The Keep (The Watchers #4)

He handed it around. It resembled a tiny conical hat and fit nicely in my palm. Whatever creature had lived inside was long gone, and shards of broken white barnacles covered the surface.

“Technically, the limpet is a snail,” he said. “A bit chewy for my taste.” He’d added the last comment with a shrug and a half smile, briefly catching my eye as he did so. I had the strange—and probably incorrect—thought that he’d said it for my benefit.

“Now it’s your turn,” he said. “You walk the beach, imagining yourself hungry and alone. Search for items you think could give you sustenance. You might be surprised at what you find.”

A couple of the girls—mostly Isabella and her friends—began complaining at once. “I can hardly see,” one of them griped.

I didn’t bother to check who’d spoken. I just walked away, anxious for a little space to prove myself even further, finding my own selection of awesome foodstuffs.

“Why does this class have to be now?” Isabella asked, closer to me than I’d realized. She’d probably decided to follow me in the hopes that I knew what was going on.

“Yeah, wouldn’t it be better, like, in daylight?” one of her friends said.

“We can hardly see.”

Ronan spoke as if to a child. “If you are alone, stranded, on a mission, if you’ve risked coming out of hiding, chances are it’s because night has fallen. You must prepare for the worst of circumstances. Were it in my power, I’d hold class in the raining pitch-darkness to make it even more difficult for you.”

We split up, wandering our separate ways along the beach. I turned my focus to the plentiful and varied detritus that’d been spat from the sea. There were tons of shells, mostly broken, but I managed to scavenge a couple whole ones from ankle-deep in the breakers.

I thought of survival scenarios. If I were weak, starving, and unarmed, how on earth was I supposed to crack these suckers open? It was a good question, but I’d become very competitive and wasn’t about to risk being overheard. You never knew when something like opening a shell bare-handed would be the skill that saved you over someone else. I made a note to ask Ronan later.

I heard girls’ splashing footsteps near me. “Drew’s finding shells,” Isabella said. All her friends but one had wandered off, so it was just her and a tall, skinny, brown-haired girl whose gangly legs made me think of a spider. Her name always escaped me—it was something that sounded wealthy, Tiffany or Whitney maybe—but I just thought of her as some variation of Spidergirl in my head. “Hey,” Izzy told her, “help me look here.”

I smirked. Fine. They could have the breakers. I had a better idea.

High tide had left a line of debris farther up the sand, like some giant had come and spread a scalloped frill of lace along the length of the beach. Bits of greenery popped here and there, little poofs like tiny bright pom-poms. It was kelp. That stuff wasn’t just edible; it was probably even healthy.

I race-walked toward it and scooped up the first bit I found. It was slimy and yellow-green, looking like nothing I’d ever want to put in my mouth. But it was nutrient rich.

I clutched my prize close, making a beeline for Ronan. I wanted props for this before any other girl copied me and got credit for the idea. It meant I was distracted when the hands grabbed me.

CHAPTER TEN

I flinched, but it did no good. Isabella and her pal had me, one on either side. Their hands were steel bands around my arms. Girlie Long Legs leaned close, whispering at my cheek, “Wanna play?”

“Back off.” I took a sharp step back but couldn’t break their hold.

Isabella tightened her grip and wrenched me forward. “Or what?”

Her friend grinned, and it wasn’t a friendly one. She dug her fingers deep into my flesh. “She’s all talk, Izzy. Ignore her—she can’t do anything. Isn’t that right, Drew? You’re just a little girl.” This close, she towered over me. She leaned down enough to tuck her arm snugly into mine. “And like all good little girls, we’re going to play.”

I twisted, but she was so close, too close for me to get any leverage. I gave a last tug, even though I knew it wouldn’t do any good. “I had no idea you cared. Shouldn’t you buy me dinner first?”

“Freak.” Isabella gave a hard shove, steering me back toward the shore.

“Seriously.” I wriggled and dragged my feet. Near the water with these two was the last place I wanted to find myself, but they had me sandwiched between them, heading closer to the breakers. “Get…off.”

I looked right and left, suppressing the frantic sensation jangling its way up my legs to my brain. Steady, I told myself. I assessed. Ronan was no longer in sight. A few girls were beachcombing in the distance, and even if they had been nearby, they’d probably just watch anyway, cheering on Isabella and her friend.

“Looking for someone?”

“Yeah.” I gave a sharp twist to my shoulder. My arms were going to have some major bruises. “Someone else for you to bother.”

