“I brought a compass,” Anthony said, pulling off his pack. “It’s supposed to point toward the north, right?” He squatted down and unzipped the pack.
Kristen leaned over Anthony and held her light on the pack while he searched through it. He pulled out a water bottle and took a long drink.
“Take your time,” Marlin said sarcastically. “We’re only lost here in the middle of the island.”
“Don’t worry. The other teams are probably even more lost,” Anthony said. “Hey—here it is.”
He pulled out a round object on a leather strap. “My grandfather gave me this compass when he came back from Alaska. He was a gold prospector in the Yukon and—”
“Save the family history for later,” Kristen said. She shone her light on the compass. “Well? Which way do we go? Which way is north?”
Anthony squinted hard at the compass dial. He turned it in his hand. Then he turned it again.
Suddenly, he jumped to his feet. “Whoa! I don’t believe it! This can’t be happening! It can’t!”
25
He held the compass up so the others could see. April squeezed between Marlin and Kristen to get a good look.
Inside the dial, the arrow was spinning. Spinning rapidly, round and round.
“That’s impossible!” Anthony cried. “Why is it doing that?”
“Because it’s broken,” Marlin said, frowning.
“A compass can’t break,” Anthony cried. “It’s magnetic. That’s all. It’s just a magnet. What would make it spin like that?”
April stared at the spinning arrow. It looked like one of those crazy clocks in cartoons.
“Put it away,” Marlin muttered. He wiped sweat off his forehead again. “Ow!” He slapped his neck. “Did anyone bring mosquito spray?”
“What time is it?” Kristen asked.
Marlin shone his flashlight onto his wristwatch. He squinted at the watch for a long time. “You’re not going to believe this,” he whispered.
He shook his wrist hard and stared at the watch again. “It—it stopped,” he said. “It stopped at seven-oh-two.”
April raised her watch to the light—and let out a gasp. “Mine too!” she cried. “Look. It stopped at seven-oh-two.”
“Weird,” Kristen muttered. “First the compass, then the watches. That’s totally weird.”
“You’re starting to sound like April,” Anthony told her.
“Let’s find the ocean,” April suggested. “If we keep the ocean on our left, we’ll be heading in the right direction.”
“Then we have to go this way,” Marlin said. He turned to the left and made his way toward the trees.
“No—wait!” Anthony zipped up his pack, flung it onto his shoulder, and ran after Marlin. “You’re all turned around. We want to go that way!” He pointed to the right.
“I think Anthony is right,” Kristen said. “Because we came through those trees over there—remember?” She pointed behind her.
April swept her flashlight beam over the ground. “Where is the path? If we could see where the path ended…”
“No, that’s no help!” Kristen cried. “We came through those trees over there. I know we did.”
All four of them began talking at once.
“Whoa! Hold it! Hold it!” Marlin shouted finally. He raised the machete high over his head.
April and the other two grew silent. Marlin looked so menacing with that blade glimmering in his hand, April felt a chill.
“We left a trail, right?” Marlin asked, waving the machete over his head. “We left a trail to follow.”
“For when we want to go back,” Kristen said. “But we don’t want to go back.”
“Why not go back?” Marlin replied.
“That’s right,” Anthony agreed. “We have all night.”
Kristen squinted at Marlin. “What is your plan?”
Marlin pointed to the trees. “We find the chop marks and we follow them. Back to the blue rocks and the ocean.”
“We go back?” Kristen asked.
Marlin nodded. “Not all the way to the village. We’re not allowed there until dawn. Just to the rocks. That way, we’ll get our direction back.”
“Yes, that’s good,” April chimed in. “Then we can start through the forest again with the ocean on our left.”
Anthony scratched his face. “Go all the way back to the rocks?”
“Why not?” Marlin replied. He pointed to the trees. “We could pick a direction—any direction—and just go. But why take a chance? Besides, it’s not that far.”
“It’s a good plan,” April said. “Let’s stop arguing and do it.”
Marlin slapped her on the back. “Hey—a little team spirit! Now you’re cooking, April!”
Everyone laughed, even Anthony. It made April feel a bit better.
Marlin headed to the trees. “Here’s the last chop mark we made,” he said. He shone his flashlight on the trunk.
The others started to follow him. But all four kids stopped when they heard a sound.
A loud choppp.
Nearby. To their right.
They turned toward the sound. “Who’s there?” Marlin called.
Silence.
Then another choppp.
The sound of a blade cutting into a tree trunk. This one up ahead.
“Hey!” Anthony cried. “Is someone there? Who is it?”
26
Another choppp rang out through the trees. This one to their left, closer.
Marlin started running toward the sound. But he stopped at another sound of a blade slicing into a tree.
“Who is doing that?” he shouted.
“Who’s there?” Kristen cried.
April swept her flashlight beam around in a fast circle. She saw only trees and ferns and low shrubs.
No one there. No one.
Chop chop…choppp.
All around them now. Close and far. Behind them. Up ahead. And to both sides. The swipe of a blade through the air. And the chopping…chopping…
Faster. Slice-slice-slice…
“I don’t understand this!” Kristen said in a trembling voice. She pressed her hands to her ears as if trying to shut out the chopping. The steady, horrible chopping…“Make it stop! Make it stop!” she wailed.
