Spirit's Key by Edith Cohn

Author:Edith Cohn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780374300128
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

16

TRESPASSING

We spray ourselves down with bug spray and fill the orange backpacks with water and food. We bring snacks like apples and carrots and some cute little travel-size packets of peanut butter that Yasmine and Gomez got really excited over. We also pack flashlights, a compass, a whistle, and a flare in case we lose our way. A raft that’s folded into a tiny square will blow up to carry us from the woods’ edge to the barrier island of Whales’ Cove. Dad ordered so many useful things. Did he get lucky? Or did he know?

I think deep down he knew Sky was special. He used to say, Spirit needs Sky.

I touch his tag. Why are you here, boy? To protect me? To lead me to Dad?

But Sky hasn’t gained the ability to speak. He stands next to us, wagging his tail, happy to be invited along on our adventure.

I don’t tell Yasmine and Gomez, but Sky is leading the way. He trots out in front, tall and proud.

I grip his dog tag in my palm as we walk. His spirit is here for a reason. He has something to do with my gift. I know that now. I believe he has things to show me. When I let him, he leads. It’s my job to follow.

When we get to the woods, Sky puts his nose to the ground. He seems to catch the scent of something. Something that makes him move faster.

I run after him. The other ghost baldies appear to help blaze the trail, but the trees still far outnumber the dogs.

Yasmine and Gomez lag behind. They push and shove and giggle. It’s hard keeping an eye on them and the ghost baldies. I begin to regret letting the Hatterask kids come.

“We should pick up the pace,” I suggest. “You don’t want to be late for dinner.” Really I don’t want to lose Sky and his friends.

Gomez grumbles.

“Come on!” I yell, wishing I had a way to make them hurry.

But suddenly Sky stops at a tangle of brambles. His stance is firm and strong in front of the more difficult path. This way, his body says. The other ghost baldies stop, too. Naturally, Yasmine and Gomez run ahead, choosing a path less dense.

“Wait.” I pull back some of the brambles, wishing I’d brought the gloves Dad uses when he loads and unloads boxes. “This way’s better.”

“Why? We’ll get all scraped up,” Gomez argues.

“It’s a shortcut,” I lie. Of course I can’t know if Sky is taking us the shortest way, but he seems to be leading us somewhere important. For all I know Dad isn’t even at the whale station. Maybe Sky knows things I don’t. If he’s part of my gift, I have to trust him.

“How can it be a shortcut?” Gomez asks. “There’s only one way—straight through.”

“I’m going this way. Follow or not,” I insist. I don’t have any more reasons to give. The truth—that we’re following the ghost of a dead baldie, four of them in fact—won’t help.

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