Page 17 of Secret Mission

What is that?

My fingers tangle in strands of damp, sweat-soaked hair that’s clinging to my neck. Ick.

I’m hot. My mind is murky, and the combination makes this feel like a fever dream.

“Ugh. Whatnow?”

I shiver, my stomach twisting.

But when I reach to push the hair away, pain flares in my arm. Sharp and immediate.

Okay, that’s sore.

I grit my teeth, shifting carefully, and use my other hand instead.

The strands peel away from my throat, leaving behind an uncomfortable wetness.

Focus, Allison.

My thoughts are a mess, sluggish and heavy, like wading through fog.

Above me, there’s a roof. Not a familiar one. A thatched expanse. Crooked and patchy, with thin rays of light sneaking through the gaps.

The smells around me are not familiar.

Ugh… Seriously,whatnow?

As if the last few months haven’t been enough. Now, I don’t even know where I am.

I startle when the surface below me shifts. It’s a slow, uneven sway that pulls at my balance even as I lie still on my side.

I’m aware enough to know I need to go. I don’t know where, but go. Get back into hiding.

My stomach twists, again, this time harder. The nausea comes fast but fades just as quickly when I take a few steady breaths.

I also need to eat.

Something drifts through the air—coconut and spice? It cuts through the humidity, grounding me even if I’m not sure what it is.

Grit claws at my eyes as I blink against the haze.

The scene around me is unfamiliar, the world tilting as I take it in from the weird angle I’m lying in.

Is this a boat?

I lift my head—my neck is achingly stiff—and catch a glimpse of murky water below. It churns in restless swirls, the muddy surface catching flashes of sunlight.

Definitely, a boat.

A bird calls somewhere nearby. Then another and another like they’re announcing something, and the sound anchors me more.

I’m in a rainforest.

This is Vandemora.

But why am I on a boat?

Like I’m waking from a decade of sleep, my mind whirs slowly, but builds in speed. As more of my senses come onboard, I sniff the air again.