Shadowed Eden (9 page)

Her vision swam, and instead of seeing three companions she saw six. She blinked them away and gritted her teeth. “Luca, do we have any more water?”

He glanced at her, studying her. Hopefully he couldn't see her confusion. “Sure. Here you go.”

She snatched it from his hand and quickly turned it toward her lips. The wet liquid rushed down her throat and she sighed. Much better. She closed the bottle and handed it back. After a few more steps, something began moving up ahead.

It definitely wasn't the girls, and no monkey stalked them that she could see.

Was it the tree branches? Or the air? Whatever it was, she was seeing the wind again. She turned away, trying to put the strangeness of the place out of her mind, but the movement held her eye.

Maybe it wasn't the air, after all. She squinted ahead and realized she wasn't seeing things. There was fruit on a few trees in front of them. “Look, guys!”

“Are those bananas?” June asked.

Benny grinned. “Score!” He jogged to the tree and began shimmying up.

“You can climb that?” Luca asked.

“Sure, my granddad used to take me hunting, and we climbed up without a stand.”

Avery couldn't imagine giving Benny a gun, but she kept that to herself.

He tossed down a bunch of bananas.

Avery grabbed a few to distribute. The sweet fruit was better than any full course meal she'd ever eaten. “Should we take the rest back to the group?” she asked.

“Yeah, good idea,” Luca replied.

June frowned and kicked at the dirt. “So, is the search over?”

Luca studied June, his eyebrows drawn tight. “We're not giving up, but this path seems to lead back to the desert. They may have beaten us to it.”

Found their way back? That's exactly what Rae said would happen.

Still, June didn't seem to want to accept it.

Avery put her arm around June's shoulder. “It will be fine.”

June smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

“Let's get back to the group,” Luca said. “We'll rest and see if they've made it back.”

“And then what?” June pressed.

He shrugged. “We'll go from there. We're not giving up on them.”

Why was Luca coddling her? The path was obviously leading back to the group. What more did June want?

Avery took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. She wasn't being fair. It was just this place. She grabbed the remainder of the bananas and continued her walk.

The others caught up.

“What's the hurry?” Luca asked, jogging to catch her.

She shrugged. “I just want to get out of here. I need to see the sun.”

That appeased him. “We'll figure something out. We'll find them.”

Let him think that's why she was upset. She sure wasn't going to tell him the missing girls had nothing to do with it, and she wasn't going to admit a huge, black beetle had just crawled across her feet.

10

Luca

The good news was pretty obvious as soon as they stepped into the light of the open desert. Dry heat hit Luca in the face. It was at least ten degrees hotter than the jungle, but without the humidity, it was bearable.

Everyone in the group gathered in a circle, talking over each other in loud, excited voices.

“They're here!” June sprinted through the sand. Her feet slipped and she almost nose-dived, but she righted herself and made it to the group. Pushing herself through, she threw herself at Gabby in a hug.

The girls laughed.

Luca smiled. “Can't believe we did all that and they made it back on their own.”

Avery turned to look at him but winced. “I'm really sorry about your head.”

The lump on his forehead felt bigger than it had before. He shrugged. “It's really no big deal.”

“At least you have a great story to tell. You were attacked by a jungle monkey.”

He laughed but it faded fast. “I think we all have a great story to tell. We've been stranded in the desert for days.”

Her smile fell away, too, and worry lines replaced it. She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Can you believe this? Why hasn't anyone come looking for us?”

He fought the urge to hug her. To comfort her.

A rumbling in the distance caught his attention and he let a slow grin spread across his face. “Do you hear that? It sounds like they got our van running.”

Her head snapped up, and she gazed across the sand toward the van. The guys gathered around it, laughing and high-fiving.

This was good. Better than good! They'd found the lost girls and fixed their van, and now they could get out of here for good. Just in time, too, because Benny wasn't the only one who was tired of fruit.

