She taps her temple, never slowing or hesitating as we march through the forest. A few minutes later, I spot the door I came through and let out a breath, barely hearing her now that I’m safe again.
The woman opens the door and shoves me through. “You gotta be more fox, less hound, if you want to give ’em the slip.” She closes the door behind us and jabs at the large black letters: STAFF ONLY. “Next time, listen to the signs.”
She trudges toward Rebecca’s house. I think the ordeal is over until she turns around, waving her arms. “I don’t got all day, princess. Let’s go.”
The ‘princess’ insult has worn thin, but I think better of crossing this woman. As we speed-walk across the now-busy grounds, people watch us curiously.
“I’m Kit’s sister,” I say, hoping that holds sway.
“I know exactly who you are.”
My heart throbs. Is she the one who e-mailed me?
By now we’ve reached the garden behind Rebecca’s house. The clouds loom, thick and ready to burst. I have never seen so much gray in one place.
The woman pulls a walkie-talkie from her back pocket and lifts it to her mouth. “Kit, you there?”
A few seconds later, my sister responds, “Kit here. Go ahead.”
“It’s Raeanne. I’ve got your sister with me in the garden. Caught her nosing around the forest.” She flashes daggers at me. “Where do you want me to bring her?”
“I’ll be there in five.” Kit sounds annoyed.
“Roger that.” Raeanne puts the walkie-talkie back in her pocket, crosses her arms, and glowers at me. The wind punches us over and over.
We wait in tense silence, me glancing everywhere but Raeanne’s face while her volcanic glare bores into me. My sister appears a few minutes later.
“Thanks, Rae. I’ll take it from here.”
Raeanne shakes her head and lopes away.
My sister frowns at me. “What were you doing in the forest?”
I finger the phone in my pocket. “I got lost trying to find my way around.”
She stares at me, suspicious.
“What’s that schoolhouse in the woods?”
“Keep your voice down,” she says, making sure no one overheard. We walk toward the cabins. I expect the heavens to open any second, but still no rain. Gordon was right about the storm. We stop at number four. Kit lets us inside, watching me. My stomach buzzes at the thought of being alone with my sister. This is the chance I’ve been waiting for.
Her room looks the same as it did when I was snooping yesterday. “When did you become a neat freak?”
“That’s all you have to say to me?” She bows her head, collects herself. “You can’t wander around, trespassing wherever you like. Some of the staff are already pissed you’re here.”
I sit on her bed. “Gordon?”
She nods, tucking her feet under her on the chair.
“He told me this morning that the storm won’t hit until tomorrow or the day after. Insisted the water was perfectly safe to travel today. When I told him what you told me, he said, and I quote, ‘Kit is not a sailor.’？”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’ve driven the boat plenty of times.”
“I sense some animosity between you two.”
“He was Teacher’s right hand for years. And then I got here.” The corners of her lips twitch.
“Kit, weird shit is happening on this island. These people are either crazy or dangerous or both. How can you work alongside them?”
She crosses her arms with a stony expression.
I gesticulate at the window. “There are no blinds in any of the cabins.”
“We don’t keep secrets here.” She gazes outside. “Removing the blinds was my idea.”
My eyes bug out. I’d thought my sister was a foot soldier blindly obeying orders. Now, as I consider the walkie-talkie she’s been given, the classes she leads, her access to Rebecca, I recognize with horror how quickly she’s moved up the ladder, how high her perch actually is.
“What’s your plan, Kit? To live here indefinitely?”
“I don’t know.” She tenses. “It’s freeing not to have every day planned within an inch of its life.”
“Plenty of careers allow for spontaneity in the day-to-day.” She opens her mouth to protest, so I speed up. “I know it’s not only about the work. You love not being tethered to technology. So set limits on your phone use, leave your laptop off all weekend, spend Saturdays hiking or hanging out at the beach instead of watching TV. You want fewer responsibilities? Come live with me. Did you know I moved to Boston?” Her eyes widen. “No, you didn’t, even though I texted you about it a bunch of times, begging you to visit.”