Isabelle dropped to her knees and scooted to the edge of the hole. Julian stared at her with pleading blue eyes. Dirt and sweat matted his black hair to his forehead. "Isabelle, help me," he begged.
"Hold on Julian, don't you dare let go of that root."
"Tell me something I don't know," he replied desolately.
"No need to be sarcastic," she muttered as she dropped to her belly and scooted closer to the edge. She leaned into the hole, but he was further down than she’d thought. "Crap," she muttered, wiggling further over the edge. "Willow, grab my ankles!" she yelled.
When Willow’s hands wrapped around her ankles, she wiggled out further until she was half in, and half out of the hole. "Julian, grab my hands!" she grated, barely able to breathe from the pressure on her stomach. He hesitated before stretching up and seizing one of her arms. She grasped his tiny forearm. "Now the other one."
He bit his bottom lip as his face visibly paled. He released his hold on the root and grabbed her other arm.
"Isabelle!" Willow gasped. "You're too heavy!"
Dismay ripped through her as she struggled to breathe. "Don't you dare let go!" she yelled.
"If you let go, I will haunt you for the rest of my afterlife!" Julian shouted.
Isabelle cocked an eyebrow as she stared down at him. "That's not much of a threat," she mumbled. "She already has to deal with you for eternity; she might take her chances on you not being able to bother her in ghost form."
She hadn't thought it was possible, but he paled further. "That's not funny!"
"Willow, pull us up!" Isabelle commanded.
"I'm trying!" Willow cried.
Isabelle closed her eyes and ground her teeth as she attempted to wiggle backward. Her arms were beginning to ache, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. Willow tugged at her ankles, pulling them back inch by excruciatingly slow inch. The three of them cried out as Willow lost her footing and slid to the ground.
Isabelle slipped back over the edge, this time to her hips before she was jerked to a halt. Julian looked about ready to burst into tears as he, in turn, was also pulled to a stop. Her arms screamed in agony as her shoulders nearly ripped from their sockets by the force of his weight.
"I'm sorry," Willow panted. "I can't do this."
Isabelle closed her eyes and groaned. What was she going to do? Where were Vicky and Abby? "Isabelle," Julian panted.
"It's okay, just hold on. Willow, you have to do this!"
"I can't," she cried, her voice choked with tears.
"Then go get help!" she barked, her patience at an end. She was scared senseless, holding her brother over certain death, and damn close to her death. She didn't have time to deal with Willow's tears.
"But—"
"Go!" she and Julian yelled at the same time.
Her ankles were released, and she slid a few inches forward. Horror drove her heart into her throat as she tried to dig her feet into the ground. The slide stopped as she managed to plant her toes into the dirt. Adrenaline shook her as she stared down at Julian.
"I swear if we get out of this I am going to kill you!" she grated through her teeth.
Julian managed a wan smile as he cast a worried glance behind him. "Please don't let go."
"I'll never let go," she assured him. She'd go plummeting over with him before she ever let go. Julian's hands dug into her skin as he lifted his head to look at her again. His eyes filled with unshed tears as his lower lip quivered. "How do you manage to get yourself into these messes?"
"We were only walking," he whispered plaintively.
Isabelle closed her eyes and dropped her head. The smell of the dirt filled her nostrils as she inhaled deeply and tried to ignore the torture growing in her arms and shoulders. The muscles in her legs were being stretched beyond their capacity, and her feet were beginning to cramp from digging into the ground. She didn't know how much longer she could keep them both from sliding all the way into the pit. She gritted her teeth, determined to hold on for as long as it took.
"Your hair is tickling me," Julian informed her.
"Sorry," she mumbled as she lifted her head.
Hands suddenly grasped her waist. She cried out as she was plucked off the ground and Julian came with her. Stumbling back, her trembling legs barely supported her as she was set on the ground. A strong hand in the small of her back quickly righted her.
A jolt of something ripped through her body, but it was quickly forgotten as Julian fell against her. His arms encircled her waist as he buried his head in her chest. She dropped her head to his as he shook against her.
"It's okay," she soothed.
He lifted his head. Tears slid through the grime on his cheeks, leaving clean tracks in their wake. Isabelle hadn't seen Julian cry since he was four years old, and that was over eight years ago. He always tried to emulate his older brothers and be as tough as he thought they were.
"Hey, it's okay now." She wiped the tears and dirt from his cheeks as he buried his head against her again.
"Are you still going to kill me?" he muttered.
She laughed as she hugged him. "No, but I will next time."
"It's a deal," he promised fervently.
He pulled away from her, wiping the tears from his face as his gaze traveled behind her. His face turned thirteen shades of red. Isabelle frowned as
