Chapter 34 Don’t Snake Up on Me
FIFI SCREAMS AS THE LIGHTNING sizzles along the grass right under us, but I’m more concerned about the small, sharp twigs currently flying in all directions.
They aren’t big enough to do any real damage—I don’t think—but that doesn’t mean the thought of being stabbed by one or a hundred of them doesn’t freak me out.
“This is bad, Ellie!” Arjun shouts to be heard over the lightning and the rain. “We have to do something!”
“I know!” I shout back. The problem is, I don’t know what to do to get these vines to release us.
But then I realize that if I swing myself to the left just a little, I’ll be close enough to Arjun that I can reach out and touch him. And he can touch me.
As our eyes meet, I realize he’s figured out the same thing I have. That we both have one free hand, so we can work together to pry the vines off ourselves and keep them from reattaching.
“Where do you want to start?” Arjun asks. And how cool is it that I have a friend who can read my mind? Or at least one who thinks a lot like me?
That’s never happened before.
“Your arm,” I answer, because three hands are even better than two. Once we get his second hand free, the rest of this should get much, much easier. “Can you swing toward me?”
“I’ll try,” he tells me, rocking himself back and forth several times before managing to fling himself close enough for me to reach the vine that’s wrapped itself around his wrist and forearm.
But it recoils the second I touch it. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing, except for instead of letting him go, it slides farther up his arm until it’s covering his elbow and bicep. And, more importantly, until it’s just out of my reach.
I strain a little more, determined to make this work.
On the plus side, when I finally manage to stretch enough to reach the vine again, it doesn’t pull back any farther—probably because there’s nowhere for it to go.
Instead, it twitches violently, shaking Arjun back and forth even as it twists his arm so much that he howls in pain.
“I’m sorry!” I cry out as my stomach plummets to my knees. Then I reach forward and grab on to the vine as tightly as I can.
It bucks against my hand, its whole length undulating as it attempts to hold on to him. But I’m determined, and I bury my nails in it even as I keep tugging as hard as I can.
The second I manage to pry it off him, it recoils so fast that it slices my palm before slapping me in the face. Seconds later, it does the same to Arjun’s neck, only this time it wraps itself around his throat.
“I think we need a new plan,” he chokes out.
Yeah. Me too.
Even though panic is churning in my stomach and terror is creeping up my spine, I force myself to remember that the school won’t kill its first years on their first day—and probably not ever. Though as the vine around my own neck starts to tighten, I do have to wonder.
All of a sudden, Fifi lets out a terrified shriek. It’s followed quickly by answering shouts from Paris, Rhea, and Sullivan.
I try to turn my head around to see what’s going on with them, and as I do, Arjun starts thrashing around and yelling too—or at least as close to yelling as he can get with a vine wrapped around his throat. And that’s when I see it. The vines have turned to snakes.
The same terror running through my friends explodes within me, but I tamp it down. And when the snake currently wrapped around my wrist lifts its head just enough to meet my gaze with its glowing red eyes, I flash back to the bridge yesterday.
“Nice snakey,” Fifi says, her voice quivering. “Nice, nice snakey.”
All I hear in response is a very alarming rattle followed by more terrified shrieks.
“It’s okay,” I call, trying to stay calm even as my heart rate races off the charts. “They won’t hurt you.”
“They look like they want to hurt us,” Paris tells me.
Another ominous rattle follows his statement.
“It’s okay,” I say again. “This is just like the bridge yesterday.”
“Exactly what bridge are you talking about?” Fifi squeaks. “There were no snakes on the bridge I crossed!” Her voice goes way up at the end, and I turn just in time to see a snake sliding up her cheek.
“Don’t move!” I tell her hoarsely.
“Not planning on it,” she whispers.
Rhea’s been pretty quiet up until now because of the vine around her mouth, but all of a sudden she starts screaming, “Get off, get off, get off!” at the top of her lungs.
Her terror must give her superstrength, because somehow she manages to grab the snake wrapped around her waist and throw it off.
“How did you do that?” Paris demands as he, too, tries to rip off the snake twisted around his legs.
But before Rhea can answer, the other snakes wrapped around her start hissing angrily, and the one closest to her face opens its mouth like it’s trying to decide if it wants to bite her or swallow her whole.
Rhea screams like she’s being murdered as Sullivan yelps, “What is happening here?”
The only response he gets is from the snake closest to his face, which is currently sticking its tongue in and out.
“Oh no! Oh no, no, no, no, no!” Sullivan screeches. “I’m not ready to die yet. I’m not ready to go. I’m not—” His fear only antagonizes the snakes more—at least if their sudden, frenzied rattling is any indication.
“This is just like the bridge!” I tell everyone again. “We just need to figure out—”
“No, Ellie, it’s not!” Arjun whispers urgently. “Just because you keep saying that doesn’t make it true. The last time I saw a snake in person was on my field trip to the zoo.”
His words make no more sense than Fifi’s did, but I’m not exactly in a position to ask questions right now. Because if they never faced the snakes, then they’re even more freaked out than I am right now.
As I glance down at the snake slowly undulating its way up and down my arm, I can’t help but think about how the bridge snakes suddenly retreated…after one of them bit me.
Is that the secret, then? Do I let one of these things bite me and hope all of them will be satisfied?
At the thought, my heart starts pounding so hard it makes my chest hurt.
Because the snake that bit me on the bridge was a regular old garter snake.
These are rattlesnakes, which means they’re venomous.
I can’t just let one bite me, can I?
Then again, if I don’t, aren’t they just going to bite everybody? If I know the way to help, shouldn’t I try it rather than let my brother, my friends, and my classmates suffer too?
Rhea screeches and I turn my head in time to see a snake strike out at her face. She manages to knock it back, but judging by the way his rattling intensifies, that just makes him angry. And that, in turn, makes the other snakes angry.
Which means we’re out of time. I either need to try the one thing I’ve seen work before or I need to accept that people I care about are going to get hurt…or worse.
I can’t let that happen.
Fear skitters through me, but I ignore it as I take a deep breath and start moving and twisting hard enough to antagonize every snake near me. And then, when one has finally had enough and strikes out at me…I force myself not to pull away.