I’d waited too long.
I should’ve followed right away. I was going to be all alone for the rest of my life, always wondering where they’d gone, guilt-ridden for making the wrong decisions under duress and—wait, tracks!
There, maybe thirty feet ahead and a little to the right, a splash of color peeked through the trees. Neon pink. It stood out amidst the brown and white. Olive’s coat.
I hadn’t lost them.
Gasping for breath, I slowed to a brisk walk.
I didn’t want to lose them but also didn’t want to get too close.
I gripped the hoe.
What exactlywasmy plan here?
Follow or fight?
To be totally honest, I didn’t think I could take them.
But if I waited, two fae could turn into twenty. Then my odds of rescuing them would decrease even further.
Swallowing hard, I figured following had a small chance of also leading to Mom.
So I decided to risk it.
We passed one landmark after another: first the little spring, currently frozen solid, then the small cave where we’d once hidden buried treasure—aka some cheap jewelry—and finally that thick tree where we’d carved our names once when we’d traveled the farthest we ever dared.
Supposedly, there were bears this deep in the woods, and the occasional hiker disappeared every so often. It hit me now that this was probably another cover for the fae.
Still the fae continued on.
The woods were quiet. Not even birdsong overhead covered the soft crunch of my boots through bits of snow and pine needles. Hopefully their own footsteps would keep them from hearing mine.
My phone said 4:27 p.m.
Keeping one eye on the flashes of pink and purple through the trees far ahead, struggling not to trip over roots and undergrowth, I tried to dial 911 again. The one still didn’t work.
Ducking behind trees slowed me down, but I couldn’t risk the fae seeing my ridiculously bright red coat if they looked back.
My fingers grew numb. I tucked the hoe under my arm so I could put a hand in my pocket while I kept trying to dial the one with the other. This far out, though, reception would be spotty even if it did work. Plus, if the police came, they wouldn’t get here quickly, so it was looking more and more like I was on my own.
An odd darkness fell over the woods, not the typical twilight before sunset but almost like something had covered the sun altogether.
Now, despite walking in the hardened trail they’d left behind, my footsteps in the snow sounded like punches.
The farther we went, the stronger my desire to turn back grew.
It was almost a need.
I wanted to follow my family more than anything, but for some strange reason, part of me also really, really didn’t.
The only thing that stopped me from turning back was the way the eerie sensation tickled the back of my neck just like the magic from Mom’s contract.
I fought it with each step, dragging myself forward.
A minute later, my ears popped.
It felt like a bubble had burst.