Isabella leaned disturbingly close. “But we want to bother you.” The smell of her breath, like stale coffee, turned my stomach.

Revulsion gave me a burst of strength, and I managed to slip my arm from her hand. “Get off me.”

But her grip found me again, and I felt the pop of my skin as her nails sliced into my hand. I was stronger since my arrival on the island, but they’d been drinking the same blood I had. They were stronger, too.

The tide lapped at our feet now. I’d forgotten I had the kelp clutched in my hand and dropped it, quickly grinding it into the wet sand with my foot. If I couldn’t have it, they couldn’t either.

But Spidergirl had spotted it. “Whatcha got?” She let go of me to lean down and scoop it up.

I kicked at her head, but Isabella hauled me back before I could connect. “What is it?” Izzy demanded.

“Give me a sec.” Spiderlegs shook off the largest clumps of grit. The kelp was mangled, all squashed and covered in sand. She held it up, pinning a look on me like she was accusing me of something. “What the hell is this?”

“I bet you can eat it,” Isabella said, one part of her mind still focused on our assignment.

Her friend stood and shoved it close to my face, demanding, “Can you eat this?”

I did my best not to flinch away. “How the hell should I know?”

“Oh, I think you know.”

A catty smile curled onto Isabella’s face. “Let’s find out.”

Spidergirl’s jaw dropped with concentration, making her look like one long, stretched-out crazy person. She grabbed the back of my head, and her eyes were manic and laser focused as she shoved the kelp at me, grinding it into my face.

I was certain it was edible. It didn’t mean I wanted to eat it. I clamped my lips shut.

“Make her open her mouth.” Isabella sounded positively gleeful. Their hands were all over me, and my body exploded into action, struggling to get free.

The other girl barked, “Help me,” and they tried to shove it between my lips, but I swung my head from side to side, evading them.

I felt a foot hooking mine. Isabella tripping me. I went to my knees in the water and felt my eyes bug wide. The freezing water stole my breath instantly. She leapt onto my back. “Push her in.”

I panted through my nostrils, acclimating. I made my body grow still—not because I was giving up, but because I needed a plan. The cold would sap my energy. When I acted, it needed to be for good.

Izzy stood over me, trying to wrench my head down, riding me like a kid on a pony. She singsonged, “Drowning will make you open your mouth.”

They shoved at me, and the water drew closer to my face. It was too hard to fight both of them at once. I was furious at myself. What a screwup. I knew better than to let my guard down for a second. If I got out of this, I’d never be taken by surprise again.

I was soaked, but Missy Long Legs was in the breakers with me, and with a sharp twist of my arm, I managed to slide from her wet grip and flopped forward. I knew a breathtakingly searing pain as a huge clump of my hair ripped out. “Gross,” she cried, and I saw scattered blond hair drifting on the waves, gliding along the shoreline, before being sucked out to sea.

My elbows had stopped me from landing on my belly, and I rolled sideways, scanning for some help or inspiration.

Isabella’s fingers raked along my scalp, grabbing another fistful of hair. “Looking for teacher?”

A wave crashed over my head, and as it receded, foam whooshed up my nose, the salt water searing into my sinuses. I fought, but they had me pinned again, shoving my face lower until sand scraped my cheek. Screams tore from my throat even though my mouth was sealed tight. I stole wild looks right and left. Where the hell was everyone? Where was Ronan?

“He can’t help you,” Izzy said, guessing who I was looking for.

“Teacher’s pet,” the other one spat.

“Bitch.”

“He’s gone. I saw him walk back to his truck.”

“Maybe he can’t stand the sight of you.”

“I know I can’t.”

“You stink too much.” Isabella’s fingers curled into my shoulders, shoving down. “You need a wash.”

I had to fight smarter. How could I survive on this rock if I couldn’t even fight a couple of Initiates?

I let their voices dull in my head, focusing only on how I was going to get out of this. Spidergirl was squatting in front of me now, and she looked off balance. It was the chance I’d been waiting for.

I’d been trying to push her away, but now I pulled her closer instead. My arms crisscrossed in front of her neck as I slid my hands beneath her collar and yanked. A basic choke…Thank you, Priti.

I rolled backward, pulling her with me, on top of me. My head was in the breakers, but I had her. The sky was a dull gray overhead, the sun gone for the day. I was freezing, but I pushed all those thoughts to a distant spot in the back of my mind. I jerked my elbows out, tightening her collar. She began to gag.