Paperblank Village was silent. Most villagers had gone to bed, but Ms. Julie was still awake. Inside Evie’s group’s cabin, she sat at the table reading a book. The children were sound asleep in the loft. They breathed silently. The sound was so soothing that Ms. Julie started to doze off. However, she quickly shook her head. She just flipped to the next page in her book when the cabin’s door opened.
“Mateo? Evie?” Ms. Julie shut her book. She set it on the table and turned in her seat. Sure enough, Mateo and Evie were back. “Evie!” Ms. Julie leaped to her feet. She hurried to the two and clamped her hands down on Evie’s shoulders. “Why would you run off like that? Why?” She whispered because she didn’t want to wake Evie’s group members.
Mateo tugged Ms. Julie’s shoulder. “Where’s the pony?” he asked. “Evie promised she would take me to see a pony.”
“What?” Ms. Julie was beyond confused.
Mateo let her shoulder go. He skipped around the cabin and pulled the toy box from the couch. He flipped it open and gathered the Legos. “Watch me, Ms. Julie. I’m going to build a race car.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Ms. Julie whispered to Evie.
She nervously chuckled. “Um, well… he… He’s just tired. Yeah, that’s it.” Evie pushed past Ms. Julie and came within reach of Mateo. “Mateo, it’s too late to play. You need to go to bed.”
“Aw, but I don’t want to! What about the pony?” Mateo threw down the Legos and tossed his arms in a tantrum-like way.
Evie kneeled to him. She reached into the toy box and pulled out a small children’s book. Made from wood, it fit in the palm of her hand. The front of the book had a picture of magical beings dancing in a fairy circle. In the center of it was the title Magical Colors of Pinta Country.
Evie put the book up to Mateo’s face. “Would you like me to read you a bedtime story?”
“Ooh! Yes, yes!” Mateo clapped.
Evie gave him a stern look. “Then you will go to your room and change into your pajamas.” She felt so awkward. How often was it that an eleven-year-old parented a twenty-one-year-old?
Mateo gave Evie a quick nod. “Yes, ma’am.” He rose to his feet and slipped into his room.
Evie took a deep breath. Feet stopped beside her.
“Seriously, Evie, what’s wrong with him?” Ms. Julie said, placing her hands on her hips.
Evie started to pick up the Legos. Her hand brushed across the cabin’s red carpet like a silky bedsheet. She refused to meet Ms. Julie’s eyes while she explained the situation. “He was having a little stomach pain on the way back, so John got him some special berries.”
“Stomach pain? Berries?”
Finally, Evie met Ms. Julie’s eyes. “The berries ease pain but have some side effects.” She finished packing away the Legos. Evie shut the chest’s top a little too quickly. Dust sprayed into the atmosphere. She coughed through it. When Mateo called her from his bedroom, Evie picked up the children’s book.
“Evie!”
“I’m coming!”
Ms. Julie followed the little girl into Mateo’s room. She wanted to observe him.
The moon’s rays danced through the blinds, lighting the floor under them.
Mateo sat on his bed in pajamas: a puffy-sleeved white shirt and brown pants. He pulled his knees close to his chest. “Bedtime story! Bedtime story!” he said to Evie.
“All right. Scooch over.” Evie hopped onto her counselor’s bed.
He moved to the other side of it.
Ms. Julie shuffled over to a wall across from the bed. She leaned her back against it and crossed her arms.
Mateo cuddled close to Evie, smiling stupidly. He rested his head on her shoulder.
Evie turned to the first page in Magical Colors of Pinta Country. It showed a group of mermaids swimming in a vast, blue ocean. She cleared her throat and started to read. “Blue is the color of the sea. The mermaids flee.”
“Why are they fleeing?” Mateo asked.
“Well, let’s find out.” Evie flipped to the book’s next page. The picture comprised of mermaids floating at the surface, with their eyes fixed on storm clouds on the horizon. “Gray is the color of the storm,” Evie read, “but the fairies keep the mermaids warm.” The next page showed the mermaids interacting with some fairies. They sprinkled them with their fairy dust. “Yellow is the color of the fae. They and the mermaids pray.”
The story progressed—not that Evie paid attention. Two-thirds of the way through it, Mateo fell asleep.
Evie sighed and thought, Oh, God, finally, to herself. I don’t like this book. She shut it and placed it on Mateo’s bedstand. She took his shoulders and laid him down on his back.
