“Call out, Esme!” Andy orders.
I can’t!
I don’t know how far away they are. I can’t hear their footsteps and their voices aren’t close yet. Lillian is maybe twenty feet away. I can’t move an inch in case I make a noise.
Lillian looks around, the hood still obscuring her face. She doesn’t appear to have a weapon, but there is no way I’m taking that chance. Just like there is no way I’m making a run for it. Stupid people run through a forest when their assailant is just feet away. Then they fall and we all know how that ends.
I don’t need to outrun her, I need to outsmart her. And I will do that by pretending I’m not here.
“Esme?” Olly shouts again.
My eyes widen. His voice is much fainter than before.
No, this way! Come back. I wince, willing myself to breathe quietly. Please come back.
Lillian moves very slowly in my direction.
Ice-cold fear slithers down my spine.
I steady myself against the tree.
Branches and sticks snap beneath Lillian’s feet.
We must be in the publicly owned section of the forest. The camp’s section is kept somewhat maintained. Now I’m out of bounds, away from any kind of safety.
I press my side against the tree and place one foot a step to the left. Lillian is going to pass me, and I have to make sure she doesn’t see me.
It’s too dark to make out her face. She’s tall and slim. I can still only just make her out. She’s like an evil paranormal presence in a horror flick. If she began to float and disappeared in a puff of black smoke it wouldn’t surprise me. In fact, I would love that.
I want her gone.
Her footsteps are light, but I feel each one vibrate through me.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
I curl smaller inside myself and say another silent prayer.
My grandparents would love to know that I’m praying.
Will I get a chance to tell them?
Flattening myself against the tree, I wait.
Please leave.
Her footsteps slowly get fainter and fainter.
I let out a quiet breath and swipe a single tear from my cheek.
Crouching in the mist, I count in my head.
She must be gone now.
I’m alone again.
My heart thumps.
It’s scarier to be alone than it should be. I’d rather be on my own than have Lillian near.
How did she get away just now?
When I reach one hundred, I rise to my feet. The lingering orbs are gone. I can see normally now, despite the fact that it’s dark.
I look around and decide to walk forward. I’m sure that’s the way back to camp.
You can do this, Esme. Keep moving.
I clench my hands and run to the beat of my thudding pulse.
28
My feet hurt from running on uneven ground. Sharp pains shoot along my shins. I round a thick bush and whimper, but I can’t stop. If I stop now Lillian might catch me.
I run as if she’s barely a foot behind me, as if she can reach an arm out and touch me.
Oh God.
“Olly!” I shout, spotting him up ahead.
He spins around and his eyes widen. A fraction of a second later, he’s sprinting toward me.
“Esme!”
I’m vaguely aware of the others calling my name and saying how relieved they are, but all I can focus on is Olly.
His arms shoot out to catch me as I run straight into him. My legs give out and he’s all that’s stopping me from hitting the ground. I lean into him, feeling his warmth seep into my clammy skin. I sob, the relief of being safe drenching me.
The static from Andy’s radio crackles as he makes a call to Cora to tell her we’re almost back.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Olly asks.
You can’t be a big baby now after insisting on coming.
I stand. “I don’t know. One minute you guys were there, and the next I—I couldn’t find you.”
Should I tell them what happened?
No. No, I can’t.
“We’re so sorry, Esme, we thought you were with us,” Andy says, stopping beside me.
I wipe my hands on my shorts and take a ragged breath. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault, and I’m fine.”
“You sure about that?” Jake asks.
“Yeah.”
“Did you see anything?”
My body turns cold. “Just a whole lot of trees after the lights.”
And the dark figure of Lillian.
“Us too.” Andy takes a big breath. “Looks like this person isn’t done with their pranks, though.”
I nod. “What do we do now?”
“We remain vigilant, stick together and make sure the children are safe,” he says.
If I can’t get my heart rate under control, I won’t be doing anything at all.
“I agree,” I whisper. But do I?
Jake scowls. “We ride this out, let this freak have his fun and keep the campers safe. The day they leave, we find out who’s taking pictures and leaving notes.”
Andy says, “That’s settled, then. Let’s get back to camp and have a hot drink and let everyone know there’s nothing out here.”
I look behind me. Somewhere in the distance, Lillian is probably livid because I made it back to the others. She was right near me. I shudder at the thought of her being so close. What would she have done if she’d found me?
I keep a small smile on my face and walk beside Olly, his hand in mine, trying not to crush his bones as I hold on.
“That was eventful,” Jake says, his voice brimming with sarcasm.
I wish my evening had been as uneventful as his.
God, I wish I could speak with Kayla right now. She’s the only person I can talk to about what just happened. Only I can’t really, can I? I was supposed to talk to Lillian and clear this up. I was going to tell her how sorry we were that she got hurt and ask her to forgive us. But when it came down to it, when I was separated from the others, I was scared and hid rather than confronting her. I. Was. Scared.
There, I’ve admitted it to myself. Esme is a big chicken.
I pretended to be tough and unafraid, but I’m a phony.