Shift (The Pandorma Adventures Book 1) (29 page)

Farther up, Ryan’s legs are kicking around, the other half of his body inside the cloud. He soon disappears. I look up. The top isn’t far up. I scale up the side and pull myself onto the flat surface.
Lissa.

“Ryan?” I walk over to the edge and look down. The clouds tumble and rise for quite a ways, like a massive bowl of whipped cream. I wonder if they actually do go all the way to the ground.

“Heads up!” Ryan shouts joyfully. I start to turn but Ryan runs past me and jumps off the edge. My mouth drops open and I’m going to shout his name but I stop myself. I watch him roll and bounce all the way to the bottom.

“Come on!” he shouts.

I bounce slightly. The cloud is springy and it felt really soft when I was climbing up it. I bounce a few more times, this time getting my feet off the ground, then I jump over the side, my heart racing. As I get closer to the ground I curl into the ball. I tumble down to the bottom and roll past Ryan.

“Fun right?”

“Yes!”

Ryan grabs my hand and starts to run. This time we jump off the edge together. Except when I curl up he puts his arms together in dive formation. He disappears into the cloud, bits of cloud blowing up after him. This hill isn’t as long and I quickly reach the bottom. I jump up and look around for Ryan. A few minutes pass before his head appears. When he spots me he grins.

I walk over to him and watch as he pulls himself out.

“You’ve got cloud fluff all over you,” I laugh.

He looks down at himself and chuckles. He picks some off and flicks it at me but it floats up before drifting down.

“I can’t believe you missed. I’m less than a foot away,” I tease.

“Come closer and I won’t miss a second time.”

I step closer and pick some cloud fluff off his shirt. “I think, you’ll have to catch me.” I toss the fluff so that it will bounce off his forehead then dash across the clouds. Ryan quickly overtakes me and as I skid to a halt I accidentally trip him. I cover my mouth to try and stop myself from laughing.

“That was a rotten move.”

“It wasn’t on purpose!”

“Sure it wasn’t. Help me up.”

I walk over and take his outstretched hand but he pulls me down. I sink into the cloud and pieces of cloud billow up into my face. “Ryan!” I push myself up.

He props himself up on his elbow then reaches over and picks some fluff out of my hair. He tosses it so that it bounces off my nose. I grab a handful and reach out to drop it on him but he catches my wrist. He gently pulls me closer until we’re almost touching. He lets go of my wrist and slides his hand across my cheek until his fingers are in my hair then he pulls my face to his.

His lips brush gently, uncertainly. Everything around me seems to slow. My first kiss, finally. I lean in closer, my senses on fire, and Ryan presses in more certainly. I will never be able to describe the feelings surging through me or forget the intensity packed into that single kiss.

Chapter 23

We had been right about the clouds. After we messed around—and kissed—some more, we tried to find out if they led to the ground. They stopped three feet from the ground, at the highest point, and less than a foot from the ground at the lowest point. But they never touched the ground.

An owl hoots then goes silent before responding to a distant hoot. The only word I could use to describe the blackness surrounding us is charcoal. There is a grayness tainting the blackness so that it isn’t true black. The trees are huge—the massive trunks have vines knotted around them and the roots show above the ground for a foot or two before plunging underground completely.

“I’m almost positive we are in the forest that had “bombs” written on the map. But I think it was more this way.” I start heading in the general direction of west.

“Lissa we should take a break. Get some rest.”

“We did rest.”

Ryan’s eyes twinkle. “If that was rest then—”

“Oh hush,” I cut in before he can finish. “And be serious. We can’t stop. If they get those bombs first, imagine what they’ll do.”

“And if we don’t sleep we’ll walk around like dead people and get captured. Besides they need to sleep too.” Ryan walks over to a tree and sits, propping the bow and quiver beside him; I instinctively follow.
I doubt they sleep,
I mutter to myself. Ryan pulls me down into his arms and rests his head against the trunk. The roots offer a sort of protection and the pillow soft ground is more comfortable than I’d thought it’d be.

“We should climb—”

“Shhh . . .”

I reluctantly rest my head on his shoulder. Thoughts blazing through my mind make it difficult to concentrate on sleeping, so I listen to Ryan breathing. He’d fallen asleep so fast . . . weariness seeps through me and before I know it, I’m asleep.

Boom.
I force my eyes open and blink drowsily.
Boom.
What is that?
I rub my eyes vigorously to try and erase the sleep. The tree’s bark is biting into my back and my muscles feel like brick.
Boom.
This boom wakes me up more fully. I clamber out of Ryan’s warm arms and glance around.
Boom.
My pulse starts to pound. Only one thing could make such a terrifying, patented noise.

