Crystal Horizon: A Short Prequel to Crystal Deception Read Online Free PDF Page B

excitement in his voice,
then she processed his words. “A snare? Yuck. I’m not interested in eating a
little forest creature for breakfast.” She was no longer worried about bears or
captains.
    “Quick.” He spoke as if he were leading a campaign against
the enemy. “Stay behind me while I check.”
    He crept out of the tent and worked his way toward some
brush near a stand of trees. She watched him with a mixture of confusion,
fascination, and anticipation. This wasn’t part of the treasure hunt exercise
and it wasn’t his characteristic behavior. Enjoy his delusion , she
thought, entertained by the silly performance.
    He crawled over the ground, staying hidden behind rocks and
shrubs as he moved closer to the brush and his snare. Cheryl stayed on her feet
and followed from a distance.
    When he was a within reach of the trap, he turned and
mouthed, “We got something big.”
    She tensed in excitement. He cautioned her with a hand sign,
then reached forward and pulled back the brush.
    “Breakfast is served, my lady,” he said, lifting a restaurant
pouch out for her to see.
    “What the hell?” She moved next to him. “Is that from
Smitty’s?”
    Smitty’s was a small restaurant about three miles due west.
They’d eaten there a few times over the months and loved their breakfasts. Opening
the pouch, he reached inside and lifted out two coffees. Wrapping both hands
around the cup, she inhaled the aromatic steam and took a sip. “Umm.”
    Back in the tent, they feasted on their bounty. “Eggs,
muffins, fresh fruit! I’m in heaven!” Smiling like a child on her birthday, she
sampled everything. He fed her a bit of waffle, and when syrup dripped onto her
chin, she chased it with her tongue. She saw he was fascinated by her attempt
at an impossible chin-lick maneuver and, unashamed, laughed out loud and tried
again.
    As they ate, Sid confessed that he’d walked to the
restaurant and back in the early hours of the morning. “It was my pleasure,
Cheryl.”
    He was acting way out of character, but she thought it was
cute. They both knew that graduation was coming. She accepted that they would
be headed in different directions. Modern transportation and communication
services made long-distance relationships easier, but it remained a challenge.
She appreciated that he was making their last days special.
    They feasted, cleaned, and packed, then walked along a trail
up to a ridge crest. With an open view of the valley, they could see a portion
of the camp’s lake in the distance. Sitting on an angled rock, Cheryl lifted
her face and savored the warmth of the sun.
    “Can you see them?” asked Sid, pointing into the valley.
    She squinted in the direction he indicated and saw Sophie
and Alstine, two of their classmates, walking in the distance.
    “They’ll be following that trail across the valley floor.”
He moved his arm as he traced the path with his finger.
    Then he turned to her. “Cheryl, I’ve been ordered to return
to camp. We’ve been instructed to meet up with those two. You’ll finish this
round with them.”
    She looked at him and frowned. That’s the second time he’s
called me Cheryl. When they were alone, he always called her something
silly, like Angel or Sweet Bun. It wasn’t that she preferred the pet names, but
she understood that everything was good between them when he used one.
    Her other concern was that he’d been sent a change of plans
while she hadn’t. She checked her com and found the feed confirming his story. It
should’ve prompted me about such an important message.
    The morning’s events were all off, wrong enough that her
training kicked in. As she followed him down the trail, she reviewed everything
they’d done together over the past week, searching for clues. The tension grew
as his silence lengthened.
    It took a couple of hours to catch up with Sophie and
Alstine. When their classmates came into view on the footpath, Cheryl squared
up and confronted him,