by Amy C. Blake
“You asked for it.” Trevor’s fist drew back for a return slug when a tap on the door saved Levi.
The door opened, and Mr. Sylvester stuck his head in. “Lights out, boys. Better enjoy your beds tonight.”
Stifling a groan, Levi nodded. He’d forgotten tomorrow was another camping trip.
Steve exited the bathroom, tugging his pajama top down over his big belly. “Hi, Mr. Sylvester. Glad you’re back.” He stopped and gawked at the man’s bruises. “What happened to your face?”
Levi exchanged a look with Trevor. Leave it to Steve to ask the question. At least Levi didn’t have to do it.
Mr. Sylvester’s smile was guarded. “Oh, I had a little run-in with a nasty creature when I was helping Mr. Dominic.” He waved a hand in the air. “I’m fine. It isn’t as bad as it looks.”
“Oh, sorry you got hurt.” Apparently satisfied, Steve climbed into bed as Mr. Sylvester left.
Levi couldn’t dismiss the bruises so easily. He tossed for what seemed hours after Trevor and Steve’s snoring contest began. Now he wasn’t just facing the possibility of spending the summer on some strange mythical island.
Now he had to worry about what else was here.
Because what “creature” on this island could do that much damage to two grown men?
Chapter 18
Fire!
The next day’s camping trip started out much better than Levi expected. Though only the second time Levi had camped on the north side of the castle, nothing bad had happened the first time. He and his roommates had gotten as good as Sara at pitching their tent. Plus, they got to fish for their supper in the river they always canoed in. Levi was actually pretty good at fishing.
They cooked their fish over the campfire—Levi had caught seven—and ate beneath the stars. Afterward, he sat around the fire with his friends and toasted marshmallows. This was how summer camp should be. Friends, campfire, s’mores, no weird ears . . .
Levi and the others talked and joked until Mr. and Mrs. Austin told them to get some sleep. Hours later, a blast of wind shook Levi’s tent, startling him awake. He sat up and sniffed the air. Something was wrong. There was way too much smoke in the air. Surely the adults had put out the campfire. He slipped from his tent despite Mr. Austin’s warning about staying inside after dark.
Fire snaked toward the tents from some nearby bushes.
“Fire!” he yelled then ran to grab the water bucket they always kept close in case the campfire got out of control. He snatched the nearly-full bucket, trotted to the fire, and dumped it on the flames nearest the tents. Sara, Monica, Lizzie, and Ashley piled out, but he was too busy to pay much attention.
Mr. Austin ran over, stripped off his jacket, and smacked at the fire. “You okay?” he called to Levi.
“Yeah.” Levi sprinted to the river, scooped a bucketful, and raced for camp.
Miss Althea, barreling toward camp from a side path, nearly crashed into him. “What’s going on?”
“Fire.” He wheezed the word and kept on running.
After a moment, Miss Althea ran alongside him, snagged the bucket, and took off ahead. He staggered after her, clutching his side.
By the time he got back to the tents, the fire was out. Kids clumped together in shocked silence. Mrs. Austin and Miss Althea walked among them checking for injuries and calming fears.
Mr. Austin stalked over to Levi and hissed near his ear, “You see anyone?”
Levi twisted around to see the man’s face. “Anyone? You think somebody did this on purpose?”
Mr. Austin lifted thick eyebrows and gave the charred path a meaningful stare. Levi saw what he meant: the fire had burned in a straight line—unnaturally straight—from a clump of bushes that showed no signs of charring. Someone had definitely started the fire. In a direct path to the tents.
“Who would do such a thing?” Visions of Hunter’s evil face crept into his mind, but he shook it out. No way would a kid do something like this.
“I told you, boy,” Mr. Austin said in a low rumble. “The spirit world is more real here than in your world.”
In your world? Did that mean what Levi thought it meant?
Before he could ask, the man barked out his own questions. “Well? Did you see anyone? Or anything strange at all?”
“No. The wind woke me, and I thought the air smelled wrong . . . too smoky for our campfire. Then I came out here and saw the fire.” Levi shrugged. “Don’t know how it started.”
