The Ever After

Chapter Nine: A Faraway Shore

WHEN MAY OPENED HER EYES, THE FIRST thing she noticed were the leaves. And that she was still alive.

"Ouch," she whispered, rubbing at her face. She sat up and squinted at the brightness around her, fearful and dazed as she tried to focus on the leafy branch above her, which seemed to be waving at her for attention. Beyond it a pair of eyes—or were they just spots of sky showing through?—were watching her. May squinted harder, but in another moment the leaves rearranged themselves in the breeze, then nothing.

That's when May finally noticed where she was. She was on the shore of the lake. It all came back to her.

"That's weird," she whispered. She remembered falling in. She didn't remember swimming out of the water and crawling onto the shore. All she remembered was the cold, strong hands around her legs and at the last minute, the ghost—from her house—reaching out to grab her. She shuddered. Had she imagined it?

May stood slowly, her bones aching. Her body felt flattened and doughy, like it had been stuck in a waffle iron. Why was it so light out? Had she slept all night? Her stomach turned over. "Mom."

She searched behind her for the trampled brush that would mark the way she'd come in, but no path presented itself. May nibbled on her fingers. Her mom would be furious. She took a step closer to the woods and . . .

"Ah!"

Someone—or something—was crouching in the bushes in front of her. May stumbled back into the clearing just as the ghost from White Moss Manor rose and drifted forward.

He put one finger up in front of his jagged white lips and shook his transparent head. He was shaking slightly.

May held out her hands in a stop motion, fear making her legs tremble like kite strings. "Leave me alone."

The creature bit on a finger, then looked around. "Shhhh. Oh, my. Don't get too close to that water. Sh-Sh-She'll come back for you."

May blinked at him for a moment in shock that he had spoken, then recovered herself. "Leave me alone!"

The creature flinched, then widened his sad, droopy eyes at her. "Please. You're going to get us into trouble. There's s-s-something even worse. They may be on their way already. . . ."

May didn't bother waiting around to hear the rest. She darted across the clearing and burst into the trees. A moment later she emerged onto the clearing. She came to a dead stop, sucking in her breath. The lake lay before her, glossy and still. The woods she had just run into lay in front of her. The creature stood where she'd left him, peering into the woods all around them nervously. "It won't work. You'll never get out that way. Now come with . . ." He drifted in her direction.

May shook her head. "Stay away!"

She scrambled around the side of the lake and across the clear- ing toward the trees again, pushing into the underbrush. She just needed to get home. Once she got home . . .

And there she was again. Right back at the clearing.

May shook her head hard, then started toward a giant elm and a stand of pine trees. She put her arms out in front of her to move the low branches aside, this time going a bit more slowly. A few more branches pushed aside and . . . there was the lake.

May's lips started to quiver. Something was wrong. Something was very horribly wrong.

All the while the creature watched her, his great head tilted to one side, his fingers digging into his chin.