“Yes, we did. You’re right,” Finn said.

“I don’t love the idea of going back the way we came,” Philby said. “Those clowns could return.”

Finn moved over to the silver Mickey plate on the wallby the window. “Wayne used the express lane,” he reminded.

“I’m not going first on that thing!” Charlene declared.

Finn said, “Then I will.” He hit the plate.

The floor fell out from under him, and he slid in his damp clothes down a twisting, steep exit tube. It was the best tube he’d ever ridden, including every water park he’d ever been to. It leveled off near the bottom, slowing him down, and he popped through a pair of doors and landed on a patch of grass in a shadowy nook outside the castle walls. He rolled out of the way and waited. A moment later, Willa came through. Then Charlene, and finally Philby.

Together, they made their way toward Frontierland, and the teepee, staying in shadow and hiding often.

They called for Maybeck inside the teepee. No answer. Then, at Philby’s urging, they climbed inside to get out of sight.

Finn said, “We have to find him before we go back.”

“But it’s late,” Charlene protested. “We have to get back. Listen, he’s the one who took off. He broke the rules. Why should we be the ones punished?”

Finn asked, “And if it was you left behind?”

“Shh!” Philby said.

The park suddenly seemed unusually quiet. It felt to Finn as if there were a thousand ears trained in their direction.

A rustle came from the bushes just on the other side of the teepee wall.

They heard footsteps. Someone circling the teepee.

I know you’re in there, said Maleficent in her dry, raspy voice. But Finn heard her in his head, not through his ears. Missing something, are we? She clucked her tongue. What a shame youdidn’t listen and obey. I told you to stay away from here. Nasty children. Nasty little children.

The footfalls continued around the teepee and reached the front door. The teepee’s interior grew steadily colder until the kids could see four plumes of their fogged breath emerging clearly from their invisible bodies.

Across from him, Finn heard a brief but sharp clatter of teeth. Charlene’s, no doubt.

The four plumes of fog stopped as all four held their breath. A gangly shadow stretched across the open doorway.

Maleficent’s voice sounded like slowly cracking glass. “You should have stayed away while you had the chance.” The shadow bent. Her oddly beautiful green face appeared in the open doorway.

Charlene screamed, jumped up, and fled the teepee, suddenly visible. She surprised the witch, who reeled back instinctively. Maleficent lunged at Charlene with her skinny arms and bony fingers, but Charlene was much too fast for her. Maleficent got only a piece of the girl’s black Tshirt. The shirt stretched, and Charlene was nearly pulled off her feet. But the shirt tore at the last second, leaving a scrap of cloth in Maleficent’s green hand.

Willa fled right behind Charlene. The witch missed her entirely.

Finn saw that Maleficent’s eyes were eerily bright. She had surprisingly pretty, high cheekbones, with a high forehead, black hair, and a strong chin. She wore a strange headdress, like two twisting horns that rose from the hood of her cape. Her inquisitive face explored the empty teepee.

“Why can’t I see you, you poor simple fools? Hmm? Have you got magic of your own? Do you?” Never taking her eyes off the inside of the teepee, she crouched. Her twisted green fingers with red nails couldn’t keep still. She scooped up a fist of sandy dirt from just outside the doorway.

Finn kept in shadow, remaining invisible. He moved carefully and quietly toward the door.

“Now, Finn Whitman, you shall deal with me,” the witch said, casting an arc of sand inside.

Briefly, a ghostly image of Philby’s left side appeared as the sand struck and stuck to him.

A clever witch at that, Finn thought.

Philby brushed off most of the sand, but not all. His ghostly image remained.

Maleficent stepped over the lip and into the teepee, heading right for Philby.

Finn jumped forward and shoved her to the dirt. It felt like he had rammed into a wallof ice.

“Run!” Finn shouted.

Philby jumped over the witch’s legs and sprang out of the teepee. He landed in the dirt, rolled, and came to his feet.

Finn also tripped over the lower lip of the teepee’s door. He, too, went down face-first into the dirt.

As Finn came to his feet, a crow flew from the teepee. The bird dove for Finn, its talons like dinner forks. Finn blocked the attack with his forearm and was off at a run.

The crow shrieked, rose high, circled once, and dove again, a flutter of feathers.

Finn ran hard and fast, thinking, She will not scare me. She will not scare me!

The bird dove again, this time striking the back of Finn’s head, its talons scratching his scalp.

Finn headed for the shore. He hit the water in a racer’s dive, knowing the crow couldn’t follow.

But the crow tucked its wings, lowered its head, and dove for the water’s black surface. Finn heard a big splash and then silence behind him.

Charlene, Philby, and Willa, already in the water, swam to shore and clambered up onto the bank and quickly out of sight.

Finn realized the bird—the witch—had gone into the water but had never come out.

At that very moment, he felt something wrap around his ankle. Slimy and cold, it dragged him under.

A giant, black eel. It climbed up Finn’s body, wrapped around his middle, and squeezed. And squeezed. Finn tore at it with his hands, but it was like trying to grab a giant slithering bar of soap.

The more he fought against it, the more it squeezed. He felt the wind being choked out of him. He couldn’t breathe. He was losing consciousness.

Finn heard a loud whine, like an…engine. The eel’s grip slackened just enough to allow Finn to take a breath.

Above him, Finn saw Philby in one of the jungle boats. Philby held the boat’s outboard motor tilted just above the water, its spinning propeller aimed at the eel.

As the propeller was just about to cut the eel like a meat grinder, the beast released its hold of Finn and slithered back down under the dark water. Finn pulled himself from the water as Philby ran the boat up on shore.

“We gotta go, right now!” Philby shouted to the girls. “We’ve got to get back to the apartment and get out of here.”

“Maybeck—” Finn said.

“We can’t wait!” Philby shouted.

“That’s what I’ve been telling you!” Charlene said.

“I hate leaving him behind,” Willa said, worried.

“We all do,” Philby said. “But they know we’re here. We’ve got to leave.”

Finn hardly heard any of this. He was not thinking of the water, nor the crow, nor the eel. He was, instead, thinking only this one thing, over and over: She knew my name. She knew my name.

21

Amanda stayed in the lead on her bike. Thankfuly, she hadn’t asked any questions, and he took this as a sign they were becoming really good friends. He told her only that he had to see Jelly and that she was welcome to come along if she wanted. They locked their bikes beneath a sign that read: CRAZY GLAZE.

“You’re awfully quiet today,” she said.

“Yeah,” was all Finn could think to say.

“You want me to keep her busy while you check around back. Is that about it?”

He nodded.

Amanda entered the store, glancing back at Finn with a worried expression.

Finn found two fire escapes out back, made of slatted iron, servicing several doors.

Finn heard Jelly’s distinctive voice through an open window. This was followed by Amanda asking after Terry.