Luke nudged her. "Just ten or fifteen minutes, huh?"
She stuck her tongue out at him, then realized how dry and thick it felt. Her thirst crashed into her and she plunged her hand in the cool water and drank greedily.
Once they both had their fill, Lucy told Luke to turn his head while she peeled off her wetsuit and plunged naked into the water to rinse off the sweat, dirt and salt. She would have given a kidney for a bar of soap and some shampoo, but she sucked it up and did her best, then got out and sun dried in a private spot behind a rock while Luke took his turn in the water.
Her pack included khaki cargo pants, an IPI t-shirt, and a sweater. She slipped into the clean clothes and dug through her pack to find her cell phone and walkie-talkie.
Luke, who'd already rinsed and dressed, frowned at her. "Who are you going to call? Everyone's dead."
Lucy refused to think about that, focusing instead on the mission. "Not everyone. Someone in HQ must know where we are or what to do. Someone must be monitoring the lines."
She tried the walkie-talkie first, but only heard static. None of the channels worked. Next she tried her iPhone, but it didn't get a signal. She flipped through the pages of her apps, as if Apple made an app for "Escape from a deserted island." With a deep sigh and shoulders slumped, she turned the phone off to preserve batteries, and stuck both useless pieces of technology back in her pack.
Now satiated by the water, a desperate hunger clenched her stomach. "I'm starving. We need to find something to eat."
"Don't think there's fast food here, Luce."
She smacked her brother in the arm. "We'll find our own food, smartass."
He rolled his eyes. "Right. With what, handmade spears and bows?"
"If we have to. I have no intention of starving to death, do you? Besides, we can look for berries or fruit. Something to tide us over while we figure out our next step."
He sulked and didn't reply, but he followed when she stomped off.
Lucy didn't know what his problem was, but he'd better get with the program or she'd have to kick his ass.
They retraced their steps into the jungle, heading along the shore as much as they could to avoid getting lost in all the trees.
While Lucy and Luke had both been trained in outdoor survival, so much depended on knowing the unique plant life of the area. Which berries would kill you, and which would save you? Which roots were edible and which would make you sick? Lucy had never been that interested in it, so she retained only bits and pieces of the training.
"We should stick to eating fruits or vegetables that we recognize, so we don't poison ourselves by accident."
"Wouldn't want that."
Normally, Luke was sarcastic or funny or witty... but though his words were pure Luke, his tone was more like angsty emo teen. Nothing like her brother's normal disposition. It had been a hard day and a half, but he needed to snap out of it and focus. Nothing would be gained by sulking.
Lucy ground her teeth to keep from saying something she'd regret later, and put her attention back on the jungle. What looked edible? Nothing. She couldn't imagine putting anything in her mouth that lived in this damp, stinky place. Maybe they could try fishing, or maybe hunting would be better. Catch some meat, roast it over a fire. She'd had to skin an animal before—not fun, but she could do it to placate the gnawing hunger in her gut.
The jungle moved around her like a living thing. Bugs scuttled through the thick layers of leaves and mulch under her feet. A few flying scoundrels bit at her. At least they could find a ready meal on the go, she thought, as she slapped herself silly in an effort to kill them.
After another two hours of hiking through the dense foliage, Lucy collapsed against a tree. "I need to rest. I'm dying."
Luke sat next to her, shoulder to shoulder. The warmth of his body felt comforting and familiar. Whatever weird thing he had going on, he was still her twin and best friend. She was glad not to be alone.
She nudged him playfully. "If we don't find food soon, I might just have to eat you."
He tried to laugh, but it came out sounding broken. "Sure. Go ahead and try. Besides, I've got too much muscle, I'd be chewy. You, on the other hand, have some nice soft spots right there." He poked her in the stomach and she squealed.
"Did you seriously just call me fat? You're such a dork. I'm not fat. My abs are tighter than yours."
The banter would have been comforting, if it hadn't felt so forced. She wanted her normal brother back.
Her sphere pulsed softly, the first time she'd felt it all day, and the vibrations of power soothed her. A stillness descended on her, and she wondered if this was the stillness Bethel had spoken of.
The moment shattered at the sound of something above her head. On a branch sat a giant.... It looked like a butterfly, but about five times bigger than any she'd ever seen. It had large soft wings colored in a swirl of jewel tones, and it looked right at her.