Shadowed Eden (25 page)

So they ran.

31

Luca

The heat from the fire singed the hair on the back of Luca's neck as he turned and ran. He practically shoved Avery into motion, and the others rushed behind her.

“What started that fire?” Avery shouted as they ran. “This air is way too wet for a spark.”

“I don't know.” His lungs already burned, and the sharp jungle brush had sliced his legs in several places.

They reached the fork in the path in record time, but Avery pulled up short. “Which way?”

Luca studied the path. His mind spun and he tried to remember which way they'd come from, but nothing looked the same. Finally he shook his head. “I don't know.”

Benny looked behind them. “I'd rather not stand around discussing it. The fire is nowhere in sight, but who knows how long it will take.”

Luca sucked in air like a dying man as he studied the path they'd just come from. Benny was right; the fire hadn't caught up to them.

“When we took this path we veered to the right, so I think from here we need to turn left.” It was the best he could come up with, since his head still spun. He shook it like that would get rid of the fog.

“Sounds good to me.” Avery turned left and they started that way. Without the fire biting their heels, no one felt the need to bolt like they had before. The slower pace helped slow the confusion.

“What if Daddy's in there?” Avery asked. “What if he got caught in the fire?”

“What if he started the fire?” Benny said. “He shouldn't have gone in there at all.”

Luca wasn't about to say it, but Benny was right. For all they knew, it was something Mr. Miles had done that caught the jungle on fire in the first place.

They reached the creek and crossed quickly. The cool water washed the blood and grime from his legs but suddenly his throat felt like the jungle—on fire. “Let's get a drink.”

No one argued and they filled up the bottles they'd taken deeper into the jungle.

Luca's confusion vanished as he gulped.

“Where are our other packs?” June asked. She hadn't spoken during their entire run through the jungle, but her hair stood out like it'd been caught by a branch more than once, and she had a bloody scrape on her cheek.

“Are you OK?” He stepped closer and pointed to her cheek. “You've been cut.”

She touched her cheek and winced. “Ow. I hadn't even noticed it.”

“Wash it in the creek. The cool water will feel good.”

She bent and cupped her hands before dipping them in the water.

When she stood, she glanced around. “Didn't we leave the packs of water here? What happened to them?”

Luca looked around. She was right. They'd left the packs just off the path, but they were gone now. “Maybe someone from camp came looking for us. They probably took the water back with them.”

“Maybe Chad's back,” Benny said. “Maybe we're about to get out of here.”

Luca glanced at Avery. She bit her lip and frowned, but she didn't argue this time.

He swallowed hard. He knew that look. It was determination. Avery wasn't leaving this jungle without her dad, even if it meant everyone else left without her. Luca touched her shoulder. “We'll find him,” he said quietly.

She glanced at him and gave a small nod.

“Let's get back and see what's up,” he said.

They trekked back to camp in silence, but Luca's mind wasn't on Chad or even finding Mr. Miles.

Fire? Seriously?

First quicksand, now fire. An odd thought occurred to him. What if no one had set that fire?

Now he sounded as crazy as Avery felt, but an idea formed in his mind. More of a theory than an idea, but he would tell Avery about it later.

They pushed through the trees and into the sunlight. Dry heat hit him, and Luca felt like he'd just come home.

Erin sat on a log with the other girls. Bradley, Sam, and the other guys fiddled with the van. No Chad. No Mr. Miles. No water.

“Dude, so glad you're back,” Bradley said. “We're dying of thirst.”

Luca ground his teeth. What was he supposed to say to that?

“You mean you don't have the water?” June asked. “Someone took our packs. We assumed it was one of you.”

“Why would we take your packs? You were going to get water.”

Now was not the time to explain where they'd been.

“Lay off,” Benny said. “The jungle's on fire. We had to run.”

“What?” Bradley's eyebrows shot up and he puffed up his chest like some kind of stupid rooster. “How'd that happen?”

