Shadowed Eden (7 page)

She paused, and he could see the wheels turning in her head. What did she have to tell him?

“Let's get out of here first, then I'll tell you all about it.”

He nodded and waved the flashlight beam. “Lead the way.”

June stepped in front of Benny and put her arm around Avery's waist. “I'm glad you're OK. I'm sorry I fell apart on you like that.”

Avery shook her head. “It's OK. I wanted to find Gabby and Katelyn, too.”

“Did you find them?”

Avery looked at June and shook her head again.

They reached the tree line and Luca flicked off the flashlight.

Some of the others had fallen asleep, but almost everyone waited for their return.

Erin stood near the tree line, her shoulders tensed and her eyebrows pulled together. When they stepped out and everyone saw Avery, Erin let out a pent up breath and put her face in her hands. “Thank God!” she said.

A few of the others rushed forward and hugged Avery. She smiled at them and let them touch her. They made a fuss over the cut on her cheek, which he hadn't even noticed. It felt good to see they were acknowledging her, instead of acting like she didn't exist. Avery never deserved the way the others had treated her.

Luca waited until the fuss died down, but he couldn't wait any longer. As soon as he could, he pulled her aside. “So, what happened in there?”

7

Avery

Avery licked her lips and glanced around. Everyone was listening, even though Luca had pulled her to the side. They would hear if she admitted what she'd seen—what she thought she'd seen. She threw a look behind her, back to the jungle. No one lived in there. How could they? No one could live in a funky oasis in the middle of the Iraqi desert.

“I only went in a few feet. I could see the light from the desert behind me at all times, but then I got dizzy. I closed my eyes until the dizziness passed, but when I opened my eyes, the light was gone. I was somewhere deeper in the jungle, and I don't know how I got there.”

Luca took in every word she said. He watched her closely; he was definitely taking her seriously.

A tiny flicker of relief sparked through her—he didn't think she was crazy.

“That tells us how easy it is to get lost without realizing it. No wonder Gabby and Katelyn got turned around.” He turned to the others, who had all heard. “No one goes into the jungle without someone keeping watch, and only go in with a group. No exceptions.”

They nodded, a few wrapping their arms around their stomachs and stepping closer together. The anxiety in the air was thick enough to nearly choke her.

“Let's get some sleep,” Luca said. “We'll find Gabby and Katelyn first thing tomorrow, and the other van will either come, or we'll get out of here in our own van.”

Bradley stepped forward. “We made a lot of progress today.”

Luca nodded and the others took it as their cue to move.

“Hey,” Luca said. “Let me take those things.”

Avery looked down and realized she still carried the sweatshirt, hat, and sunblock. She shook her head and handed him the sweatshirt. “Here, I got it out for you.”

“I am not taking your sweatshirt.”

“It's yours. You left it at my house a long time ago.” She looked away hoping he wouldn't ask why she'd brought it on this trip.

He didn't, only took it wordlessly as they began walking to the van together.

Avery clasped her hands and let her mind wander back to the jungle, and her memory of Rae's face. Was he real? She didn't like this at all. How could she help anyone when she couldn't trust her own mind?

She followed the others to the van and climbed into her seat. She unwrapped her sweater from her waist, slipped her arms inside, and sat back. Her eyes slid closed and she sighed.

Aches throbbed from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, and her hands burned from where she'd fallen. Even her cheek stung. When her stomach rumbled she didn't think she'd ever been so hungry. No wonder she was seeing things.

Things would look better in the morning, and hopefully Daddy would be here soon.

She tried to stay awake, to keep one eye peeled for Gabby and Katelyn to come stumbling out of the jungle, but her eyes drooped, and she fell asleep quickly.

When she awoke the next morning, the sun had only just begun to rise on the horizon. She sat up and looked out the window, but there was no Katelyn and Gabby, and no rescue van. Everyone else still slept. Taking a deep breath, she began the climb over the others.

Tasha stirred but didn't wake up, and the others didn't notice her movement.

Avery slipped outside and pulled her sweater tight. The sun wouldn't be fully up for another hour or two, and that meant cold air. She stared at the jungle in the dim sunlight. It looked beautiful, even if it was scarier than anything she'd ever experienced.

Still, with the new day came new hope. Something would happen today—they would get the van running or they would be rescued. They could get away from this blazing prison and do what they came to do—build a school.

Her stomach growled and she hugged herself tighter. She'd be ready to go find food as soon as a few more people woke up.

Benny was the first person out of the van.

“Good morning,” she said.

He waved, wiping at his hair which stood on end. “I'm going to the trees. I'll be right back.” His cheeks turned a fiery red.

She nodded, quickly looking away. No reason to make him any more embarrassed than he already was. Bradley climbed out, followed by the van driver, June, and the others.

“Hey,” June said. She stretched her arms and massaged her neck. “I'm ready to sleep in a place where we can stretch out.”

Avery smiled and nodded, but more than a bed, she wanted food. “Was Luca awake yet?”

June frowned and glanced at the van. “I couldn't tell.”

“I'm starving.” It was OK to admit that now, since June had no more food to offer.

“Me too. We'll get some fruit once we're inside.”

The thought of food sent Avery's stomach into a frenzied growl, and June laughed. “My grandma used to say a growling stomach was an easy-to-please stomach.”

Avery opened her mouth to disagree, but she had to snap it closed. “I guess I do eat just about anything.”

June grinned, and Avery couldn't stop the warmth spreading through her. How long had it been since she'd had an actual girlfriend? A long time.

Hanging onto June, even when they went home—if they went home—would be at the top of her priority list.

Everyone moved through the camp like they'd been there forever, each of them with their own duties. Bradley and the driver popped the hood and started their work immediately, and Mallory stepped in front of Avery, looking strong and sure. Her moment of complaining yesterday must have been a tiny crack in her normally solid façade. “We're ready to go get food and water. Can we go ahead and make a run into the jungle?”

