Shadowed Eden (6 page)

Blurry images swam in front of her eyes. The green leaves, green grass, green canopy above her—everything mixed together and she pressed her eyes closed. Why couldn't she concentrate?

A twig snapped behind her. Something moved in the brush.

Avery froze. She turned slowly, keeping as still as she could. It could be a tiger, or a panther, or something much bigger and stranger.

“Don't be afraid.”

The voice was soft and smooth—and definitely male. She spun toward it and spotted the speaker. He was tall, probably taller than Luca, though it was hard to tell from her place on the ground. His blond hair covered his head in short waves, and his blue eyes stood out in the sea of green jungle.

He had told her to not be afraid, but why would anyone start with that unless they were going to hurt her?

She scrambled to her feet and backed away. “Who are you?”

The guy paused. His shoulders were broader than a football player's, and he held out his large hands in a defensive gesture. “My name is Rae. I've been waiting for you. I can help you get back to your group.”

She shook her head. Somewhere along the line she had started shaking. “Waiting for me? Where did you come from? How did you know I was with a group?”

“I live here,” he said. “I know everything that goes on.”

He lived here? That changed a few things. She cautiously stepped forward, eager for more information but afraid to get too close. “Where are we? Can you tell us how to get out of here?”

The sooner they got out of this jungle the better. Getting to the village and helping people was the whole point, but after everything they'd been through Avery just wanted to go home. Maybe she wasn't meant to start a new life after all.

Again he paused.

He.

Rae.

What did he need to think about? He lived here, and her group didn't. He knew how to get out, they didn't. He could tell them how, they could leave, end of story.

“I'll see what I can do.”

Relief washed over her, and she even forgot about the sweat and grime covering her skin. “Thank you. I need to take you to my group. We're trying to get our van fixed, and you can tell the driver which way to go.”

He seemed to consider her words, something that must be a habit of his. “I can't come right now.”

The boy—Rae—made no sense. “But you said you would help us.” Her head began to swim again.

“I will,” he said quickly. It was the first time he'd spoken without thinking first.

“Then we need you.”

“You're lost, aren't you? I can help you get back, for now. Your group is that way. If you follow the path you will find them.” He pointed to the area behind her.

She turned and recognized the path she'd made earlier in the day with Luca.

Besides the fact that the path hadn't been there a few minutes ago, something weird was happening here. “When will I see you again, Rae? You said you would help us.”

“I don't know. It will be soon.”

She swallowed hard. “Thank you for your help.” She turned to go, but paused. “Wait, there are others who are lost. We had two girls wander off alone. Have you seen anyone else?”

This time he paused for a little too long.

Avery frowned. She was about to hurry away when he spoke. “I pointed them in the right direction. They'll be back soon.”

Avery's frown deepened, but staying with this guy another minute was the least appealing thing ever. She hurried back, trekking in the direction he'd pointed her, but something about his behavior didn't make sense.

The further she stomped through the brush the more her mind worked and the faster she moved. This place was doing weird things to her. Hadn't she been unable to think just a few hours before? Unable to focus just a few
moments
before?

Erin had slipped into some unhappy place, and two girls had gone missing just by going to the edge of the jungle.

Avery ground her teeth and examined herself hard. Was that guy even real? Was she hallucinating?

She couldn't deny it might be a possibility. And she definitely couldn't tell anyone else about Rae.

Maybe that was what was wrong with Erin. The youth leader's wife had never been anything but on top of things, so her behavior since getting stranded was definitely out of character.

Avery picked out the path they'd worn earlier that day and she glanced back. The mystery guy was nowhere in sight, which didn't do anything to dispel her theory. Luca would have questions when she got back—he'd probably be furious with her—but she wasn't sure which facts she would tell him.

All she knew was that she needed out of this jungle, and fast.

She turned back to the path and ran.

6

Luca

“My name is Samuel,” the driver said. “You may call me Sam.”

He definitely didn't look like a Sam, but Luca kept that to himself.

“There.” Bradley pointed toward a hose that had come loose, and Sam pulled it off. Sand poured out of it.

“Dude, how does that even happen?” Bradley took the hose and turned it over in his hands.

Sam frowned. “I do not know.”

“Can we fix it?” That was the most important question, and Luca knew almost nothing about mechanics.

“Maybe, if we had any tools. But I don't see a spare tool box lying around the desert.”

“Tools?” Sam stumbled through the sand and yanked open the driver's side door.

Someone gasped from inside, and Luca frowned. He peeked through the side window.

June sat inside, alone and crying.

What was it now? It didn't matter, he couldn't leave her there. He stepped to the side door and opened it just as Sam found a small toolbox stashed under the driver's seat. Pent-up heat hit Luca in the face. “How are you sitting in here? It's like an oven.”

June wiped the tears off her face and shrugged. “I wanted to be alone.”

Where was Avery when he needed her? Dealing with a crying stranger wasn't his thing, especially a
girl
stranger. “I think it's best if you be alone with everyone else. You'll get sick if you stay in here much longer.”

She shook her head, keeping her face down. “I don't care. I think we should be looking for Gabby and Katelyn. They're alone out there.”

Was she trying to stage some sort of protest?

Luca took her seriously as he hauled himself inside the van. “It's too dark right now. We'd end up lost.”

She stared at some point behind him, not budging from the seat.

Luca kept his growl to himself. She needed more convincing? “We'll go first thing tomorrow.”

Her eyes finally met his. “As soon as we wake up?”

“You have my word.”

She sighed. “OK. Thanks.”

He nodded then pointed toward the door. “You're welcome. Now will you come out and join everyone else in the shade?”

She sniffled. “I guess so. It is really hot in here.”

“You think?”

