They had found Rose.
But sothing had found them first.
And it wasn’t done.
As they walked, quiet fell over them like a blanket, broken only by the sound of dripping water and the hush of leaves. Jude kept one hand on Rose’s shoulder, his mind racing.
The forest whispered around them, its silence thick with questions none of them could answer. The sky above was dimming, but no one dared suggest they wait until morning. Jude walked with Rose cradled gently in his arms, her body swaying with every careful step he took. The others circled close, throwing glances behind them, watching the trees, the shadows, the spaces where the water had held sothing they couldn’t na. No one spoke of it now, not openly. But the fear clung to them like damp clothes, heavy and undeniable.
Susan moved beside Jude, brushing Rose’s soaked hair away from her cheek. "She’s burning up," she whispered. "And still not saying anything."
"She’s awake though," Layla added quietly. "At least she blinks. Breathes."
"She hasn’t looked at anyone," Zoey muttered from behind. "Not even once."
"She’s in shock," Emma reasoned, though her voice lacked confidence. "That fall... it could’ve broken her."
Jude didn’t say anything. His eyes stayed on the path ahead, weaving through tree roots and soft moss, feet morizing the way back to the treehouse. Rose’s weight against his chest was constant, unnerving. Her skin was no longer cold. If anything, it felt too warm. Her breathing was shallow but steady, lips parted slightly, brow smooth. Too smooth.
It took them longer than usual to reach the clearing. By the ti the houses ca into view through the trees, the sky was almost black. Lights from the fire pit flickered in the windless night. Stella rushed ahead to open the main house’s door while Grace laid down blankets and towels inside. Jude walked in with Rose and gently laid her down, wrapping her tightly in layers of warmth.
Natalie ca forward with a bowl of warm water and a cloth. "She should drink sothing."
"She hasn’t said a word since she fell," Sophie said, arms crossed, eyes sharp. "Should we be worried?"
"Of course we should," Lucy snapped, pacing near the window. "She almost drowned. What if she hit her head?"
"Or what if sothing else happened," Serena murmured. "While she was under."
They all turned toward her, but she didn’t explain.
"Enough," Jude said gently. "Let’s give her space. Let her rest. She’s safe here."
There was a silence, long and uncomfortable.
Then Rose’s fingers twitched.
Everyone froze.
She slowly turned her head to the side, blinking up at the ceiling. Her throat moved as she swallowed, and for the first ti since they pulled her from the water, she spoke. "I’m fine."
The room exhaled in collective relief.
Layla kneeled beside her. "You’re really okay?"
Rose nodded slowly. "Just tired."
"Do you rember what happened?" Jude asked softly.
Rose’s eyes flicked to his, then away. "I slipped. I think."
"You saw sothing before you fell," Zoey said, crouching nearby.
Rose turned her face to the wall. "I don’t rember."
Another pause. The air in the room changed, darker, hesitant.
"Okay," Jude said finally, rising. "We’re not pressing you. Just rest. You’re ho now."
The others backed away, quiet again. One by one, they stepped out into the night. The fire outside had been stoked, throwing shadows over the grass and onto the wood of the treehouse walls. Jude lingered last, his eyes scanning Rose’s face.
"You’ll call if you need anything?"
She didn’t answer.
He gave her a faint nod, then followed the others outside.
They gathered near the fire pit, so sitting, so standing. Grace passed around steaming cups of herbal brew. The mood was uncertain, like the weight of what they didn’t understand sat just beyond the firelight.
"I don’t like this," Natalie said finally.
"No one does," Lucy replied, her voice low. "But what choice do we have?"
"She’s lying," Sophie said. "She rembers sothing. I saw it in her eyes."
"She’s scared," Emma said. "Maybe she doesn’t know how to say it."
"Or maybe sothing’s wrong with her," Zoey added.
Jude looked down into his cup, steam brushing his face. He rembered the mont she’d opened her eyes. That first glance, it hadn’t been vacant. It had been focused. Direct. Sothing in her expression lingered in his mind now, curling like smoke.
"We watch her," he said quietly. "Not like she’s a threat. But like we don’t know what she went through. If she needs us, we’ll be here."
The won nodded slowly.
The fire cracked, sending a small burst of sparks into the air.
Inside the treehouse, the silence returned. Rose hadn’t moved since they’d left her. Her body remained still under the pile of blankets. Her eyes were closed. But she wasn’t asleep.
Her hands were relaxed on her stomach. The fabric of her dress dried slowly against her skin. The ceiling beams above her looked different now, darker, more alive. Everything around her shimred faintly at the edges.
And inside her chest, sothing blood.
It wasn’t fear.
It wasn’t confusion.
It was warmth.
Delicious, slow-burning warmth.
Her lips curled.
Just slightly at first.
Then more.
The corner of her mouth tugged upward in a shape that didn’t belong to soone recovering from shock. Her eyes opened, not the wide, startled gaze from earlier, but slow, deliberate, gleaming in the dim light of the lantern beside the bed.
She blinked once.
Then smiled.
Not kindly.
Not sweetly.
But wide.
Sharp.
Hungry.
And outside, Jude suddenly stood straight, his chest tightening. He looked toward the window, then up toward the room where they’d left her.
"Did you feel that?" he asked softly.
Layla stood beside him, staring into the fire. "Feel what?"
He didn’t answer. His heart beat faster. The night around them no longer felt still.
A single wind passed through the trees, the first in hours.
It carried no leaves.
Only silence.
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