Avery shifted in the sand, surprised anyone was asking for her permission.

She glanced at Tasha, Brittany, and David. There were enough of them, and they weren't going in without telling someone. “Sure. I think that'd be fine.”

“Great. We'll follow the same path we took yesterday, and we'll be back with fruit. Are you guys going to get the water?”

“We'll go once Luca is up.”

Mallory nodded and hurried back to her group. They headed into the jungle, and Avery hoped Luca would wake up soon. She really was starving.

A few minutes later, the van door clicked shut. Luca emerged from the van. He wore the sweatshirt she'd given him last night, and she smiled. “Sleep well?”

“Nope, not even close.”

She laughed. “Too bad. Anyway, Tasha's group went in for fruit, and I said we'd get the water. What's the plan?”

He stretched and scratched his head. “Are you sure you want to go back in there?”

Avery opened her mouth to promise him she was, but she realized he was talking to June. Avery turned to June, her eyebrows raised. “What happened?”

June shuddered. “I had nightmares about that thing all night.”

“What?” Avery asked again. And why did it bother her that Luca was talking to June? She pushed the thought away, not willing to go down that path so early in the morning.

“A snake,” June said. “It came at us when we were looking for you.”

Luca nodded. “It's why we were running when I knocked you down.”

Snakes? Avery shuddered along with June. “There really could be anything in there.” She regretted saying it right away. Could there be people inside? People who lived in the jungle and could help them find their way home?

“Give me a few minutes, and we'll get going, OK?” Luca said.

Avery nodded and watched him move toward the trees. She scooted to the raised hood of the van and peered inside. “How's it going?”

“Good.” Bradley's voice didn't hold the hissing frustration it had yesterday. Now his eyes were opened wide and full of excitement. “Hey, can you guys bring me back water? I need it to clean off this sand.”

“Hold on, I think we have some.” She reached inside the van and pulled a half empty bottle from the pack in Luca's seat. “Here, use this. We'll bring back more for drinking.”

Bradley's smile grew. “Excellent.”

He poured the water over the engine hoses as she turned to study the others. Everyone was hungry and thirsty, and none of them had any food. They needed to hurry.

Luca came back a few minutes later and Avery stepped forward.

June and Benny gathered around.

“I think we should bring back water before we start our search,” Avery said. “Everyone needs something to drink.”

Luca nodded. “That sounds great.” He turned to Benny. “You sure you want to come along?”

Benny frowned. “I think I've proved myself by now.”

Poor Benny. He'd never be able to prove himself.

“Come on,” Avery said. “Let's get moving. Hopefully they'll get the van running soon.”

Luca nodded and they began their hike into the jungle. “I don't even know where to start looking for the girls,” he admitted.

“I've been thinking about it,” Avery said as they moved toward the creek. “We saw their path. We need to follow it and look for any part where they might have strayed from it. A place we might not have noticed yesterday.”

Luca watched her as she talked, not looking away or blinking, and heat burned her neck.

Finally, he spoke. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

It took a while to reach the creek, and they took time filling each bottle. Avery drank two bottles of water, then she found the tree with the pears a few feet over. She picked one and began eating when Benny, Luca, and June joined her.

“We're going to need more to eat than fruit if we're here much longer,” Luca said. He took a bite.

Avery didn't like the thought of being there much longer, but she kept it to herself.

“There's that box of food in the back of the van.” The idea came from Benny, which surprised Avery. By the look on Luca's face it had surprised him, too. Benny chomped on his pear, fruit juice running down his chin. He wiped it with the back of his hand.

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's not a bad idea,” Luca said. “Hopefully we won't have to break into it.”

They stuffed a few pears in with the water and quickly headed back to the desert. As they walked, Avery kept an eye out for the path she'd taken last night. The spot where Luca tackled her was obvious—the grass and brush were all smashed to the ground. She looked into the distance, to the place where she would have seen Rae, and she swallowed. Would he reappear? Would he speak to her?

Would anyone else be able to see him?

They reached the sand and delivered the water. The others had returned with a bundle of fruit, but Avery didn't plan to stick around to eat it.

Two girls were missing in the jungle, and it was time to find them.

8

Luca

Luca was never so happy to unload a backpack. Carrying a couple gallons of water a mile in the hot jungle was the opposite of his favorite workout. He hefted the pack onto the ledge of the van's hood. “Here's enough water for everyone for the day. We'll be back in a few hours.”

Bradley nodded, his head bent toward the engine.

“We are making great progress,” Sam said.

“Good.” Luca nodded, grabbed a few bottles of water for their group, then it was time to head back in. He turned to Avery and the others. “Remember, we're looking for paths we may have missed yesterday.” He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it sooner. It just proved more that he and Avery made a great team. He needed her.

She needed him, too. Now if he could convince her of that.

Avery, June, and Benny nodded at his instructions to keep their eyes peeled, and they started back into the inferno. They hiked straight for the fork where their two paths met. Any deviation from the path would happen there. As they walked, Luca stumbled. A large stick lay in the path. It was as tall as he was, and as thick as a broom handle. It might be useful later, so he grabbed it.

He tried to keep an eye out for landmarks, to remind him where they were at any given point. As he passed a large bush, something rattled in the leaves. Luca slowed down and glanced around. No one seemed to notice the movement, so he kept it to himself as he raised the large stick and pushed the branches apart.

Something skittered out. It was small, no bigger than a squirrel, and it stopped a few feet from him to let him have it.

Avery giggled at the screeches as the baby monkey ran away.

Luca let out a rush of air, trying to keep his fear from showing. He'd been sure it was another snake.

“That little guy wasn't very happy with you!” Avery said.