Lost in the Never Woods(53)
Wendy chewed on her bottom lip. So, they still weren’t sure what to make of Peter. That was reassuring. Hell, she still didn’t know quite what to make of him, either. Peter wasn’t being accused of anything yet, which was good. They were even considering that maybe he was a victim.
One way or another, everything kept leading back to her. Back to her brothers. Back to what happened in the woods.
Detective James’s expression hardened. He braced his elbows on the desk. “There is a very real possibility that whoever took those missing kids also took Peter, and could have taken you and your brothers. You need to be careful, Wendy,” he said in a low and even tone. “This isn’t a game, and this isn’t just about you anymore.”
Wendy wanted to snap at him, to remind him it had never been just about her. It had been about her and John and Michael. It angered her, the way people kept talking about them as if they were gone for good.
He pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to Wendy. “If you think of anything that could help, see anyone suspicious, see Alex or Peter, or need help, call me.”
Wendy took his card. The corner was sharp and poked into her finger. She took a deep breath and nodded. “I will.”
CHAPTER 13
Bubblegum
The police station was only a few blocks from the hospital, but Wendy’s dad still insisted on driving her there. He kept looking over but didn’t say anything until they pulled up to the entrance.
He turned to face her, expression stern. “No more leaving the house alone,” he told her.
Wendy nodded. She knew it was best not to try arguing with him, especially about this. All the missing kids, cops, detectives, and mentions of her brothers were making him even more intense than usual, and she couldn’t blame him. Honestly, she thought he would be drinking more, but she’d noticed that the recycling bin was noticeably less full.
“No more staying out past dark, lock the house up when your mom and I aren’t there, and keep your phone on you at all times. If we call, I expect you to pick up immediately,” her father ordered. He held up a finger and pointed it at her. “Do you understand me?”
Wendy nodded and wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts. “Yeah, Dad,” she said, not wanting to say anything to anger him further.
Great. Now she would need to be more careful sneaking around with Peter. Her father would be on alert, noticing more and asking questions. She was surrounded by interrogators. Her parents had only her best interests at heart, but still, there were things she needed to do without them.
For a moment, her father stared at her, his face still etched with a deep frown. Wendy thought he was going to say something more, but then he let out a huff of air, sat back, and gave her a curt nod.
Taking that as her cue to leave, Wendy climbed out of the car. She walked to the glass doors of the back entrance, as if she were going to go inside. She turned and waved to her dad.
Satisfied, he gave her another nod and drove off.
What a day. She hadn’t even been awake for two hours and she was already exhausted. She felt guilty for not telling Detective James everything that she knew, but how could she? There was no way he would believe her. He would probably think she was having a mental breakdown, reliving the trauma of losing her memory and her brothers. They would probably lock her up and throw away the key if she started talking about magic boys, evil shadows, and other worlds.
She just needed to keep it together and help Peter. Knowing that she had the chance to see her brothers again was what mattered. And the sooner they figured out how to stop the shadow, the sooner she would get John and Michael back.
The sooner they could move on.
Right now, she needed to find Peter.
Wendy checked the time on her phone. It read 1:00 p.m., above a list of unread texts from Jordan. She would text back later. Right now she was stuck downtown and needed to find a way home. Wendy pulled up the ride share app.
Her backyard seemed like a good place to start looking for him, since that was closest to the woods. She was waiting for the app to load nearby drivers when a high-pitched whistle from across the street, followed by a series of giggles, caught her attention.
Across the street was a row of houses nestled right up against the woods. A minty-blue house was set back in the shade of the towering trees.
There, just sitting in the middle of the yard, was Peter and a little girl Wendy recognized.
What the hell was he doing? Wendy rushed over, practically running across the street.
“Now you try,” Peter was saying.
The pair sat cross-legged and facing each other. They were focused on a piece of grass that Peter held in his palm. The little girl wore a purple sundress, with a pile of grass and small flowers across her lap.
A flower crown of wilting, small yellow buds sat lopsided on the top of Peter’s head. He grinned lazily and gave the girl a nod of encouragement.
She took the blade of grass, squeezed it between the sides of her thumbs, and blew against it, eliciting a high-pitched squeak. She broke into a fit of laughter.
Peter chuckled along, looking quite pleased with himself.
“Peter! What are you doing here?” Wendy cut in, absolutely bewildered.
He cast her a fleeting glance. “Oh, hey,” Peter said. “You are very late.” He sent Wendy a stern look before nodding at the little girl across from him. “You weren’t home, so I thought maybe you were at the hospital,” he explained casually. “But then I ran into Cassidy, here.” Peter fixed Wendy with a wide smile. “We’re making grass whistles.”