Grover’s lips lock together, his head twitching in a weird, tiny nod—like he wishes the universe would rewind the last five seconds. He sighs and sinks back onto his heels.
I crab-crawl away from him. “Who are you?” My eyes dart into the darkness, searching for Andrew. We’ve got to get away. This man is not innocent. He does kidnap kids. He really is the Shadow Man—and not just misunderstood, either.
Grover lifts a hand like he’s trying to calm a wild animal. “Sorry. I need to explain, but… it’s gonna take a while. It’s a long story.” He glances over his shoulder. “I’m kind of busy right now.”
“Busy? Are you kidding me?” The inside of my cheek throbs as I bite down—can’t make a sound too loud or Mommy’ll wake and murder us with her bare hands. And right now, I’m not really sure how safe we are with Grover—or whatever his name is. “I thought you were innocent—raised by that crazy woman—abused and…I don’t know, a victim. But apparently, you’re just another Walmart shopper.”
Suddenly, the cave feels like an underground furnace, and I’m covered in sweat. “If you’ve been in town—lived there—why would you come back here…to this? To that?” I point off into the darkness, trying hard not to lose it. Tears burn my eyes, and my backbone twists into a giant knot of panic.
Grover squishes down the leaves into Amelia’s sores, but says nothing.
Amelia moans softly in her sleep. We can’t leave until she can walk. There’s literally no way we can make it with her leg all broken and infected.
“You need to take us back down the mountain—back to the cabin,” I whisper. “We can make it home from there. I promise I won’t tell anyone anything about you. We just got lost—that’s all.” I’m crying now. The fear, confusion, anger—everything — spills out of me. It’s ugly, but I don’t care.
Grover drops his head. “Darcie, I did a really, really stupid thing. Please...” The look on his face—ugh. It’s like Andrew’s when he’s trying to take care of me, and that just makes me cry harder.
After a minute, Grover hands me a damp cloth, and I wipe the tears and snot from my face. “Tell me. I need to know. Why are we here?”
Coughing explodes from the corner where Mommy and Andrew are sleeping—deep, gasping coughs. Grover’s face sags as he heads over to check on her.
I scoot back over to Amelia and shake her awake.
She moans, “What’s wrong?”
I shouldn’t bug her, but this could literally be life or death.“Amelia! Wake up, we need to talk.” I shake her again.
“What? Stop. I’m awake.” Her eyes narrow. “What’s so important that it can’t wait?”
“I’ll tell you what’s so important! Grover is not innocent! He knew exactly what he was doing when he took Andrew!” My voice squeaks. “He knows what Walmart is!”
One eye opens as she turns to look at me. “Everyone does.”
A loud gagging cough explodes from the shadows. It’s wet and rough, like someone who’s smoked their entire life. Grover soothes the old woman. “Here, Mommy, have some tea…”
“And another thing.” I whisper fast, “If he’s the Shadow Man, he has a connection to the cabin—I’m sure of it.”
Amelia mumbles something that sounds like, “…my cabin.” She’s not tracking at all. I touch her forehead. The fever’s not going down. Then I remember the first-aid kit in my pack. We don’t need Grover’s witch doctoring—we don’t need him at all. We have Tylenol!
I pull out the tablets. “Here. Chew these. I’ll get you a drink.” Sneaking over to the fire, I dip warm water into the cup. Questions about Grover and his connection with the Shadow Man invade my mind. If he’s the Shadow Man, did he live in that cabin? Who raised him? Did Mommy live in town too?
My foot catches on the edge of the rug. I stumble, and the water—and the metal cup—clatter to the stone floor. Mommy sits bolt upright, and now she remembers we exist.
The old woman staggers to her feet, pointing a crooked finger at us. “Who are ya? You’s spies, ain’t ya? Come ta take my baby away again? I won’t let ya. Get outta here! Leave! Now!”
Amelia’s injured leg is covered in wet, mushy leaves. She’s not going anywhere. And there’s no way I’m leaving Andrew with this woman. My only choice is to grovel.
I drop to my knees, knowing she could pound me into the floor if she wanted to, or, more likely, scratch my eyes out with her claws. “Mommy, please, ma’am. We were lost in the forest, and Grover found us. We aren’t spies trying to take your baby—just lost kids.” Standing slowly, I move closer. “Thank you for watching out for us. You have been so kind to take us in.”
Mommy narrows her eyes and hacks so violently I’m waiting for an organ to go flying. Her tangled, damp hair hangs over her face like Old Man’s Beard on the trees outside.
Grover leads his mother back to her chamber. Not surprisingly, Andrew has slept through the entire ordeal. A tornado could land on that kid, and he wouldn’t even blink.
I’m still trembling as I slink back to Amelia. “That was close. She scares me to death.”
Amelia’s brows pull together. “Who?” Her voice is small, almost like she’s a very young child.
My fingers wrap around her arm. “Do you remember anything I told you? About Grover?”
“I’m just so tired.” She lies back against the pillow and closes her eyes.
“Shhh, he’s coming back,” I say. “Just please stay awake and listen, okay? I need you awake, Amelia. Promise me.”
“Okay,” she mumbles. “So bossy.”