Chatoyant College Book 5: Parents' Weekend

Chapter 40: Searching

"I think we should just stick to this side of campus," said Dawn. "This is where we've encountered faeries before. And I hate to say it, but we can't keep looking for too long. Naomi's right—there's just too much to search for us to do a really effective job. If Edie isn't back in the morning, we can enlist the help of Professor Lal."

"And Professor Strega," said Roe. "I'm sure she would help."

"Are you sure we shouldn't split into groups to search more efficiently?" Naomi asked.

"No!" said Roe and Corrie at the same time.

"It wouldn't work, anyway," said Corrie. "Even if we called each other to keep track of where the groups were, how would we describe where we are? We don't exactly have a map."

Naomi nodded unhappily. "I just feel like we're not going to get anywhere."

"It's better than doing nothing," said Annie.

"Does everyone have their clovers?" Dawn asked. "Naomi, I know you don't have one yet, so you'll just have to stick close to us, I guess."

"I always have mine with me," said Roe.

"I made sure to grab mine," said Annie. "I think we're prepared."

"Naomi, do you have a set of keys with you?" Corrie asked.

Naomi frowned in confusion. "No."

Corrie pulled hers out of her pocket and handed them to Naomi. "Keep a grip on these. Iron," she explained when Naomi continued to look doubtful. "It might let you see through some glamours, and it should at least keep you a bit protected."

"Okay," said Naomi. "Thanks." She put her hand with the keys into her pocket.

Dawn thought the rain sounded like it was letting up a little. It was hard to tell in here, because not that much water got through. She took a deep breath. "Let's go, then." She stepped over the line.

Not much was different here, but it still felt very different to Dawn—and if her friends were holding on to their four-leaf clovers, it probably felt different to them as well. She started to walk, leading the group back down south and deeper into the woods. After a few moments she realized that almost no water was getting through the trees here. She lifted her hands and slowly pushed down the hood of her rain jacket. She didn't feel any drips on her face, so she left it down. Better to have all her magically-enhanced senses as alert as possible.

They searched mostly in silence, one of them calling "Edie?" every few minutes. Every time Dawn heard a bird or squirrel rustling the branches of some tree or bush, she turned quickly to look, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She suspected that at least a few times it was the twiggy creature that had led them to where Annie was being held at the beginning of the year, but if it was, it was keeping itself well hidden.

The light began to grow dimmer. Dawn had no idea how much time had passed. She didn't wear a watch, and she didn't want to get out her cell phone and risk something noticing the strange light or sound. Besides, she suspected that out here it wouldn't work. Finally, when it got so dark that she was surprised by a tree suddenly appearing on her right, she stopped and turned to the rest of the group. "We have to go back," she said. "It's too dark. Even if they're here, we'll never find them."

Annie nodded quickly. "I'm ready to get out of here."

"The faeries get more dangerous at night, don't they?" said Corrie. She looked around. "I know you're right, but I hate to abandon Edie."

Roe sighed. "We're not really abandoning her if we don't know where she is, are we?"

"No," Corrie admitted. "I guess I just feel like I failed."

"We didn't fail," said Naomi. "We're taking a strategic retreat."

"If we can," said Annie. "Do you know how to get back to campus?"

"I've been paying attention to which way I'm facing," said Dawn. "If we had to make a detour around a bush or something, I made sure to move back in the same direction." She turned ninety degrees right and took a deep breath. "This should take us back."

The walk back seemed even quieter than the search had been. The birds and small animals seemed to be settling down for the night. They weren't calling for Edie any more, just focused on getting themselves back.

Finally, Dawn spied the edge of the trees. She sped up her steps and broke out of the forest with relief. The storm seemed to have ended, and the red light of the setting sun reached them now.

But something was wrong. Dawn realized they had never passed through the normal, comfortable part of the woods.

She looked around. They weren't on campus at all.