CHAPTER EIGHT

The water is freezing.

I’m not the best swimmer out there, so to hold my head and swim in the murky water is a little hard when I can’t even make out the direction that I’m going in. I keep breaking past the surface to make sure that I’m going in the right direction.

When I reach the jagged rock, I cling to a portion of it, my lungs burning, as I try to desperately draw in air. Shaking, I look at the distance between this rock and the other one. It’s going to be at least three whole minutes, and that’s even if I swim like I’m in the Olympics. There’s no way I can hold my breath for that long.

Shivering from the cold water, I stare across the lake. I’m strong. I can make it. Can Blood Moon Hybrids even die from lack of air?

I glance back at the shore, but the fog is too thick to see anything.

“J-Just do it,” I mutter to myself, my teeth chattering from the cold, “For J-Jesse.”

Taking another deep breath, I plunge down into the water. Moving fast, I kick my legs, trying to use my abilities to give me an edge. However, that doesn’t stop my lungs from burning from the lack of air. My chest feels like it will explode, as the desire for air has me desperate to break through the surface and just get a mouthful of it. But I hold strong, impossible as it is.

My vision blurs from the lack of oxygen to my brain. But my legs don’t stop moving. I can feel that familiar burning inside of me when my powers are pushed to the limit due to frustration. It’s moving within me, a warm energy, and I can feel myself swim faster, my speed no longer slowing down.

I slam into the rock.

Without thinking, moving almost on instinct, I cling to it, breaking past the water surface and gulping in large mouthfuls of air. Tears are streaming down my eyes, most likely a physical reaction because I’m far too grateful to be able to breathe to want to cry about it.

Looking around, I see the shore of the mainland. It’s not that close, but I’ll be able to get to it without starving my brain cells of any oxygen. However, it takes a physical effort to dive back into the icy water. This time, I swim on the surface, pushing against the ripples, forcing my way to the muddy bank.

I don’t know how long it takes.

My body has slowed down considerably by the time I reach it.

Crawling up the bank, I don’t care that my shirt is getting wet mud all over it. I don’t care how the mud is half plastered to the side of my face and is now sitting in my hair. I just draw in air and close my eyes, trying to calm down my viciously throbbing heart.

I don’t know how long I lay there for, my breathing labored. So much for stamina.

Finally, I drag myself to the side of the road, which is dry. It’s dark outside, but after living on the islands, I’m not freaked out about my surroundings. Hiding behind a tree, I change out of my wet shirt and pajamas and put on a dry shirt, a pair of jeans, and a warm jacket. Leaning my bag against the tree, I head to the water to rinse the mud out of my hair. I’ve just wet it once and I’m leaning down to dunk it in the lake when a head suddenly pops up a foot from me.

Letting out a startled scream, I fall back on my butt.

Quill’s face is red, and he’s grinning, “Hey.”

“What on eart—”

He climbs up the bank, his breathing hard. “W-Wasn’t going to l-let you go alone. Why is it so cold?!”

“You shouldn’t be here!” I say urgently, worried for him.

“Don’t worry,” he pats me on the arm, “I didn’t come alone.”

“Wha—”

But as if on cue, more heads start popping up from the lake. I stare at Kathleen and Beth in shock. Then Isabel bursts out of the water with a loud gasp and another person helps her towards the bank.

Anderson?!

“Why are all of you here?!” I stare at them. “You know you’ll get in trouble.”

“We weren’t going to let you go alone,” Kathleen uses my hand to climb onto the bank. Quill helps Beth. “Susan wanted to come, but she isn’t a fan of water. She told me to tell you not to die or something.”

My eyes flicker towards Isabel and Anderson.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Isabel meets my gaze, annoyance in it. “But I wasn’t going to let Beth get in trouble because of you, and I was trying to stop her.”

“There were counselors approaching,” Anderson looks really irritated. “Didn’t really have a choice there.”

However, from the way he looks at Isabel, it’s clear he just came because of her.