Weak light breaks through the moderately thick canopy of leaves. Birds start squawking and flying away.
Boom.
I crouch next to Ryan and gently shake his shoulders.

“Wake up,” I hiss.
Boom.
It's gotten much louder in the past few seconds and there’s no mistaking what it is.

Ryan mumbles something about cake, but continues sleeping. I shake him a little harder. Nothing.
Grrr.
I’m just getting the urge to slap him—gently of course—when his eyes crack open. Ryan frowns, seeing my raised hand, and sits up a little straighter.
Boom.

“Ryan we need to go. Now.” I try to keep full blown terror out of my voice, but I allow just enough panic to get Ryan to pay attention.

“What’s wrong?” his words are slightly slurred.

“Shhh.
Get up.” I yank Ryan to his feet.

“Hey! Sheesh, what’ve you got against a good night’s sleep?” Ryan says in a normal pitch.

“
Shhh.
How about if that sleep ends in death? Now would you come on
!
” I push him around the tree
—boom.
It sounds less than ten feet away.

“What is that?” his voice is softer, but it still sounds too loud to my ears.

“
That
is the reason we need to get out of here.”

Trees behind us screech terribly as they’re pushed aside like flowers. I swallow and look back. Expecting it, but still terror consumes me at the sight of it. Tyrannosaurus Rex.

It eyes us like prey, then releases a thunderous roar.

“Hold still and it won’t see us,” Ryan says.

Horse.
“Don’t be ridiculous, that’s only in movies!” I yell. I almost literally throw Ryan onto my back then take off through the trees.

“My bow and arrows,” Ryan says through gritted teeth.

I don’t respond. The T. Rex crashes through the trees behind us, coming closer and closer.

“It’s gaining on us!”

Teeth snap so close to where my heels are I can feel its hot breath singe my skin. I cut a sharp turn around a tree, then again and again, hoping to throw the Rex off, but it doesn’t work, he keeps pace behind me. Soon my breaths sound like a freight train and my muscles stretch to their very limits. Seeing no point in zigzagging I stay in a jagged straight line.

“Look out!”

A T. Rex crashes through the trees in front of us, growling thunderously. I stop, too fast. My legs buckle. I feel Ryan jump off minutes before I can roll over him.
Boom!
I’m thrown into the air as a Rex’s foot slams down, narrowly missing me. I scramble to my feet. The Rex snaps at my head, but I scurry backward. I race between the two Rexes, just barely escaping their jaws. I charge past Ryan, slowing just enough so he can jump onto my back.

Ahead I can see the end of the forest and put on a burst of speed. A huge tree comes crashing down feet ahead. A triumphant Rex stands behind it, its killer eyes locked on us. I take another path, but the other Rex steps in front. It bellows then charges forward.
Golden eagle.

Despite the weight of Ryan on my back I shift rather smoothly. I soar upward. The Rex snaps at my wing, catching the tip in its teeth, trying to jerk me back. I shriek, but keep going forward, breaking through the canopy of leaves above us. I aim for the grasslands stretching north and angle myself downward as it nears. I sweep down above the grass then
—horse.

We roughly drop to the ground, I stumble heavily, my front left hoof jarring with pain, but I continue running. A large herd of sauropods and triceratops are munching on the grass. I weave through the enormous creatures, causing some of them to bellow.

“We haven’t lost them yet,” Ryan yells.

I come to a sudden halt, nearly vaulting Ryan over my head. Panting heavily I watch as the Rexes scan the now fleeing herd. The larger Rex’s eyes pick me out and it gives a triumphant roar.

I whip around and start running with the heard, while trying not to run into them. A young adult sauropod in front of us trips and falls. I jump over it without breaking my stride.

“I thought Tyrannosaurus Rex ambushed their prey, not chase it down!” Ryan shouts.

Yeah I thought so too.
I’m breathing too heavily to say this out loud. Ryan starts leaning to the right and my body instantly responds. It’s difficult to head sideways without getting crushed by the animals racing forward.

I skid to a halt where the sandy beach meets grass. Ryan gets off.
Lissa.
He takes my hand and starts leading me into the water flanking the beach. It's fairly chilly and my shoes sink into the squishy sand. We wade deeper and deeper until it comes over my waist and the calm waves brush the edge of my mouth, the water is salty and stings the wound on my left hand and the few scratches I have.

“Wait,” I say.

Ryan is trying to lead me out further, but I plant my feet down hard. “I’m not going out any further.”

“The farther out we are the safer we’ll be. They can’t swim.”

“I don’t think we’ll really be safe anywhere and I don’t want to go any further.”

