“Then we can put his ass in juvie.”
“Juvie?”
“Juvenile hall. It’s like prison for kids.”
“Oh. Right. I suppose we could do that.”
“We’ll decide later. For now we’d better get moving.” Uncle Hector picked David up, hefting the boy over his shoulder. Then they started back towards the barns.
“I don’t suppose you saw my friends: Prudence, Rebecca, and Molly, Uncle Hector?”
“Can’t say I have. They go missing?”
“I don’t know. They weren’t very happy earlier. Maybe they went off to sulk somewhere.”
“Could be. I’m sure they’ll turn up.”
“Right. I’m sure they will.”
She couldn’t help staring at David as they walked. She didn’t relish the idea of putting him in a prison for kids, but there might not be any other choice, not if he stood in the way of saving the other children. She hoped later she could talk some sense into him. For now they still had a lot of work to do.
***
The forest looked a lot different at three feet tall. The trees seemed impossibly tall while the bushes looked much more intimidating, as if she could disappear in them. The situation was made worse by the fact she had to walk barefoot in a dress that fit like a tent now.
Despite her smaller size and weaker muscles, she refused to give Molly up. Whenever she did, the baby would start bawling again, which only made Rebecca cry. That in turn made Prudence cry. Prudence had an easier time of things, still wearing her shoes, though now they were three or four sizes too big. Since neither of them had footwear that fit, they hadn’t progressed very far, not after they stopped their panicked flight from the cave.
“Where are we?” Rebecca asked, a childish whine in her voice.
“I don’t know,” Prudence said.
“So we’re lost?”
“We’ll find the village soon enough,” Prudence said.
“You said that hours ago. My feet are tired.” Not only were her feet tired, they were cut from rocks and fallen branches as well. She supposed it was ironic that after what had happened she needed a sip of the fountain water now.
“If you’re tired then let me take Molly.”
“No. She’s sleeping.”
“Fine. We’ll take a break. Just a short one.”
They collapsed onto a scorched tree trunk with tired sighs. Rebecca looked down at Molly, who cooed but didn’t open her eyes. “She’s going to be hungry soon. We gotta get her back to town.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Prudence began to sob. Right on cue, Molly woke up and began to wail.
“Prudence, what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? Look at us! Miss Brigham is a baby, you’re a toddler, and I’m a little kid again. It’s not fair.”
“We’ll grow up again. You know that.”
“Maybe, but Samantha was already so much older than me. Now that I’m littler she won’t want to be friends anymore.”
“I’m sure she won’t think that. Even if she does, you’ll still be my friend.” Rebecca smiled at Prudence. “You’re probably twice as old as me now.”
Prudence smiled back for a moment. Then her smile faded. “You’re so much braver than me. When he was going to throw that water, you protected Molly. I wouldn’t have thought of that. I was too scared to do anything.” Prudence started to sob again. “And now you’re so much littler than me. It’s not fair.”
“Prudence—”
“You don’t have to reassure me. I know how things are.”
“You’re plenty brave, Prudence.”
“Am not.”
Though her feet still ached, Rebecca got to her feet. She rocked Molly as much as she could manage. “We’ll be all right. All of us. We’ll find the village and then we’ll tell Samantha what happened and we’ll stop Mr. Delgado and then we’ll rebuild the island.”
“Sure we will,” Prudence said, though she didn’t sound like she believed it.
“Look on the bright side, we both lost some weight, right?”
Prudence actually laughed. She patted her bulging tummy. “We sure did. Maybe this time we won’t gain it back.”
“That’s right. This time we’ll get skinny. The other girls will be so jealous of us then.”
“Right!”
They set out again, though they didn’t have any better luck finding anything. “I hope we don’t run into any more of Mr. Pryde’s traps. We’d never be able to get out like this,” Prudence said.
