said.
“You’ll start classes on Monday. Everything has been arranged. I’m sure Logan can drive you to your first day of school if you’d prefer not to go alone.”
School? Now? What I’d been waiting for since I moved here was happening. I should have been happy—this meant things to do and people to see. But I needed more time.
All I said was, “Logan doesn’t need to drive me. I bought a truck.”
“A truck?” I heard him laugh. “Of course you did.”
How was I going to solve these puzzles when I was at school all day? I guessed if I still got woken at 5 a.m., I could work in the library then.
“And because I want to make sure everything goes smoothly,” Bosque continued, “I’ll be coming to stay with you for a bit.”
“You’re coming home?”
“I am,” he said. “I’ll be there Wednesday. You need only to weather the first two days on your own.”
Eight days. He’d be here in eight days. Once Bosque returned to Rowan Estate, it was the end of my trips to the library.
I had to find answers by the fastest means available.
73
tHirteen
E
tHeir Arguments mAde sense. I couldn’t find
fault with them. Going into an uncharted cavern system was dan-gerous. And yeah, I saw The Descent . It was nice to have so many people worried about me, seriously—and I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere with this stuff if it hadn’t been for everybody’s help online. But I wasn’t going to listen this time. I thought about post-ing my climbing resume on my facebook page to prove that I wasn’t a novice but figured that would most likely make me look like a self-centered ass.
But come on, I couldn’t ignore the caverns! After everything we’d been working through, I’d finally found something that might be real. This was different than confusing histories, family trees full of quasi-immortals, insane clues about witches and elemental forces, and gross things floating in jars. A map was concrete. A map offered a place I could go and things I could see.
I’d been itching to try out spelunking no matter what. This connection had simply presented the best opportunity: kill two birds with one stone.
I took all the precautions. I used the time I wasn’t sleeping to read up on the terrain. Some pretty serious storms had been moving through the valley, but they were supposed to clear out by Sunday.
That’s when I would go.
75
I convinced myself that Victoria would have my back, but I felt guilty, knowing that Liz, Melissa, and Stephanie would be worried.
Whether my online army of friends decided I was brave or a fool, I hoped that when I came back with answers, they’d forgive me.
76
fourteen
F
wHy HAdn’t i listened to them? I’d had my share of adventure in the eighteen years I’d spent on this mortal coil, but I never thought I’d meet my maker facing off with a bear. The grizzly stared at me, the sharp hazel of its eyes catching the autumn sunlight as though a fire kindled within. If I’d seen this beast on television, its bulk and hot breath safely separated from me by a web of fiber optic cables or satellite-beamed images, I might have thought it beautiful, or at least breathtaking.
But here, alone on this path that I’d started to believe was only a game trail, the massive brown bear was nothing short of terrifying.
The grizzly reared up, its head blocking out the sun when it reached full height. Twice my size, if not more.
Its roar vibrated through my limbs, shaking them out of their frozen state. I backed up a few steps, hoping the bellow was a warning and not a sign of impending attack. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my lucky day.
The bear dropped to all fours, snuffling the ground casually but all the while keeping watch. frothy drool dripped from its snout. It loped steadily forward, closing the distance. I knew it was about to charge. Something instinctual roiled through my blood, screaming at me that these were my last few minutes on earth.
78
I pushed my pack off my
“You’ll start classes on Monday. Everything has been arranged. I’m sure Logan can drive you to your first day of school if you’d prefer not to go alone.”
School? Now? What I’d been waiting for since I moved here was happening. I should have been happy—this meant things to do and people to see. But I needed more time.
All I said was, “Logan doesn’t need to drive me. I bought a truck.”
“A truck?” I heard him laugh. “Of course you did.”
How was I going to solve these puzzles when I was at school all day? I guessed if I still got woken at 5 a.m., I could work in the library then.
“And because I want to make sure everything goes smoothly,” Bosque continued, “I’ll be coming to stay with you for a bit.”
“You’re coming home?”
“I am,” he said. “I’ll be there Wednesday. You need only to weather the first two days on your own.”
Eight days. He’d be here in eight days. Once Bosque returned to Rowan Estate, it was the end of my trips to the library.
I had to find answers by the fastest means available.
73
tHirteen
E
tHeir Arguments mAde sense. I couldn’t find
fault with them. Going into an uncharted cavern system was dan-gerous. And yeah, I saw The Descent . It was nice to have so many people worried about me, seriously—and I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere with this stuff if it hadn’t been for everybody’s help online. But I wasn’t going to listen this time. I thought about post-ing my climbing resume on my facebook page to prove that I wasn’t a novice but figured that would most likely make me look like a self-centered ass.
But come on, I couldn’t ignore the caverns! After everything we’d been working through, I’d finally found something that might be real. This was different than confusing histories, family trees full of quasi-immortals, insane clues about witches and elemental forces, and gross things floating in jars. A map was concrete. A map offered a place I could go and things I could see.
I’d been itching to try out spelunking no matter what. This connection had simply presented the best opportunity: kill two birds with one stone.
I took all the precautions. I used the time I wasn’t sleeping to read up on the terrain. Some pretty serious storms had been moving through the valley, but they were supposed to clear out by Sunday.
That’s when I would go.
75
I convinced myself that Victoria would have my back, but I felt guilty, knowing that Liz, Melissa, and Stephanie would be worried.
Whether my online army of friends decided I was brave or a fool, I hoped that when I came back with answers, they’d forgive me.
76
fourteen
F
wHy HAdn’t i listened to them? I’d had my share of adventure in the eighteen years I’d spent on this mortal coil, but I never thought I’d meet my maker facing off with a bear. The grizzly stared at me, the sharp hazel of its eyes catching the autumn sunlight as though a fire kindled within. If I’d seen this beast on television, its bulk and hot breath safely separated from me by a web of fiber optic cables or satellite-beamed images, I might have thought it beautiful, or at least breathtaking.
But here, alone on this path that I’d started to believe was only a game trail, the massive brown bear was nothing short of terrifying.
The grizzly reared up, its head blocking out the sun when it reached full height. Twice my size, if not more.
Its roar vibrated through my limbs, shaking them out of their frozen state. I backed up a few steps, hoping the bellow was a warning and not a sign of impending attack. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my lucky day.
The bear dropped to all fours, snuffling the ground casually but all the while keeping watch. frothy drool dripped from its snout. It loped steadily forward, closing the distance. I knew it was about to charge. Something instinctual roiled through my blood, screaming at me that these were my last few minutes on earth.
78
I pushed my pack off my
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