Chapter 1116
Stella opened her eyes slowly.
"They’re speaking again," she said dreamily. "I can hear them. I think they want me."
Emma stepped forward. "Stella. Come back. Please."
But it was too late. Stella stepped backward into the thicket, and vanished.
Jude rushed forward, pushing aside vines and low branches. On the other side, nothing. Just forest. No trace.
It was nearly nightfall before they returned to camp, heads bowed, shoulders tight. No one asked about Stella. No one mentioned her. Rose welcomed them back with smiles and open arms, her voice velvet and soft.
"She’s part of something now," she said, brushing Jude’s cheek with her fingers. "We all are."
That night, the fire crackled too loudly. The food was too warm. The stars too still. Jude couldn’t sleep.
He sat by the tree line while Sophie dozed nearby, her hand clutched around his arm. Emma sat with Natalie by the stones, whispering softly.
And then Lucy walked over, barefoot and glowing in the firelight. Her smile was soft, innocent, but her eyes... those weren’t Lucy’s anymore.
"You’re not with us," she said. "Not fully."