Mateo stretched his arms out. Evie pulled them in and put his bedsheet over him. “Nighty night,” she whispered in his ear. With that, Evie hopped down from his bed. She glanced at Ms. Julie. “He should be fine now.”
Ms. Julie still looked worried. “Hang on, Evie. I need to look at him.”
Evie gulped, but she moved off to the side.
Ms. Julie approached Mateo’s bedside. She placed her hand on his forehead. “He does feel a little warm,” she observed. “No, you’re right, Evie.” She removed her hand. “He’ll be fine by morning.” Nevertheless, her eyes rolled over to where Mateo’s stomach was under his bedsheet. She wanted to look at it.
A familiar voice in the cabin’s main room stopped her. “Where is everybody?”
Evie and Ms. Julie exited Mateo’s bedroom to find John standing near the table.
He lifted into the air and picked up one of the chairs. “How do y’all sit in these things?”
“What are you doing here, John?” Ms. Julie whispered.
“Well, excuse me.” John put the chair down. “I happen to be Mateo’s partner. I also need somewhere to sleep.”
Ms. Julie did not feel like arguing; she was too tired. “Okay, fine. Just be quiet. The campers and Mateo need their rest–Mateo especially. Why did you think giving him some of those berries was a good idea when he could have easily visited the doctor?”
“Ms. Julie, please.” John flicked one of his feet. “You should know he doesn’t like them. He’s stubborn, remember?”
“I’m going to bed,” Ms. Julie mumbled. “Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is another day.” She glanced at Evie. “You, young lady, also need to hit the hay. We’ll figure out what to do with you in the morning.”
Evie tensed. She wanted to disappear into the void but knew it was too late. She watched as Ms. Julie exited the cabin.
She shut the door behind her, allowing Evie a little breathing time. “So, John, how’s the time trav...?”
John, though, was already asleep. He had found his own little spot in the corner beside a window. The crane’s right foot was off the ground. He balanced on his left. His neck and head rested on his wings. Finally, his hat was on the table.
By then, Evie knew it was time for her to go to bed, too.
***
The effects of the berries wore off during the middle of the night, and Mateo was in pain all over again. He clenched his teeth and shuffled in bed with his hands over his tummy. It was official: he would never get a good night's sleep again.
The pain was slowly driving the young man mad. He couldn’t help himself. Tears ran down his cheeks and splashed onto his bedsheet. He was no man but a big, fat baby.
Mateo fell out of bed onto the floor. He took his covers with him. He tossed them off his head, now drenched in his sweat. Mateo struggled to his feet. He placed his hand on the wall to support his balance. That was when he noticed something alarming. A rash was forming on the back of his hand. It was an ugly, red thing. “No, please,” he begged.
He stumbled out of his room and went to the bathroom. Mateo had never been scared during a mission before—he was Ranger Anthony—but fear was currently the only emotion he felt.
The bathroom had brown wallpaper, a tub with a shower, and a sink and counter beside the toilet.
Mateo shut the door and turned on the lights. He looked at himself in the mirror. His black bangs hung over his eyes. Mateo saw the face of a traumatized young man. There was no joy in it. Luckily, the rash on his hand was small, so it would be easy to hide.
A few minutes passed, and then Mateo decided to be brave. He brought his shaking hands toward his shirt.
Cicadas chirped from the bathroom’s open window. At least they were happy.
Mateo clutched his sleep shirt. He took a deep breath, begging that the injury was not as bad as he thought. He carefully pulled his shirt up and over his tanned, sore tummy. Oh dear, he was far from wrong. What Mateo saw made him sick.
His entire abdomen was red, with bruises scattered about. Dried-up blood was near his intestinal area. The intestines were the hardest hit. The pebble really whacked Mateo. He couldn’t let his campers, colleagues, or mom know about the injury. Heck, he couldn’t even tell Maria. He promised her he wouldn’t get hurt. No matter what happened, they married after the camp ended.
Mateo tried to leave the bathroom, but dizziness hit his temples. He couldn’t think. His head hurt. He opened the door, only to have his belly explode with excruciating pain. Warm tears soaked his shirt.
Mateo opened his mouth to call for help, but he stopped himself. He didn’t need a doctor, he didn’t need a doctor. What he needed were those berries.