“We’ve got to get out of here!” Marlin cried.
Chop…chop…
“Let’s follow the path we made,” Anthony said, his eyes wide with fear. “Here’s the first chop mark.”
Choppp…choppp…The cutting continued all around them.
“No. Here’s the first one,” Kristen said, grabbing a palm-tree trunk.
“This one has a slice,” April said. “And this one. And look—” Her words caught in her throat.
All of them.
Every tree!
Every tree trunk in the forest had a slice mark.
Who was doing it? There was no one there. No one in view.
But the horrifying sound continued to pound in their ears.
Chop…chop…choppp…
27
The machete trembled in Marlin’s hand. He raised it in front of him like a sword.
The steady chopping sounds echoed through the forest. Far into the distance.
“Who’s there?” Marlin called, waving the big knife. “Who is doing that?” He turned to the others. “This is crazy! This isn’t happening!”
April grabbed his arm. “Let’s just go,” she said. “Pick a direction—any direction.”
But Marlin stood there frozen, listening to the click-click-click of tree trunks being sliced.
“This way!” Kristen cried. She began running through the trees. “Come on! We’re bound to come out somewhere.”
April tugged Marlin after her. The three kids began running after Kristen, ducking under low branches, pushing their way through tangles of vine.
“We’ve got to get to Rick and Abby on the other side,” Anthony said breathlessly.
“We’ve just
got to get away from here!” Kristen replied.
“Hey—listen.” April stopped short. She leaned against a slender palm trunk, breathing hard. The trunk had a notch in it at about the height of her waist.
“It stopped!” Marlin said. “The chopping—it finally stopped.”
They could hear the chirping insects again. And the rustle of the wind through the palm leaves.
“Let’s keep going,” April said. “The island is tiny. We must be near the shore.”
“But what was that about?” Anthony cried, his voice shaking.
They made their way single file through the trees. April saw that every tree had a slice mark in it.
Her pack suddenly felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds. The back of her shirt was drenched with sweat.
Tall reeds slapped against her as she walked. She lowered her shoulder, pushing weeds and shrubs out of her way.
In the distance, she saw tiny, flickering dots of light—fireflies. Normally, she would have stopped to admire the magical scene.
But not tonight. Tonight was too strange, too frightening.
They were lost in this steamy, hot forest where the watches stopped, the compass spun out of control, and invisible blades sliced the trees.
“How long have we been walking?” Anthony groaned. He stopped in a small, sandy clearing and dropped his pack to the ground. He mopped his forehead with his T-shirt sleeve.
“At least half an hour,” April replied. Her dark bangs were matted to her forehead with sweat. She swept her flashlight over the clearing. “Half an hour, and we haven’t gotten anywhere.”
April sat down on the ground and sighed. “The forest isn’t that big. We should have reached the shore by now.”
Marlin’s eyes flashed. A strange grin spread over his face. “I know what this is,” he said. “I know what’s happening here!”
28
“I’ll bet this is all part of the Life Games,” Marlin said. “Yes! I’ll bet Marks planned this whole thing. The chopped trees—that’s all special effects or something.”
Anthony squinted at him. “Special effects? You’re kidding—right?”
“No. I’m serious,” Marlin said excitedly. “Don’t you see? This was supposed to happen. We were supposed to get lost. And we were supposed to be frightened. It’s all planned. It’s all part of the game.”
Kristen gazed at Marlin thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re right,” she said softly. “But we’re still lost—right? We still have to find our way to the little dock, then back to the village.”
With a groan, April climbed to her feet. “I guess we should keep going,” she said. “We’ll just continue in a straight line. The shore has got to be right over there.”
“The shore has to be somewhere,” Anthony said wearily. “This is an island—right?”
“A very tiny island,” Kristen said.
They continued walking. No one spoke. The fireflies sparkled all around, moving with them, as if following them.
April finished the water in her bottle. Sweat ran down her face. Her whole body itched. Her muscles ached.
“This isn’t right,” she said after at least an hour had passed. “Something is terribly wrong. You can walk the whole island and back in less than an hour.”
Kristen sighed. “This forest just doesn’t end. It’s as if it keeps stretching and stretching in front of us.”
Anthony shoved his face into Marlin’s and sneered. “Still think it’s special effects?”
Marlin gave Anthony a hard shove with both hands. “Back off. Give me a break, punk.”
Anthony swung his backpack, trying to hit Marlin with it.
“Guys—break it up!” Kristen cried, jumping between them. “We can’t start fighting now.”
“Yes. What if this is part of the loyalty test?” April said.
“You shut up!” Anthony snarled, swinging toward April. “Your opinion is so not wanted! Are you using your evil powers on us? Is that what this is? Are our eardrums going to explode now?”
April backed away, hurt.
“Shut up! Anthony, shut up!” Kristen pleaded. “You’re totally losing it. Again.”
“We’ve got to keep it together,” Marlin said. He handed Anthony his water bottle. “Here. There’s a little left.”
