by Ally Condie
“Only one way to find out.” Gritting his teeth, Tyler started out across the stones. Opal admired how he always pushed aside his fears when it came to Emma. They had an unshakable bond, just like with Nico. Would any of them come for me?
“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. “We said, 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’re sure that 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 word beach. 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.
NO.
The Visitor surged forward. “Emma, run!” Tyler screamed. She sprinted for the woods. Nico and Tyler bolted along the edge of the pond.
Opal held her ground, waving at the Visitor while the others sped off. It frowned down at her, wriggling its spindly fingers. Then it stiffened. The figment’s back-of-the-head eyes had spotted Emma running away.
NO!
“Move, Opal!” Nico shouted. He and Tyler banked like birds and tore into the trees. Opal shot after them, bringing up the rear. The Visitor chased them all with long, fluid steps.
Opal sprinted through the woods, lungs burning, feet flying over the uneven ground. She topped the ridge and glanced back. The Visitor was crashing through the forest canopy.
NO NO NO.
Branches snapped, showering Opal in an explosion of leaves and broken pine needles. She heard a tree trunk crash to the ground right behind her. I’m not gonna make it. But the woods thinned and she spotted Emma staggering across the beach. “Get into the cove!” Opal shouted.
Emma plunged into the ocean. Opal dove in after her, the cold stealing her breath.
The Visitor stopped at the waterline, watching the girls swim out of reach. Then it turned. Nico and Tyler were frantically shoving the rowboat into the surf, its keel grinding across rocks and sand. The Visitor stomped toward them.
Opal bobbed next to Emma. The boys were muscling the boat with every ounce of strength they possessed. Finally, it caught the tide and slid out to sea.
The Visitor stopped moving. It turned and watched Emma with liquid oval eyes.
Sorry.
Again, Opal didn’t hear the word.
“Sorry for what?” Emma whispered. She’d felt it, too.
As they watched, the Visitor shimmered and vanished. Nico and Tyler paddled over and helped them slither aboard. The group collapsed in a tangled heap at the bottom of the boat, unable to muster the energy to even complain.
“Whoa,” Emma said finally. “That was the best one yet.”
“The best one?” Nico covered his eyes. “Are you kidding me?”
“It was so real,” Emma breathed. “It didn’t seem like a figment at all.”
“I’m just glad it’s gone.” Tyler shuddered. “I’m glad they’re all gone.”
Opal ran a hand over her face. Setting an oar, she glanced back at the beach.
And froze.
“Guys. Look.”
They all turned.
“What. On. Earth,” Tyler whispered.
Figments were emerging from the woods.
A centaur. A frog with a top hat. The Elf on a Shelf.
They stood in a line across the sand. Unspeaking. Unblinking.
Watching.
A sliver of fear entered Emma’s voice.
“Oh,” she said. “So they’re not all gone.”
PART THREE
THE TUNNEL
17
NICO
Nico was ready to go home.
Ready to forget about the bizarre new figments roaming the island, staring at them with creepy eyes. But Opal insisted they go back to the houseboat immediately. She wanted to talk, now, while they were still together.
So she showed them the tunnel.
It was right where she’d said it would be—in the back of the cave, where the rowboat had been hidden. The passage was a dingy, dusty, creepy mess, but it was there. Despite everything, Nico smiled in the darkness. Now they wouldn’t have to row across Still Cove every time. No more staring down into the black water, imagining what might be looking up at you.
He wished Opal had told them sooner. He almost said something, but her face stopped him. It was like she expected him to bring it up. He’d surprise her by playing it cool. Truth was, Nico understood why she’d waited. He’d have done the same in her shoes.
The tunnel was rough but clearly manmade. They used phone lights to see, four harsh white circles burrowing down into the black. Reaching a straight passage at the bottom of the switchbacks, Nico realized they were under the cove. Opal came through here alone? Wow.
After a hundred paces they entered an open chamber. Opal continued without stopping, but Nico’s feet slowed. “Wait,” he called out. The others halted. Opal walked a few steps back into the chamber. “Something wrong?”
“What is this room?” Nico swung his light, illuminating a smooth, circular stone wall. The masonry was more refined here than in the narrow passage.
“I’ve never really looked,” Opal admitted. “I don’t like being down here alone.”
Nico’s light dipped, and he noticed a carving chiseled into the stone floor. It looked like a hand holding a torch. He tried to imagine who’d sat down here in the dark, chipping the design into the unyielding granite. Nico shivered. “Never mind. Let’s keep moving.”