June smiled at him before moving toward the others in the shade. He watched her go then scanned the tree line for any movement that might tell him where those girls had gone. Nothing caught his attention.

A small stack of luggage sat at the back bumper so he moved to re-pile it on the roof. It wasn't like they needed him under the hood, anyway.

The last suitcase was Avery's, and after he hefted it on top and tied everything down, he scanned the area for her. June had moved to sit with the other girls, and Erin paced in the sand with her head bowed. Most of the guys hovered around the van. Luca frowned and looked again.

Erin paced. June sat with Tasha, Mallory, and Brittany. Benny ranted behind the girls' backs—it looked like he was ranting to them, but they weren't listening.

No Avery.

He spun around but she wasn't at the van.

She wouldn't have gone into the jungle on her own. She was not that stupid.

“Have you seen Avery?” he asked.

The guys bent under the hood glanced up at him, but it was pretty obvious they hadn't been watching out for his ex-girlfriend.

He groaned and stomped through the sand to the tree line. His feet shifted with every step, making the short trip take twice as long. He probably looked like a big idiot.

“Where's Avery?” he asked June when he'd finally reached her.

June frowned. Her tears were gone, and she was getting comfortable with the others. “I haven't seen her since I got in the van.”

Luca glanced around. Something in the pit of his stomach twisted, and he swallowed hard. He didn't like this. “I can't find her.”

June gasped. “You don't think she went in there alone, do you? I asked her why we weren't going in again. I could tell she thought about it, but she said no. That's when I got in the van.”

Luca closed his eyes and held in his frustration. Avery, alone in the jungle.

The memory of the white flash from earlier that morning was all he could think about. What was that thing? And was it dangerous? “Do you still want to go in there?”

June bit her lip and glanced around. “The sun is almost down.”

“I'm going to look for her, even if I have to go alone. I just thought you might want to come along.”

Benny scrambled over, almost falling flat on his face as his feet slid in the sand. “I'm coming too!”

“You better not get in my way.”

“I won't!”

“Fine. Are you coming?” He turned back to June.

She stood and glanced at the other girls. They didn't move. “Yeah. I'm coming.”

He stared hard at Tasha, Mallory, and Brittany. “Go tell the other guys what's going on. And no one else goes in until we get back. Do you understand?”

They nodded.

Luca sighed and turned toward the jungle. This was probably as dumb as Avery having gone in. “Does anyone know who brought the matches? We should make a torch or something.”

“I have a flashlight in my bag,” Mallory said.

“Can I borrow it?”

She nodded, and they retrieved it.

Making his way back to June and Benny, he formed a plan. They would follow the path they had made to the creek. If Avery had gotten lost, she was smart enough to look for a path. Except she wouldn't be able to see in the dark.

“Ready?” he asked.

June and Benny nodded, and he maneuvered around them to take the lead. Stepping into the jungle at night was like walking into a closet and closing the door. He shined the flashlight in front of them, but it didn't do much to light their way.

“I think we each need one of those,” Benny said, nodding to the light.

“Yeah, I think so too. Anyone know who brought the matches?”

“I think it was that Bradley boy,” June said.

Luca would remember that.

They kept walking, but the flashlight beam didn't do much in the way of illuminating the path enough to tell if anyone had passed this way.

“Avery?” Luca called. “Can you hear me?”

Benny and June began calling out, as well. They paused every few moments, but Avery never answered.

A movement to the left caught Luca's attention and he pivoted around. He shined the flashlight into the mass of trees. The swishing sound continued, but he couldn't see anything.

“I—I think it's coming from the ground,” June said. Her voice quivered.

Luca swallowed and slowly moved the light toward the tangly, grassy, jungle floor. The tall grass barely wavered, but it was definitely moving.

“What do you think it is?” June whispered. Her voice was high pitched, which meant one thing. She was on the verge of tears. Again.

They waited, watching.

Luca's heart thudded harder in his chest. It beat so loud he was sure June and Benny could hear it. He straightened his shoulders, determined to be a man.

A long, shiny, black creature slid out of the grass and straight for them.

June's scream bounced off the jungle canopy and pierced his ears a few dozen times.

Pain shot up his arm, and he realized she was clawing at his skin in her terror.

The snake stopped and coiled into a springy defensive position. It hissed and lunged.

Luca didn't care that it was several feet away. He shoved June and yelled, “Run!”

June took off without another thought, and Benny was right behind her. Luca brought up the rear. They ran as fast as they could through the brush, and after a few minutes he began worrying they weren't even on the path anymore. The snake had probably given up, but he wasn't about to slow down to find out.

“Are you sure you're going the right direction?” he asked. His lungs were beginning to burn.

“I think so,” June panted.

A dim light filtered through the trees ahead. They were almost at the tree line. Almost back to the desert.

Umph.

Luca smacked into something solid and bowled right over it. He hit the ground, landing on top of whatever he'd run into. Terror pulsed through him, and he scrambled to his feet in case he'd upset some other jungle creature.

A whimper came from the ground, and he quickly shined his flashlight on it.

“Avery!”

Avery lay on the ground, her arm protecting her eyes from the beam of light. She moaned. “Luca?”

He dropped to his knees. “I'm so sorry, Avery. Where did you come from?”

She moved slowly, like he'd broken every bone in her body.

He helped her sit up. “Are you OK?”

She swallowed and nodded. “I think so.” Then she gave him a wry look. “You ever consider playing football?”

He chuckled and relief hit him hard. “You're OK. I was so worried about you. We came as soon as I realized you were gone.”

She gently pulled away from him, and he realized he'd grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

“Help me stand up?”

He held out his hand and pulled her into a standing position. “Why did you go in there?”