Mr. Austin narrowed his eyes. “No wind now.” He peered toward the bushes. “Be back later.” Loosening the sheath on his belt, he stomped into the underbrush.
Mrs. Austin and Miss Althea finally got the kids settled in their tents, Levi included, but he didn’t sleep. He sat at his tent flap watching the women watch the trees by the light of the campfire they’d rekindled. Long after his tent mates’ snores filled the cramped space, Levi sat. He couldn’t sleep until Mr. Austin returned.
He watched Mrs. Austin wring her hands as the night passed with no sign of her husband. Sometimes, Miss Althea offered soothing murmurs and pats on the arm. Still, nothing changed.
As the sky darkened before dawn, dread hollowed out Levi’s gut. Mr. Dominic and Mr. Sylvester together had gotten beaten up by a creature loose on this island. Mr. Austin was alone—and much smaller. What would he look like when he came back?
If he came back.
Tired but relieved, Levi slogged along the trail to the castle behind Mr. Austin. Levi had never been so happy to see the crotchety Literature teacher as when Mr. Austin returned to camp unhurt a few minutes after sunrise. The man hadn’t said a word about where he’d been or what he’d found. He’d simply shaken his head at his wife’s unspoken question and hurried the kids into taking down camp with the promise of breakfast at the castle.
Now Levi trudged along, his back weighed down with gear, his brain cloudy from lack of sleep, and his stomach grumbling with hunger.
His ears perked up when Mrs. Austin murmured to her husband, “Was it him?”
“Had to be. I saw his tracks.” Mr. Austin’s voice was husky. “At least I think it was his tracks. Depends on the shape he took, but we’ve trailed this track from him before.” He scrubbed both hands through his hair. “And then there’s the fire. You know how he likes fire.”
The shape he took? One glimpse of Mrs. Austin’s pale face and trembling mouth raised the hair on Levi’s neck. What was this creature that liked setting things on fire?
“Why do you think he did it?” She lowered her voice. “Do you think he knew she was in that tent?”
“I don’t know.” Mr. Austin took his wife’s stubby hand. “All we can do is report it. Tobias and Sophia will know what to do.”
Mrs. Austin nodded. “I pray they do.”
Swallowing the fear clogging his throat, Levi prayed the same.
Chapter 19
Friends
All through breakfast, Levi thought about the night before. His head ached. He wished he could talk to Trevor about what he’d seen, but he didn’t dare. Too many people might overhear.
Levi looked at the staff table. The Austins and Miss Althea were still absent, as were the Dominics. Others were missing, too, but that wasn’t unusual since the campers generally stayed out until late afternoon on Saturday. He wondered what the Dominics thought about the fire. Would they know what to do?
A new person settled into the end seat of the staff table. His tired eyes drifted to her. Levi sat up straighter and shook his head to clear it. Was that Sara’s mom? She looked just like the super-tall woman he’d seen with her the first day. What was she doing at camp? And why was she at the staff table instead of with Sara?
Frowning, he leaned around Tommy and tapped Sara on the shoulder. When she turned, he pointed toward the staff table. “Isn’t that your mom?”
Her eyes tracked his finger. A wrinkle formed between her brows. “No, I don’t see her.”
He pointed again. “There on the end. Isn�
��t that the woman who brought you to camp?”
Sara stood up to see better, and the line between her brows erased. “Oh.” She laughed lightly. “No, that’s not my mom. That’s Miss Nydia. You know, the Sylvesters’ daughter. Our hall chaperone.”
Now Levi’s brow scrunched. “Why did she bring you to camp?”
“She didn’t. She just stuck close to me since my parents couldn’t.” Her face flushed. “So I wouldn’t be alone.”
That really cleared things up. “Well, if she works here, why haven’t I seen her at meals?”
“She’s kind of shy, eats in her room or in the kitchen a lot.” Sara peered at the young woman. “I’m surprised she’s here now.”
At that moment, Miss Nydia lifted her eyes from her plate and spotted Sara. Her eyes filled with tears and she flashed Sara a smile Levi thought was ridiculously sappy.
Sara waved at her.
