Oh God.“Archie knows too?”
“We didn’ttellhim!” Estelle protested. “He’s just always hanging around. You know Archie.”
“He might have figured it out on his own,” Flora said. “I mean, it’s been pretty obvious.”
Honey swallowed, wondering what had given her away. “It has?”
“Yeah.” Estelle patted her hand, as if Honey were a child in need of comfort. “It’s okay, you don’t have to feel embarrassed or anything. You can’t help it.”
“And we understand why you tried to keep it a secret,” Flora said earnestly. “Well, I didn’t at first. I couldn’t figure out why you hadn’t just talked to him, or why he would make a big deal out of it. But then Estelle and Beth explained things to me, and it made sense. I mean, we all know he has issues.”
Estelle squeezed Honey’s hand. “It must have been really hard for you, having to pretend everything’s okay. And we get why you’ve been trying to take it so slow. But it’s not working.”
“It’s not workinghard,” Flora put in. “If you don’t do something fast, it’s all gonna blow up in your face.”
“Right,” Estelle agreed. “We found out his plan, and you gotta move fast. That’s why we finally decided we had to talk to you.”
Oh God, oh God, oh God.Her mouth had gone bone dry. “So Ignatius knows?”
“Ignatius?” Flora shot her a funny look, like she hadn’t been expecting the question. “I don’t think so.”
“Wehaven’t said anything to him,” Estelle said. “But I guess he’ll figure it out eventually. We did, after all. And itispretty obvious.”
“Girls.” Honey crouched so that they were eye-to-eye—partly to emphasize the importance of her next words, but mostly because her knees were threatening to give way. “You know that if an adult asks you to keep something a secret, you know you don’t have to agree, right? And it’s okay to change your mind later and tell someone, even if you promised you wouldn’t?”
Estelle and Flora both nodded solemnly.
“I need to ask you to keep this a secret for a little while longer.” Honey held up a hand as both girls opened their mouths. “No, listen. If you feel uncomfortable about this in any way, now or later, I want you to talk it over with someone you trust. You can even go to Zephyr, if you feel that’s right. Just not Ignatius, okay?”
“Honeeeeeey!” Estelle rolled her eyes. “Of course we’re not going to tell Ignatius! Like we’d tell that jerkanything.”
“And we’re not going to tell Zephyr, either.” Flora frowned, then added, “Though… I think he might already suspect. And a lot of other people, too. Sorry, but you really aren’t that sneaky.”
“But it’s okay.” Estelle grinned at Honey, her whole face lighting up in sudden glee. “We are. And we have a plan.”
Flora took Honey’s other arm, so that she was trapped between the two girls. They both beamed up at her.
“We,” Flora said, “are going to help you catch Buck.”
CHAPTER23
There was no warning.
One moment, Buck was glumly sorting through his (by now extensive) collection of collars and handcuffs, contemplating the nightly problem of how to chain himself to his bed in a way that wouldn’t have him waking up missing a limb, or worse, on a motherloving roof.
And the next, he was sprinting across the camp.
Pure adrenaline surged through his veins. He pelted past cabins and counselors as if a firestorm was licking at his heels, ignoring the startled stares. A couple of people called out to him, but the words were just sounds, meaningless.
The woods beckoned. He plunged between the trees without breaking stride, vision adjusting to the gloom. There was a trail, and it was the right way, the only way, the way he had to go. His boots pounded against hard packed dirt. Two small figures dove out of his way, and something about that tugged at his attention—but he couldn’t spare the time to think about that now.
Only one thing filled his mind. A single word. A name that was a need, a call, a summons that would have pulled him across the whole damn world:Honey.
Fur prickled under his skin.
NO.
Buck clung to consciousness, fighting the shift. If Honey was in trouble, she might need more help than a frantic, instinct-driven animal could provide.Hehad to go to her. Not the beast.
