“Hey!” Nico called to the Visitor, waving his arms. “Over here!”
The Visitor didn’t react. It continued to copy Emma, thwarting her moves.
“Get out of my way!” Emma yelled, stomping her foot. The Visitor stomped, too.
“Move it, spaceman!” Tyler shouted.
“Just go away!” Nico added. The Visitor ignored them both.
Opal caught up to the boys at the edge of the water. “Wesaid, let her go!”
No.
Opal felt the word rather than heard it—a pulse that reverberated through her. What was going on? She got a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Okay.” Opal rubbed damp palms on her jeans. “Time to get the heck out of here.”
“How?” Nico whispered. “Through your tunnel?”
Opal shook her head. “It’s on the other side of the pond. But Visitors can’t swim. It’s one of their only weaknesses.”
Nico shot her a skeptical look. “You’resurethat thing can’t swim?”
“I watched all twelve episodes, too!”
Tyler began edging around the Visitor. The eyes in the back of its head tracked him, but it made no move. The figment was focused on Emma, who’d given up trying to pass it.
Opal caught her eye and mouthed the wordbeach. Emma bit her lip. Nodded.
“We have to get its attention,” Nico whispered.
“It doesn’t care about us.” Tyler waved at the monster. “See? Nothing.”
“We should rush Emma,” Opal said. “If we attack her, then it might notice us. She could sneak away.”
No one spoke for a moment.
“Right,” Nico said. “Let’s try it. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Tyler winced, squeezed his nose. “Nico, man. Please. Don’t say stuff like that.”
“It could dismember us.” Opal giggled nervously. “A Visitor did that in episode four.”
Tyler sagged. “You two are the worst.”
“It’s only a figment,” Nico said, though it seemed as much to himself as to her and Tyler. “It can’t actually do anything. Even the newer ones just kick sand and talk too much.”
So far, Opal thought.
“You okay, Emma?” Tyler called out.
“Yeah.” But she’d dropped into a fight-or-flight crouch. The Visitor mimicked her. Opal could tell Emma was nervous.
“Enough.” Opal put her hands on her hips. “Let’s do it.Forget circling. We fire right down the middle, then scatter. Everyone meets back at the rowboat. Got it?”
“On three.” Nico took a deep breath. “One. Two.Three!”
They shot past the Visitor, sprinting for their friend. Tyler yelled, “I’m coming, Emma!” Nico opted for a roar, while Opal shrieked like a banshee, waving her hands over her head. They met at Emma and yanked on her arms.
