She looked back at Mr. K. "We thought you were dead. The doctor who experimented on Sam said he killed you. It broke her heart. If it's any consolation, we had a lovely memorial in your honor."
Mr. K frowned. "I might as well be dead. But that's neither here nor there. I'm glad I wasn't forgotten, and I'm so sorry to hear about Sam's work. I didn't know that. That last painting she created was the finest piece I've ever seen. Tell her I said so. And tell her to never give up on her art. She's a genius."
Tears filled Lucy's eyes, but she nodded. She feared Mr. K's words would open up an old wound in Sam, but maybe it would also help heal it.
Mr. K cleared his throat and changed the subject. "So, tell me. How did you get down here?"
Hunter pointed at Lucy. "She saw a shiny bug."
She smacked his shoulder. "Hey!"
"Then," added Luke, "after said bug chased us, she made us jump off a cliff."
Mr. K looked confused. "So let me get this straight. You guys ran away from a tiny bug, and decided to jump off a cliff, in order to avoid this creature?"
All three of them fidgeted in embarrassment and spoke at once, "Oh no." "It was a big bug." "Huge." "Enormous." "As big as... well, almost as big as you."
Mr. K chuckled. "Ah, the beetles. They wander this place as well. I would not bother them again, for they'll remember you."
Lucy gritted her teeth. "Bugs can remember people? They won't come hunting for me, will they?"
Luke shook his head. "Not usually."
"As you saw, these are no normal creatures." Mr. K closed his eyes for a moment. "But they will leave you in peace, if you do the same."
Lucy rubbed her chin. "But, if you're... stuck here like this, how do you know so much about the beetles?"
Mr. K rustled his leaves. "The same way you know when someone's looking at you. The same way you can feel when someone's dragging your energy down." He looked at Luke, then back at Lucy. "We're all interconnected. Though, I suppose physically, I'm connected more than most."
He wiggled his legs that flowed into the tree. A gentle breeze blew through his branches and a look of peace settled on Mr. K's barky face.
Lucy couldn't imagine being trapped like that, unable to move. "Does it hurt?"
"At first it did, but now, not much. I think most of the pain is phantom pain, from thinking it should hurt because I can't walk. But really, I'm so fused into the tree that I've become the tree in many ways."
"You were the voice in my head," Lucy said. "You told me to wake up when Luke needed me."
"Yes. I thought you earned that hint."
Hunter looked around. "Speaking of hints, do you have any idea where we are?"
"In a valley at the center of the island."
"A valley? That's great. How do we get out?"
"You don't."
Hunter shook his head. "There's no way out?"
"There's a way out," said Mr. K.
"Great. What is it?"
"I'm not telling you."
Hunter grabbed his head, sighed, turned around and mumbled. "Great. The tree is telling me it won't tell me something. I'm talking to a tree, and it won't talk. Man, I'm going crazy." He walked out, past the branches.
Lucy wanted to follow him, but needed to find out more from Mr. K. "Why won't you tell us?"
"Because it wouldn't do you any good. If you're going to find the way the out, you'll do it yourself."
Okay, so not helpful. Lucy had liked Mr. K as a teacher, but even then he could be cryptic. Looks like he hadn't changed that much, after all. "Any tips?"
Mr. K paused to think about it. "Yes. Take it easy. You three have been through some crazy things these past few days. Have a break. Clear your minds. That sort of thing."
"Okay then." Luke turned and hobbled out, avoiding eye contact with Lucy. "I'll go set up camp."
Mr. K called out, "Don't you start any fires near me, young man, or I'll whip you with my branches."
Lucy chuckled. "I should probably go help them."
"Yes. But first, how's Sam been?"
"Um... She's been good. She just had a baby."
"Really? I did not see that coming."
No," Lucy agreed, "none of us did. They used her—Rent-A-Kid used her—but she's fine now. We all escaped. So I understand what it's like to be used and experimented on. Some of it, at least."
She stepped closer to Mr. K and almost reached out to touch him, but stopped herself. The act felt too intimate, too violating.
Mr. K noticed and nodded. "Thank you. We'll talk more about my story later. But for now, why'd you insist on climbing onto that log?"
Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. It felt like the right thing to do."
"Ah. Instincts are a wonderful thing. I'd like you to do something for me, Lucy."
She shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. "Okay. Sure."
"I want you to sit down."
She found a rock near Mr. K, but asked before sitting on it. "Is this okay?"
"Yeah, it's okay."
She sat down.
"Now, just sit still for a while."
"How much of a while?"
"Two minutes."
"Okay." That's hardly anything. Easy peasy. She stilled herself.
"Close your eyes."
Lucy did.