A white mist drifted over the water and revealed that the same flowers that grew next to the lake also floated on the surface, as if growing from the water.
Then she remembered her brother and Hunter. Oh God! She dropped the flower and looked around frantically. Hunter lay washed up by a boulder. She ran to him.
"Hunter! Hunter, wake up!" His face was pale, but his chest moved at a steady rhythm. "Hunter!" She caressed his face and fought the tears that choked her throat.
A hand reached up and grabbed hers. Hunter's eyes peeled open. "I knew you cared."
She exhaled the breath she'd held in and punched his chest.
"Ow! What was that for?" He sat up, but didn't let go of her hand.
"You scared me. That's what." A renegade tear slid down her cheek, and Hunter used his free hand to wipe it off.
"Don't cry. I'm okay. Are you?"
She nodded, angry at her vulnerability. "Luke! We have to find him."
Hunter stood and helped her up. He still didn't release her hand, and she didn't pull away.
He's alive. She didn't want to let go in case he somehow disappeared again. The physical contact gave her strength and made her feel less alone in this crazy, messed up situation. Having to be the strong one all the time had worn her out. It was a relief to have someone else to share the burden.
They found Luke on the other side of the boulder. He'd already sat up and was picking sticks and twigs out of his hair and off of his clothes.
Seeing the state he was in, Lucy imagined how unattractive she must have looked at that moment. In a total girl freak-out, she would have given anything for a bathroom, clean clothes and a proper shower. She didn't even want to think about how she smelled.
She knelt next to Luke, and Hunter joined her, still attached to her hand. "You okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Luke glared at Hunter, but if Hunter noticed, he didn't let it bother him.
When Luke tried to stand, he groaned and leaned on Lucy. "My ankle is sprained or something."
Lucy helped him to the boulder so he could sit.
Hunter examined his leg. "Don't take the shoe off. The swelling will get worse and you won't be able to get it back on." He pulled a bottle of pills from his pack. "Here's some ibuprofen. Should help with the pain and swelling."
Lucy found a large, sturdy branch and used her knife to create a walking stick for him. Fortunately, the waterproof backpacks strapped to their backs meant that they still had all their gear. They would have been screwed had they lost their supplies.
After Luke downed the pills, Lucy handed him the walking stick. "Your ankle isn't too bad. You should be better soon."
"It shouldn't have happened at all! Jump off the log? Are you crazy? Did you even think?" Luke shot his words at her like bullets.
She stepped back, into Hunter, who once again grabbed her hand. "What other choice did we have? I saved us. You should've slowed us down more. You did before."
"Well, I couldn't. I've only done that once. Why would you even think...?" Luke took a deep breath. "Forget it. What were those things, anyway? They looked like Hercules beetles, but—"
"Huge?" Lucy offered helpfully.
"Yeah. What's going on here?" Luke stood and tested his ankle with the walking stick.
Lucy grinned up at Hunter. "Told you they were Hercules."
Luke cut her gloating short. "Your plan wouldn't have worked, anyway. In case you don't remember, Hercules beetles, if that's what they were, can fly. Crossing the log wouldn't have helped."
Lucy ignored him. They'd had no other options, and neither of them had offered any better ideas. He can stuff it! "I wonder if Rent-A-Kid's been experimenting here. This isn't normal."
Luke shook his head and limped away. "Damn, I don't need this shit."
Whatever. They had to get moving anyway, and figure out where they were and how to find their team. Lucy reluctantly let go of Hunter's hand and pulled some water from her pack. She drank her fill, refilled her bottle in the river, and returned it to its place.
The guys did the same, though Luke had moved away from them to do it.
Weeping willow trees lined the lake and filled the valley. I didn't know they could grow in the jungle. She loved weeping willows, and walked deeper into the valley through the long branches, feeling as though caught in a dream or a fairy world.
Hunter caught up to her. "You just couldn't resist staring at the big shiny bug, could you?"
