Page 6 of The Hunt

They both connected with the water, and during the hit they somehow let each other go.

She didn’t open her eyes, because the truth was, she had a little fear of the water.At least she did here, as she didn’t know what could be lurking beneath.

Quickly breaking for the surface, she gasped for breath and opened her eyes.There could have been sharks, or mermaids, or the kraken, or other sea monsters that scared the crap out of her.

Jaxson suddenly grabbed her, began to swim to shore, and she did the same.The moment they were out of the water, she crawled a little further away, and then kissed the ground.

“You kept your eyes closed, right?”Jaxson asked.

She took a deep breath.“Yeah, I kept them closed.”

“That’s good.That is a good thing.”

Calliope frowned and turned to look at him.“Why?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“No.There is nothing for you to worry about.”He looked ahead of him.“I guess we must have passed whatever the test was.”

She couldn’t look where he had, but glanced back to the water.Was the water moving?Did something appear?Okay, her imagination was running wild now.

“Jaxson, what did you see?”she asked, rushing toward him.

Now, she was able to see what he meant.There were several backpacks, and Jaxson was already opening them.He pulled out an apple, and as if right on time, her stomach decided to start growling.

“Food,” he said.

She took the apple from him and had a large bite.She was starving.Calliope looked back to the edge of the water.

“What did you see?”

“Did you notice how that ogre roared when we had an argument?”Jaxson asked.

“Yeah, so.Isn’t that the point of this place, to test us?”

“That’s the point,” Jaxson said.“I know how freaked out you are by the water and what could be lurking beneath.Even though it scares you, you’re always watching those kinds of movies, and well ...something was in the water.”

“It was?”

“Yeah, and I have a feeling this place is a combination of challenges and manifestation.”

“Did anything in the water attack you?”she asked.

“No, nothing, which is why I think it’s all connected.”

“But while we were arguing, I didn’t think of an ogre?Did you?Did you think I was being an ogre?”She didn’t know if she should be insulted or not, instead, he chuckled like it was the funniest thing he had heard.

“No, I didn’t think you were an ogre, but it was a distraction—which is what I meant by a combination of challenges and manifestations.”

“If I opened my eyes, would I have been attacked?”

“I honestly don’t know.They were just there.”

“They were?”She felt the fear starting to tangle up inside her.

“Yeah, there were mermaids, sharks, and a couple of octopuses, other bits that clearly freak you out.So, we’re going to avoid the water, that way we don’t have to deal with your fear manifestations.”

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