Samantha's first thought was to run back into the woods to find Prudence, but she couldn't do that. Miss Brigham still wasn't back with the fountain water for Uncle Hector. Besides that, going out alone into the forest would be as dangerous as Prudence going alone. She thought of Pryde's beast chasing after her; if one of those had come across Prudence, then her friend might already be dead.

"This is all my fault," Samantha said. She collapsed onto the front steps of the church. She buried her face in her hands and cried. "If I hadn't left, she wouldn't have gone out to find me."

"I'm sure she's fine," Uncle Hector said. "She can take care of herself, right?"

"No, she can't!" Samantha wailed. Prudence didn't have the same skills Samantha had. Her friend was much better at the domestic chores like sewing, cleaning, and cooking; she would be utterly lost by herself in the forest, especially during a storm. "We have to find her."

"What's going on?" David asked. The older boys followed after him. "You finally came back? Must be why you and Tubby are so weepy."

"We're weepy because Prudence is missing," Rebecca said.

"Fatty wasn't with you?"

"No, Prudence wasn't with me. She's still out there."

"Probably dinner for some creature by now," David said. "Might take them a while to get past all that fat to find any meat."

Samantha was tempted to lock David's arms behind his back and plant his face in the dirt until he suffocated, but she held back. She would need his help to find Prudence. "I need you to help me look. You and the other boys. Rebecca can look after Mr. Delgado and the children."

"I want to go too," Rebecca said.

"We don't need both of you fatties lost out there," David said.

"Why do you always have to be so cruel?" Rebecca said. She kicked a cloud of dirt at David. "Why can't you ever be nice?"

"Some boys are just jerks," Uncle Hector said. "I used to be one of them. Of course if I could, I'd get up and teach him some manners."

"I'd like to see you try, old man."

"Stop it, everyone!" Samantha shouted. "Boys, pair up. We'll all go in a different direction to cover the most ground. We'll meet back here at sunset. Understood?"

"Fine," David said. He grabbed Mark's arm and then stomped off. The other boys paired up, leaving only Wendell behind.

"What about me? I want to help," he whined.

"You can come with me," Samantha said.

"Why does he get to go and I don't?" Rebecca asked. "I'm bigger than he is."




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