Shadowed Eden Read Free Page B

alone. Her eyes were closed and her chest moved up and down, slowly.
    She’d probably looked that way since everyone else climbed in. They probably all thought she was asleep.
    She wasn’t, though. Her breaths were too shallow, and she lay too still, like she was trying not to move.
    Luca turned around and tried to get comfortable in his seat. The driver was already snoring beside him. No wonder the passenger seat had been empty.
    He stared at the ceiling and did a mental run-through of what needed to be done tomorrow. If he was right, no one would make it to them for a while. That meant they needed food and water. There had to be a water source close by with that huge, green jungle behind them, and there had to be fruit. Two groups could go out; one for food and one for water. Everyone else could stay back and wait for help.
    Out of the thirteen teens there were six guys and seven girls, even though Benny wasn’t exactly a dependable choice when it came to any hard labor. On the other hand, Luca would trust Avery to get any job done, so maybe that evened things out.
    They could split the teams, half guys and half girls. Avery was with him, whether she liked it or not. Who knew what kinds of animals lived in that jungle? She could go back to ignoring him once they were rescued.
    As the night wore on, Luca glanced around. Almost everyone was asleep. A few people looked out the window. He twisted further to check on Avery.
    She watched him but must not have expected him to see her because she quickly turned around.
    He grinned as he faced forward. He knew she’d been awake earlier. He knew her better than she knew herself. Maybe this trip wasn’t as big a mistake as he thought. She’d actually smiled at him once or twice. There might still be hope.
    He kept himself awake until the last passenger nodded off, and sometime in the darkest hours of the night, he fell asleep, too. He woke up when the blinding desert sun shone in his face. The others were already climbing from the van and cold air blew in from outside.
    He twisted around. Avery was already out.
    Too bad no one had left their sweater behind. Bracing himself against the cold, he hopped out with the others. A few of the girls stuck together, huddling for warmth. Avery wrapped her sweater more tightly around herself, looking anywhere but at him and standing alone.
    His gut clenched at seeing her by herself, and he wanted to move toward her. Protect her. Make everything better for her. It’d surprised him when he found out she was still coming on the trip herself. She’d signed up in a flurry of independence, but Mr. Miles usually stomped out those flames pretty fast.
    The sun rose toward the sky behind her, towering like the huge ball of fire it was.
    One day she’d learn how strong she was on her own.
    “Hey, where can I go to the bathroom?” Benny’s face blocked his view and Luca punched him in the arm.
    “Dude, go find a tree.”
    “In there?” His voice went up an octave.
    Luca rolled his eyes. Maybe Benny should be on the team that stayed behind.
    “You want someone to hold your hand?” He meant it as a joke, but when Benny’s eyes lit up, Luca shoved him. “Get out of here.”
    Benny skittered away and Luca glanced around.
    Avery was gone.
    He huffed and scanned the crowd for Erin. He needed to tell her his ideas and try to get her on his side. She wouldn’t let anyone go trekking across the jungle if she believed help was coming any minute.
    Erin stood near the spot where they’d gathered around the fire last night, and Luca made his way toward her. He scanned the area as he moved—a habit from all his years spent hunting in the woods—and he had almost reached her when he froze.
    Something moved at the tree line. Something white.
    Whatever it was, it was fast and it looked about his size, maybe bigger.
    He frowned and stared for a second, trying to get another look.
    Just then, Benny came strolling out of the jungle.
    “Are you OK? Luca?”