“NO!” Jessica cried, climbing through the snares of metal coils and grabbing Lisa’s tiny hand. A violent surge threw her back, but she held fast to whatever she had managed to grasp, letting go only as she hit the floor. She struggled for air as she got to her feet, but the creature had already retreated through the doorway and disappeared. Jessica whirled, looking frantically to the children, and her heart nearly burst with relief: Lisa was on the ground beside her, and Ron and Alanna were helping her up. Jessica rushed to them. “It’s okay,” she whispered, then the momentary relief vanished. The blond boy, the one who might have been Jacob, was gone.

“I couldn’t hold on to him,” Alanna wailed, as if reading Jessica’s mind.

Jessica looked to the door in despair, but quickly steadied herself. “We’ll get him back,” Jessica said, because it was all she could think of to say. She glanced around helplessly, then froze as the doorknob slowly began to turn again. “Stay here,” Jessica said in a low voice, and she moved quickly to the door. She stood to the side, bracing herself to jump on whatever came through. This is your plan?

The door opened, and Jessica screamed and lunged into the doorway, as though ready to karate-chop whatever was coming through.

Carlton and Marla jumped back with startled expressions, and Jessica stared for a moment, then seized Carlton in a hug, holding tight to his shoulders as if he could stop her from shaking.

“Jessica?” Marla said, spotting the children. Jessica pushed Carlton away.

“Something got one of the kids, a little boy,” she said in a rush. “I didn’t see where it went.”

Marla was already beside the children, checking them for injury. “We have to get them out,” she said.

“Oh, really, Marla? Is that what we should be doing? Here I was painting my nails,” Jessica said crisply. Carlton reached for his ear and pulled something out.

“Here, take this,” he said.

“What? Ew.” Jessica made a face instinctively, then peered at the tiny device. “Is that a hearing aid?”

“Not exactly. It makes you invisible to the animatronics. You and Marla take these kids out, I’ll find the other kid they took.”

“How does it—?” Jessica took the device and studied it. “I have to put it in my ear?”

“Yes! You have to put it in your ear! I’ll explain later.”

“But, are your ears even clean?” She leaned in, peering suspiciously at Carlton’s ear. Marla grabbed the earpiece out of her hand and shoved it into Jessica’s ear.

“OW!” Jessica cried.

Marla turned back to the kids. “Shouldn’t we give them to the children, instead?”

“There are only two earpieces, and you can both protect them better if you’re invisible, right?” Carlton said irritably.