The first thing she did after gathering her clothes was to go back to the Fountain of Youth. Samantha saw only a toddler and baby this time; she was the little girl now she'd seen last time. She didn't have anything to put the water in, so she just stuck one finger into the fountain. That was enough; the pain in her ribs went away seconds later.
"I guess now you're little too. Like me."
"I guess so. How old do you think I am?"
"Eight. Maybe nine."
"Nine sounds better."
"How old do you think I am?"
"Eight, I guess."
"Then I'll be eight-and a half," Prudence said. Despite the sadness she felt about Mr. Delgado's death, Samantha couldn't help but grin.
"That's fine."
Their next priority was to release David from the woodshed. When she opened the door, he charged forward. She couldn't help but notice how he loomed over her now. His grin looked much different than Prudence's. He tousled her hair and said, "Well, aren't you a cute little rugrat now?"
She answered by sweeping his legs out from under him and then shoving him to the ground. "I'm not a rugrat!" She pinned one arm behind his back and then hissed, "Say it."
"Uncle."
"Louder."
"Uncle!"
"Good." Samantha released his arm and then let him roll back into a sitting position. "Just because I'm little doesn't mean I'm weak. Understand?"
"Yeah, sure." He rubbed his arm and said, "So your uncle betrayed you too, huh?"
"He's not my uncle. He's just a liar."
"By now he's halfway to the mainland with the water, right?"
"No. He's dead."
"You killed him?"
"He drowned." She knew she shouldn't show any weakness yet, but she couldn't stop herself from crying about Mr. Delgado. "The boat wasn't ready. It sank. He drowned."
"So we're stuck here?"
"Yes. We're stuck here."
***
Though she didn't want to, Samantha waited until the next morning to head out to Mr. Pryde's house. Prudence accompanied her with a pitcher of milk for Molly. They didn't talk much, Samantha's pain still too fresh. She was just grateful to have Prudence with her to hold her hand. That was as much comfort as she needed at the moment.
They heard Molly well before they saw her. The poor baby hadn't eaten in over a day. Her diaper probably hadn't been changed yet either. It took both Samantha and Prudence to yank the cellar door open.
Inside, they found Rebecca cradling Molly, trying in vain to comfort the girl. The candle had gone out, no doubt adding to Molly's pain. "Prudence?" Rebecca said. Samantha noted how tiny her voice sounded now.