Shadowed Eden Read Free

desert. Avery took in their group.
    Thirteen teens and two adults—it should have been three adults except Daddy had switched seats with Luca.
    Erin was useless, and the driver wouldn't be any help in comforting anyone. That left Avery. Daddy was in charge of this trip. It only made sense that Avery would step up. It wasn't like she wasn't used to fending for herself, and when they found the other van, Daddy would see she wasn’t as useless as he treated her.
    She moved quickly to the girl and wrapped her in a hug. “It's OK to cry. We'll be fine. When the other group reaches the village, they'll see we're not there. They'll come find us.”
    The others in the group nodded, comforted by her explanation. It was better than the cold shoulder she usually got from them, even if she didn’t know what she was talking about. What if no one came to find them?
    She shook off the thoughts. “We're probably going to have to sleep in the van.”
    Luca stepped forward and hopped onto the van's bumper. It wasn't a far jump considering the van's sunken state. “We need to get out sweaters to keep warm, and if you brought any snacks you can eat them for supper. The other group will probably be here at first light.”
    Everyone snapped to action, moving to get what they needed from the luggage as Luca pulled pieces down. He stood like a born leader with his head held high, and his shoulders pulled back. He was poised and ready to make things happen. He caught her looking and smiled.
    Avery smiled back her thanks. She could put their past behind her—at least for now. It was good he'd been the one to switch with Daddy. Of course, if Daddy hadn't switched then Avery wouldn't have had to step up at all.
    “What's your name?” Avery asked, turning to the blonde.
    “June,” she said, blubbering. “June Sanderson. I was named after my grandmother.”
    Avery smiled and squeezed June's shoulder. “It's nice to meet you, June. I'm Avery.”
    June sniffled and wiped her tears with her palms. “Are we going to be OK?”
    Avery looked at Luca. Some of the others had begun helping him get the luggage. Even Erin seemed to have snapped out of her funk. They could do this. Maybe.
    Avery glanced back at June and smiled. “Yes. We're going to be fine. You'll see.”

2
    Luca
    Luca tightened the last rope in place, re-securing the luggage to the top of the van.
    The driver smacked the bags and gave the ropes a solid tug. “This is good. Strong.”
    Luca nodded and climbed down. Everyone had what they needed to get through the night—sweaters, snacks, magazines. He’d even hauled down Erin’s thirty-two pack of bottled water.
    He had nothing, since his bags were on the other van. A cold, desert wind hit him, and he rubbed his arms to keep warm.
    Most of the group huddled around a fire someone had managed to light. Lighters and matches had specifically been on the “Do Not Bring” list. Whoever brought them probably wouldn’t admit it. The heat took away the chill as he sat with the others around the fire.
    Each face stared at the flames. No one said anything.
    Not that Luca could blame them. They were lost in a desert a million miles from home. He slid his thumb across his phone one last time, but no bars still meant no signal. Why did he even keep trying?
    He shouldn’t be here. Coming on this trip was the last thing his family needed to shell out money for, and now he was stuck in the middle of nowhere. He could be at home fixing their leaky roof or looking for a summer job. Or a permanent job. Movement to his right caught his attention, and he turned.
    Avery stumbled her way through the sand and finally found a seat next to the blonde girl. She looked up when she had arranged her legs—Indian style—and her eyes met his. She looked away. Up, down, around. It didn’t seem to matter, as long as she wasn’t looking at him.
    She was avoiding him, just like she’d done the entire trip. If she was surprised he came, Luca didn’t know