They didn’t say anything for a while. Molly didn’t fall back to sleep, but even she seemed to sense there was no point in talking. They were lost. Three little kids lost in an enormous forest. Before long it would be dark. Rebecca didn’t want to have to face that darkness in these woods as a toddler and while caring for a baby. The dark had scared her enough the last time she was a toddler and that had been in the dormitory without a baby to watch.
“Look over there!” she shouted.
“What?”
“It’s Mr. Pryde’s house!”
They had gotten so lost that they’d wound up on the other side of the island. Molly and Prudence whimpered at the same time at the sight of the old house’s ruins. “It’ll be fine,” Rebecca said. “It’s just a little smelly up top. Downstairs is OK.”
“Downstairs?”
“In the cellar. That’s where Samantha got your dress. There are all kinds of pretty clothes down there.”
Rebecca led the way, remembering what Samantha had done earlier. The big problem was she couldn’t open the cellar door, not with Molly in her arms. Even without Molly her tiny muscles probably couldn’t manage it. “The cellar is down there.”
It took Prudence three tries to open the door. She had to grunt and strain herself until Rebecca thought she would pass out. On the third try, Prudence finally got the door open enough that it collapsed backwards.
“Be careful of the stairs.”
“I will,” Prudence snapped.
Rebecca followed her down, keeping a tight grasp on Molly. The baby began to scream as they descended into the darkness. “It’ll be fine,” Rebecca whispered. “No one will hurt us down here.”
“I can’t see anything!” Prudence whined.
“There should be a shelf with some matches and a candle,” Rebecca said. “It’s by the door.” Rebecca would have tried to find the shelf herself, but she couldn’t with Molly in her arms. She was probably too short now anyway. She had to stifle a sob of her own as she thought of just how weak and helpless she had become. Yet she had at least gotten them this far. That had to mean something.
Rebecca heard a hiss and then an orange flame lit up the darkness around her. Prudence had found the matches. She used the match to light the candle Samantha had left behind from last time. “You did it!” Rebecca shouted, knowing Prudence needed the encouragement.
“It wasn’t that hard.” Prudence waved the candle around. “Oh my, look at all those clothes!”
“There might be some to fit you better.”
“Maybe.”
While Prudence went through the clothes, oohing and ahing at each garment, Rebecca collapsed onto a pile. After all the walking and excitement of the last few hours, she wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. Molly had already fallen asleep again, likewise spent from the journey.
“Are there any baby clothes in there?”
“I don’t see anything. Most of it is grown-up clothes.”
“Oh.”
“If only I had a needle and thread. I could alter some of these.”
“Maybe we can find one later.”
“Maybe.” Prudence stopped rummaging a couple of minutes later. She pulled something from a pile. It was a dress much too small for Prudence, but perhaps the right size for Rebecca. The dress looked very different from the drab garments the children on Eternity wore; it had puffy sleeves, lace on the front, and a skirt that bulged outward. It was much too impractical to be worn arou
nd the island for day-to-day chores. But it was better than the saggy tent she now wore.
Rebecca set Molly on the pile of clothes gently so as not to disturb her. She went off to a dark corner so she could strip off her old dress and then put the new one on. The new dress was a bit snug, especially around her belly, and the skirt seemed much too short. Most of her back was exposed in the dress and something cold and metal touched her skin. She toddled out of the darkness, over to Prudence. She did a little turn so Prudence could see her.
“How do I look?”
“Very pretty. Here, turn around so I can get the zipper.”
“Zipper?”
“Samantha told me about them. They’re metal teeth used to close a garment.”
Rebecca heard a metallic whoosh, followed by the dress seeming to tighten even more. Prudence tousled Rebecca’s hair and said, “Now it’s closed.”
Rebecca looked down at her cute new dress and then absently touched her now-curly hair. She had seen herself like this before, in the Fountain of Youth. The toddler she had now become had been reflected in the water. That toddler had screamed at her. It had tried to warn her.
“Rebecca, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said. She handed her old dress to Prudence. “It should fit you now.”
