12

Luca

Luca stomped toward the tree line, ignoring the others who stared at him. He had to get away—be alone—at least for a few minutes. Back home he’d gotten used to his solitude. His brothers knew to leave him be, and even Mom gave him whatever space he needed.

Here? It was never quiet, and there was never any down time.

He followed the natural wave of the growth until he was out of sight, then he punched a tree and let out a yell of frustration.

No one else had stepped up to take charge when they first got stranded. Nobody had thought about needing food or water, and no one else lined up to find Gabby and Katelyn when they went missing.

They sure wanted to be in charge now, though. Now that they didn’t like his decision. Now that things seemed to be going good again.

Pain shot up his arm and blood seeped through a split on his knuckle. He wiped it on his shirt and took a deep breath. It didn’t matter what they said. They’d be leaving in the morning, and after they finished the remainder of the mission, they’d be going home.

What a waste of time this trip had been. Signing up had been a mistake, period. He never would have volunteered if he’d known what was in his future.

Taking another deep breath, he started back toward camp. He kicked through the sand and looked across the wide, open desert. It was huge—easily the biggest thing he’d ever seen. It went on for miles and miles, and it made him feel like a blip. A tiny dot on the map. Totally unimportant.

How were they supposed to navigate their way out of an open desert? Finding a road in there would take a miracle.

He picked up a handful of sand and tossed it toward the nothingness in front of him.

“You are thinking what I am thinking.” Sam stepped beside Luca. He looked at the desert. “We are very lost.”

Luca studied Sam. “Do you think we’re doing the right thing by staying overnight?” This guy knew the area like most guys back home knew their video games, but Sam had never seen this jungle before. Luca trusted his opinion.

Sam nodded slowly. His bare feet dug into the hot sand. “Yes. I believe so.”

Luca choked back his relief. “Thanks.”

Sam brushed sand from his pants. “We will leave in the morning. That will be good.”

It couldn’t come fast enough. This place creeped him out. Visions of white? Lost girls who didn’t remember being gone?

Throw in a half-baked youth leader and you had yourself a regular circus.

Benny’s face popped in front of Luca’s as they reached camp. “How long between here and the village?”

Yep. Definitely a circus.

“I don’t know, Benny. We don’t know where we are.”

Benny’s face scrunched up like a pit bull’s. “This place sucks.”

Luca barked out a laugh. “You’re right about that.”

Benny kicked at the sand and mumbled something as he walked away.

Everyone was ready to get out of here. This wasn’t the way they’d planned on spending their summer, least of all Luca.

What if they never really got out of here?

Mom was completely on her own without him home to help. How was she supposed to keep the other four boys in line? The thought made him stop and laugh. Like she needed his help. They were all afraid of her—including Luca.

Still, she could use his help. Making him come on this trip was pointless. No amount of meddling from Mom was going to help him “heal.” He was fine. Over it.

Yeah, he’d had a bad few months after Dad died. He was a bit angry.

Even Avery had let her dad convince her that Luca was no good, but what did Mr. Miles know? He was clueless when it came to his daughter. And his wife, for that matter.

If only Luca could get Avery to see he was fine. OK with Dad’s death. “Healed.” He sighed. That was enough of that. He joined the group in the shade and dug his heels into the sand. His mouth felt as dry as the desert air. He’d never complain about rain again.

Grabbing a bottle of water, Luca sat down on one of the logs someone had dragged from the jungle. At least someone around here could act without his instruction.

“We’re going to sing,” June said. “Want to join us?”

Her kind smile calmed him and he nodded. She turned to the group and started a slow song. It was a hymn, something he’d learned as a kid. At first, he couldn’t remember all the words, but after a moment they came to him. He joined in, soft and low.

Avery took a seat near June. She watched him, but he tried to ignore her. If he stared back, it would only spook her and make her look away.

After a few songs, even Erin joined them. She didn’t sing, but she passed around fruit so they’d all have something to eat.

It was good they were leaving in the morning. Luca would have hated to bust into the food supplies for the village.

Thoughts of the village stopped his singing for a minute. The people from the mission had to be wondering about their group. Someone had to be wondering. They’d been stuck here for two full days but no one had come. That was enough to make him think the other van hadn’t made it to the village, either. Pushing tomorrow from his mind, he dove back into the music.

