The bird, a white speck against the blue sky, floated lower.
“Come to me. Come to me,” Katherine chanted.
The bird swooped gently into her cupped hands. It warbled and fluttered its wings, settling in.
“Good morning, little bird,” Katherine whispered, raising the seagull in front of her. Her green eyes flashed. “Did you know there is another little bird on this island?”
The gull warbled again, as if answering her.
“My own little bird is here,” Katherine said softly. She petted the gull’s wing feathers with one long, bent finger.
“My daughter has come to pay me a visit,” she continued. “She hopes to surprise me. But I am ready for her.”
Katherine petted the bird gently, making it coo.
“Yes, my daughter has come to surprise me. I am not sure which of the visiting girls she is. But I have a pretty good idea.”
The bird cooed again as the woman petted it. It tilted its head and gazed up at her with one tiny black bead of an eye.
“I will continue to test them,” Katherine told the bird in a whisper. “Soon…soon Deborah will reveal herself. Yes, I will find out which one she is. And then, guess what, little bird? Then…I will surprise her!”
Still smiling, Katherine wrapped her fingers around the gull’s throat—and tore off its head.
16
“Go! Go! Go!”
The two Academy assistants, Mira and Blake, cheered from their canoe as the kids raced over the water.
April had the lead for a short while. I’m a good swimmer, she thought. I could win this race. It would feel good to win something.
But Pam soon passed her by with her steady, smooth strokes.
Pam’s blue eyes flashed gleefully as she swam ahead of April. Kicking her long legs, she put on a burst of speed—and April felt as if she were standing still.
Pam once wanted to be an Olympic swimmer, April remembered.
She always wanted to be an Olympic everything!
Kendra passed April too. And then Phil splashed up beside her. Phil was very pale, with short white-blond hair. He was chubby, kind of round. Bouncing in the waves, he reminded April of a baby polar bear.
He was breathing hard, groaning with each stroke, spitting water into the air as he thrashed, slapping the surface with his chubby hands.
April laughed. “Where did you learn to swim?”
“In the bathtub,” he joked.
Kristen passed them both. April turned to see Anthony coming on fast.
The swim race was from the boat dock to the blue rocks, then back to the dock. The bright sunlight made the ocean gleam like a mirror. Seagulls squawked noisily overhead. Mira and Blake’s canoe rocked on the gentle waves.
Squinting into the sun’s glare, April saw Pam and Kendra reach the rocks and make the turn. Both girls were churning hard now, moving at full speed.
April kicked harder, trying to pick up her pace. She hadn’t slept well the night before, thinking about the smothering sea kelp and her eerie close call on the beach.
Now the cold water felt refreshing. It felt good to be getting some exercise.
She reached the rocks a few strokes behind Phil and Kristen. As she made the turn, Anthony came up beside her. He stroked steadily, his bony arms moving in and out rapidly, his red hair matted to his forehead, falling over his eyes.
Struggling to keep up with him, April glimpsed Pam far up ahead.
Is she going to win this race too? April wondered.
No one is going to be happy if Pam wins every race. Especially since she doesn’t even belong here!
A high wave rolled over April, pushing her back.
She saw Anthony dive under it. He came out on the other side, ahead of her.
April lowered her head.
Kicked harder.
I don’t want to finish last.
But another wave sent her sailing backward.
Then another.
She felt a powerful current pulling her…pulling her back, back toward the rocks.
“No!” A cry escaped her throat.
She saw the other kids swimming easily. Pam and Kendra were approaching the finish line at the dock.
April kicked with all her strength. She tried to power herself forward. But the current pushed her back.
Her body hit the rocks hard.
She gasped in pain. Then she forced herself forward, diving beneath the rush of the waves.
She swam underwater for as long as she could hold her breath. When she surfaced, April could see the dock. Her throat burned. Her chest ached. But she was almost halfway there.
Then the current grabbed her again. It pulled her down to the sandy ocean floor. April swallowed a mouthful of briny water. She fought her way back to the surface.
Wave after wave battered her. She couldn’t keep her head above the water. She couldn’t get enough air.
She was being swept back toward the rocks.
Turning, she saw a flash of blue at the top of the rocks. Was someone up there? Was it the woman in the blue cloak?
Was she watching April?
A powerful, roaring wave lifted April into the air. Out of the water.
Then the wave slammed her hard, back under the water.
April knew she couldn’t fight much longer. But she pushed her way to the surface once more. With the last of her breath, she called out. “Help—somebody! Help!”
But the others were far away now too far to hear her frantic cries.
Too far to see her tossed again and again by the pounding waves.
17
“No sssssurvivors!”
The whispered words seemed to be carried on the tossing waves.
A tall wave crashed over April—and she heard the words again. “No sssssurvivors.”
Were the whispers in the wind? Or did April hear them in her mind?
She didn’t have time to think about it.
Her muscles locked.
Terror froze her body.
I’m going to drown.
Another wave battered her. It felt like a brick wall as it smacked her hard.
Stunned, April fell against the rocks.