“We don't know,” Luca cut in before Benny or June could say anything else. “We were doing some exploring on the other side of the creek, and we left the packs of water just off the path. We saw the fire, ran, looked for the packs, and they were gone. We thought maybe one of you guys had found them.”

By now, everyone gathered around to listen. Bradley glanced at the group. “Anyone get the water and forget to tell us?”

Silence.

“What about this fire?” Erin asked. She seemed recovered from her crazy spell, for whatever reason.

“I don't know,” Luca said. “We were following a path and as we turned a corner, a huge wall of flames blasted us backwards. We ran and didn't look back.”

“There's no smoke.”

Everyone turned to Avery. She'd walked several paces into the desert and stared at the sky above the trees. She pointed. “The jungle's on fire. How is there no smoke?”

The group moved toward her and everyone looked up. She was right.

“I don't know,” Luca said. “But we saw it.”

They'd all seen it—Benny, June, Avery, and him. His theory solidified in his mind.

“Let's not worry about that now,” Erin said. “We'll keep an eye out for flames, but right now we need water.” She acted like they were making it up. She knew they weren't, though, right? She'd been the one speaking to dark, invisible creatures.

Luca closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was being way too sensitive. It was this place. It was cursed or something. Maybe they were all cursed along with it.

He took a deep breath through his nose and forced himself to calm down. “Does anyone else have any empty bottles? We took everything we could find this morning.”

“I have one,” Mallory said.

“Me too,” Gabby offered.

A few others handed their bottles over.

“OK, we'll fill them up and be right back,” Luca said.

Bradley glared at him. “Maybe someone else should go.”

“You don't even know your way,” Luca argued. “You've barely set foot in this jungle.”

“Maybe because I've been slaving away at getting the van running, genius.” Bradley's nostrils flared and he stepped forward.

Luca held in his laugh. Bradley couldn't beat him even if Luca promised not to fight back.

“Why don't we all go?” Erin said. “Swimming sounds kind of nice.”

“What if Chad gets back?” Luca asked. “They won't know where everyone went.”

Erin paused. “So a few can stay back. Any volunteers?”

“I'll stay,” Avery said.

Luca's gaze swung around to her. If anything, he figured she'd be the first to get back in the jungle. She was up to something, and that meant he was sticking by her side. “I'll stay, too.”

Avery gave him a small smile, and Benny and June offered to stay with them, too. Apparently they'd all had enough jungle time today.

After the rest of the group had disappeared into the massive greenery, Avery turned to them. “That was real, wasn't it? I really saw the flames.”

“I felt the heat,” June said.

“Me, too.” Benny sat on a log by himself, kicking at the sand.

Luca took a deep breath. Should he say what he was thinking? Might as well. “What if whatever makes us see the visions, or hear the voices, or—,” he stopped and glanced at June, “makes someone's eyes change color, what if it made all of us see something at the same time? Maybe it wasn't there at all.”

Silence fell over them.

Avery frowned and squirmed in her seat.

No one liked the idea that something else could control them that way, but what other answer was there?

“I just want to go home.” June sniffled and tears started slipping down her cheeks.

Luca held in his sigh. Putting up with her tears didn't seem so impossible anymore. She'd proven she was strong, and she deserved the outlet. He half expected Avery to move in to comfort June, but Avery stared absently into the desert. It didn't look like she'd even noticed the crying.

“It'll be OK,” Luca finally said. It felt weird, not hugging her or offering a shoulder to cry on, but he wasn't about to do that this time. Things between them had gone from OK to weird at some point.

June nodded and tried to smile, but her face was still scrunched up.

Avery shifted on the log, and her eyes changed. They sharpened. Focused. Like when a deer noticed something was off in the forest.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

She turned to him. Deep frown lines ran across her forehead, and her eyebrows pulled low over her eyes.

“I think Chad's coming.”