“We have to, they’ll be able to reach us from here,” he insists.

“How do you know it’s safe? What if megaladon is out there? In fact I’m positive he is.”

“In a small inlet like this? We can practically see the other side. Come on, before they spot us.”

“But I . . . I can’t.”

“Why? There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He pulls again, but I stay rooted to the spot.

“I’m still afraid.”

“I told you—”

“No,” I close my eyes for a moment; I hate admitting something so ridiculous. “I’m afraid of—of not being able to see what’s beneath me—of the things lurking in the water. Just give me a minute.”

The water is crystal clear so far, but I can see it getting darker and that’s sending fear through me. My fear almost strictly revolves around my imagination—except for my encounter with the mermaid. I can just imagine things coming up beneath me and sucking me under, things I can’t see until it’s too late. Usually I can fight against the fear, beat it. But it’ll take a few minutes, depending on the level of fear.

Ryan moves closer. He gently places his hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eye.

“Fish are most likely the only things under there.”

“What about the things that eat the fish?”

Ryan’s eyes slide behind me before coming back to mine. “I’ve got your back, plus what are you afraid of? You could top anything swimming below.”

“Not until it's too late,” I mutter.

Ryan smiles and plants a kiss on my forehead then wraps me in a quick hug. He lets go, takes my hand and begins heading farther out. I force my paralyzed legs to follow.

When the ground has long vanished from beneath our feet—I have to keep telling myself there’s nothing there—we start heading parallel to the land, back to the forest. The thunderous pound of footsteps behind us makes me turn around. A T. Rex catapults itself into the ocean. Giant waves rip my hand from Ryan’s and knock me under the water. I claw my way to the surface and gasp only to be pounded by another wave.

Under again, I spew out water that had washed into my open mouth. Again I strike out for the surface. When my outreached fingers don’t break the surface, panic starts worming through my stomach.
Otter.
I look around. How did I get so far down? I swim up.
Lissa.
Before I can blink the water from my eyes a hand covers my mouth and a strong arm comes around my waist and pulls me sideways. I blink the water out of my eyes and look into Ryan’s worried face. He pulls his hand away and his eyes ask if I’m okay, but not a word escapes his lips. I nod. Ryan places a finger on his lips,
shhh
.

I turn around and realize we are hidden behind a rock, waves lap angrily against the front of it. Ryan carefully glances around the edge then pulls back after a few minutes. He gestures forward with his hand and begins quietly swimming away. Before following, I peek around the rock.

Both Rexes are shuffling through the water. The larger T. Rex speaks to the other one, it responds and then they move farther out. Still looking for us.

Keeping my strokes low and quiet I follow in Ryan’s wake. When we are a good distance from the T. Rexes we move to shallower water and walk with our shoulders level—more like his shoulders and just under my jaw line for me—with the water.

“That was close. Those things were on steroids or something.”

“You’re probably right.”

Ryan gives me a skeptical look. “Animals on steroids? Here?”

“Basically the animals here are already on steroids, if you want to call it that. I wouldn’t put it past Xavier and Medusa to give them something extra anyway. But that’s nothing compared to trying to turn people into werewolves.”

“What?”

Oh.
I completely forgot to tell him. “That’s why they had those people down there.”

“How do you know?”

“It's in Medusa’s journal, which is why it’s important we get it back. There could be lots of information in there that we need.”

“What else was in it?”

“I didn’t get to read much more.”

As the forest comes closer we wade further in, then walk out when the edge of the forest brushes against the sand. My waterlogged shoes squish with every step. When we are under the cover of trees I stop. I pull off my dripping shoes then my socks and wring them out. I start forward without putting them back on. Ryan shakes his head, laughter glinting in his eyes.

“What?”

Ryan just shrugs and presses forward.

It’s easy to get back to where we had camped. A trail of broken, damaged trees creates a clear-cut pathway. Finding the exact tree we had slept beneath was a little harder, but the greenness of the box gives its position away. One corner is trampled but the rest of the box is unharmed. Ryan slings the bow and quiver over his shoulder then picks up the box and takes off the lid. I tug on my still soaking socks and shoes.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“We might as well look at what’s inside now. This thing tends to get left behind.”

That makes sense, but I don’t want to stand around, vulnerable to another attack. “Can’t we look and walk at the same time?”

“Always have to be on the move,” Ryan says with an exaggerated sigh as he stands. Ryan gives me a lopsided smile and says, “A kiss is always a good motivator to get moving.”

“U-huh,” I say sarcastically, but don’t protest when he pulls me in for a short kiss.

“We can save longer ones for home, or on clouds,” he says, grinning.