This time, though, she wasn’t pulled back into the water. She felt a hard, solid surface beneath her.
The waves have pushed me onto shore, she realized.
Gasping, choking, she turned. She was on the blue rocks. She could feel the cold shimmering off them.
“No sssssurvivors!” Another whisper, so close to her ear.
And then April heard shouts.
And saw Kristen running across the beach to her. Pam was behind her.
Was the race over already? Had Pam won it?
“April—are you okay?” Kristen called.
April tried to answer but choked up water. She sputtered and coughed. She felt as if she’d never get all the water out of her lungs.
Then Kristen was kneeling on the rocks, helping her up and off the rocks. April’s legs felt shaky as she stepped onto the soft sand.
“April, what happened?” Kristen asked. “Everyone else finished the race.”
“Yeah, where were you?” Pam demanded.
“I—I don’t know.” April dropped to her knees, shivering, dazed. “I guess I got caught in some kind of weird current. I—I couldn’t swim out of it.”
She raised her eyes to Pam.
Here she is again. Whenever something strange happens, she’s always right there.
She turned and saw other kids running toward them along the shore. “April—are you okay?” Ronni called.
“Yes, I’m fine—now!” April shouted back.
“Kendra and I tied,” Pam said, frowning.
April stared at her. “You didn’t win?”
Pam shook her head unhappily. “You know how much I hate ties,” she muttered. She glared at Kendra, who was running across the rocks to them.
April felt a chill.
Pam was staring at Kendra as if seeing h
er worst enemy. But all Kendra did was keep Pam from winning the swim race.
I know Pam likes to compete, April thought. But she is taking it a little too far.
Kids gathered around April. Mira and Blake came running over. “What happened? We saw you struggling.”
“Some kind of weird current,” April muttered. “I’m fine now. Really.”
No, that is a lie. I’m not fine, she thought.
April still felt dizzy. She could feel the powerful waves battering her, pushing her one way, then the other.
They all began to walk back to the Academy Village.
Those waves weren’t natural. They attacked only me, April thought. For everyone else, the water was as gentle as a bathtub.
She stepped up to Kristen and whispered in her ear. “No more excuses. You and me—we’re going exploring. At the rock caves. After lunch. Okay?”
Kristen’s face tightened with fear. Then she nodded. “Okay,” she whispered back. She swallowed hard. “I hope they don’t light two torches for us tonight.”
18
At lunch, Donald Marks announced a free afternoon for everyone. “The camera crew is waiting for a piece of equipment to arrive,” he told them. “Until it does, you can all relax and enjoy the island.”
April and Kristen exchanged glances. “Perfect,” April said.
The sun was high overhead as they set out for the rock hills. The air felt heavy and wet. Waves of heat rose up from the sandy ground.
Kristen pulled a red and white baseball cap over her head. She sighed. “Wow, it’s blistering hot today. Everyone else will probably stay in the water.”
She wore yellow short shorts and a sleeveless white T-shirt. Her shoulders were pink, sunburned from the morning swim race.
Their sandals crunched over the yellow sand. April stepped over a large crab shell. A strong, fishy aroma swept over her from the ocean.
She gazed out at the water. The waves were low and gentle again, splashing softly against the shore.
The sand ended where the rocks began. April felt the cool air floating up from the rocks.
She gazed to the top of the hill—but had to shield her eyes from the glare of sunlight.
What is waiting for us up there? she wondered.
Kristen mopped her forehead with the back of her arm. “We forgot to bring water,” she said. “I’m boiling hot.”
“It will be cooler in the caves,” April replied.
Kristen grabbed her arm. “We’re going into the caves? Are you sure we should? Maybe we should just explore outside the caves.”
“Don’t chicken out on me now,” April pleaded. “We have to find Marlin. That’s the whole reason we came back to this awful island, remember?”
Kristen squeezed her sunburned shoulder. “I came for a tan,” she joked.
April gave her a half smile. She knew Kristen believed her. But even Kristen didn’t seem to take the witch completely seriously. Even Kristen didn’t seem to realize how much danger they were in.
Leaning forward, they began to climb. Despite the hot sunshine beating down on them, the blue rocks were slippery and wet and icy cold.
“These sandals keep sliding,” April complained. “I should have worn my sneakers.”
Somewhere above them, a seagull uttered a loud squawk.
April raised her eyes and saw the bird flapping close over their heads. It opened its beak in another hoarse squawk.
“It’s trying to tell us something,” Kristen moaned. “That’s bird talk for stay away.”
The climb became steeper. Sweat rolled down April’s forehead. She brushed back her bangs and mopped her forehead. The rocks scared her. There was something evil in them, she could feel it.
“Almost there,” she muttered. She could see the black opening of a cave at the top where the rocks leveled off.
They were nearly to the top when April heard the scuff of footsteps on the rocks.
Startled, she let out a gasp.
And a voice behind them shouted, “Ah-ha! There you are!”
19
Both girls spun around.
And stared openmouthed at Pam, trotting up the steep rock hill.
