Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1263

Chapter 1263: Chapter 1263

Rose stirred from the other side of the room, her eyes fluttering open as if she’d been listening the entire time. She sat up slowly, her expression unreadable. Layla and Natalie followed, as if they were tethered to her breath. Susan and Grace sat up moments later. The only one still asleep was Stella, though even she began to stir now, face calm and dreamy.

"I told you," Rose said to no one in particular. "Walls won’t stop what already lives inside."

"Lucy," Jude said, voice low and even, "come here."

She looked at him for a long time. Her eyes flicked over his face like she was reading a language she almost remembered.

"I’m fine," she said.

"I know," he replied gently. "But come anyway."

Lucy didn’t resist. She walked over and sat beside him, folding her legs under herself like a child. Emma followed with hesitant steps and sat behind her. Jude reached out and took Lucy’s hand. It felt the same. Warm. Familiar. But there was no squeeze back. No twitch of recognition. It was like holding a glove with no one inside.

Sophie leaned over and whispered, "We can’t hold them here."

Zoey nodded. "Then we follow. Stay close. Observe everything. We’ll find the source."

The day passed like a dream. They left the treehouse under the guise of foraging, but the atmosphere had changed. There was no separation now. No pretending to keep the groups apart. They moved as one strange caravan through the forest, some whispering to each other, others completely silent.

Rose led. Always.

Jude, Sophie, Zoey, Emma, and now a still-normal looking - but clearly disturbed - Lucy stayed toward the back. She walked quietly, her gaze occasionally drifting toward the treetops like she was listening for something beyond the birdsong.

"She’s not fully gone," Sophie whispered. "Not like Rose."

"Maybe we caught her early," Zoey said.

"Or maybe they want us to think that," Jude muttered.

The jungle deepened. They passed landmarks they’d seen before - fallen stone arches, trees shaped like twisted ribcages - but this time they took a turn deeper than ever before, into a part of the island none of them remembered. The air grew thicker. Heavier. The light dimmed unnaturally even though the sky was clear above the canopy. It felt like walking into a cathedral built by the bones of trees.

And then they reached it.

A basin, low and wide, filled with black water. Not a lake. Not a stream. Just a still pool nestled in the cradle of roots and stone. The surface reflected nothing. No light. No sky. Just shadow.

"This is where it begins," Rose said softly.

Natalie stepped forward first, kneeling beside the pool. Her fingers hovered above it, trembling with anticipation. Layla followed, dropping to her knees beside her. Grace and Susan stood just behind, hands clasped like acolytes. Stella walked forward slowly and sank to her knees too. And then Lucy stepped toward the edge, her movements hesitant, like something in her resisted.

Jude took a step forward. "Lucy - "

But Rose turned to face him, and the look in her eyes rooted him to the spot.

"She’s already chosen."

"No," he said. "You took her."

Rose smiled. "She wanted more. Just like they all do."

Lucy’s fingers hovered above the water now. Jude watched her body tremble slightly. Something in her resisted. It was small. Faint. But real.

Then she spoke.

"I don’t want this."

The others turned. Rose’s smile faltered.

Lucy pulled her hand back.

"No," she said louder. "This isn’t me."

Rose stood slowly. "But it could be. You’ve felt it. The peace. The unity. No more fear, no more separation. Just us."

"You’re not us anymore," Lucy whispered. "You’re something else."

She turned and ran.

Not toward Jude, but into the trees. Away from the pool. From all of them.

"Go!" Zoey shouted, and bolted after her.

Sophie and Emma followed.

Jude turned toward Rose, but she didn’t chase. She stood still, watching the forest, her expression unreadable again.

"She’ll be back," Rose said softly. "They always come back."

"No," Jude said. "She won’t."

Rose turned to face him. "You’re still trying to fight it. But you’ll see. You’ll beg to join us before the end."

Jude backed away, breath tight, heart hammering in his chest. He didn’t wait for the others. He just ran.

He caught up with them half a mile into the trees. Lucy had collapsed near a ridge, panting, her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to squeeze the shadows out. Zoey was crouched beside her, hand on her back. Sophie stood nearby, knife drawn, eyes on the trail behind them.

Emma grabbed Jude’s arm. "Is she okay?"

Jude dropped to his knees beside Lucy. "Lucy. Look at me."

She did.

Her eyes were still her own.

Barely.

"She tried to take me," she said. "In my head. When I slept. I heard her singing inside me. I liked it. And then I didn’t. I felt you, Jude. Your voice. That pulled me back."

Jude’s throat tightened.

"I don’t want to be part of her," Lucy whispered. "Don’t let me go back."

"You won’t," he said. "You’re staying with us. We’ll protect you."

She started to cry, and it wasn’t beautiful or poetic. It was broken. Raw. Human. The kind of cry that reminded Jude what was real.

Behind them, a faint hum echoed through the trees. Not loud. Not urgent.

Just inevitable.

Zoey stood and drew her blade. "We run. Now."

Jude lifted Lucy into his arms. Sophie took the lead, Emma at her side. They moved fast, hearts pounding in rhythm with the distant hum. The island didn’t shift this time. It didn’t try to stop them.

It just watched everything.

They didn’t speak until they saw the treehouse again. By then the sun was dipping toward the horizon, casting long red shadows across the forest floor. Jude didn’t breathe easy until the trapdoor shut and the lock clicked into place.