Read Online Etherworld by Claudia Gabel - Free Book Online Page A

her,” Josh adds.
    â€œBecause of the excessive brain-wave activity, right?” Zared says.
    â€œProbably,” I say.
    Suddenly Nora turns toward me with an unwavering glare. “Why aren’t you telling them the truth?”
    It’s so strange hearing her say this to me, mostly because this has been my line for the last week. But I’m not going to let Nora characterize me as a liar. Not when there’s so much at stake.
    â€œI am,” I reply.
    â€œOh yeah?” she says. “Then why leave out the grisly details? They deserve to know exactly what happened to Claire.”
    â€œWhat happened to her?” Piper asks, on the verge of tears.
    â€œIf we’re putting ourselves at risk, we need to know what to expect out there,” Ayesha says.
    I give Ayesha a reassuring look. “Of course, but—”
    â€œClaire didn’t vanish; she disintegrated ,” Nora interrupts. “One minute we’re rafting through these rapids, and the next her boat explodes. There was nothing we could do but sit there and watch her die.”
    Piper’s hands fly up to her mouth, and Zared swallows hard before casting his eyes to the ground. I wince too, remembering how Claire called out to us for help, the terror in her screams. My thoughts drift to Wyatt and my dad, how maybe their late return is a sign that they suffered the exact same fate she did, and every part of me goes weak.
    â€œIt’s my fault,” Piper says, her shoulders slumping forward. “I should’ve gone with her. I should’ve been there—”
    â€œDon’t blame yourself,” Nora says gently, like she realizes she may have overstepped. “Trust me, I know it’s hard not to.” she says. “But to be honest, we’re all victims here.”
    None of her words are a comfort to Piper, whose eyes are filling with tears. She turns back toward the cavern with her head bowed.
    â€œNora!” Josh takes her by the arm and leads her a few steps away. “We’re all upset about Claire. But there’s a lot we don’t know yet, so assuming she died doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
    â€œThat’s the point. There’s way too much we don’t know,” Nora says. “Sometimes it seems like David’s just making everything up as he goes along. So why can’t we try to come up with some other solution?”
    â€œPreferably one that doesn’t involve us getting blown up or killed,” Zared says wryly.
    â€œWait a second,” I say. “My dad may not be able to predict everything here, but he knows what he’s talking about. We were able to destroy the Escape, just like he said. Isn’t that enough proof that he can handle this situation?”
    â€œI’m not so sure,” Ayesha says, meekly. “There has to be another way out. Something safer.”
    By the hollow sound of her voice, I can tell she’s frightened—and I don’t blame her for feeling that way. But if Nora keeps creating more skepticism within the group, there’s a good chance she might splinter off and form another crew that decides to leave Etherworld in search of an alternate way home.
    Josh has lost his sister once already—would he ever let her go again?
    It’s sort of a selfish worry, but without my dad, Josh is really all I’ve got.
    â€œExactly. Six of us went on this mission, and only three of us came back,” Nora says.
    â€œThose are some shitty odds,” Zared mumbles.
    â€œWyatt and my dad will be here any minute,” I say, looking at Josh for some reassurance, but something has changed. The confidence I always see in his eyes—even now that they’re gray—is beginning to dim.
    â€œMaybe it wouldn’t hurt to have another strategy. Kind of like a fallback,” he says.
    I can’t believe this. Josh is second-guessing my dad too?
    â€œSo who’s going to come up with