“Oh,” Hetta breathed, sounding just as entranced as the wildlife. “Bunnies!”
In a crash of snapping twigs, Archie shouldered between them. “Where?!”
Estelle yelped, her eyes flying open. The gleaming light flickered out like a blown candle. With a flash of white tails, the rabbits streaked away.
Beth gave Archie a disgusted look. “Well, therewerebunnies.”
“Never mind,” Conleth said, appearing from behind a tree. “At least you all got a chance to see them. Thank you, Estelle.”
“Yes, that was amazing,” Paige said, meaning it. “I didn’t know you could do that, Estelle. It’s quite a talent.”
She’d expected the girl to preen at the praise. Instead, Estelle flushed, dropping her head.
“It’s a stupid talent,” Estelle mumbled. “My grandad can heal anything short of decapitation, and my dad can literally stop bullets. Me? I just put out calming vibes. Big whoop.”
“That seems like a great talent to me,” Hetta said. Paige noticed she was eying Estelle rather thoughtfully, as if suddenly seeing her in a new light. “Does it work on people as well?”
“Yeah, but not very fast,” Estelle said glumly. “And it just makes them feel relaxed and happy. It’s not like I can snap my fingers and hypnotize someone into doing whatever I want. I’ve tried.”
“Making people feel goodisan amazing talent,” Beth said staunchly. “And who knows? Maybe when your unicorn fully emerges, you’ll discover there’s more to your power than you think.”
The rest of the kids spilled into the glade, spreading out to investigate. The butterflies, at least, showed no sign of alarm at the noisy invasion. They continued their serene dance, flitting between nodding wildflowers.
“Okay, this is pretty cool,” Nancy conceded. “Even if it’s flat.”
Finley held out a finger, trying to coax a butterfly to step onto it. “How did you know about this place, Conleth?”
“Ihaveworked at this camp every day of its entire existence.” Conleth jerked his head at the sky. “I don’t usually live on site. This glade is on the direct flight path between the office and my house.”
Paige had never really thought about Conleth existing outside the boundaries of the camp. “You have a house near here?”
Conleth raised a sardonic eyebrow at her. “Did you think I filed myself away with the accident reports and invoices every night?”
“Uncle Conleth’s house is really nice,” Beth volunteered. “We go over to watch movies there sometimes. He has a home cinema. And a rooftop infinity pool.Anda hot tub.”
“Oh, for the love of gold.” Ignatius made a gagging sound. “Just send her a copy of his tax return. It would be quicker, and less painful to witness.”
Finley, ever the peacemaker, stepped between the pair. “Well, I’m glad we came here. I haven’t seen some of these plants before.”
“Yes, we’re all grateful to you for showing us this place, Uncle Conleth,” Beth said, rather too loudly. “And I’m sure we’d all love to hear more about this ecosystem. Right, everyone?”
Estelle yelped as Beth kicked her. She pointed to a plant at random. “Uh, right. What kind of flower is that?”
Conleth subjected the bloom to a long, critical appraisal.
“That,” he announced with utter confidence, “is a flower.”
“Yeah, but what kind of flower?” Nancy asked.
Conleth didn’t bat an eye. “A purple one.”
Archie snickered. “You have no idea, do you?”
“None whatsoever.” Conleth shrugged off his pack. “I didn’t realize there was going to be a pop quiz.”
The tall purple flowers brought a half-forgotten page to mind. Paige touched one of the blooms, remembering long hours in the library, diligently copying illustrations…
“Fireweed,” she said. “It’s called that because it often grows after a forest fire. It needs open space and light, and it’s able to propagate quickly, so it can establish itself before any other plants have a chance to grow. It produces a lot of nectar, so it attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies. And it’s useful for people, too. You can fry or grill the young shoots, like asparagus. You can even eat the flowers.”
