Peter where you are.”
The shadow advances, its eyes burning bright and its hands up and curled into claws. “Curly, what is it? What are they?”
“Moira, go!” He pushes me hard into the nearest tree.
I realize right away it belongs to Nibs, because it has a pulley system and a small platform at the bottom.
Curly backs to the tree, blocking it from the shadow that approaches slowly. “Go, Moira. I don’t know how long I can hold it off.”
I can’t do this. I can’t leave them. Moving to step off the platform, I’m stopped by a golden flash.
“One good turn deserves another.” Tinker Bell bares her teeth as she reaches for the rope that hangs down next to the platform. With a hard yank, she sends me barreling upward as more screams ricochet around the cave.
I crouch down low, holding onto the wood for dear life as I shoot up inside the tree, grazing the sides a few times and tearing holes in my tunic.
When it finally slows and stops, I don’t hear screams anymore. Up here in the woods, it’s growls and roars, predators on the rampage, pulled to violence by the full moon hanging over the island.
I peek out of the hollow tree and see the familiar grove. Nothing is here. At least not yet. But I can’t stay where I am. If a shadow caught me here, I’d be stuck with no way out.
Slowly, I climb from the tree and ease through the grove until I come to a thicker area of underbrush. I pick my way through it, though each beastly roar makes me stop and look around to see if I’m about to be eaten.
I keep going, looking for a good spot to hide while my insides twist with guilt. I should’ve done something. Anything. Instead, I ran.
I gasp when a low branch scrapes against my wound, then have to drop down onto my haunches and breathe through the pain. My adrenaline must be wearing off, because I’m feeling every bit of the achiness I’ve come to expect from my time on the island.
When I start to move again, I spot a familiar sight. The smoking mushroom. I scurry around in the trees close to it, then creep over to where it sends out its little tufts of gray clouds into the air. With my ear to it, I listen for the screams or maybe the cries of Coy or Curly. My heart wrenches at the thought of them being hurt or worse.
“Please be okay,” I whisper as I listen, my eyes on the roughly painted toadstool spots along the top of the chimney cap.
“I’m just fine, lass.”
That voice.
I turn as the pirate reaches down and pulls me to my feet. His blue eyes meet mine, a hardness in them as he stares down at me. “No screaming. Just like last time.”
A shudder races through me as he drags me closer, my body pressed tightly to his.
My heart rages in my ribcage, but I’m caught, completely at the mercy of the pirate who looks down at me with midnight in his eyes. When he glances at my mouth, I lick my lips.
