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hovering, massive trees everywhere.
    Wait . . . what’s that?
    Tim squinted, thinking for some crazy reason this would help him see better in the dark.
    There . . . just up that hill, was it a . . . ?
    â€œOver there!” Max shouted, immediately realizing that shouting wasn’t a smart thing to do right now.
    He was pointing at the exact spot Tim had been trying to focus on. It did look like there was something up there—something big.
    It was the cabin . . . and there was a light on inside.
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    Canary was watching, just as he had almost every night for days.
    He knew the family would be asleep any minute now. The lights had gone off, as they did each night at ten o’clock on the dot. No earlier and no later—right on schedule. He would give it an hour for everyone to be fast asleep, and then he’d go in the house and get Tim, right from his bed. He wouldn’t know what was happening until it was done.
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    Nina paced the length of her room. Her parents were in a closed-door meeting over at Emily’s house, and every attempt to reach them had failed. She
must
get through, even if it meant walking over there herself.
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    Tim and Max tried their best to walk silently, but with every step, twigs would snap and leaves crunched under their feet. Tim winced when he stepped right on a pine comb that seemed to explode with sound.
    They made their way through the thick wooded brush and up the hill leading to the cabin.
    As they got closer, they could see that the light inside was flickering—maybe it was a candle?
    Max reached the cabin first and waited for Tim to catch up. Once he did, they crouched down and quietly discussed their next move. They needed to get closer to see if anyone was inside. But nerves were getting the best of them right now.
    Tim stood up.
    â€œOkay, let’s go.”
    The boys walked to the back of the cabin and up to a small window. Max peered inside.
    â€œI can’t see anything.”
    Tim motioned Max towards a larger window. They kneeled down and crawled under it, waiting just a moment for a burst of courage before they stood up to look in.
    Finally it came. They rose up together and looked inside.
    They could see the candle flickering on a table just a few feet away. It illuminated a large room that was empty for the most part, except for what looked like a leather couch, a chair, and a large table with several chairs around it.
    There was no sign of anybody inside . . . yet.
    The boys moved farther down to another window and peered in—it was a kitchen. A few coffee cups littered the countertop, and a plate with the remnants of some meal lay in the sink. But there was no sign of any people.
    â€œLet’s see if one of these windows is open,” Tim whispered.

Chapter 12
Secret Revealed
    It’s weird, Canary thought as he silently lifted up the window to Tim’s bedroom and slipped stealthily inside. No one ever locks their windows in this town.
    As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that Tim was gone. For the very first time, a stab of panic gripped him, but just for a moment.
    He was out the window and racing down the road toward Luke and Rusty’s property within seconds . . .
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    Tim could not believe they were actually inside the cabin. He and Max had tried every window and even the front door, but everything was locked. This was except for one unlatched window just off the kitchen that was just large enough for them both to climb through.
    There was just one large room downstairs with a bathroom and the kitchen off to the side. A small spiral staircase led upstairs to what appeared to be a loft.
    They moved closer to the table. Papers were scattered across it. Tim picked one up.
    It was a map of some sort, unlike any he’d ever seen before. He had no idea where any of the places on it were.
    He put it