Cane's POV
My heart was beating so hard I could feel it in my ears. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Like a drum of pure fear.
One second, the kids were there. Laughing. The next, they were just… gone.
Stephanie's face was white. She looked at me, her eyes huge and scared. "Cane? Where are they?"
"They're here," I said, but my voice didn't sound like mine. "They have to be here." I turned in a circle, like they would magically appear from behind a strawberry plant. Nothing.
Panic is a cold feeling. It starts in your stomach, like you swallowed ice. Then it spreads to your chest, making it hard to breathe. My brain was screaming, but I couldn't let Stephanie see that. I had to be the calm one. Even if I wasn't.
"We'll split up," I told her. "Call their names. They're probably just exploring."
She nodded, but her hands were shaking. We ran in different directions.
