"Do you remember anything from when it happens?" Jude asked.
They shook their heads. Except for Serena.
"I don't know if it's a memory or a feeling," she said. "But... sometimes I feel like I was watching myself. Like my body was moving and I couldn't stop it. Like I was just... watching."
A chill passed through Jude. "That's not just being tired."
"No," Stella whispered. "It's not."
He didn't mention the blue smoke. Not yet. He'd only seen it once, just a shimmer at the edge of his vision, curling like mist near Emma's mouth before she'd changed. He hadn't known what it was at the time, thought maybe it was sunlight refracting off the waves. But now, in the silence of the firelight, that moment returned with piercing clarity. The smoke had moved like it was alive.
"Do you think it's the island?" Grace asked, barely audible.
Jude looked around. The trees were still. The wind was calm. But it didn't feel like they were alone.
