Wendy was terrified, but she wouldn’t give up. She would not fail John and Michael this time. Struggling to her feet, she stumbled into the bathroom. The sewing kit sat on the edge of the tub where she’d left it when she’d mended her jeans a few days ago. She snatched it up and stuffed it into her pocket.

A deep, steadying breath filled her lungs. She squeezed the acorn around her neck tight in her fist.

No matter what it took, Wendy would put an end to this nightmare. She would fight.

CHAPTER 21

Lost in the Never Woods

Wendy raced through the woods. Jumping over the fence and plunging into the trees had been like running headfirst into a whole new world. A dark one made of gnarled trees, undulating shadows, and the sounds of things she couldn’t see.

Her heart thudded an erratic rhythm, drums pounding in her veins. Branches groaned and swayed. Gusts of wind dragged cold fingers through her hair. The speed with which she threw herself through the trees was the only thing that kept her feet from tangling in gripping vines or sinking into the ground as it shifted and rolled.

The shadow’s magic seeped through the woods and unmade them, contorting them into a nightmare, and it was only growing more powerful with each step. As adrenaline surged in her veins, so did the black shapes in her peripheral vision.

They galloped and screamed, pushing in close, snapping at her heels. They swarmed as if sniffing her out, closing in like hungry beasts. They crowded her as if trying to herd her off course, but Wendy kept running, urging herself to move faster when they got too close.

It was as if the moon and stars had been blown out. Nothing looked familiar. She couldn’t tell where she was or where she was going. She had no idea if she was getting closer, or if the deteriorating woods were twisting in on themselves and running her in circles. She refused to let the movements in the corner of her eyes distract her.

Instinct was the only thing leading Wendy through the woods. They were unrecognizable, but her feet led her between trees, over fallen logs and under low-hanging branches. Her body knew the path like muscle memory, even if her mind didn’t.

Every noise slipping between the trees ran over her skin. A rattling inhale brushed the nape of her neck. An unnatural scream of a buck jolted her spine. A cacophony of screaming owls dragged cold nails across her stomach. Wendy’s breaths came in heavy pants. Her hair stuck to her lips. Her heart raced. She couldn’t turn back. She couldn’t stop. She needed to find Peter. She needed to get to the children before it was too late.