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Rushing me inside, they fetched blankets and made me some hot chocolate.
I didn’t realize I was shivering…
Frowning, I shake off the memory when there’s a squeeze of my shoulders, drawing me back to the cave.
I haven’t thought about that night in years. My parents never even knew I ran away from the party. Didn’t even think to check to see if I was in my room, just assumed.
My chest aches, and I rub a fist over it.
“Look,” Nolan says softly. “We’re almost there.”
Blinking up ahead, I see a faint light streaming in where the tunnel abruptly cuts off.
A few more steps, then a sharp turn, and—
Oh. Wow.
My eyes widen taking in the cavernous room. In the center, there’s what looks to be a small pond glittering under the light coming from the hole in the ceiling a good twenty feet above.
Scattered around the space are mostly rocks and sticks, but a few random odds and ends too, like torches strewn about the ground. A lantern that looks to have been shattered. A couple plastic bottles and grocery bags.
Roots grow along the walls. There’s some foliage, mostly where the sun hits.
“How deep is that?” I wonder, eyeing the still water.
“Not deep at all. Few inches maybe. I’m sure it gets deeper when it rains. Hell the whole place probably floods, but see that?”
I follow his finger to where he points at a jagged hollow space carved out in the wall.
“I’m thinking it drains out of there. Cool, huh? Like a hidden waterfall in the rocks.”
Nodding vaguely, I say, “Yeah, cool.”
And it is.
This is like something you’d see in a movie, likeIndiana Jones. I half-expect to turn around and see a giant boulder rolling toward me.
“It’s not gonna rain today, right?” I say worriedly.
Nolan chuckles. “If it is, not anytime soon. We won’t stay long.” Leaving my side, he turns off his flashlight and makes his way toward the…well, puddle, I guess. His boots squelch and splash when he stomps toward the middle and throws his head back to gaze up at the sky peeking in from above.
Like always, he’s in his standard ripped, faded jeans and thin white tee. His tanned arms glisten with a fine sheen of sweat, making his tattoos look startlingly dark against his skin.
He’s pulled his hair back in a knot, but strands have slipped out hanging all around his face. Tucking them behind his ears, he tips his head back and inhales deeply.
And then he screams.
My eyes bug and I flinch, looking around, half-expecting animals or even the Black Diamond security to swarm on him. Not that I’veseenmany security personnel, save for that morning we were rescued, but they have to be around.
“Nolan!” I whisper harshly when his ragged shout fades, leaving only rippling echoes.
He glances over his shoulder, grinning cockily. Brow arched. “You gonna join me or what?”
I look around. “Join you in what?”
“Screaming. Obviously.”
“Why?”