The young man couldn’t even make it to his bedroom. He fell to his knees in the doorway and collapsed onto his front. His consciousness faded. Mateo was now trapped in a continuous array of nightmares, all of which ended with him dying.
***
“Mateo, wake up. You overslept.” Evie’s voice pulled Mateo out of his nightmares. He was still between the bathroom door’s frame but now lay on his back. His campers and John hovered over him like vultures. The children were still in their jammies.
John flicked Mateo’s nose with his claw. “What are you doing sleeping on the floor? We need to pick up the time traveler.”
Mateo did not want to get up. While his belly didn’t hurt as much anymore, his exhaustion was too much to bear. However, he forced himself to sit. “Ugh. What happened?” Mateo rubbed his head.
Ashlynn took his free hand—the one that did not have the rash. “You were probably sleepwalking. Come on, up you get.” She and her friends dragged him to his feet.
Mateo stumbled, but they caught him. He let his campers’ words sink in. Suddenly, his eyes widened. “Wait! I slept in?”
“You sure did,” Evie responded. “It’s 9:00. We’ve been trying to wake you for the past hour.”
“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I'm such an estúpido! We’re already behind schedule!” Mateo was so embarrassed. “Niños, get changed.”
They nodded. They listened to him that time around.
Evie climbed the ladder to the loft. She flopped onto her sleeping bag and reached under her pillow. From it, she pulled out the pebble. She held it up to her face and nodded to herself. During camp that week, she was going to learn its secrets. Evie swore that to herself. She replayed the legend the storyteller shared during the Feast of Peace. One line in particular bewildered her the most: “The Pebble Masters will never shine the same again. Instead, they will regain.”
Regain what? Mateo and Evie had never met before. Why—out of all the people in the camp and village—were they the Pebble Masters?
Those questions swirled inside Evie’s head as she changed in the bathroom. She put her hair up in a high ponytail. It swished every time she moved her head. She pulled on a new pair of jean shorts and a gray T-shirt. She put a light denim jacket over it. Evie ran her fingers through her ponytail. She smiled and told herself, “Not bad, Evie. Not bad at all.”
She and her friends met with Mateo and John in the cabin’s main room. Evie took a minute to admire her counselor’s formal attire. Why did he like to dress like that? Mateo’s new matador jacket was black with gold buttons. He wore it over a white shirt. The tie at his neck was red, and his pants and shoes were black. He also sported a new piece of clothing—one of his fingerless ranger gloves. Evie noticed he had it over his right hand. She asked herself why he suddenly decided to wear part of his ranger outfit. Surely, that would spoil his secret.
Paperblank Village was lively that morning. Mateo, his group members, and John marched through crowds of skipping children and adults on their morning chores. The day was beautiful; it was hard to believe a basilisk was loose in the forest.
The village hospital was across another bridge and on its own stretch of land. It was a tiny thing, nothing like the hospitals in the more modernized sections of Pinta Country. The cabin ran on solar energy from the sun, so a few solar panels were on it. It was only one story. A veil of flowers decorated the door to the lobby. Mateo and John opened it to let the children inside.
The lobby’s interior was also small. There were only a few chairs and benches, no TV, and no power outlets. Frankly, Evie felt like she just entered the lair of a witch doctor. Skulls hung from strings on the ceiling. Each one was more terrifying than the last.
When Evie thought her greatest fear couldn't come true, a witch doctor approached her and her friends. She wore feathers in her hair, and her face was painted white with red dots on her cheekbones. She held a wooden staff in her hand. At the top of it was a skull with an open mouth.
The doctor twirled her straw skirt and asked, “May I help you? Have you come to free the effects of bad magic?”
Mateo shook his head. “No, ma’am. We’re here to pick up the time traveler.”
“Ah, Mr. Sam.” The doctor smiled a creepy smile. Most of her teeth were gold.
Evie shivered.
“I shall take you to him, but first…” The doctor tiptoed to Mateo. She held her staff up to his face. “I sense you have been affected by dark magic.”
Evie and her friends shuddered. They piled around John. “There, young ones,” he said, running his wings over each child’s shoulders.
Mateo pushed the doctor’s staff away. “I’m fine. We want to pick up the boy—nothing else.”
“Very well.” The doctor’s smile turned into a grin. She chuckled eerily and then slammed the butt of her staff on the ground. “Follow me.”
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