Page 84 of The Wild Zone

“Because if I put my hands on Zuri, I’ll need new ones,” Harper said.

I couldn’t argue with that. I tugged off my fireproof gear, threw it to the floor, and then paced the far end of the kitchen like a caged tiger. I didn’t trust myself to speak. I feared I would disintegrate into tears. I liked Zuri. Why had I hurt her? I wanted to throw the ring into the lava like Harper had suggested, but I worried that the ring wasn’t the problem.

“Look,” Benny said evenly, “you both make good points. Zuri, that comment about Silas and Grant wasn’t helpful or kind.”

Zuri continued to glare, but her shoulders sagged a little.

Benny turned to me. “And, Katie, same goes for you and that dig about Zuri almost killing Harper. She was trying her best at something she’d rather not do. Haven’t you ever been put in that position?”

I stopped pacing and stared at the floor.

“We’re all clearly dealing with our own problems,” Benny continued. “That doesn’t mean we have to create new ones with one another. Right now, everyone else sees us not just as newbies, but as outsiders.”

I wrung my hands. “Would it make you feel better to know Clarisse offered to help?”

“Aw.” Harper tilted his head and pasted on a syrupy smile. “It really wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, she’s the worst,” Zuri said, curling her lip.

Benny gestured toward Harper and Zuri as if sharing their opinion. “So, until the people we actually trust are willing to trust us, we need one another.”

Harper rested a hand on Benny’s shoulder in silent agreement. Pain flickered across his features.

Zuri took a deep breath. “I’m not saying this to start more trouble, but since we brought this up a couple of nights ago…is it possible Grant and Silas really were taken because of that ring? Like…removing it stirred up the monster, somehow?”

I chewed my bottom lip. “Maybe. If we put the ring back…?”

She tapped the side of her head. “That’s what I was thinking.”

I stared at her, surprised we were suddenly back on the same side.

“We can solve this.” I tried to recapture some of the confidence I’d felt when I fought Clarisse. “It has to be us.”

One at a time, I looked at the other newbies. To my surprise, they all nodded.

“All right, then,” Benny said. “Tonight, after curfew, we all go back to the Wild Zone.”

19

Apparently, I Hate Trees

We timed our escapes to the forest in intervals so if one of us were caught, we wouldn’t all be caught. I tried to use my invisibility ring to hurry across the courtyard, but when I spotted Hestia tending the fire and immediately had the urge to punch her, I decided to take the ring off and stick to the shadows instead.

Some god of luck must have wanted us to make it out safely, because none of the Wild Omada were spotted. As we gathered under the canopy of the nearest tree, we nodded to one another, then strode through the forest with silent determination.

With her bow in hand, Zuri led the way, navigating through the darkness like a true nocturnal predator. Benny and Harper followed, both gripping swords they must have borrowed from the armory. Slung over Benny’s shoulder was a backpack that I hoped was full of helpful supplies like snacks, a first-aid kit, and maybe a few anti-monster hand grenades. Harper wore a dark ski cap so his blond hair wouldn’t glow like a beacon in the moonlight.

I brought up the rear. My folded scythe thwapped against my back as I walked, and my father’s dagger hung heavy on my belt. Though my heart beat fast, I felt more determined than scared.

The last time the four of us had marched together, our hands had been tied and we’d had burlap bags over our heads. Back then, we’d been a bunch of clueless newbies, strangers to one another. Now everything felt different. We were armed. We had a sense of purpose. We were the Wild Omada on a mission—a team of not-quite-as-clueless newbies who were only partially strangers to one another.

When we finally reached the string of mati charms that marked the border of the Wild Zone, we stopped and dared to speak.

“We have maybe three hours to search before we need to get back,” Benny said. “I left a bag of table scraps at the edge of camp where the harpies like to hang out. After they go through it, they’ll be drowsy for a bit.”

Zuri smiled. “Taking trouble off the playing field with a nap. Not a bad plan.”

“Thanks,” Benny said. “The idea of making them sleepy just came to me. And this way, if they catch us again, they might be too full to eat us.”