The tunnel continued for another narrow stretch, then began climbing as sharply as it had dropped. Ni
co was ready for sunlight. Even the oppressive, foggy island was better than this. He was happy the tunnel existed but knew he’d never enjoy using it.
They emerged into a gully Nico hadn’t explored. He gave Opal props—her showing up without explanation had been driving him crazy, and walking that path alone took guts.
Thankfully, the area around the pond was figment free. Gasping sighs of relief, they hustled into the houseboat as the sun began to set. Nico fervently hoped all the creatures were gone. He didn’t want to feel their stares again.
Inside the showroom, Opal wheeled on the group, arms latched across her chest. “Okay, we seriously need to talk.”
Emma scuffed a sneaker on the fraying carpet. Though he couldn’t believe it, Nico caught her eyeing the hidden entrance to the Darkdeep. “Sorry about the last one,” she mumbled to the floor. “I got greedy. I won’t think of anything that scary again.”
“It’s not really about scary,” Opal said. “The Visitor was aggressive. It was blocking you, Emma. And I … I think it spoke inside my head.”
Opal’s gaze darted from face to face, stopping on Nico. He nodded. He’d felt it, too.
Emma’s head snapped up. “But isn’t that a good thing? The figments are getting more real. More interactive. More amazing! Guys, we might be able to do things with them soon. Or learn where they come from. Or … or … anything.”
“We know where they come from.” Tyler glared at his friend. He seemed near the end of his rope. “They come from a spinning, mind-reading, houseboat-basement whirlpool! Which isn’t possible. None of this is possible. Can’t you see things are out of control?”
He was breathing hard by the time he finished. Silence filled the room. Emma couldn’t meet Tyler’s eye. Glancing away, Nico noticed the pedestal jar. The thing inside had changed yet again, and the water was emitting a dim light of its own.
Nico pointed, but Opal wasn’t interested in distractions.
“We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” she said. “At first it was just a neat trick. The Darkdeep read our minds and made funny images of our thoughts. But it’s obviously stronger than that. The new figments are doing stuff. That Visitor knocked over a tree. What if one of us had been underneath it?”
“I said I was sorry,” Emma muttered.
Tyler squeezed her shoulder. “Stop it. We know. Nobody’s blaming you.” He shot a hard look at Opal.
“Definitely not blaming,” Opal agreed, color rising in her cheeks. “We all were doing it, Emma. I’m just saying we need to learn more before we go any further.”
“What do you mean?” Nico asked. Opal’s suggestion had him curious.
Opal inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I think we should do some research.”
Nico laughed. “Sure. I’ll google ‘houseboat vortexes’ while you buy a copy of How to Deal with Prancing Figments.”
Opal gave him a level look. “Have you considered where we’re standing?”
Nico’s eyes traveled the showroom. “Of course.”
“And what were we doing before we found the pool?”
“Making an inventory,” Nico said defensively. What’s she getting at?
Opal tilted her head to the side. “How much of that task did we accomplish?”
Nico held his tongue, refusing the bait. Tyler looked sheepish. “Not much,” he said.
Opal smiled triumphantly. “So … did it occur to anyone else that a collection like this might have information regarding the supernatural spin-cycle downstairs?”
Nico’s toes curled in his shoes. Nodding in surrender, he surveyed the room with fresh eyes. “We should check everything—boxes, crates, chests, whatever. List all the books we find, then scan their headings and indexes. Look for anything about the Darkdeep.”
Emma brightened. “Backstory. Yes. A place like this must have an incredible history.”
“Look for stuff about this island, too,” Opal added. “Also whoever built the houseboat, or assembled the collection. There’s no way it doesn’t all fit together.”
“Don’t forget the tunnel,” Tyler chimed in. “Shoot, anything about Still Cove at all.”
Energized, they split into pairs, Opal and Nico attacking a heap of books inside a huge orange trunk while Emma and Tyler rifled through dusty cabinets. Soon they were calling out titles to one another, making group decisions on how to sort them.
“Weapons of the Nineteenth Century?” Emma announced.
Opal pursed her lips. “Hmmm. Stick it in the ‘Unlikely’ pile.”
Tyler blew a cloud of dust from the cover of another volume. “A Topographical Survey of the Washington Coastline. Might be something about Still Cove in here.”
Nico nodded. “That’s a definite ‘Maybe.’ ”
Tyler was placing the book on a stack when Opal squealed. “Guys! Listen!” She held up a moth-eaten tome that looked older than all the others. “Natural Forces and Phantasms: Science of the Mind Realms.”
“That one’s smoking hot!” Nico called out. “Make a new pile.”
