Page 33 of Ring Around the Rosie

He shook his head and began to make his way back towards the rest of the campers. “Come on. Kaila was worried about you.”

We both waded towards the lakeside. Kaila stood on the bank with her hands on her hips and a look that told me was annoyed. “Thank God you’re okay!” she shouted out to us. “You had me worried sick, Aster!” Sabbath helped me from the lake and back onto the grass where Kaila stood. “Hell, the moment I saw you go under that water? I lost it.” She sucked her teeth. “I’m just glad your brother was so quick on his feet.” She poked his arm, and he showed her a soft smile. “You should’ve seen him rush in after you.” Kaila was obviously swooning over Sabbath, whereas he was seemingly just trying to forget the whole thing. “Oh! Let me get you guys a towel!” Kaila looked around and ran towards her bag. “Sol just got the fire going too! We’ll be able to sit around it and dry off in no time!”

While she searched her bag for the towels, I looked over at Sabbath. The wind blew, and with it, I heard a whispered voice. Sabbath’s head tilted. The voice grew, and I recognized the chant. It was the same I’d heard many times before, including last night. And call me crazy, but I swear Sabbath heard it too. I followed his gaze and noticed Foster. He was now standing and holding the Sapling in his hand. The kid was staring at Sol, who was walking towards the small bonfire with an armful of firewood. The voices grew and Foster’s smile branched all the way to his ears.

What the hell is going on?

“Sabbath?”

He dropped his wet shirt. “No.” Sabbath rushed towards his little brother, as if something bad was about to happen. “Foster!”

My heart raced, and the whispers grew as Foster lifted the leg of the Sapling. Something moved along the ground, something long. It inched from the woods and slithered between the grass before disappearing into the dirt. It looked like a tree root.

What the hell? The root… It's moving. That’s not possible.

The root birthed from the ground and shot up just in front of Sol, and I knew something was about to happen. “Sol!” The root rose, and I watched helplessly as Sol tripped over it and fell straight into the bonfire. The sounds he made as he squirmed in the flames triggered something I had tucked away deep inside. I couldn't move or speak, only watch in horror as he screamed and cried out for help. Kaila nearly shoved me over as she ran to help him. Wolfe was already at his side, and the two pulled Sol back. They worked together to move him from the bonfire and into the shade. I remained frozen, too traumatized to do anything.

“Rosie,” Sabbath whispered as he grabbed me and turned me away so I couldn’t see. “Don’t look. Don’t look at that.” It was too late. The image of Sol’s charred and burned flesh was imprinted on my brain. The smell… It fucking hung in my nostrils, and all I could do was think about that night. “It’s okay.” He held me tight. “It’s okay.” Tears rolled down my cheeks.

No, it’s not.

I tried to blink my tears away and pushed from his embrace. “No. It’s not okay. What the hell just happened? Those voices? I know you heard them. I saw it in your face! And I saw it, Sabbath.” Tears flowed down my cheeks. “I saw that root climb from the woods and trip him. I saw it, Sabbath!”

He shook his head. “Stop it, Rosie.”

“I saw it!” His face hardened. “Foster did it, didn’t he? He made that root trip Solomon. He wanted him to fall into the fire.” He didn’t speak. “Something’s wrong with him, Sabbath.”

He kept shaking his head. “You need to drop it.” He sounded pissed.

I raised a brow. “Are you kidding me? Something is happening at this camp. Something bad. You need to get a fucking clue, Sabbath. And you need to leave me alone. I’m donewith this sick little game you’re playing.” I roughly walked past him as my shoulder slammed into his. “Stay away from me.”

Sabbath whirled around and grabbed my forearm. “I can’t!” I glared back at him. “You have no fucking clue what’s going on. I’m the only person who can keep you safe. Please, Rosie. Trust me.”

I ripped my arm free. “You should’ve thought about that before you killed our brother.” His jaw clenched tight. “Because any trust I had in you burned in that fire. You made the wrong choice, Sabbath. It should've been you in that fire. Not them.”

“You don’t mean that,” he growled.

I scoffed and charged at him until my face was less than an inch from his. “Yes. I fucking do.” Before he could even breathe, I turned and stomped away from him.

Kaila and Wolfe were frantically trying to help Solomon. I rushed over to them with some bottles of water from a nearby cooler. “Here!” Kaila took one and began to pour it all over Sol’s wounds while Wolfe held him up and tried to calm his breathing. Somehow, only Sol’s right arm and parts of his torso and back had been burned. “We need to get him to Nurse B.”

Kaila poured the second water bottle over Sol’s wounds and used the towels she had to gently pat his burns. Sol groaned and cried out in pain as she did. “I’m sorry!” She was holding back tears. “I have to do what I can or else it’ll get infected!” She looked up at me. “I didn’t want to move him. Wolfe sent a few campers to get her. She should be here any minute.” She stood up and brushed me away as Wolfe took over. “Did you see anything? Sol said it happened so quickly, but he felt like someone tripped him?”

Not someone. Something.

I shook my head, knowing there was no way she’d believe what I saw. “No. I only saw him fall.” Something I’ll probably never forget.

Kaila sighed. “Where the hell is she?” She looked around for Nurse B and back at Sol.

“I’ll go check. You keep helping Wolfe and keep an eye on Sol.” Kaila nodded.

I turned and began to walk up the trail when I noticed Foster. He was standing all alone, almost like he was waiting for me, with his creepy ass Sapling in his hand. And the smile he wore made me shiver. I tried to walk past him, but he stepped directly in my way. “You look sad, big sis.”

I really don’t have time for this.

I tried to move around him, but he purposely moved in my way. “Foster,” I groaned. “I really need to get by, okay?”

He blocked me again. “Why?” I groaned. “Is it because the smell of his flesh burning reminded you of your brother?”

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