With his roommates in the courtyard playing volleyball, Levi spent the rest of Saturday morning in bed. He had no energy. Telling Trevor what he’d seen the night before would have to wait until he’d had a nap.
Later, he startled awake to a disturbing close-up of Trevor’s sweaty face.
“Aaahhh!” He pressed a hand to his heart. “What’re you trying to do, Trevor, give me nightmares?”
Trevor snickered. “Sorry, just thought you might want to get up for lunch.”
After lunch, Levi joined the others in the great hall to play games. Tommy and Steve took turns beating each other at pool. Ashley was the millionaire tycoon at Life, and Trevor beat them all at Clue. Monica was in the middle of skunking Sara, Lizzie, and Levi at Scrabble when Sara asked if everyone had chosen their events for the Olympics.
Levi groaned. Steve echoed him. No one else spoke.
Sara said, “Come on, guys, it’ll be fun. Just pick something you like.”
“That’s easy for you to say.” Levi shuffled his tiles around. “You’re the best archer in the whole camp, and you’re good at fencing. You canoe great and probably everything else too.”
“All of y’all are better at every single solitary thing than me,” Lizzie said from her seat next to his. “I’m hopeless.”
“I have the same problem,” Monica said, “though Tommy and Trevor are both athletic. They’ll do well at any event.”
Both boys twisted their pool sticks in silence.
“Doesn’t matter which ones I do,” Levi said, knowing he sounded like a pathetic loser. “I don’t have a chance.”
Steve grunted his agreement.
Monica fingered a letter tile. “I have to be honest with you. The thought of competing before an audience makes me panic.”
Sara patted her arm.
As Levi studied Monica’s vulnerable expression, he realized she hadn’t used any six-syllable words lately. Maybe she’d acted so snooty earlier in the summer because she was unsure of herself. Maybe her snootiness was like Trevor’s squeaking—it only came out when she was scared or uncomfortable.
Monica put down z-o-o-p-h-y-t on the e in ear he’d just played. With her triple word score and the fact that she’d used all her letters, she earned one hundred and sixteen points. Double his current total. Okay, so maybe she really was a know-it-all.
“All I know is we’d better sign up soon or we’ll get stuck with what’s left,” a white-faced Ashley said.
Levi looked at her; he’d never heard her say so many words at one time.
She had a good point though. He imagined getting his nose smashed flat in a boxing match against Martin or his head stuck in Greg’s hammerlock hold. He shuddered.
“We should all sign up for the same three events, so we can practice together. Those of us who do better at certain events can help the others.” Sara tucked her bottom lip between her teeth.
Levi figured the self-conscious look was Sara trying not to brag about her abilities, though she had plenty to brag about. Still, there was something to her idea. “You realize we’d probably wind up competing against each other,” he said slowly.
“True.” Trevor tapped his chin. “With eight of us, we should fill most of the spaces.”
The others considered the idea in silence.
Steve shrugged. “I’d rather be beat in every event by you guys than by Hunter and his thugs. At least I’d know you weren’t trying to kill me.”
“Good point, honey.” Lizzie touched Steve’s arm. He turned a brighter pink than her nail polish.
Levi pushed back from the game table. “Let’s do it.”
They hurried to the dining hall. After some debate, they signed up for archery, fencing, and canoeing. Levi wasn’t too happy with their choices, but Sara promised to help with all three. Trevor’s fencing was pretty good, and Tommy was great at archery. Lizzie had turned out to be decent at canoeing. Levi would’ve preferred foot racing over anything else, but Steve looked horrified at the mere thought of huffing around a track. Not even Trevor wanted to face Greg or Martin in a boxing match.
“We’ll start practicing tomorrow afternoon,” Sara told them, both hands on her hips as if to prevent arguments.
Nobody said anything, but Levi complained plenty in his head.
Levi tossed and rolled in his bed that night. Why had he slept all morning? Now he couldn’t make his brain quit spinning. After an hour, he gave up, crawled from bed, and stuffed shoes on his feet. He’d go back to the tower rooftop for a while. Maybe he’d get sleepy in an hour or so. Snagging his pillow, he sneaked toward the door when a low whisper about made him leap to the ceiling.
“Where ya going?” Trevor clambered down the short steps by his bed.
