surface. Gasping and choking. My lungs burning. My chest ready to explode.
And felt the powerful force lift me…lift me over the water.
I was flying. Flying above the tossing, slapping waves.
Still gasping, still struggling to catch my breath, I landed gently on the shore. I turned and saw the others, flying above the river, carried by powerful, invisible arms.
Spirit arms.
And then, soaked and shivering, we were hugging each other. And shouting. Shouting to prove we were alive. Shouting over the roar of the falls that we had defeated, over the steady drumbeats, the heartbeat of the forest.
Back to camp.
A herd of campers stampeding toward us. They greeted us with a thousand questions.
“How are you? Are you okay?”
“How did you get back?”
“How was Forbidden Falls?”
“We’re going next year. What was it like?”
I glanced at my friends, then turned back to the eager faces.
“Forbidden Falls? It’s nothing,” I said. “Really. A piece of cake.”
Take a look at what’s ahead in
THE NIGHTMARE ROOM
Thrillogy #1
Fear Games
The sun had gone down, but the air was still steamy and hot. Insects chittered in the trees. A tiny sliver of a moon floated just above the swaying palm trees.
April met her teammates after dinner in front of the meeting hall. Backpacks bulged on their backs. Kristen tilted a bottle of water to her mouth.
Anthony raised the beam of light from his flashlight to April’s face. “You ready?”
April nodded. She tugged her flashlight from her backpack. She gazed around the empty camp. The other two teams had gathered near the ocean.
“I have to tell you something,” April whispered. “I think Marks did something to Josh.”
Anthony rolled his eyes. “Here she goes again,” he muttered.
“April, what are you talking about?” Kristen asked sharply.
“Josh and I had a plan,” April replied, glancing around again to make sure Marks wasn’t around to hear her. “To go exploring. Because we both thought there is something strange on this island. Maybesomeone else living here.”
“Maybe the island is haunted !” Anthony sneered. He let out an evil movie laugh.
Marlin shook his head. “You’re definitely weird,” he told April.
“I’m not making this up,” April insisted. “Marks overheard Josh and me making our plan. And today, Josh is gone. Just like that.”
“Josh got sick last night,” Marlin said. “They announced it at breakfast. Stop trying to cause trouble, April.”
“Yeah. We have to get behind these Life Games. Maybe you don’t care about it, but we all want to win the competitions,” Kristen said.
“And the money,” Anthony added. “And we don’t need you messing up our chances.”
“Okay, okay. Let’s all lighten up on April,” Marlin said. He turned to her. “No more crazy talk, okay? Are you ready to start the night hike?”
April saw that they weren’t going to believe her. They didn’t care. All three of them cared only about winning the competition.
They began walking away from the camp, following the sandy path that led into the forest. Under the low trees, the pale moonlight disappeared. The only light came from the beams of their flashlights ahead of them on the forest floor.
“This path leads to the rock caves near the shore,” Marlin said. He and Anthony walked side byside, bumping each other as they walked. Kristen followed them, swinging her light over the smooth tree trunks.
April walked a few yards behind Kristen. She felt alert, excited. Over the steady chirping of insects, she heard the low warble of birds in the trees.
If only she could stop thinking about Josh…
“I don’t know if the path goes all the way to the other side of the island,” Marlin said. “We’ll have to see when we get there.”
“Well, we can’t follow the shore. It’s too rocky,” Kristen said. “We have to reach Rick and Abby at the little dock by going through the trees.”
“Finding our way back will be the
And felt the powerful force lift me…lift me over the water.
I was flying. Flying above the tossing, slapping waves.
Still gasping, still struggling to catch my breath, I landed gently on the shore. I turned and saw the others, flying above the river, carried by powerful, invisible arms.
Spirit arms.
And then, soaked and shivering, we were hugging each other. And shouting. Shouting to prove we were alive. Shouting over the roar of the falls that we had defeated, over the steady drumbeats, the heartbeat of the forest.
Back to camp.
A herd of campers stampeding toward us. They greeted us with a thousand questions.
“How are you? Are you okay?”
“How did you get back?”
“How was Forbidden Falls?”
“We’re going next year. What was it like?”
I glanced at my friends, then turned back to the eager faces.
“Forbidden Falls? It’s nothing,” I said. “Really. A piece of cake.”
Take a look at what’s ahead in
THE NIGHTMARE ROOM
Thrillogy #1
Fear Games
The sun had gone down, but the air was still steamy and hot. Insects chittered in the trees. A tiny sliver of a moon floated just above the swaying palm trees.
April met her teammates after dinner in front of the meeting hall. Backpacks bulged on their backs. Kristen tilted a bottle of water to her mouth.
Anthony raised the beam of light from his flashlight to April’s face. “You ready?”
April nodded. She tugged her flashlight from her backpack. She gazed around the empty camp. The other two teams had gathered near the ocean.
“I have to tell you something,” April whispered. “I think Marks did something to Josh.”
Anthony rolled his eyes. “Here she goes again,” he muttered.
“April, what are you talking about?” Kristen asked sharply.
“Josh and I had a plan,” April replied, glancing around again to make sure Marks wasn’t around to hear her. “To go exploring. Because we both thought there is something strange on this island. Maybesomeone else living here.”
“Maybe the island is haunted !” Anthony sneered. He let out an evil movie laugh.
Marlin shook his head. “You’re definitely weird,” he told April.
“I’m not making this up,” April insisted. “Marks overheard Josh and me making our plan. And today, Josh is gone. Just like that.”
“Josh got sick last night,” Marlin said. “They announced it at breakfast. Stop trying to cause trouble, April.”
“Yeah. We have to get behind these Life Games. Maybe you don’t care about it, but we all want to win the competitions,” Kristen said.
“And the money,” Anthony added. “And we don’t need you messing up our chances.”
“Okay, okay. Let’s all lighten up on April,” Marlin said. He turned to her. “No more crazy talk, okay? Are you ready to start the night hike?”
April saw that they weren’t going to believe her. They didn’t care. All three of them cared only about winning the competition.
They began walking away from the camp, following the sandy path that led into the forest. Under the low trees, the pale moonlight disappeared. The only light came from the beams of their flashlights ahead of them on the forest floor.
“This path leads to the rock caves near the shore,” Marlin said. He and Anthony walked side byside, bumping each other as they walked. Kristen followed them, swinging her light over the smooth tree trunks.
April walked a few yards behind Kristen. She felt alert, excited. Over the steady chirping of insects, she heard the low warble of birds in the trees.
If only she could stop thinking about Josh…
“I don’t know if the path goes all the way to the other side of the island,” Marlin said. “We’ll have to see when we get there.”
“Well, we can’t follow the shore. It’s too rocky,” Kristen said. “We have to reach Rick and Abby at the little dock by going through the trees.”
“Finding our way back will be the
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