Hatchet Girls by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Author:Diana Rodriguez Wallach [Wallach, Diana Rodriguez]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2023-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

TESSA

The hike was taking much longer than Tessa had expected. During the time it had taken to convince Phil to join them earlier, he’d never once mentioned the setting sun. Yet it had been nearly an hour and they still hadn’t reached the Ledge. Yesterday, Phil had been adamant no one should ever venture into the forest at night—too many potential creatures, from a Lady in White to a pukwudgie. (Tessa still didn’t know what that was.)

Tessa checked her phone: no bars. It was five o’clock. The sun would set in an hour. Even if they turned around right now, they still might not make it to their cars before dark.

Even worse, Tessa was thirsty, and not for electrolytes or recovery drinks. She wanted water—plain, flat, non-protein, non-vitamin-enriched, water. It probably should have occurred to her to bring some.

“Okay, am I hallucinating or does that log say ‘Help’?” Oscar pointed to a cluster of charred pines alongside the trench. Burned black soot stretched high up the towering tree trunks. It looked as though the flames had been recent; ashy soil covered the earth. There was no grass. One tree had fallen, and its scorched bark would have been hard to decipher against the unnerving shadows if it hadn’t been spray-painted with four cherry-red block letters: Help.

“What happened here?” Tessa asked, her voice a bit too high.

It could have been a bonfire gone wrong. Or lightning. Yes, it was probably lightning. That made sense. Her brain hung up the rationale like a sign: Nothing to See Here.

“Probably just a bunch of kids with a wicked sense of humor,” Phil said. Then he nudged Tessa’s shoulder. “Or maybe it was a cult.” His eyes were mocking.

A gust of wind pushed down the path, shoving her closer to Phil. The air was getting frostier. The farther they walked, the lower the sun hung, and the more Tessa felt a chill. Then warm breath tickled the back of her neck. A heavy pant. Her eyes whipped around. No one. But she felt a presence, somewhere. Her head shifted, scanning the shadows. Nothing.

It was the wind. It had to be. Yet her skin prickled.

“Hey, you okay?” Phil sounded concerned. “Ya know, I’m only kidding about the cult. That was, like, decades ago.” He grabbed her wrist. “Come on, take a deep breath.”

Phil pulled an audible inhale, stretching tall and filling his belly until it puffed full. Tessa did the same, closing her eyes and drawing in the scent of fall leaves. Her chest rose, then she exhaled through her mouth. Her gut unclenched, and all her muscles unwound at once.

Wow.

“Again,” Phil insisted.

Eyes still closed, Tessa sucked in, slowing her exhale. In and out. The wind brushed her face. In and out. Was the breeze flowing with her? In and out. Her lungs kept pace with the trees, the rustle of leaves. In and out. She felt herself grow lighter, her body drifting. She peeled open her eyes, and the branches above them danced and rippled.

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