“To the tower.” Levi glanced at the still-sleeping Tommy and Steve.
“Can I come?” Trevor pulled on tennis shoes and grabbed his pillow.
“Guess so.”
They tiptoed from the room, Trevor just remembering to snag his flashlight. They left the light off until they entered the dark stairwell, then Trevor clicked it on. Levi threw frequent glances behind him at the shadowy steps. He was glad Trevor brought a light. Even with it, Levi’s palms left sweat smears on the rail. Would they get in trouble if someone caught them out of bed? Surely not. It’s not like they were leaving the castle.
Once on the roof, they settled back on their pillows to stargaze. A few wispy clouds marred the night sky, but the beauty still struck Levi. He lay motionless, inhaling the breeze that smelled faintly of rich earth, flowers, and grass. The absence of the lake smell reminded him of all he hadn’t told Trevor.
After rattling on for ten minutes about the fire, Mr. Austin’s suspicions, and the sudden appearance of Miss Nydia Sylvester, Levi waited for Trevor’s reaction.
“Bizarre” was all he said. Then, “So this really is . . . like . . . some other world?” Trevor’s face was pale in the moonlight.
Levi gave a slow nod. “Sounds like it.”
“Who’s the girl the Austins think somebody’s out to get?”
Levi shivered, though it wasn’t cold out. “I don’t know.”
“Well,”—Trevor propped up on one elbow facing Levi—“whose tent was the fire aimed at? You said it went in a straight line. The line would’ve headed for the target, right?”
Levi closed his eyes to picture the scene. The fire had raced directly for one particular tent, but whose? He remembered running for the water bucket then dashing to the fire. And out of the corner of his eye, he’d seen four girls exit a tent.
His eyes popped open. “It was the girls’ tent.”
Trevor’s forehead wrinkled. “Which girls?”
“The girls.” Levi made himself not yell. “Sara, Monica, Ashley, Lizzie—the girls.” He paused, frowning. “But why? Who’d want to hurt them?”
Trevor’s mouth, which had fallen open, now closed into a hard line. “Sounds like the Austins think it was just one of them, but which one?”
Levi stared at a planet pulsing in the distant sky. “Monica’s folks are missionaries where Christianity’s ag
ainst the law. Maybe someone came after her to get at them?”
“Maybe. Seems like they’d go after the parents there, though. But I guess she’s an easier target here by herself.”
“Not if I can help it,” Levi said with more bravado than he felt.
Trevor nodded. “It may not be her. What about Ashley? Where’s she from again?”
“Sara said Ashley’s parents are farmers in Missouri, so I doubt she’s the target.” Levi flopped back on his pillow.
“I don’t know. She’s so quiet it’s hard to guess what’s going on with her.”
“Yeah.” Levi tapped a finger against his temple. Think, Levi. “Now, Lizzie . . . her mom’s a U.S. Senator from Louisiana or someplace like that. Politicians always have people after them.”
“What about her dad? What’s he do?”
“I think she said he’s a lawyer.” Levi lowered his voice. “But I think he left them when she was little. I doubt he has anything to do with it.”
Trevor grunted. “What about Sara?”
Levi thought back to the few times he and Sara had talked about their families. She’d never told him much about her folks. “I think she’s from somewhere near Superior, and I know she’s homeschooled. I get the idea she lives with both parents, but she doesn’t have any brothers or sisters.” He shrugged. “That’s all I know.”
“Interesting,” Trevor said in a serious tone.
“Interesting?” Levi laughed. “What are you, Sherlock Holmes?”
“Well, it is interesting.” Trevor’s voice rang with irritation. “Any of the girls could be somebody’s target.”
Levi sobered as he remembered what the Austins said about the creature shifting shapes. Humans couldn’t do that. “Or something’s target.”
Chapter 20
Answers
The next morning, Levi and Trevor had a terrible time waking up. They missed breakfast and yawned their way through the chapel service. Trevor decided to rest awhile that afternoon, but Levi knew he had to stop napping or he’d never get back on a normal sleep schedule. Besides, he had promised his mom he’d call even though his family was at his grandparents’ house for the week.