She was wearing khaki shorts and a bright blue midriff top. She had a matching blue bandanna tied over her hair. “There you are!” she called again.
April realized her heart was racing. “Pam, you—you scared us!” she called breathlessly.
Pam stepped up beside them. She loosened the bandanna and let her blond hair fall free behind her shoulders.
“Where are you going?” she demanded. “What is it with you two? You have some kind of exclusive club? How come you never invite me to come along?”
April narrowed her eyes at Pam. Why did she follow us? she wondered.
Is she jealous of my friendship with Kristen? Is that her problem? Or is it something else—something connected to all the creepy things that are happening?
“April and I are going exploring,” Kristen answered finally. She pointed to the cave opening cut into the rocks. “In there.”
Pam turned to the cave. “You’re joking. You’re going in that cave?”
“We’re really interested in caves,” April said. She tried to keep her voice casual. “Since we have the afternoon free, we thought we’d take a look.”
Pam tilted her head, frowning at April. She pressed her hands against her waist. “Yeah, right.” She rolled her eyes. “How come you never told me you were interested in caves before?”
April let out a long sigh. Maybe it would be easier if she were honest with Pam.
“Listen, Pam,” she said. “It’s too hard to explain, okay? The first time Kristen and I were here, some strange things happened. We thought we saw someone up here. And so we came up here to find out if we—”
“Oooh—gross!” Pam interrupted.
She leaned over and pointed down at the rock surface. “That is totally sick.”
April saw the seagull’s body first. It lay on its side, legs straight out, feathers stiff.
She gasped when she saw the bird’s head. It was a few feet from the body.
The eyes were open. Purple veins trailed out from the torn, blood-soaked neck.
She turned away. “Yuck.”
“What kind of a creature could tear a bird’s head off like that?” Kristen muttered.
April felt a chill at the back of her neck. “Maybe a creature that lives in that cave.”
Pam took a step back. “You sure you still want to go exploring in there today? It’s so hot. How about we head to the beach?”
“You don’t understand—” April started to say. And then her voice caught in her throat as she saw a flash of blue.
She recognized the blue cloak, flying behind the woman as she ran.
The woman darted out from the cave and headed to the other side of the hill.
“It—it’s her!” Kristen gasped.
To April’s shock, Pam took off. Her shoes pounded the rocks as she ran full-speed after the woman.
“Pam?” April called.
Her arms flying at her sides, Pam chased after the woman.
She grabbed the blue cloak from behind.
The woman let out a hoarse cry as Pam tackled her around the waist.
Dropped her to the ground.
Pam landed hard on the woman’s back.
“At last!” Pam screamed. “At last! I’ve caught you, Mother!”
20
April felt her jaw drop in disbelief. Pam just called the woman in the blue cloak Mother!
April remembered the first time she was on the island. The woman in the blue cloak, leaning over her, sucking her breath. The woman had asked, “What scares you the most, daughter?”
April knew she wasn’t the witch’s daughter. Was it possible that Pam was?
The woman wrestled free of Pam’s grip and struggled to her feet.
April and Kristen stood frozen in place. Despite the burning sun, April suddenly felt cold all ove
r.
Breathing hard, Pam raised herself to her knees.
Wiping dust off her cloak, the woman turned slowly.
April let out another cry when she saw her face.
The woman had scraggly gray hair, parted in the middle and falling to her shoulders. She had small, dark eyes under a broad forehead.
She reached a hand to her long, craggy nose—and pulled it off.
A fake.
Even from a distance, April could see that her pointed chin was a fake too.
“You captured the old witch—did ye, dearies?” she shouted in a phony, shrill voice. Then she opened her mouth in a long cornball cackle.
“She—she’s an actress!” April said to Kristen.
Kristen nodded. “A fake.”
The woman laughed. “A fake? No way!” she replied in her real voice. “I’m the Wicked Witch of the West. Don’t you recognize me, girls?”
April turned to Pam. “Why did you say that to her?” she demanded. “Why did you call her Mother?”
Pam stood up and fixed the bandanna in her hair. “Donald Marks told me to,” she replied.
April stared at her. “Excuse me?”
“He told me to follow you,” Pam explained. “He said when the witch came running out of the cave, I should tackle her and shout, ‘At last I’ve caught you, Mother.” ’
“But, I—I don’t understand,” April said. “Why?”
“For the cameras,” Pam replied. She was gazing over April’s shoulder.
April turned and saw a camera operator hunched in the cave opening. He had a camcorder pointed at them. He was motioning with his free hand for them to keep talking.
“Keep going. This is great!” he called.
Kristen frowned at Pam. “Marks said the cameras weren’t shooting today. He said it was a free day for all of us.”
Pam shrugged. “I guess he lied.”
“For a change,” April muttered.
They walked back to the cabins. Pam walked ahead, chatting with the cameraman.
Kristen turned to April. “Even the witch is a fake,” she whispered. “Nothing is real. It’s all for TV.”
“That’s what Marks wants us to think,” April whispered back. “Remember, according to Marks, Marlin is fine.”