Hours passed. They cleaned themselves in the river, took naps in the sun, and ate the fruit Rose and Zoey brought back - juicy, sweet, sharp with a flavor that felt brand new to the island. Jude swore it had never grown here before. No one questioned it. The island had changed, and so had they.
That night, they lay under the stars again, gathered around a fire smaller than usual but just enough.
"I don't want to forget any of this," Lucy said suddenly.
"You won't," Sophie said. "It's part of you now."
"But I want more," Lucy continued, staring up at the sky. "I want to know what else this place can show us now that it's not pushing against us."
"We could follow the river farther," Susan suggested. "There might be more of those glowing groves. Or the cave Rose mentioned before she fell in…"
Rose nodded slowly. "It called to me. Even before the fall. Something's in it."