Almost Gone

“Bury your head in my shoulder,” Cassie commanded, wrapping her arms tightly around the young girl. Taking a deep breath, she barged along the path, shoving blindly through the stinging leaves until she burst out into a clearing.

Antoinette was screaming in glee, doubled over a fallen tree trunk, and Marc was following suit, infected by her mirth. Neither of them seemed to care about Ella’s outraged tears.

“You knew there was poison ivy there!” Cassie accused as she lowered Ella to the ground.

“Stinging nettles,” Antoinette corrected her, before bursting into renewed peals of mirth. There was no kindness in the sound—the laughter was utterly cruel. This child was showing her true colors and she was without mercy.

Cassie’s surge of rage surprised her. For a moment her only desire was to slap Antoinette’s smug, giggling face as hard as she could. The force of her anger was frightening. She actually stepped forward, raising her hand, before sanity prevailed and she lowered it quickly, appalled by what she had nearly done.

She turned away, opened her backpack, and rummaged for the only bottle of water. She rubbed some over Ella’s knee and the rest over her own skin, hoping it would soothe the burning, but every time she touched the swelling, it seemed to make it worse. She looked around to see if there was a tap nearby, or a water fountain, where she could run cold water over the painful rash.

But there was nothing. These woods were not the family-friendly destination she’d expected. There were no benches, no notice boards. No garbage cans, no taps or fountains, no well-maintained paths. There was only ancient, dark forest, with massive beech, fir, and spruce trees looming out of tangled undergrowth.

“We need to go home now,” she said.

“No,” Marc argued. “I want to explore.”

“This is not a safe place for exploring. There’s not even a proper path. And it’s too dark. You should put your jacket on now or you’ll catch a cold.”

“Catch a cold, catch me!” With a mischievous expression, the boy darted away, weaving swiftly through the trees.

“Damn it!” Cassie plunged after him, gritting her teeth as sharp twigs tore at her inflamed skin. He was smaller and faster than her, and his laughter taunted her as he dove through the undergrowth.

“Marc, come back!” she called.

But her words only seemed to spur him on. She followed doggedly, hoping he would either get tired or decide to abandon the game.

She finally caught up when he stopped to catch his breath, kicking at pine cones. She grasped his arm firmly before he could run again.

“This is not a game. See, there’s a ravine ahead.” The ground sloped steeply down and she could hear flowing water.

“Let’s go back now. It’s time to go home.”

“I don’t want to go home,” Marc grumbled, dragging his feet as he followed her.

Nor do I, Cassie thought, feeling sudden sympathy for him.

But when they arrived back in the clearing, Antoinette was the only one there. She was sitting on a folded jacket, braiding her hair over her shoulder.

“Where’s your sister?” Cassie asked.

Antoinette glanced up, seemingly unconcerned.

“She saw a bird just after you left, and wanted to have a closer look. I don’t know where she went after that.”

Cassie stared at Antoinette in horror.

“Why didn’t you go with her?”

“You didn’t tell me to,” Antoinette said, with a cool smile.

Cassie breathed deeply, controlling another surge of rage. Antoinette was right. She should not have abandoned the children without warning them to stay where they were.

“Where did she go? Show me where exactly you last saw her.”

Antoinette pointed. “She went that way.”

“I’m going to look for her.” Cassie kept her voice deliberately calm. “Stay here with Marc. Do not—do not—step out of this clearing or let your brother out of your sight. Understand?”

Antoinette nodded absently, combing her fingers through her hair. Cassie could only hope that she would do as she was told. She walked over to where Antoinette had indicated, and cupped her hands around her mouth.

“Ella?” she shouted as loud as she could. “Ella?”

She waited, hoping to hear an answer or approaching footsteps, but there was no response. All she could hear was the faint rustle of leaves in the strengthening wind.

Could Ella really have gone out of earshot in the time she’d been away? Or had something happened to her?

Panic surged inside her as she headed into the woods at a run.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Cassie ran deeper into the forest, weaving through the trees. She yelled Ella’s name, praying that she would hear an answer. Ella could be anywhere; there was no clear path for her to have followed. The woods were dark and creepy, the wind was gusting harder, and the trees seemed to muffle her cries. Ella might have fallen into a ravine, or tripped and knocked her head. She could have been snatched by a vagrant. Anything could have happened to her.

Cassie skidded down mossy tracks and stumbled over roots. Her face was scratched in a hundred places and her throat was raw from shouting.

Eventually, she stopped, gasping for breath. Her sweat felt cold and clammy in the breeze. What should she do now? It was starting to get dark. She couldn’t spend any more time searching or she’d put them all in danger. The nursery was her closest port of call, if it was still open. She could stop there, tell the shopkeeper what had happened, and ask him to phone the police.

It took her ages, and a few wrong turns, to retrace her steps. She prayed that the others would be waiting safe and sound. And she hoped beyond hope that Ella might have found her way back.

But when she reached the clearing, Antoinette was stringing leaves together in a chain, and Marc was curled up on the jackets, fast asleep.

No Ella.

She imagined the storm of anger on their return. Pierre would be justifiably furious. Margot might simply be vicious. Flashlights would shine into the night as the community hunted for a girl who was lost, injured, or worse, as a result of her own negligence. It was her fault and her failure.

The horror of the situation overwhelmed her. She collapsed against a tree and buried her face in her hands, trying desperately to control her sobs.

And then Antoinette said, in a silvery voice, “Ella? You can come out now!”

Cassie looked up, staring in disbelief as Ella clambered from behind a fallen log, brushing leaves from her skirt.

“What…” Her voice was hoarse and shaky. “Where were you?”

Ella smiled happily.

“Antoinette said we were playing hide and seek, and I mustn’t come out when you called, or I would lose. I’m cold now—can I have my jacket?”

Cassie felt bludgeoned by shock. She hadn’t believed anyone could dream up such a scenario out of pure malice.