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I look at Karl, his face pale but determined. “This is it,” he says softly.
“Okay, so where do we even start looking for the truffles?” I ask, my eyes darting from rock to bush to
the
roots of trees. “Inside the building, right?”
Karl shrugs, almost embarrassed. “Adam only told me it’s somewhere near the waterfall. That’s as
specific
as he got.”
“Great,” I mutter. “A treasure hunt to top it all off. What fun.”
We watch the building for a little while, and the whole time, I find myself fascinated by the security
measures.
“What could they be hiding?” I murmur, watching a couple of guards walk across a rope bridge that
crosses the massive ravine.
Enter title…
Karl shrugs. “They’re poachers, Abby. Could be anything from fancy truffles to endangered animals.
Maybe even humans, for all we know.”
I shoot Karl a sideways glance. “Humans?”
He nods. “You never know. There’s a market for everything. Either way, let’s stick close to the walls,
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtwhere
the vines are the thickest. We can work our way down, keep an eye out for the truffles, maybe look for
the
entrance if we need to.”
“And if we almost get caught, we can hide behind the vines,” I respond.
The waterfall cascades in front of us, a constant, deafening roar that seems to amplify the absurdity of
our
situation. We’re risking everything, tiptoeing around guards and surveillance cameras for some
expensive
fungi, and we don’t even know where to look.
Karl nods. “Let’s get moving.”
Slowly, we begin working our way down the ravine. There’s a clear path with steps built into the side of
the
rocks, one upside of it all. As we go, we keep low, hiding behind vines when guards turn our way and
all
the while keeping our eyes peeled for the truffles.
But we don’t find anything. As we get closer and closer to the waterfall, it becomes clearer to me that
the
truffles, if there even are any, are hidden away somewhere—likely in the HQ building. The realization
that
we’ll either need to turn back and go home once and for all or risk everything and break into the
building
washes over me, and I’m not sure which outcome I’d prefer.
We’re close to the waterfall now. The sound of the water rushes through my ears, nearly drowning out
everything else.
But then, as we’re crouched in the shadows searching for truffles, the sudden sound of footsteps
crunching leaves emanating over the rushing water freezes us both. I peer through the foliage and spot
a
guard, maybe fifty yards away but getting closer. My heart pounds in my ears. There’s nowhere for us
to
run, and there’s barely anywhere for us to hide.
“Karl,” I hiss, pulling him down behind a bush. “Guard. Coming this way.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHis eyes widen. “We can’t be caught, Abby. If we get caught—”
“I know, I know. Think of something!”
We both crouch lower, our eyes meeting for a moment. There’s desperation in his eyes, something
telling
me that he’s going to do something completely and utterly insane to keep me safe. I grip his hand, my
eyes widening, urging him to just stay put and not try anything.
That’s when it happens—a strange, magnetic pull that I can’t explain, tugging at the wolf inside of me.
It’s
coming from the waterfall. I can’t resist; it’s as if some invisible string is pulling me closer.
“What are you doing?” Karl whispers, alarmed, as I start to crawl on all fours toward the waterfall.
“I have to go there,” I say, not even sure why I’m so certain.
“Are you insane?” Karl hisses, reaching for me, only for me to yank my hand away.
“Abby, don’t—”
I take a deep breath. “Trust me.”
And then I do it. I break cover, leaping toward the waterfall
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