Chapter 1066
Zoey woke with the heavy weight of dread pressing on her chest, though the room smelled of morning dew and soft skin. Layla and Rose lay tangled on the bed across from her, their limbs wrapped like ivy. A sliver of golden light slid through the wooden shutters, glinting off strands of Rose’s hair as she whispered something into Layla’s ear that made her giggle in her sleep. That same giggle. The one Zoey had heard in the forest. That high, airy note that didn’t belong to any of them. Or maybe it did now.
Zoey sat up, pretending to stretch, letting her eyes scan the room like she always did, calm, measured, invisible. Emma and Stella were still dozing, their bare legs entwined in a lazy embrace. Susan snored softly near the fire. Sophie and Grace were missing, probably gone for an early wash by the river. Jude wasn’t in the room either. Her stomach twisted.
She slid outside and crossed the clearing quickly, pretending she didn’t notice Layla’s eyes tracking her through the window crack.
Later that morning, she kept her distance as they all worked. Jude was with Serena and Natalie, reinforcing one of the food huts, while Stella carried baskets of fruits freshly gathered by Grace and Sophie. Layla moved like silk through the camp, brushing too close to Stella and grazing her hip with her fingers, while Rose leaned against a tree, biting into a thick-skinned mango as she watched the two of them like a cat.
Zoey pretended to clean the netting near the smoke pit, but her eyes never left them. Every gesture Rose made, Layla mirrored soon after. If Rose tucked her hair behind her ear, Layla did the same within moments. If Rose laughed, Layla followed it half a breath later. Zoey counted three different times they licked their lips in sync.
She waited. Observed. Memorized.
Around noon, when the sun was highest and the others were half-asleep from the heat and full bellies, she saw it. Rose touched Layla’s arm and said something in a low voice. Layla smiled with that same slow upturn and nodded. Then both of them turned, glanced once across the camp, right at Zoey, and vanished into the trees.
Zoey hesitated only a second before setting her net aside and following them.
She moved quickly, carefully, feet light and silent across the roots and moss. The deeper she went, the cooler the air became, thick with shadow and strange scents. She followed the faint sounds of their giggles, the brushing of leaves, the rhythm of their steps. They weren’t even trying to hide. As if they didn’t care.