US (Formerly The After Effect - Book 2)

26 - S W I T C H

Every crunch makes my ears perk up and my eyes to scatter nervously into the bush. The cannibalism thing still is fresh in my head, not to mention the bear incident Travis and Jada underwent, but I'm also hopeful each time I hear something because it could be Brink or Stella or my mom.

The two guys are sleeping—or trying to sleep, as they press their naked bodies together. I'm directly across from them, and never went along with their plan to get me naked, too. I know that definitely wouldn't have ended well.

One thing I know is that it's been well over three hours, which worries me, sickens me, and terrifies me. Did they encounter a roadblock? Did they stumble upon Travis and the others first? What?

No matter, I would think one of the Five would inform me of such. Wouldn't they?

I have removed the heavy wet coat from my shoulders and have been constantly shivering to keep warm with my arms wrapped around my knees. My temp has remained in the low digits since I exited the water, and I can no longer feel my own skin. I'm a bag of bones rattling together. The fire has been far more smokey than flamey, and I come to the conclusion that the wood is too damp to catch. I've tried changing out branches, shifting them around, but the result tends to be the same.

"Everything okay?" I finally ask telepathically to the entire group, just as I begin to hear a low chatter in the distance. They are close.

"Yeah, we came across a huge river, and it was too dark to see anything so we went followed it down until it shrunk," Stella replies. "That you up ahead?" she calls in her real voice.

I stand and wave to them. "Over here!"

The boys wake up in result of me shouting, so I quickly tell them help has arrived. They're a little out of it, but not much, and sit up in an Indian-style position and cover their areas.

"Stella!" I squeak at the first sight of her and and run over, my legs wobbly like a fawn's.

She gawks at me wide-eyed and gasps. "Aurora! You gotta be freezing! Here let me—"

"Honey! Oh sweetie I was so scared. Are you okay? You need to get out of these clothes or you'll freeze to death, Aurora!" my mother barges in, but Zeriah does the job of filling her in on our temperature-adjusting situation.

I don't want to ask out loud, but I find myself spitting out the words, "Where's Brink?"

"Oh, he's peeing somewhere." Stella rolls her eyes and chuckles. "It hasn't been fun having a bladder again," she comments.

My face relaxes at her news and I sense my shoulders loosen. I'm glad he's alright.

"So who are these fellows?" Mom asks as Stella rings out my hair.

I give them the full story of how we met—even though it was embarrassing—and then let the guys introduce themselves.

"I'm gonna need Brink for this," Stella says once her hands are out of my hair. "Aurora, I can give you my suit so you can warm up, okay? Your lips are blue."

I shake my head. She needs to stay warm. "I'll be f-fine."

"Brink!" she calls loudly, piercing my ears, and ignoring my assurance. "Hurry up and get over here!" There's anger in her tone and for a moment I wonder if they aren't on the best of terms. But why wouldn't they be?

Brink comes jogging through the trees, his turquoise suit glowing. He scans the area for us, meets my eyes, and rushes over. "Aurora," he breathes. My name emanating from his mouth transmits a load of tingles to the inside of my stomach. "Why haven't you—? You need to take off your clothes," he instructs.