Luca could go for a double bacon cheeseburger and super fries right about now. He nudged Avery. “Come on. Let's check it out.”

They walked side by side toward the missing girls.

“Do you want to say something to them?”

She shook her head and kept her gaze on the van. Seemed strange, but he didn't question her. Instead, he led her to the van.

“You did it.” Luca shook hands with Bradley and Sam. “Do we have a plan to get out of here?”

“The tires are buried deeply in the sand,” Sam said, “but we are working on a plan.”

“Excellent.”

Bradley wiped his hands on his shirt and stepped toward them. “Dude, did you hear those girls' story yet?” He cocked an eyebrow when Luca shook his head. “It's pretty crazy. You might want to go have a listen.”

Luca turned to the girls who were still surrounded by the rest of the group. That didn't really sound like good news. He turned back to Bradley. “Thanks. And good work on the van.”

An uneasy feeling settled in Luca's gut as he and Avery stepped closer to the group gathered around Gabby and Katelyn. He moved close to them and waited for a break in the conversation. “So,” he finally said. “Where have you been?”

Avery cleared her throat and stepped around him. “How are you? Were you hurt? We heard Katelyn has asthma.”

Luca cringed. He should have started with that.

“I'm fine,” Katelyn said. “We found water and fruit, and we got back as soon as we could find our way.”

They did look OK—no cuts or bruises.

“How did you sleep in there?” Avery asked. She shuddered.

Gabby stepped forward. “We didn't sleep at all. We were only gone a couple of hours.”

Luca's nerves went on high alert. “What do you mean?” He glanced at Avery and she frowned, her head cocked to the side.

“We only went in to use the bathroom. We didn't go more than a few steps in, but when we turned around, we realized we were lost. After about an hour of walking we found a creek, and later some fruit, then we found our way out.”

So his original water path had definitely crossed with the girls' path, but their timeline was way off. “You guys have been gone since yesterday morning,” he finally said.

Had they gone crazy?

Avery's face looked troubled, and she wrapped her arms more tightly around her waist. It was something she didn't do in the past. Must have become some kind of nervous habit.

Katelyn shook her head, bringing him out of his thoughts. “Everyone keeps saying that, but we weren't there all night. It never even got dark.”

Their story made no sense. The alcove had been beaten down by someone's body, and the pathway leading away from it came straight to the desert.

“So how did you find your way out?” Avery asked.

“We had a feeling,” Katelyn said. “It happened to be right.”

Gabby chuckled, and her tight black curls bounced around her face. “Yeah, that and your vision. Tell them about him.”

“Vision?” Luca asked.

Bradley was right. This was getting weirder by the minute.

“She saw some guy dressed in white,” Gabby said. “She said he pointed to the way we should go.”

A cold, uneasy feeling crept up Luca's spine. He pushed out thoughts of the white flash he saw, and forced himself to be logical. “I don't understand.”

Katelyn frowned and elbowed Gabby. “You promised you wouldn't tell.”

“It's nothing to be ashamed of,” Gabby said. “We were hot and hungry. People see things. You just happened to see something that got us out of there.”

Avery choked and coughed. She pulled away from the group, covering her mouth.

Luca turned back to the girls. “So a guy in white told you how to get back.”

“I guess so,” Gabby said.

“Where did you see him?” Avery had stepped back to the group.

Luca kept cool about it, but her shaking was obvious.

Gabby and Katelyn glanced at each other, almost as if they were trying to remember.

“It was after we saw the fruit tree,” Katelyn said. “Do you remember that?”

Gabby frowned but nodded. “I think so, but I didn't see him.”

Katelyn blushed and shrugged. “I wish I didn't see him, either. I thought I was going crazy! But at least we made it back.”

A guy dressed in white.

Luca swallowed hard. If Katelyn was hallucinating, it wasn't because she was hot and hungry, and she wasn't the only one.

11

Avery

Their words gave Avery goose bumps, but not in a bad way. Maybe she wasn't crazy after all—someone else had seen Rae.