June smiled when he rejoined them. She was easy to please. That was refreshing.

The song ended and everyone headed to the van to get some sleep. Hopefully, it would be the last night they’d spend here.

He expected to stare at the van’s ceiling while everyone slept, but once he’d gotten comfortable in his seat, his eyes slid shut and he couldn’t get himself to reopen them. Sleep came fast.

Excitement buzzed in everyone’s voices when Luca woke the next morning.

The girls hurried to refill their water bottles and wash up while the guys gathered fruit. They were back and ready to go within an hour.

Luca didn’t have to instruct anyone to do anything—they were ready. The guys loaded into the back and the girls into the front. Luca sat in the passenger seat beside Sam, who looked to him and grinned.

His dark curly hair stuck to his forehead, and he wiped it away. “Are you ready?”

Luca smiled back. “Yep. Let’s go.”

The guys had worked the day before on unburying the tires and driving out of the rut, so now all they had to focus on was driving forward. Sam cranked the engine and put the van in gear.

Luca held his breath. This was the moment they had waited for—getting out of the desert.

The van lurched forward.

“We’re moving!” Mallory laughed and a few others cheered.

Luca couldn’t help smiling. He looked at Sam, and the driver gave him a thumbs up.

Sam drove slowly so the van wouldn’t slip in the sand.

The jungle behind them began to get farther away. Sayonara.

Luca turned to take in the group. His eyes locked with Erin.

She didn’t smile. She didn’t even look happy to be leaving. A frown turned her mouth down in a way that put a bad feeling in Luca’s gut.

He gulped and turned back to the front. “How are we doing?”

Sam smiled and nodded, but it wasn’t the same excited grin from before.

Luca’s hope sprouted tiny wings and began preparing for takeoff. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Please let us get out of here. It had been a few years since he’d bothered God with his life, but now seemed like a good time.

They were on a church mission trip and all.

They drove a few more yards, inching toward the open space and away from the oasis.

Erin’s bad mood shouldn’t affect anything.

They were fine.

The others laughed and carried on conversations behind him.

Even Avery seemed happy, except she kept glancing at Erin.

Avery felt it, he could tell.

Something was wrong.

Luca caught Sam’s frown before Sam could hide it. “What’s going on?” he asked quietly.

“We are low on gas. We were almost full yesterday. I am afraid there is a hole in the tank or lines.”

“How?” It didn’t make sense.

“I do not know.”

“How long?” That was the big question. Could they make it to the village?

Sam’s nostrils flared and he stared straight ahead. “Not long.”

Hope’s wings flapped harder and flew away. They weren’t getting away. At least not today. “Should we turn around?”

Sam glanced at him, and then in the rearview mirror. His face drooped and defeat made his shoulders sag. “We do not have enough gas to make it back.”

Luca glanced in the side mirror and sighed. They were at least a mile away now.

The van sputtered and jerked.

The happy conversations behind Luca died down and everything went quiet.

“What’s going on?” Avery leaned toward the front. “Are we breaking down?”

Luca gulped and angled himself toward the group. “It looks like we’re running out of gas.”

Bradley’s expression exploded with anger. “What? We had a full tank!”

“The gauge has been dropping since we began,” Sam explained. “There is a leak.”

The van shuddered again and died.

Everyone moaned.

Tasha began to cry, and Luca glanced at June. Hopefully she wouldn’t break down again.

She frowned but seemed to be in control of herself.

“We’re farther out,” Avery said. “Can we use the radio to call for help?”

Sam didn’t look too confident with that plan, but he agreed to try.

“Driver one, can you read?”

Static.

“Can anyone hear me? We are stranded.”

Nothing.

Sam sighed and tried one last time, this time speaking his own language, but no one answered.

Luca closed his eyes and lay his head back, but then he remembered something. He spun toward the group. “Benny, give me your smart phone.”

Benny frowned but begrudgingly passed it up.

Luca powered it up and waited for everything to load. “There’s no signal.”

“I could have told you that,” Benny said.

“When we were in the jungle you said you had signal.” Luca worked to keep his impatience from showing.

“Yeah, in the jungle. There’s no signal once I get in the sand.”

The jungle. Great.

Luca met Avery’s gaze, and he watched the excitement of getting away melt into defeat.

He pushed open his door and began to climb out. “It looks like we have to walk back.”