Anthony slapped it away. “I’m sick of this. I just want to get back to the village.”
“And are you sick of a hundred thousand dollars?” Marlin snapped. “Are you forgetting why we’re here? Are you going to blow it for all of us?”
Anthony rolled his eyes but didn’t reply. He angrily kicked Marlin’s water bottle into the trees. “Let’s get moving,” he muttered.
They adjusted their packs and began trudging through the forest again. How much time passed? April lost track.
Finally, she saw a ribbon of pink in the sky. “I don’t believe it!” she gasped. “The sun. It’s almost dawn.”
“We’ve walked all night,” Kristen said, yawning wearily.
“The sun rises in the east, right?” Marlin said. He pointed. “So that’s north and south.”
Anthony raised a finger to his lips. “Listen!”
In the hush, April heard a familiar sound, the soft splash of waves breaking over rocks. “The ocean!” she cried. “We’ve finally found it!”
A few minutes later, they stepped out from the trees—and found themselves staring through the hazy dawn at the hills of blue rocks. Pink sunlight splashed over the caves and smooth stones, giving them a rosy glow.
“YAAAY!” Marlin cheered, shooting his fists into the air. He went running to the rocks. “We’ll cross the rocks and follow the beach back to the village!” he cried.
Packs bouncing on their backs, April and the others took off, following Marlin down the slippery, sloping rock hill. The red morning sun reflected in the ocean, making it shimmer with purple.
The whole world is glowing with color! April thought, so happy that the long night was nearly over.
She gasped when she heard a startled cry.
Turning back, she saw that Marlin was down on the ground in front of a dark cave opening. How had he fallen behind? she wondered.
“It’s okay,” he called. “I slipped, that’s all. No problem!”
April watched him climb to his feet. Then she took off again, following Kristen and Anthony along the yellow sand.
A short while later, they burst breathlessly into the village. April gazed around the empty grounds until she spotted Rick and Abby. They had a supply shed open and were putting equipment away. The rest of the camp was deserted.
“Hey! We’re back!” Anthony shouted.
The two staff members turned to greet them. “Quiet—you’ll wake the others,” Rick warned.
“They all got back a long time ago,” Abby said. “Where were you guys? You didn’t even make it to the little dock.”
“Abby and I were worried about you,” Rick said.
“We kind of got lost,” Anthony replied.
“Well, at least you made it,” Abby said. “You can get some sack time now. You’ve been up all night.” She turned to Rick. “So have we. I’m beat. See you all later.”
Rick locked the supply shed. Then he and Abby headed to their cabins.
April turned to Anthony and Kristen. “What a night,” she sighed. “I can’t wait to get some shut-eye. Hey—where’s Marlin?”
“Huh? He was right behind us,” Kristen said.
April gazed down to the beach. Empty. No sign of him.
She cupped her hands around her mouth and called, “Marlin? Marlin?”
A chill swept down her back. “Where is he?” she cried. “He’s…gone!”
29
“He’ll be here any second,” Anthony said, yawning. His red hair was matted to his head. Rivers of dirt ran down the sides of his face.
“But where is he?” April demanded.
“Maybe he stopped to admire the sunrise over the water,” Kristen said. She yawned too. “Wh
atever,” she muttered. “I’m falling asleep standing up.” She started toward the cabin. “You coming?”
April shook her head. She kept her eyes on the beach. “In a sec. I just want to make sure Marlin is okay.”
Kristen and Anthony disappeared to their cabins. April tossed her pack on the ground and dropped down on it. “Where are you, Marlin?” she asked out loud.
The sun rose higher in the sky. April rested her head in her hands. I’m going to fall asleep sitting up, she thought.
She looked up to see Donald Marks walking slowly toward his office. He was wearing gray sweats, stretching his arms up over his head as he walked.
“Mr. Marks!” April called out. She climbed to her feet and hurried over to him.
“April? Why aren’t you asleep?” Marks asked.
“We just got back. From the hike,” she replied. “Only Marlin didn’t come back.”
Marks narrowed his eyes at her but didn’t say anything.
“We came down over the rocks. He was right behind us,” April explained. “But then…he was gone.”
Marks shrugged his broad shoulders. “No problem,” he said quietly. “He’ll show up.”
“But I’m worried about him,” April said shrilly. “He fell at the caves. He said he was okay, but what if—”
“Go get some sleep,” Marks replied. “You’ve been up all night, April. You must be exhausted.”
“But Marlin—?”
“I’ll deal with it,” he said, starting his stretching exercises again. “Now go. It’s not your problem, understand?”
April nodded. She picked up her pack and started wearily toward her cabin.
But when Marks was out of sight, she stopped. Why wasn’t he upset about Marlin? she wondered. He didn’t even seem surprised. He didn’t seem to care at all.
What if Marlin is hurt? What if he’s in some kind of trouble?
April tossed her pack against a tree. I’m going back to the rocks, she decided.
I can’t leave Marlin back there. I’m going to find him and figure out what happened.
She knew Marks could see her from his office. But she didn’t care. She took a deep breath and began jogging to the beach.