“I’m sorry,” the tall, golden-haired boy said. His features were no longer wary. His eyes were a rich sapphire blue, lighter than I’d first thought. “I’m Thad, and this is Jason.”
The younger boy smiled and waved. “Hi.”
“Hey,” I said, struck by the shift in their expressions. “I’m Charley.”
“Nice to meet you, Charley,” Thad said, flashing a cover-model grin. “Welcome to paradise.”
For a moment I couldn’t think. Then I regrouped, speaking fast. “There’s an animal. With spots. Back there.” I pointed down the beach. “It jumped from the trees and ate my goat.”
“You have a goat?” Thad raised one eyebrow, something I’d always wanted to do but couldn’t.
“Not really.” I felt like an idiot. “It was stalking me.”
“Was.” Thad nodded.
“Right. It’s dead. Becausesomethingattacked it and ate it for breakfast.”
Thad nodded again, looking oddly unconcerned, which was crazy sincea giant cat-dog just ate my goat.
I glared at him. My adrenaline rush was fading fast, but I had a spark of fire left, and I leveled it at Thad. “Look, something ate that goat. Sort of like a big dog, but it moved like a cat, and it hadspots. Whatwasit?” I demanded.
“Hungry,” he said, breaking into a grin.
“Well”—I floundered a bit as I stared at his smile—“are there more of those things? Like a pack?”
Thad shrugged. “I doubt it. If I had to guess, I’d say it was the lone hyena we’ve seen lurking around the City. Usually it goes after rabbits or a Nil cat.”
“Rabbits?” I frowned. “I haven’t seen any rabbits. Or cats.”
“Maybe the hyena ate them.” As he grinned, his eyes sparkled. Gracious, was this boyhot. And slightly infuriating.
“Charley, do you know how long you’ve been here?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Twelve days.”
He did that eyebrow thing again. “Twelve?”
I nodded. “I’ve counted the days by marking a tree at sunrise, so I’m pretty sure I’m right, unless I was out for a day before I woke up, but I don’t think so. I would have burned, because I was—” I broke off, realizing I was babbling out loud. I never babbled.Did solitary confinement make people babble? Or just Thad?I couldn’t think straight.
“Let me guess. You woke up naked, eh?”
I had the terrible thought thathe’dseen me naked.
He chuckled. “Everyone does, not just you. But hey, now you’ve got Kevin’s clothes, eh?” He pointed to my borrowed Bermudas.
“Right,” I said, embarrassed. Something nagged at me, but my lethargic brain refused to cooperate. Thad spoke before I could find my question.
“Charley, do you remember the date? When you passed out, before you woke up here?”
“August tenth.”
“And the year?”
When I told him, he nodded, as if I’d confirmed what he already knew. I wanted to ask him what he thought the date was, but my head was full of sludge. Like circuits weren’t firing, or pathways weren’t connecting. Distracted, I watched his hair brush his shoulders, his question echoing in my head.Do you remember the date… before you woke up here?
“Where’shere?” I asked, latching on to that word like a life preserver. “Where am I?”
“Black Bay.”