"Shut up." This was no time for arguing, even though she could tell he was just teasing. At least he hadn't given her a hard time in front of Luke. Still, it's not like either of them has stepped up to make a decision.
"Okay. It's just that I've heard that women are attracted to shiny objects. It was interesting to see it in reality."
Lucy's lips twitched, but she refused to smile. "You're horrible."
"Thank you. I try to be. It's one of my best traits."
"I thought that was modesty."
"That too. I have many."
Lucy climbed over a rock, and she and Hunter waited for Luke to catch up. She had a hard time staying still. Something deep in the jungle pulled at her, as if leading her somewhere. Her sphere pulsed, stronger than ever.
She distracted herself with the banter. "If this is your best trait, I don't want to know what your bad traits are."
Hunter nudged her shoulder and pierced her with his eyes. "You never know, you might like my bad side." He winked, and she stuck out her tongue. "You are entirely unpredictable sometimes. I love that." He laughed. "So, fearless leader, where are we going?"
How could she explain something she didn't understand? "Just... trust me."
"You know, my father always used to ask, if your friend jumped off a log... excuse me, I mean a bridge... would you jump too? I always answered no, naturally. So I think what happened back there demonstrated my trust in you. I'm no lemming."
Lucy thought about how many times he'd followed her without question, never hesitating when she ran into danger—or put them in danger. Even when he questioned her choice, he didn't let her go it alone. Wow. She'd just met him, but they'd already built a basis for trust. It made sense, from a psychological standpoint. In life-and-death situations, bonds could form much faster and deeper than in the context of everyday life. That's why soldiers formed such tight-knit friendships—and why in storybooks two people who'd just met could fall in love in impossible situations. The chemicals that these kinds of circumstances released in the brain lent themselves to intimacy and trust.
Lucy just hoped that whatever was developing between them could withstand real life too, not just crazy-stuck-in-a-jungle life. "Thank you for trusting me and standing by me."
Hunter pulled her close. Her chest pressed into the hard muscles of his torso, her body conforming to his. Would he kiss her? She'd exchanged her share of sloppy kisses behind the bleachers at school, had played at having a boyfriend from time to time, but none of them had made her pulse race and heat explode in her like this.
With his face just a few inches from hers, Hunter spoke in a husky voice. "I'll always stand by you. You're not alone here. I swear it."
His declaration stole her breath away. He was only referring to their assignment—all bets were off once they got out of the jungle—and she wasn't naive enough to believe he'd made some grand, life-long vow, but her heart fluttered all the same.
He cupped her face with his hand and traced a line down her jaw with his finger. "You're an amazing woman, Lucy. I've never met anyone like you."
She didn't know what to say to that, so she just stared deep into his green eyes.
Luke crashed through the bushes with all the subtly of an ox.
Hunter pulled away, and Lucy sighed in disappointment.
They started to walk again, but the shrubs thickened the deeper into the jungle they went. Hunter pulled out a large knife and grabbed a branch.
"No!" Lucy put her hand on his arm to stop him, but it was too late.
&n
bsp; The knife sliced into branch, and a loud groan filled the jungle.
All three of them froze.
"Well that wasn't freaky at all," Hunter said.
Lucy pushed down his arm. "Don't cut anything. This place... it's alive."
Reluctantly, Hunter put away his knife and continued walking. "Can I step on anything then?"
Lucy ignored him.
"Anyway," he continued, "where are you leading us, my—"
Lucy shushed him and pushed aside a curtain of weeping willow branches, though some of them appeared to move by themselves, and revealed the biggest weeping willow Lucy had ever seen. It sat in the center of a meadow that was surrounded by clear water and covered in flowers. A patch of dirt created a path to the tree.
Something landed on Lucy's hand. A large, beautiful firefly glowed bright yellow, like a mini sun. More of them floated in the sky, illuminating the mist that shrouded this place in mystery and magic.
Hunter took Lucy's hand, and the firefly flew off, leaving a smudge of glowing light on her skin. He ran his thumb over the spot, as mesmerized by it all as she was.
