When Harper turned back to her own room, she nearly yelped in surprise. Alex was sitting on her bed, staring down at the floor and looking forlorn.

“Alex?” Harper managed once the beating of her heart slowed. “What are you doing here?” She stepped into her room.

“Oh, sorry.” He lifted his head and motioned toward the downstairs. “Your dad let me in. I came over to talk.”

She glanced back behind her, half expecting Brian to be standing in the hall eavesdropping, and then she shut the bedroom door.

“How did my dad seem?” Harper asked.

“Okay, I guess.” Alex shrugged, and she noticed a cut on his forehead, probably from whatever had knocked him out last night. “A little sad and confused. He asked me about Gemma, but I told him I don’t know where she is.”

She’d meant to call Alex so they could get their stories straight about what had happened to Gemma. The truth was that they didn’t know where she was, and that was as good an answer as any.

“So, what the hell happened last night?” Alex asked her directly.

“I have no idea.” Harper shook her head and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. “I don’t even know what those … those things were.”

“I can barely even remember what they look like anymore.” His brow furrowed as he tried to think. “Last night’s a weird blur of images that don’t even make sense.”

“That’s probably because you hit your head,” Harper said.

Alex seemed to think about it for a minute, then said, “No. I don’t think so. I remember everything really clearly until we were in the cove and that song started.”

Harper had actually forgotten about the song until Alex mentioned it. She couldn’t remember the words, but the melody surfaced, like a half-forgotten dream.

There were a few minutes in the cove that Harper couldn’t really remember, either. The events were a haze of confusion, though she recalled a longing and a pull toward the phantom song. Daniel had helped keep her from diving into the ocean the way Alex had, but that was about all she could remember until they were on the boat again.

“Did you swim to the island?” Harper asked, realizing that he must have.

“I think so.” He shook his head again. “I can’t really remember much. There was the song, then I was swimming, and then I was on the island. Those pretty girls were there, and … and Gemma. She kissed me…” He swallowed hard.

“Do you remember the creature?” Harper asked.

“The bird?” Alex asked, and she nodded. “Is that what it was? A really big bird?”

“It was more like a bird-monster,” Harper tried to explain. “But then it changed and turned into Penn.”