Planet Urth by Jennifer Martucci & Christopher Martucci

Author:Jennifer Martucci & Christopher Martucci
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Dystopian, Children's eBooks, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Teen & Young Adult, Paranormal & Urban, Fantasy & Scary Stories
Published: 2013-09-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

My heart pumps frantically and echoes the hurried pace of my footsteps as I journey through the forest toward the outer banks to warn the family near the lake. My insides quiver and my mouth is dry, but I know the option to chicken out does not exist. I must overcome my overwhelming anxiety and go to them. Lives are at stake, five to be exact, and that’s not including June and I.

Despite the direness of the situation, the thought of crossing the thin strip of woods and coming face to face with them makes the contents of my full belly somersault endlessly. For once, having breakfast seems to be working against me. Every time I picture myself approaching the family, my food threatens to launch up my esophagus. I take deep breaths to calm myself, but they are of little help. I am still a nervous wreck. But I must warn them. I must warn the boy with the shimmering eyes.

Just thinking of him sends a jolt from my stomach to my feet. My knees feel weak. I realize my fear is less about the mother, father, and younger children than it is about the boy who looks close to my age. Thinking about standing arm’s length from him makes me lightheaded. Speaking to him might make me faint.

What if I faint? The question whirls through my head. What if I see the boy with the aquamarine eyes, faint, and never even warn him and his family that they are in danger? I will make a complete fool of myself and fail to accomplish the task I set out to achieve. The worry joins the multitude of other worries swimming around in my brain and worsens the tumbling in my belly. The last thing I need right now is to play out possible scenarios in my mind, especially ones that involve me failing, fainting, or falling. Imagining any of those possibilities works against my waning courage. I will get there in one piece, still standing, and I will warn them.

I continue repeating that sentence in my head over and over. It becomes a rally cry as I slip through the forest. But with each step I take, the challenges to my self-confidence are replaced by the sensation that I am not alone.

I quiet my racing thoughts and focus every bit of my energy on the space surrounding me. Every twig that snaps, every shuffle of leaves and stir of treetops sets my heightened senses on even higher alert. I lower my stance to a crouch, clutching the hilt of my sword as I dash through the woods. I swear I feel eyes on me. But what I believe are the sounds of footsteps following me stops me dead in my tracks. I unsheathe my sword and spin around, ready to fight. I expect to see the deadly, milky-eyed stare of an Urthman. Instead, I see a plump rabbit watching me with oversized eyes that sit unusually close together on its face.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.