Through the darkening leaves, the bugs flew and mist gathered, creating the effect of floating lights in a magical garden.
In a whisper that only Hunter could hear, Lucy said, "Are we dreaming? This place is amazing."
"Lucy... Lucy...." The voice in her head returned, familiar and deep. "Hunter, do you hear that? Someone calling my name?"
He shook his head, his brow wrinkled in concern.
She led him down the trail, and Luke followed. The voice seemed to come from the tree.
Lucy crept slowly along the dirt path, fireflies still hovering around her. Beside her, large, colorful fish in greens and reds jumped in the water and splashed her as if playing.
Luke lagged behind, and not because of his ankle.
He's been lagging behind ever since we came to this island.
His voice startled the fireflies around her. "You sure about this, Luce?"
Hunter squeezed her hand, a silent sign that he believed in her, even if her brother didn't.
She continued forward without replying. As she reached the long branches of the weeping willow, the fireflies surrounded the tree. She pushed through the branches, though once again most of them moved by themselves.
Lucy felt like she'd entered a secret world. A few stones sat by the trunk, and massive roots pushed through the earth in places. Beautiful flowers grew from the branches and swayed as if to silent music.
She walked closer, needing to see the trunk. The bark formed some kind of pattern, something she should recognize. Then the pattern moved and she realized it wasn't carved into the tree, it was growing out of the tree—the same color as the bark. She traced the contours of it with her mind, playing connect the dots as she did as a child. A head... arms... a body... and....
Oh my God. Lucy and Hunter gasped at the same time.
"Lucy," the voice whispered, this time out loud. "You have found me."
The face in the bark moved, and opened its eyes.
Chapter 86 – Lucy
Hunter pointed his sub-machine gun at the tree, but Lucy stopped him. "Wait."
The tree's mouth moved as it talked. "It's been a long time. When I first felt you on the island, I couldn't believe it. But it's you. You're here."
Lucy studied the face. The hawk nose and twitch above the left eyebrow—harder to see when carved into bark, but still there. The face, the voice... and he knew Lucy.
It all came together in a flash. "Mr. Krevner?"
"Yes, it's me and," Mr. K looked up at the tree he was attached to, "a little more."
Lucy could barely process this. "What happened?"
Mr. K hesitated. "After Sam went on assignment, Rent-A-Kid reassigned me to a new facility. I refused to go, so they bagged me during the night, dragged me out to a helicopter and brought me here. Or near here. I became one of their—"
Luke, who had just now caught up, pushed through the branches and stopped. "What is that?"
"Look at him, Luke. Look closely."
Luke studied the tree as carefully as she had, and his eyes popped open. "Mr. K?"
"It's good to see you, Luke."
Luke stepped forward and stood next to Lucy. "What happened?"
Mr. K sighed, an exaggerated movement for a tree. "It's a long story."
Luke pushed for more information. "I bet, but how—"
"No," Lucy interrupted. Talk of the past—a past rather forgotten—made for a solemn reunion. "Not right now." She turned back to Mr. K. "It's good to see you."
Mr. K nodded and smiled.
Hunter kept his gun lowered, but ready. "So, anyone want to fill me in here?"
Lucy faced Hunter. "Mr. K was a teacher at our old school, and our best friend's mentor, actually. While Sam was away on assignment, someone burned down the art studio, destroying all her art, and Mr. K disappeared. Our headmaster said he quit, but I could tell he was lying."
She looked back at Mr. K. "We thought you were dead. The doctor who experimented on Sam said he killed you. It broke her heart. If it's any consolation, we had a lovely memorial in your honor."
Mr. K frowned. "I might as well be dead. But that's neither here nor there. I'm glad I wasn't forgotten, and I'm so sorry to hear about Sam's work. I didn't know that. That last painting she created was the finest piece I've ever seen. Tell her I said so. And tell her to never give up on her art. She's a genius."