It’s so weird to see Anderson, the most psychotic person I’ve met, following after a girl like a puppy.

I still don’t really understand why Isabel came until she eyes Beth, and I roll my eyes. She’s got a serious girl crush on Beth. She probably wanted to impress her because she sure as heck didn’t come for me.

Either way, this many people—I can’t have my friends getting in trouble because of me.

“Look, you guys still have time,” I look at Beth, Quill, and Kathleen. “Go back. I don’t know what the Director will do to me, but there’s no reason for you all to get caught in the crossfire.”

“Too late.” Quill takes off his wet shirt, without a care in the world, pulling out a dry one from his bag. “Besides, you need us.”

“I agree,” Beth nods, shivering. “You shouldn’t be going alone. It’s safer this way.”

Kathleen looks at me. “I just didn’t want to be left out of this whole thing. I love adventures.”

They’re all carrying bag packs, except for Anderson, which tells me that he just followed Isabel on impulse. Quill holds out a shirt to him. “You’ll have to change.”

“I don’t want your junk,” Anderson scoffs.

Quill scowls. “You plan to freeze to death? Don’t be an idiot and just take it! Werewolf or not, you can still get a cold.”

Isabel blinks, worried, and glances at Anderson. “He’s right. You should change into something dry.”

Anderson stiffens at Isabel’s words before snatching the shirt and the pair of jeans Quill is holding out and heads to one of the trees. Everyone else does the same. I look across the lake at the fog.

Has Director Yearwood figured out yet that we have all gotten off the island?

She probably will by the morning, and when she does, she might send reinforcements after us.

I pause at that thought.

Although we might be able to buy some more time. Until the shields are fixed, she might not focus on us. Like Jesse, she might wait.

That’ll give us enough of a head start.

As everyone gets changed, I close my eyes. “I need help finding Jesse.”

I can feel the tingling sensation before I open my eyes to see the black orb. Unlike before, however, its glow is faint. It hovers in the air for a moment before darting down the road.

I just have to catch Jesse’s scent, that’s all.

It comes back another heartbeat later and then zooms back down the road, returning again. When it keeps doing that, Kathleen’s voice reaches my ears as she steps out from behind the tree, having changed, “This orb is chained to the islands. I don’t think it will be able to show you anything more than a general direction. If it moves any farther away from the islands, it’ll fade away. You have to send it back soon.”

I glance between her and the orb, before murmuring, “It’s so weird that you know so much information.”

She shrugs. “I didn’t have friends when I came here so I spent a lot of time in the library.”

I choose not to comment on that. Kathleen has always been a bit on the odd side.

“So, it depends on whether or not I catch Jesse’s scent,” I murmur.

Kathleen’s smile is inscrutable. “If anyone can do it, you can.”

I study her with narrowed eyes, but before I can say anything, the rest of the group convenes.

“Where do we go now?” Beth asks, looking at me.

I look down the stretch of the road where the orb had gone down. “Over there.”

“What is the plan here?” Anderson glares at me. “Walk around like idiots ‘till we run into your boyfriend?”

“Ex-boyfriend,” Quill stresses.

“Not helpful, Quill,” I throw him a sharp look before turning my attention to Anderson.

“And no. I’m following a lead. And we’re going to try and catch his scent.”

“And what if they’re halfway across the world?” Anderson demands.

“Then you can go back!” I hiss, stepping closer to him. “And I’ll make that journey by myself.”

“I don’t think fighting is the best way to start this whole thing,” Isabel points out. “Let’s just go before anybody finds out and our mission is over before it even begins.”

“She has a point,” Beth murmurs.

Anderson and I glare at each other before I move back. “Fine. Let’s go then.”

The orb doesn’t appear before us, but I can see it moving alongside us in the trees. However, as we walk down the road, I see it’s luminescence begin to slowly fade. It won’t last long now.

Dread begins to fill me. What will we do once the orb is no longer guiding us?