feeling that you’ll be the navigator for my next thrill,” he replies, loosening his grasp on my arms with a scowl.
“Request permission to carry her down, sir.” Wayra says, staring at me.
“Denied,” Trey scowls with a clipped tone, making me climb on his back before he easily picks his way down from our treetop haven. He lets me go when we hit the ground and for the next few hours, it’s an endurance test as we run at a fairly steady pace through the woodland terrain.
The terrain is amazing though. Our path is carrying us near shear cliff drops that overlook canyons with rock that contains striations of red, orange, brown, and silver. Everything is big, massive, like it could swallow us up. Feeling very small, I push myself to keep up with them. I’m trying to focus on the simple problem of continuing to move, instead of the fear of what lies ahead.
Trey, running beside me, scans me critically before signaling to the others to stop. Sinking to a rock beneath a shady tree, I pant, fighting the urge to double over from the cramp in my side. Sweat is pouring down the sides of my face, not only from the exertion of running through the woods, but also from the heat. It’s tropical here and I’m still used to winter temperatures. Jax tries to hand me a protein bar, but I push it away from me, shaking my head. The smell of it right now is enough to make me gag.
“You have to eat it, Kricket,” Jax says cajolingly, crouching down near me. “It will keep you healthy.”
“It will…make me...hurl,” I pant. “Give me a…second. I might be able…to eat it…once I…catch my breath.” I lean over feeling cold, even when I know that I’m as red as fruit punch. Closing my eyes and opening them, my whole world tilts, making me slip off the rock to the ground. From far away, Trey says my name, but I can’t seem to answer him.
**
Water swirls around me as I open my eyes. I shiver, realizing I’m in Trey’s arms. He’s standing chest deep in crystal blue water with Wayra pacing on the bank only steps away. Clutching Trey closer to me, my cheek remains on his shoulder. Watching a bead of water slip down his powerful neck, I hear Jax say, “She’s waking up.”
Trey, cupping his hand in the water, pours some of it over my hair. It drips down the sides of my face, cooling me. “Let’s get her out. I’ll get the visor and we can check her vitals.”
As Trey wades out of the pond with me in his arms, I try to lift my head from his shoulder. It makes me dizzy so I lay it back. It’s then I notice that I’m only in my bra and underwear. A blush creeps into my cheeks as I hug Trey tighter to me. Wayra meets us on the bank, draping a blanket over us. Trey sits down with me on his lap. He leans against a tree trunk holding me securely to his chest. Peeking at his face, he seems angry as he smoothes my hair back from my face.
Hurrying over with the visor that looks like grandma goggles, Trey sets them on my eyes. Everything is green as I gaze around at the water in front of us. Flashing green lights and readouts occupy the peripherals of the glasses, but the information is running faster than I can possibly read it.
“Ho!” Jax exclaims next to me.
Immediately, Trey’s arms tighten on me as he barks out, “What? How bad is it?”
“Naw, it’s not bad…it’s just…Kricket…” Jax breathes, like he’s in awe. “Look at this brain activity…it’s massive.”
“What do you mean?” Trey asks with relief in his tone.
Jax grins. “She’s lighting everything up. Look at her frontal lobe…it’s off the charts.”
“What does that mean? Is she healthy?” Trey growls.
Jax nods enthusiastically. “She’s healthy! We didn’t fry her with heat stroke, that’s for sure. Or, if we did, she’s got more brain activity than anyone I’ve ever seen to compensate for it,” he replies, sounding seriously geeked about it.
“Those things aren’t broken, are they?” Trey asks
“Request permission to carry her down, sir.” Wayra says, staring at me.
“Denied,” Trey scowls with a clipped tone, making me climb on his back before he easily picks his way down from our treetop haven. He lets me go when we hit the ground and for the next few hours, it’s an endurance test as we run at a fairly steady pace through the woodland terrain.
The terrain is amazing though. Our path is carrying us near shear cliff drops that overlook canyons with rock that contains striations of red, orange, brown, and silver. Everything is big, massive, like it could swallow us up. Feeling very small, I push myself to keep up with them. I’m trying to focus on the simple problem of continuing to move, instead of the fear of what lies ahead.
Trey, running beside me, scans me critically before signaling to the others to stop. Sinking to a rock beneath a shady tree, I pant, fighting the urge to double over from the cramp in my side. Sweat is pouring down the sides of my face, not only from the exertion of running through the woods, but also from the heat. It’s tropical here and I’m still used to winter temperatures. Jax tries to hand me a protein bar, but I push it away from me, shaking my head. The smell of it right now is enough to make me gag.
“You have to eat it, Kricket,” Jax says cajolingly, crouching down near me. “It will keep you healthy.”
“It will…make me...hurl,” I pant. “Give me a…second. I might be able…to eat it…once I…catch my breath.” I lean over feeling cold, even when I know that I’m as red as fruit punch. Closing my eyes and opening them, my whole world tilts, making me slip off the rock to the ground. From far away, Trey says my name, but I can’t seem to answer him.
**
Water swirls around me as I open my eyes. I shiver, realizing I’m in Trey’s arms. He’s standing chest deep in crystal blue water with Wayra pacing on the bank only steps away. Clutching Trey closer to me, my cheek remains on his shoulder. Watching a bead of water slip down his powerful neck, I hear Jax say, “She’s waking up.”
Trey, cupping his hand in the water, pours some of it over my hair. It drips down the sides of my face, cooling me. “Let’s get her out. I’ll get the visor and we can check her vitals.”
As Trey wades out of the pond with me in his arms, I try to lift my head from his shoulder. It makes me dizzy so I lay it back. It’s then I notice that I’m only in my bra and underwear. A blush creeps into my cheeks as I hug Trey tighter to me. Wayra meets us on the bank, draping a blanket over us. Trey sits down with me on his lap. He leans against a tree trunk holding me securely to his chest. Peeking at his face, he seems angry as he smoothes my hair back from my face.
Hurrying over with the visor that looks like grandma goggles, Trey sets them on my eyes. Everything is green as I gaze around at the water in front of us. Flashing green lights and readouts occupy the peripherals of the glasses, but the information is running faster than I can possibly read it.
“Ho!” Jax exclaims next to me.
Immediately, Trey’s arms tighten on me as he barks out, “What? How bad is it?”
“Naw, it’s not bad…it’s just…Kricket…” Jax breathes, like he’s in awe. “Look at this brain activity…it’s massive.”
“What do you mean?” Trey asks with relief in his tone.
Jax grins. “She’s lighting everything up. Look at her frontal lobe…it’s off the charts.”
“What does that mean? Is she healthy?” Trey growls.
Jax nods enthusiastically. “She’s healthy! We didn’t fry her with heat stroke, that’s for sure. Or, if we did, she’s got more brain activity than anyone I’ve ever seen to compensate for it,” he replies, sounding seriously geeked about it.
“Those things aren’t broken, are they?” Trey asks
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