“Thanks.”
Rebecca’s old dress turned out to be a little loose on Prudence, which made Rebecca’s face turn warm at the thought of how fat she had been. “I think I’ll take a nap.”
“You’ve certainly earned it.”
Rebecca curled up next to Molly on the pile of clothes. She kept her arms around the baby, so Molly wouldn’t fall and hurt herself. Before long she drifted off, into a grateful sleep. As she did, she thought she heard fabric tearing.
She woke up to Prudence shaking her. “What is it? Did something happen to Molly?” Rebecca looked over to see Molly still sleeping, a foot or arm twitching every now and then.
“I’m going to find Samantha. You and Molly stay here.”
“You can’t go alone—”
“It’ll be faster this way.” Prudence wagged one shoe. “I stuffed them with cloth so they fit better. I should be able to walk faster.”
“I can go with you. I won’t slow you down.”
“It’ll be safer for you both here.”
“But—”
“I can’t let anything bad happen to you two. I’ve failed enough already.”
“Prudence—”
“I’m the oldest, so what I say goes. You stay here with Molly.”
“But we’ll be all alone down here,” Rebecca whined. She hated herself for starting to cry like a baby. “What if the candle runs out before you get back?”
“Rebecca, I know you’re still a big girl. In some ways you’re bigger than me. You can do this.” Prudence put a hand on Rebecca’s shoulder. “You’re Molly’s mommy now. You just worry about taking care of her.”
Rebecca looked over at the sleeping baby and then back at Prudence. “All right. But don’t be gone too long.”
“I won’t.”
Prudence tousled Rebecca’s hair again and then went back up the stairs. The cellar door closed with a thud, sealing Rebecca and Molly into what would perhaps be their tomb.
Rebecca and Molly whimpered in unison.
Chapter 27: Another Rescue
When Samantha and Uncle Hector got back to the village, Wendell had great news: the Lady Jane would be ready to sail tomorrow morning. “We just need to give the patching some time to harden,” Wendell said.
“That’s wonderful news!” Samantha shouted. She crushed him in a hug. She released him a minute later to hug Uncle Hector. “We’re going home!”
“That’s right, kid. We’re going home.”
Samantha dispatched the older children to gather some wood for a fire. “We’re going to have a party,” she said. “A going away party.”
It was only later Samantha noticed Prudence, Rebecca, and Molly still had not returned. “They haven’t been back here?” she asked Annie.
“No. Are they in trouble?”
“No, of course not. I’m sure they’re fine.”
But Samantha was worried. This wasn’t like them at all. She thought of that trap Prudence had fallen into before. She wouldn’t be so stupid as to fall into another one, would she? Even if she didn’t there were plenty of other dangers around the island, especially for a baby and a girl who didn’t know her way around.
Rebecca could take of them. She had spent more time exploring the island and she had a good head on her shoulders. A head that should have known better than to pull a stunt like this. Were they really so mad at her they’d risk their lives and Molly’s life?
“Can you watch the children for a while?” she asked Uncle Hector.
“Sure, kid. What’s up?”
“I have to find Prudence and Rebecca.”
“They still aren’t back?”
“No. I’m getting worried.”
“I can go look for them—”
“You don’t know the island like I do.”
Uncle Hector sighed and then nodded. “Just be careful, Lucy. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I will.”
To be on the safe side, she found a piece of wood that was long enough and heavy enough to use for a club. She draped a piece of netting over her shoulders like a shawl as well in case she needed to help Prudence out of another hole. Then she set out to look.
She worried about Molly the most. Miss Brigham was just a baby now, probably not even a year old. Samantha doubted Prudence and Rebecca had brought milk and diapers to care for a baby. By now Molly was probably very cranky. In another day or so she might be dead.
Despite her concern, Samantha knew better than to run into the forest. Now was not the time to panic. She had to keep her wits about her or else she’d end up lost in the forest right along with Prudence and Rebecca—if they were lost. By now they might have fallen off a cliff or met a number of other terrible fates.