32

Avery

Luca spun around and scanned the direction where Chad and his group had left, but they weren't coming from that way. Avery nodded straight out in the desert, where she'd seen the mirage. “Look.”

June's tears dried up and she gazed toward the ocean of sand, and Benny sat straighter on his log as he studied the distance.

Within a few moments, the other group came into view. The whole lot of them—Chad, the other driver, and the two boys who had gone with him.

Avery almost smiled. She was getting better at tuning into her senses in this place. At determining what was happening, why, and when. In fact, they were all getting better. Adjusting.

She fit in better here than she ever had at home, and the realization reminded her of what Sam had said the day before—she was doing OK here.

The thought vanished as quickly as it had come, but Avery didn't write it off completely. She fit in here, and the others knew it.

“Why are they coming from the middle of the desert?” June asked.

“Why does anything happen around here?” Luca stood. “I'm going out to meet them.”

Avery followed him across the sand, thankful for the tennis shoes she'd brought.

After a few moments, she realized Benny and June followed them, too. They reached the other group in about ten minutes. Avery wiped the sweat from her head as Luca stepped forward.

“You made it back early.”

Chad frowned. “Early? You're mistaken, my friend. We're later than we hoped.”

“You left yesterday morning,” Luca said. “We weren't expecting you until at least tonight, but probably tomorrow.”

Chad's frown deepened and he shook his head. “We left four days ago, Luca.”

Avery's gaze flew to Luca. He looked to her then glanced at Benny and June. “I think we're all mixed up. Either way, did you get the gas?”

Each of them held up a container and they nodded.

“Good.”

They made their way back to camp together.

“Where is everyone?” Chad asked.

“Swimming,” Luca said. “We volunteered to stay back and keep an eye on camp.”

Chad's face turned somber. “And Erin?”

“She's fine.” Avery smiled at him. “Doing much better.” She hadn't mentioned it, but she had a theory about Erin. Just like the creek water had pushed away whatever forces changed June's eye color, now that Erin was drinking creek water instead of her own case from home, her dark forces were being chased off.

Chad's face relaxed and he smiled, too. “Good to hear.”

They reached camp and the guys moved to the van. “Did they get it patched up?”

“Yep,” Luca said. “Good to go.”

“Great. We'll leave as soon as everyone gets back. Why don't we get the camp packed up?”

Avery bit her lip. She glared at Luca, hoping he got the telepathic messages she was shooting at him.

“It's kind of late to set out today,” Luca said. “What if we wait until the morning?”

Avery held her breath.

Chad laughed. “Buddy, I already told you we need to have a serious talk about who the authority figure is in this relationship, but that sounds fine. First thing in the morning it is.”

Avery sighed in relief, but that didn't give her much time. She had to get back into that jungle, and soon. If the fire wasn't real, could she get through it? Hadn't she felt the heat, though? Would it still burn her? Maybe it was all in her head. If that were the case, it couldn't hurt her.

She sighed and gritted her teeth. Why couldn't Daddy just show up? For once in her life, she'd like to feel like she wasn't an afterthought.

Luca caught her eye and nodded.

Relief washed over her. He knew what she was thinking, and he was with her. She wouldn't have to go searching in the jungle alone. And maybe she wasn't
always
an afterthought.

Luca helped Chad pour the gasoline into the tank, and they all worked at packing up whatever supplies they could. “Should we stock up on fruit and water again?” June asked.

Avery could hug her. It was the perfect excuse for going back into the jungle.

“We don't have any water bottles,” Benny pointed out.

Avery stepped forward. “The others are getting water. We can go after the fruit.”

Chad nodded and Avery, Luca, Benny, and June quickly grabbed the baskets. Avery's heartbeat picked up with every step.

Once they were in the jungle, Avery set her basket aside and turned to the others. “How are we going to get across the creek without being seen by the others?”

“The creek flows through the entire jungle. We can find another spot to cross,” Luca said.