time, hard enough to make me open my eyes. I could make out the faint gray of dawn to the east.
I blinked and looked around. Corey, Sam, and Hayley were about five feet away, sound asleep.
I yawned and curled up again.
“Maya… Help…”
I bolted upright. A breeze wafted past, and I caught a smell I recognized.
Rafe.
I got to my feet, careful not to wake the others. Kenjii snorted, but she was too exhausted to stir. Once away from camp, I lurched blindly through the forest, following that teasing scent on the breeze, pushing the branches aside, not slowing down to look for a path or even a clear route.
I stumbled into a stream. Icy water filled my shoes, and I slipped and fell to my knees.
“Maya…”
“Where are you?” I called.
“Over here. I’m…” A sharp intake of breath. “Hurt.”
“Okay, stay where you are. I’m coming.”
I broke into a jog. Only no matter how fast I ran, his scent and his voice didn’t get any stronger. I kept going until I tripped over a root and hit the ground hard.
“Maya…”
“Just—”
“Maya? Is that you?”
I pushed to my feet, wincing as I flexed my stinging hands. “I’m—”
“Maya! I need you.”
His voice seemed to come from all around me. I spun, trying to pinpoint it, but he kept yelling, more panicked with every shout, my own panic rising until I flung myself forward—
Hands grabbed me and yanked me back. For a moment, all I saw was the darkness of night. Then it fell away, dawn light filtering through the trees, and I was standing in front of Daniel, his fingers wrapped around my wrist. Kenjii was beside me, whimpering.
“Maya—”
“I have to go,” I said, wrenching from his grasp. “It’s Rafe. He’s out here. He’s hurt and…”
I turned and saw Sam and Hayley, then heard a crashing in the undergrowth. Corey lurched through, using a branch for a cane.
I blinked. Sam and Hayley hadn’t been there a second ago. I hadn’t heard Corey crashing through the bush. It hadn’t been this light out.
I looked up to see the sun now above the horizon. My eyes filled with tears.
“I—” I swallowed. “I—”
Daniel took both my wrists and turned me to face him. “You were sleepwalking, Maya.”
“It just… I could hear Rafe and he was hurt and I was trying to get to him and—” My breath hitched. “It seemed real.”
Daniel pulled me into a hug and I let myself collapse against his shoulder. I kept thinking about how real it had seemed and how I’d never sleepwalked before and…
And what if I hadn’t been sleepwalking? What if I’d been having a vision?
Not that Rafe would really be calling for me. As that cold dawn light hit, I realized how silly it seemed, Rafe just lying there, yelling for me. If he could move, he’d be moving.
But if it had been a vision, that could mean Rafe really was out there. Really hurt. Really trying to find me.
I pulled away from Daniel and turned to Sam.
“Do you know where Rafe fell?” I asked. “Where the helicopter was?”
Her lips parted as if to ask why. Then she gave a soft, “Oh.”
“I don’t mean exactly,” I said. “Obviously, you can’t tell that. But do you have any idea? We were over the island, right? To the south of here? West? Southwest? Did you notice any landmarks?”
“Maya…” Daniel said.
I turned to meet his gaze. “I know I was sleepwalking, but it might have meant something.” I lowered my voice so the others wouldn’t hear. “A vision. Like the one I had with the marten.” I’d had a vision of one of my recuperating animals, telling me how it had been injured.
“That wasn’t—”
Daniel stopped himself. I knew he’d been about to say that it wasn’t the same. He was right. It wasn’t. But when he saw my expression, he couldn’t finish, and when I saw his, I wished I hadn’t said anything.
He looked as if he was in pain. Real pain. Wanting to give me hope. Knowing he couldn’t, and that it wasn’t right to try, wasn’t
I blinked and looked around. Corey, Sam, and Hayley were about five feet away, sound asleep.
I yawned and curled up again.
“Maya… Help…”
I bolted upright. A breeze wafted past, and I caught a smell I recognized.
Rafe.
I got to my feet, careful not to wake the others. Kenjii snorted, but she was too exhausted to stir. Once away from camp, I lurched blindly through the forest, following that teasing scent on the breeze, pushing the branches aside, not slowing down to look for a path or even a clear route.
I stumbled into a stream. Icy water filled my shoes, and I slipped and fell to my knees.
“Maya…”
“Where are you?” I called.
“Over here. I’m…” A sharp intake of breath. “Hurt.”
“Okay, stay where you are. I’m coming.”
I broke into a jog. Only no matter how fast I ran, his scent and his voice didn’t get any stronger. I kept going until I tripped over a root and hit the ground hard.
“Maya…”
“Just—”
“Maya? Is that you?”
I pushed to my feet, wincing as I flexed my stinging hands. “I’m—”
“Maya! I need you.”
His voice seemed to come from all around me. I spun, trying to pinpoint it, but he kept yelling, more panicked with every shout, my own panic rising until I flung myself forward—
Hands grabbed me and yanked me back. For a moment, all I saw was the darkness of night. Then it fell away, dawn light filtering through the trees, and I was standing in front of Daniel, his fingers wrapped around my wrist. Kenjii was beside me, whimpering.
“Maya—”
“I have to go,” I said, wrenching from his grasp. “It’s Rafe. He’s out here. He’s hurt and…”
I turned and saw Sam and Hayley, then heard a crashing in the undergrowth. Corey lurched through, using a branch for a cane.
I blinked. Sam and Hayley hadn’t been there a second ago. I hadn’t heard Corey crashing through the bush. It hadn’t been this light out.
I looked up to see the sun now above the horizon. My eyes filled with tears.
“I—” I swallowed. “I—”
Daniel took both my wrists and turned me to face him. “You were sleepwalking, Maya.”
“It just… I could hear Rafe and he was hurt and I was trying to get to him and—” My breath hitched. “It seemed real.”
Daniel pulled me into a hug and I let myself collapse against his shoulder. I kept thinking about how real it had seemed and how I’d never sleepwalked before and…
And what if I hadn’t been sleepwalking? What if I’d been having a vision?
Not that Rafe would really be calling for me. As that cold dawn light hit, I realized how silly it seemed, Rafe just lying there, yelling for me. If he could move, he’d be moving.
But if it had been a vision, that could mean Rafe really was out there. Really hurt. Really trying to find me.
I pulled away from Daniel and turned to Sam.
“Do you know where Rafe fell?” I asked. “Where the helicopter was?”
Her lips parted as if to ask why. Then she gave a soft, “Oh.”
“I don’t mean exactly,” I said. “Obviously, you can’t tell that. But do you have any idea? We were over the island, right? To the south of here? West? Southwest? Did you notice any landmarks?”
“Maya…” Daniel said.
I turned to meet his gaze. “I know I was sleepwalking, but it might have meant something.” I lowered my voice so the others wouldn’t hear. “A vision. Like the one I had with the marten.” I’d had a vision of one of my recuperating animals, telling me how it had been injured.
“That wasn’t—”
Daniel stopped himself. I knew he’d been about to say that it wasn’t the same. He was right. It wasn’t. But when he saw my expression, he couldn’t finish, and when I saw his, I wished I hadn’t said anything.
He looked as if he was in pain. Real pain. Wanting to give me hope. Knowing he couldn’t, and that it wasn’t right to try, wasn’t
Similar Books
