Page 48 of Passions Ignite

As they walked, Zoey spotted a cluster of bushes along the trail, their branches heavy with dark, ripe berries. She paused, reaching out to pluck a few.

“Berries,” she said, holding one out to Lux.

Lux took it, the sweet taste bursting on her tongue as she bit into it. It was a small comfort, but it was something. They ate in silence; the only sounds were the crunch of leaves under their boots and the occasional rustle of the wind in the trees.

The trail was narrower here, the trees thinning out as they got higher. The air was cooler, a welcome change from the heat that had followed them for so long.

After what felt like an eternity, Lux spotted a break in the trees up ahead. The ground leveled out slightly as the dense forest gave way to a small clearing. The sky was visible through the branches, and the clouds hung low and heavy.

“I think we’ve found a clearing,” Zoey said.

Lux stepped into the clearing, her eyes scanning the scene. The ground was covered in soft grass, and the air was filled with the scent of pine and earth. It was peaceful, almost serene, but Lux couldn’t shake the worry gnawing at the back of her mind.

She looked over at Zoey, who was staring up at the sky. The concern was still there, lingering in her eyes despite the calm.

“We’ll make it,” Zoey said.

Lux nodded, forcing herself to believe it.

“We should rest here for a bit,” she said, glancing around the clearing.

Zoey agreed, her body finally giving in to the exhaustion.

Lux sank onto the grass, letting the cool air wash over her. Zoey sat beside her, the two of them sharing a moment of quiet.

For now, it was enough.

18

ZOEY

“Do you think we’re safe here?” Zoey asked. Her voice was rough from the smoke and lack of water.

Lux nodded slowly, looking around. “For now. But we can’t stay too long.”

Zoey sighed, leaning back against a tree. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to ignore the dryness in her throat. She wanted to ask more questions, but her mind was too clouded with exhaustion to think straight.

“I need to confess something. The phone’s gone, I must have dropped it,” Lux said.

Zoey sighed. “So, we’re really on our own then.” She felt a knot forming in her stomach as the realization that they were completely cut off from any help and any chance of getting out of this quickly settled in.

“They’ll keep looking for us, right?” she asked, but she could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

“Maybe.” Lux’s voice was strained, her gaze fixed on the ground. “But with the fire spreading like this, it’s possible they’ll think we didn’t make it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since some of our stuff got burnt, they might think we were caught in the fire.”

“They wouldn’t just give up on us,” Zoey said, more to convince herself than anything.

Lux didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she stared at the horizon, her jaw clenched. Zoey could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her hands had curled into fists at her sides.

“Lux?” Zoey said.

“They’d better not,” Lux finally said. “Maybe we should assume that they already have, though.”

Zoey’s chest tightened. “We can’t think like that. We’ll get out of this.”

---