Free Shadowed Eden by Katie Clark

had spooked her. Too bad she wasn’t sharing what it was.
    “We don’t have time to go back,” Luca said. “It would take the rest of the daylight hours just to get back to the desert and bring someone else out here. I say we keep going.”
    She clenched her teeth but didn’t speak.
    He took that as compliance.
    She huffed and pushed past him, taking the lead.
    Luca held in his sigh. Who knew what had scared her? In this place, there was no telling. One thing he did know. He couldn’t get out of here fast enough.

9
    Avery
    Avery blinked against the sweat dripping in her eyes. Every step she took toward the heart of the jungle made her head spin faster. Every thought was a chore. Her mind was a war zone.
    She swallowed against the fear in her stomach. No matter what her eyes told her, small black creatures were not following them. The creatures didn’t increase in number with every step they took.
    This was a certainty because no one else seemed to notice the shiny black things crawling everywhere.
    Not crazy.
    Not crazy.
    Not crazy.
    “Do you suppose they just got mixed up?” June’s words broke into Avery’s thoughts. “We’ve been walking for hours. They had to have realized they were going in the wrong direction.”
    Luca shook his head and shrugged. “It’s easy to do when the light gets dim.”
    Speaking of dim. The deeper they hiked, the darker it grew. Avery shuddered at the thought of spending a night in the jungle, especially with the imaginary black things. They looked like giant water beetles crawling up the trees, through the leaves, across the paths.
    Except they didn’t crawl anywhere because they weren’t real.
    “I’m hot and hungry,” Benny said. “Can’t we take a break?”
    Luca slowed to a stop and pulled out a few water bottles. “Here. I figured we could find some fruit here in the jungle.”
    “More fruit?”
    Avery tuned out Benny’s whines as she tipped the water bottle toward her lips. It wasn’t even cold anymore, but it was the sweetest thing she’d ever tasted.
    For the first time she felt clear-headed. She took another long gulp. Maybe dehydration was to blame for her “sightings.” She nearly laughed as relief washed over her. She wasn’t crazy after all.
    “Avery?” Luca nudged her with his knee, bringing her back to the present.
    “Hmm?”
    “Are you OK? I called you three times.”
    She shrugged it off. “Sorry. I was thinking.”
    “Do you want some fruit? Benny found pomegranates.”
    “Oh, yeah.” She shook herself and took the fruit, even though she agreed with Benny. If they were here much longer, they would need to break into the food supplies.
    The soft, wet fruit opened her senses even more, and the black beetles began crawling away. She quickly ate the rest of her fruit and asked for more.
    Benny sat down on the grassy floor, and June joined him.
    Luca sidled up to Avery again. “Hey, are you sure you’re OK?” he asked quietly.
    Avery took another bite and nodded. “I am now.”
    “You seemed upset earlier. Kept frowning.”
    She shrugged and continued eating. She wasn’t about to admit what she’d seen. He might worry about her. Wonder about her. She could take everyone else's cold shoulder, but not Luca’s. She couldn’t stand it if he deserted her, too.
    Kind of like she’d done to him?
    She pushed away the guilty thought. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
    Luca watched her for another few seconds before giving up on the interrogation. They finished their fruit, and he stretched. “OK, let’s keep moving.”
    June and Benny stood up and brushed off their pants, then they continued their trek.
    Avery followed behind them, with Luca at the rear. Farther and farther they trudged, but Avery only focused on the next step. As long as she didn't look around, she wouldn't have to see anything that wasn't actually there.
    “How much time do you think has passed?” June asked. She wiped at her forehead.
    “A few hours maybe,” Luca said.
    Benny