And so it went for a half hour, until most of the books were sorted. Yawning, Nico scratched the back of his head. They’d found some decent leads. In addition to Opal’s find, there were three history books about Timbers, a collection of Skagit Sound legends, a set of houseboat schematics, and a leather notebook with Torchbearer’s Log branded on its cover.
But nothing specifically about the pool. Nico couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Then he chastised himself. What’d you expect, a book called Darkdeep for Dummies? “We’ll start with these and see if they spark anything,” he said, trying to sound upbeat.
Emma smiled over-big, wheedling like a saleswoman. “And the Darkdeep tests? Steady as we go?”
“That’s not a good idea,” Nico said. “Opal’s right about us being in over our heads. Let’s figure out what the Darkdeep is before making any more figments. Deal?”
Emma’s expression soured. “Then let’s get reading.”
“Tonight?” Tyler glanced at his watch. “It’s dark already, and we’ve got school.” He went to the lone window. “I don’t see any figments, but a few could still be around. Are we starting this now or heading home?”
Nico checked his phone. No messages, but no service either. “I’m willing to stick around for a bit.”
“My mom has book club tonight,” Opal said. “That buys me two more hours.”
Emma shrugged. “My parents went to a movie. I’ve got until ten at least.” Tyler groaned theatrically, but settled down on the floor. “Research party!” Emma crowed, and the others laughed.
“I’m gonna read Forces and Phantasms.” Opal was already digging into the pile. “I want to know why some figments last hours while others vanish sooner.”
“I have a theory about that,” Nico offered quietly.
Opal paused. “Oh?”
Nico swiped at his nose, suddenly self-conscious. “It’s nothing. I just think maybe the big ones might take more … energy, you know? Like, they’re stronger, but can’t last as long because of it. So the smaller figments hold together more easily, but the large ones burn out.”
Opal chewed the inside of her cheek. “But some little ones have disappeared fast, too.”
Nico looked away. “It was only an idea. I’m probably wrong.”
“No, no.” Opal nodded encouragingly. “I think you’re onto something. It’s obvious the first figments were weaker than more recent ones. Maybe size plays into it, too.” Wrinkling her nose, she slapped the book in her lap. “I hope this tells me. I want to know everything about the Darkdeep.”
“Me too,” Nico said. They smiled at each other. To Nico, it felt like the first relaxed moment they’d shared since grade school. It was nice being back on good terms with Opal. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed being friends with her.
A second later, the curtain parted.
Logan Nantes walked into the showroom.
18
OPAL
“This is even creepier than your house, Holland.”
Logan sauntered down the aisle like he owned the place. But Opal saw his eyes widen as he took it all in.
Emma was the first to find her voice. “What are you doing here?” she sputtered.
Tyler and Nico looked like they’d been struck by lightning. Their eyes darted to Opal, and her stomach sank. They were going to blame her for this.
“This isn’t your boat, is it?” Logan picked up a turquoise glass elephant and bounced it in one hand. Opal hoped he’d cut himself. “I didn’t see a NO TRESPASSING sign.”
Opal took a deep breath. “How’d you get here, Logan?”
“Followed you.” He met her eye briefly before looking away. Did she see hurt there, behind the anger? “It’s obvious you’ve been hiding something, ever since Holland lost his crappy drone.”
“You—” Tyler began, but Logan spoke over him.
“I knew you were out here somewhere.” He glanced at Opal again, and whatever she’d seen a moment ago was gone, replaced by a mean smirk. “I didn’t think you’d actually climb down into Still Cove, though. Wow. I almost gave up on the cliffs, but then I saw footprints in the mud and found that ridiculous suicide path. When I got to the bottom I heard your voices, found the cave, the tunnel, and boom.” He dropped the elephant on the carpet. “Here I am.”
“Get out.” Nico took a step toward Logan and pointed at the curtain. “Now.”
“No. I don’t want to, and you can’t make me.” Logan lifted a book from the ‘Maybe’ stack and flipped the pages roughly. “What is this place, anyway? What’s with all the junk?”
“Give me that, Logan.” Opal stepped in front of him and held out her hand.
He snorted and walked past her.
Nico hurried to Opal’s side. “Did you tell him?” he hissed.
She felt Tyler and Emma watching. “No!” Opal folded her arms. “Logan. Put the book down.”
“Dear Diary,” Logan whined, pretending to read. “My name is Nico. All my friends are dorks. Also, I’m in loooove with Opal Walsh. How can I get her to like me? Maybe if I take her to a secret trash barge, she’ll—”
“Shut up,” Opal spat. Any sympathy she’d felt for Logan vaporized.