Chapter 1057
Jude didn’t answer her right away. He was watching the trees, scanning the outlines of branches as if expecting one to blink back at him. The wind had died down, leaving everything far too quiet. Even the usual chorus of crickets seemed to hold its breath. Layla’s question echoed in his mind. Do you think everyone saw it?
He thought of Scarlet’s pale face in the early morning, of Natalie’s nervous eyes, of the prints in the sand that led nowhere. He thought of the silence around the fire and the way even Lucy had clung tighter than usual to Serena’s arm. Every face had held the same tight look behind their smiles, the same distant calculation. Like they were all waiting for someone else to be the first to say it.
"I think," Jude said carefully, "they’re all pretending they didn’t. But I think we’re all seeing the same thing."
Layla leaned against him again. Her body was warm, grounding. "So what does that mean?"
"That we’re not crazy," he replied. "But also... it’s real."
Layla was quiet for a long time. Then she said, "We’ve never seen anything like it before. Not even close. Not even the things in the forest."
He nodded slowly. "It felt older."
She shivered and he pulled her closer, kissing her temple. "It’s okay," he whispered, though he wasn’t sure it was. She curled against him, and they stayed there as the moon slowly climbed higher and the night deepened into something thick and watchful.
The next morning, things almost returned to normal. Almost.
Breakfast was simple, some grilled fish from the day before, some ripe fruit that Zoey had brought back. The air was heavy with unspoken things, but no one said them. Instead, Stella made a joke about Jude’s snoring, and Susan laughed just a little too loud. Sophie braided Grace’s hair in the morning sun, humming softly, while Lucy and Emma gathered baskets to head east. Everyone moved in pairs or threes, a protective instinct kicking in beneath the surface.
Jude volunteered to go north with Rose and Serena. Not far, just beyond the bend where the old fig trees grew. They said it was for fruit, but really, it was an excuse to move, to feel the world underfoot and test if anything had shifted again.