Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters by Margaret Dilloway

Author:Margaret Dilloway
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2016-04-05T04:00:00+00:00

The sun moves across the top of the jungle and still Jinx keeps pushing forward. Sticky mud pushes up disgustingly between my toes. By now, my vision is blurry, my hair is sticking to my scalp, my lips are cracked, and my face feels like it’s melting off. Did one of the netsuke boxes have water? I look in both of them, but there’s nothing new to be found. I didn’t bring the canteen.

Peyton’s breathing so hard it sounds like he’s panting, but he keeps looking ahead and doesn’t slow. Another nugget of info from a nature show floats to the surface of my brain—birds don’t sweat. They kind of pant when they get hot, like dogs. Convenient for him—my shirt’s drenched, and the only reason I don’t take it off is because I don’t want to get sunburned. Or blind anyone with my moon-white belly.

Ahead of us, Inu isn’t moving at his usual trot; instead, a paw-dragging trudge, and he’s also panting. Jinx seems like she’s doing all right—no crankier than she was an hour ago, anyway. Maybe she’s used to the jungle climate, being from Kauai and all. Nobody speaks.

I take what my grandma would call a “deep, cleansing breath.” Or I try to, at least. The air is so humid it’s like breathing in warm soup, which sticks in my throat. I cough. What I really want to do is sit down in the shade for approximately twenty hours and have a good rest. Apparently I’m not meant for outdoor life. I think of my room at home and my video games. Heck, I’d even be happy washing dishes for Obāchan, if it meant I could be inside.

Then again, if I was home, that would mean being back in a room wrecked by the disaster. It would mean that everyone and everything in my town was gone, including my father and Peyton’s parents.

Not to mention what it would mean for the rest of the world when the oni attacked them, too.

I’m walking straight into the oni nest—no, I probably don’t want to think about that.

A shadow passes overhead, and then a giant splotch of bird poop, neon yellow and green and white, plops down in front of me. Ew. I glance up and see a monstrously huge bird flapping away. I’m pretty sure it’s laughing.

How much longer can we keep walking?

I stare at Jinx’s back as she leads us to wherever we’re going. She’s my sidekick, and so is Peyton. They’re here to help me. But even with them, how can I fight all the oni? Throwing salt can’t be the answer—I don’t have enough. I need a sword. Or something. Anything.

I remember the dream I had about my grandfather. Ojīchan, I say in my head, what am I supposed to do? Obāchan told me I had faith and imagination. But imagination isn’t good for much when a real live monster is trying to claw your guts out. I don’t know what she meant by faith. Faith in what? I don’t have any faith.

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