It had turned dark when she heard something heavy rustle the brush. It could be a deer, or it could be one of Pryde’s beasts. Samantha tightened her grip on the club she’d brought along. Her body went rigid as the rustling sound became louder. Whatever it was, it was closing on her.
Her instincts took over as something emerged from the brush. She scored a direct hit, the thing collapsing to the ground. It let out a very human wail. Only then did Samantha realize it was a little girl on the ground.
“Rebecca?” Except even in the moonlight she could see a glint of copper hair. “Prudence?”
The girl rolled over and Samantha saw it was her friend. Prudence rubbed the back of her head. Tears flowed down her pudgy cheeks. Yet those cheeks weren’t nearly so fat while her hair was much longer than she usually kept it. Her entire body looked smaller, like that of a small child. “Prudence, what happened? Did you fall in the fountain?”
“No, I didn’t fall. He dumped the water on me.”
“Who, David?”
“No! Mr. Delgado.”
“You’re lying!” Samantha shouted. She raised her club to strike. “Take it back.”
“I am not lying. He made Miss Brigham a baby. Then when Rebecca and I went to the cave to find evidence, he threw some water on us too.”
“Miss Brigham and Rebecca, are they…dead?”
“No. I left them at Mr. Pryde’s house. In the cellar.” Prudence started to sob. “Rebecca took most of the water. She’s just a toddler now. But she saved Molly.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would Uncle Hector do that?”
“Because he wants the water. He wants to take it to the mainland, to sell it.”
“You’re lying! Uncle Hector would never do that. He’s a good man.”
“He is not! Look what he did to me! And to Molly. He almost killed us. He would have if David hadn’t saved us.”
Samantha’s grip on the club loosened. She lowered the stick to a less dangero
us position. She thought back to when she’d gone to the cave. Uncle Hector and David had been fighting. She hadn’t seen Prudence or the others, but they could have left already.
“No,” she whispered. “Uncle Hector wouldn’t do that.”
“Samantha, please, you have to listen. He’s dangerous.”
“No he’s not.”
“Then how did I get little again?”
“Maybe you did it yourself.”
“Why would I do that?”
“To make me think he was bad. So I wouldn’t go with him. You’ve been jealous of him all along. You want to keep me here forever.”
“That’s stupid! I wouldn’t make myself little again just to keep you here. Why won’t you believe me?”
“Why can’t you just let me be happy? I’ve found my family after all these years and all you’ve wanted to do is keep us apart.”
Prudence looked down at the ground and nodded. “I have been jealous of you. I don’t want you to go away. I don’t want to go to the mainland either. But Samantha, I would never do anything so terrible to you. You’re my best friend. You’re practically my sister.”
Samantha dropped the club to the ground. As much as she didn’t want to believe Prudence about Uncle Hector, she also knew Prudence. Her friend would never do anything so monstrous. Lying was the biggest sin of the Way and even if Reverend Crane was dead, Prudence still believed in the Way.
“We’ll go back to the village. I’m sure Uncle Hector can explain everything.”
“Samantha—”
“Shut up!” Samantha tugged Prudence to her feet. Her friend was well over a foot shorter than her now, so Samantha had to look down to meet Prudence’s eyes. “I don’t want to hear anything else until we talk to him.”
“Fine.”
They set out for the village. Along the way, Samantha noted how awkwardly Prudence walked in her shoes. They were her old shoes, from when she had been eleven. Now that she was seven, or perhaps eight, the shoes had become much too big for her. The dress fit loosely, but it was one of the drab dresses the children on Eternity wore, not what one of Pryde’s victims had worn. “Is that Rebecca’s dress?”
“Yes. I found something pretty for her to wear.” Fresh tears came to Prudence’s eyes. “She’s so brave. We have to hurry back there. It’s dark now and Molly hasn’t eaten since this morning.”
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