Wilde's Fire (Darkness Falls #1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

them back to camp, running the entire time, hoping to heat up. I throw some scrap wood into the fire pit while Brit works to get it lit again. Once I’m warm, my stomach growls.
    We all shove a few granola bars in our mouths while sitting around the fire, shivering.
    At least, Brit and Brad got some sleep. I’ve pretty much been running around all night. The tent is calling my name, and I give in to my exhaustion.
    They follow.
    We unzip our sleeping bags and huddle together to calm our trembling bodies.
    Brit falls asleep and rolls away. Her absence makes my shaking worse.
    Brad opens his arms, allowing me to burrow into his chest to get warmer. He kisses my forehead. Brad’s never done that before, not that the kiss bothers me enough to move away from him. But the kiss—combined with his drunken love profession—is enough to make me unsure of his feelings, for the first time in our long friendship. I try not to think about the meaning behind his kiss, and instead, I wonder why he didn’t see the light.

    “Kate, wake up,” Brit says, pushing my shoulder.
    Judging by the heat in the tent, it must be late in the afternoon. I’m still wrapped in Brad’s embrace, and there is nothing important enough to make me want to move. My best friend’s arms make me feel safe and comfortable. I don’t understand this new closeness between Brad and me. I want to talk to him about us, but not with Brit around.
    My eyes stay closed tightly, and I try to ignore Brit’s attempts to wake me.
    “
Guys
!” Brit yells.
    Brad and I jolt.
    Opening his eyes, he tightens his hold on me and groans at Brit. “
What
?”
    “It’s almost five … you know, at night! Unless we want to waste the rest of the daylight, we should start exploring the cave soon.” Brit looks deliberately at me.
    “Cave time?” Brad asks.
    “Yeah, come on, it’ll be fun.” I want to go, but I’m still unwilling to move from his arms.
    “Would you two just get up already?” Brit is clearly peeved.
    I give in, peel myself away from Brad—who looks unhappy about me getting up—then get dressed. He keeps his eyes averted while I change my dirty clothes, but I couldn’t care less about who’s in the tent—the crispy feel my shirt and pants have, from being wet and subsequently dried by a fire, means they have to come off.
    After dressing, I grab another granola bar and gather some gear. “Let’s see, a flashlight, some rope, and our waterproof camera. That should be enough. What do you think, Brit?”
    “Great, let’s go.”
    Brit and I have issues containing our excitement as we walk toward the swimming hole—she’s practically running, and I keep tripping over things. Brad stays so close to me, I’m afraid my ability to hide my enthusiasm might fail, and we’ll end up having to explain the whole odd story to him.
    I don’t understand why a light guided us to the cave, and, I find it odd Brit and I are both so willing to go exploring. But, I push these thoughts from my mind and rush on, hoping the cave is not totally under water, so we can stay in it longer without worrying about how we’re going to breathe.
    Shrill laughter rings out ahead of us. The closer we get, the more obvious it becomes that we’re not going to be alone at the swimming hole.
    Brit stops at the end of the trail.
    “Crap.” She stares at five children splashing around, while their parents watch from the other bank.
    “Be nice. We can just wait for them to leave,” I say to my impatient sister.
    “What’s the problem?” Brad asks.
    “If they decide to follow us, do you want to be responsible for them getting hurt?” I come up with the one response that makes sense.
    The children being here shouldn’t bother us, but seeing as we found the cave using a mysterious light, I think we better wait. Not that Brad is aware of this, but he buys the excuse.
    We sit on the bank, waiting. The parents watch us the entire time, not even attempting to make their stares