"I’ve stopped, but I’m not going down,” I said.
"Even slower,” Beth said. "Just don’t stop chewing entirely.”
The others were just below me, but I slowly began to sink. So slowly that it was almost painful. I sank below them, then reminded myself to chew again. It slowed my descent.
"We need to reach him before he disappears again,” I whispered.
Everyone was slowly floating down now, but it was too slow. The hooded figure was doing something, I wasn’t sure what, but he hadn’t seen us yet. He was just a short distance from where we were in the woods. Close enough to catch, if we were only on the ground.
I groaned in frustration. "We have to do this faster.”
"Just stick to chewing slowly,” Beth warned me.
And then what? Let the man go? Then, the unicorns will continue being killed, and we’ll never learn who was behind this. I had to do something. And fast.
TWENTY
Emma
I spat out the gum. It hit the ground with a small, insignificant splat so underwhelming after the chaos it had caused. My body followed, no grace to my descent, just gravity doing its job. I hit the dirt hard, the breath whooshing out of me as if I'd been sucker-punched by life itself.
"Emma!" That was Daniel, worried about me.
"Down here." I wheezed, trying to gather myself, to find air for my lungs.
One by one, they came tumbling after me. Beth landed nearby with an oof, rolling to soften the impact. Daniel, last to let go, managed to keep his feet under him, but just barely.
"Everyone okay?" I asked, still gasping for air.
"Been better." Beth groaned, pushing herself up. "But I'll live."
"Let's move," Daniel said, already on his feet, scanning the area.
"Right behind you," Wade added, offering Beth a hand.
We turned in the direction of the hooded figure and saw as he suddenly stepped free from the shadows into our little clearing. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I knew he was shocked not to find us in his trap. He’d expected to find easy prey. Unfortunately for him, we had a clever witch in our group.
As soon as my lungs refilled, I shouted. "There!"
"Come on!" Daniel was already moving, his voice a rough command.
We bolted after the fleeting shape of our quarry, branches slapping against us, leaves crunching underfoot. Ahead, a glimpse of movement taunted us – there he was, then gone again. Faster than any human I could imagine. He was truly like a shadow rather than a person, and it was unsettling.
"This way," Daniel barked.
"Trying." Beth panted beside me.
"Left!" I shouted, spotting a flash of dark color veering off. My legs protested every jarring step, but I clenched my teeth and ran harder.
We burst through the last line of trees, heartbeats in our throats and the ground vanishedagain. I skidded to a halt, dirt and pebbles cascading over the edge. A sheer drop.
"Stop!" I screamed, voice raw.
Beth's momentum carried her too close, her feet teetering on the brink. Wade surged forward, snagging her arm, yanking her back hard against his chest. She gasped, a sound lost in the wind.
"Careful," he said, breathless.
"Thank you," she replied, her voice shaking. Then, without thinking, she turned and planted a kiss on his lips. It was meant to be quick, thankful, but something changed. The world slowed, their bodies pressed together, and the kiss deepened.