Something irked her, though. He'd been a vision to Katelyn. A hallucination. He hadn't spoken to Katelyn or given his name.

Why had he talked to Avery? And more, what was he, if Avery could hear him and Katelyn couldn't?

She turned away from the group, trying to gather her thoughts.

The van purred behind them. The sound was sweeter than the water from the creek, but still.

She spun back to Luca. “Will we be leaving now?”

Luca paused mid-sentence.

Oops. She should have waited.

“I think the guys are working out a plan. We should get everything repacked, and maybe gather some fruit and water.”

That's what she'd hoped. Water meant going back into the jungle, and going back in gave her a chance to get a few answers. When the plans were made and it was determined a couple teams would go back for water and fruit, Avery was first in line.

June tugged on Avery's elbow. “Come on. We'll go with you.”

Benny stood at June's side, looking less than enthused about it all.

Avery managed a smile, even though she wished she could go in alone. “Thanks, June. I guess we should get some water bottles.”

They moved toward the van where Luca had left the water supplies. Someone had cracked the windows, letting the air circulate. They would all appreciate that later.

Every bottle they'd filled that morning was already empty, so she stuffed them all into Luca's bag and hefted it onto her shoulder.

As she turned to go, a foot on the back seat caught her attention. She craned her neck and saw that Erin lay stretched out, her arm over her eyes.

Avery frowned. Whatever was bothering Erin was something she wasn't willing to talk about, but she was the youth leader, and their only authority figure for the time being. Avery glanced toward Luca, but he was still talking to the other guys. She climbed toward the back of the van. “Erin? Are you OK?”

Erin's chest rose and fell with each breath she took, but she didn't answer.

“The missing girls are back, and the van is running. We should be leaving soon. We'll get out of here and find my dad and Chad.”

The arm came down and Erin stared at Avery with bloodshot eyes. “It's not going to work.”

Avery paused. “Of course it is. We're almost ready to go.” But inside, Erin's words made Avery shake. What if it was true? What if it didn't work and they were stuck forever? What if they never went home, and Avery never got to prove herself? Never got to win Daddy's approval. Never went to college, got married, or had kids.

She swallowed hard and said it again. “It will work.”

“You'll see.” Erin put her arm back over her eyes. “He'll be right. I can feel it.”

Goose bumps were back. Avery climbed further into the van until she was leaning over Erin. “Who are you talking about? Who said that?”

“Never mind.” Apparently, Erin wasn't talking anymore.

Avery glanced at her hands and realized they shook. Erin's eyes were closed, but Avery couldn't forget her words. It was time to get out of here.

She slipped out of the van without another word to Erin, and made her way back to Benny and June. “Let's make this quick. I'm ready to get out of here.” Erin's warning gave her the creeps.

Maybe Avery and Katelyn weren't the only ones seeing people—or a person? Maybe Rae was only pretending to help while he was simultaneously torturing Erin.

A few others were heading into the jungle at the same time, going to look for fruit.

Avery glanced at the sun as they passed under the first few trees. It was making its way closer to the tree line, and soon it would be dark.

Everything looked normal as she walked. Tall trees, green leaves, thick brush. No giant black beetles or boys dressed in white. The gurgling creek came into view, and Avery handed Benny and June a few bottles each.

They all bent at the water and began filling.

The quiet was only broken by the running water and a few jungle sounds, but Avery's nerves were raw. “So, June, how many kids from your group came on this trip?” She needed to talk about something. Anything.

“Besides me, Gabby, and Katelyn, the other van had two girls and a youth worker.”

“No guys?”

She smiled and shook her head. “They were all too busy to go on a mission trip and help little kids.”

“Yeah, I was surprised we had so many guys show up.”

“Hey,” Benny said. “I came, didn't I?”

June screwed the cap on the last bottle. She stood up. “Why did you come? Why not stay home?”