Tears filled Lucy's eyes, but she nodded. She feared Mr. K's words would open up an old wound in Sam, but maybe it would also help heal it.
Mr. K cleared his throat and changed the subject. "So, tell me. How did you get down here?"
Hunter pointed at Lucy. "She saw a shiny bug."
She smacked his shoulder. "Hey!"
"Then," added Luke, "after said bug chased us, she made us jump off a cliff."
Mr. K looked confused. "So let me get this straight. You guys ran away from a tiny bug, and decided to jump off a cliff, in order to avoid this creature?"
All three of them fidgeted in embarrassment and spoke at once, "Oh no." "It was a big bug." "Huge." "Enormous." "As big as... well, almost as big as you."
Mr. K chuckled. "Ah, the beetles. They wander this place as well. I would not bother them again, for they'll remember you."
Lucy gritted her teeth. "Bugs can remember people? They won't come hunting for me, will they?"
Luke shook his head. "Not usually."
"As you saw, these are no normal creatures." Mr. K closed his eyes for a moment. "But they will leave you in peace, if you do the same."
Lucy rubbed her chin. "But, if you're... stuck here like this, how do you know so much about the beetles?"
Mr. K rustled his leaves. "The same way you know when someone's looking at you. The same way you can feel when someone's dragging your energy down." He looked at Luke, then back at Lucy. "We're all interconnected. Though, I suppose physically, I'm connected more than most."
He wiggled his legs that flowed into the tree. A gentle breeze blew through his branches and a look of peace settled on Mr. K's barky face.
Lucy couldn't imagine being trapped like that, unable to move. "Does it hurt?"
"At first it did, but now, not much. I think most of the pain is phantom pain, from thinking it should hurt because I can't walk. But really, I'm so fused into the tree that I've become the tree in many ways."
"You were the voice in my head," Lucy said. "You told me to wake up when Luke needed me."
"Yes. I thought you earned that hint."
Hunter looked around. "Speaking of hints, do you have any idea where we are?"
"In a valley at the center of the island."
"A valley? That's great. How do we get out?"
"You don't."
Hunter shook his head. "There's no way out?"
"There's a way out," said Mr. K.
"Great. What is it?"
"I'm not telling you."
Hunter grabbed his head, sighed, turned around and mumbled. "Great. The tree is telling me it won't tell me something. I'm talking to a tree, and it won't talk. Man, I'm going crazy." He walked out, past the branches.
Lucy wanted to follow him, but needed to find out more from Mr. K. "Why won't you tell us?"
"Because it wouldn't do you any good. If you're going to find the way the out, you'll do it yourself."
Okay, so not helpful. Lucy had liked Mr. K as a teacher, but even then he could be cryptic. Looks like he hadn't changed that much, after all. "Any tips?"
Mr. K paused to think about it. "Yes. Take it easy. You three have been through some crazy things these past few days. Have a break. Clear your minds. That sort of thing."
"Okay then." Luke turned and hobbled out, avoiding eye contact with Lucy. "I'll go set up camp."
Mr. K called out, "Don't you start any fires near me, young man, or I'll whip you with my branches."
Lucy chuckled. "I should probably go help them."
"Yes. But first, how's Sam been?"
"Um... She's been good. She just had a baby."
"Really? I did not see that coming."
No," Lucy agreed, "none of us did. They used her—Rent-A-Kid used her—but she's fine now. We all escaped. So I understand what it's like to be used and experimented on. Some of it, at least."
She stepped closer to Mr. K and almost reached out to touch him, but stopped herself. The act felt too intimate, too violating.
Mr. K noticed and nodded. "Thank you. We'll talk more about my story later. But for now, why'd you insist on climbing onto that log?"
Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. It felt like the right thing to do."
"Ah. Instincts are a wonderful thing. I'd like you to do something for me, Lucy."
She shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. "Okay. Sure."
"I want you to sit down."
She found a rock near Mr. K, but asked before sitting on it. "Is this okay?"
The Forbidden Trilogy Page 49
