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“A small, enclosed, completely dark space that bears would love to live in.” Why can’t I shut up? “Sounds great.”
“I’ll go in first and make sure it’s not inhabited,” Dani says.
We reach the cave, which is really just a hole in the mountain side. Dani slips out from under Clover’s arm and guides her to lean against the rocky outcropping.
“Are we sure this won’t cave in with us inside?” I’m not letting go of Clover, even if she can hold herself up against the rock.
Something crackles near us and my heart pounds so hard it hurts.
“Honey,” Clover says in a gaspy voice. “I can’t breathe.”
She rocks her hip to push me away and I realize I’m hugging her tight and pressing her against the rock. “Sorry. I’m so sorry, Clover.” Tears burn my eyes. We’re all going to die out here, and it’s my fault. “I never should have made us come out here. I know you didn’t want to do it.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. I’m glad we’re getting to spend so much time together. I just don’t understand why finding this treasure is so important to you. It’s not like we need the money, and we have plenty of years ahead to look for it.”
“All clear.” Dani pokes her head out of the cave and gestures to us. “Come on in.”
I help Clover to the ground and she crawls inside. I’m all alone in the dark forest, but I really don’t want to go into that cave. There’s only one exit and if anything decides to come inside with us, there’ll be nowhere to run.
“Come on, Honey,” Clover calls from inside. “It’s actually really cozy in here.”
I close my eyes, but when I open them, I’m still outside in the woods and facing down a cave. I suck in a breath and hold it as I crawl inside.
Clover and Dani have turned on their phone flashlights and leaned them against the cave walls to light the space. It’s just large enough to fit all three of us lying down and tall enough that we can sit upright. There’s a dark corner in the far back of the cave that anything could come out of, so I take a seat right next to the entrance.
I turn on my phone’s flashlight and lean it against the wall next to me. “It’s colder in here than it is outside.”
“Not by much.” Dani looks as comfortable in this cave as she does at home on her couch. She’s clearly not worried about being eaten alive. It doesn’t make me feel better. “And the great thing is that the temperature will stay constant. As it gets colder outside tonight, the temperature in here won’t drop. Not exactly toasty warm, but better than out there.”
“Uh-huh.” I point at the dark corner. “What’s that?”
“It’s a small tunnel that might lead to nothing or might lead to another cave. None of us will fit in it to find out.”
I wrap my arms around myself to stop them shaking. “So anything could come out of there?”
“Nothing’s coming out of there.”
“You don’t know that. Ancient, unknown monsters can live in caves and we’d never know until it showed up to eat us.” I feel sick. “We’re going to die and this is all my fault.”
“We’re going to be fine.” Dani speaks with absolute confidence. “Though we could have avoided this, and Clover wouldn’t have to spend the night in pain if you’d just told us from the start you didn’t know where to go.”
Leaves crunch outside, and I scoot away from the entrance of the cave. But Dani’s words have reminded me of something. I open my pack and pull out my portable first aid kit. Inside, I find a packet of pain relievers and hand them over to Clover.
She takes them gratefully and swallows them with a swig from her water bottle.
“Honey thought she knew where to go.” Clover’s legs are stretched out in front of her, her pack on the ground. She should keep her stuff together, just in case we have to run. She smiles at me. “You did the best you could. But you still haven’t answered my question. Why is this treasure hunt so important to you?”
I cross my legs under me and stare out the cave entrance, watching for trouble. “It’s our legacy. Don’t you want to learn more about our grandfather?”
“All I need to know is he was a con-artist like Dad,” Dani says. “He was trash and I want nothing to do with the stuff he stole.”
I’ve heard Dani say things like this before, but I’m so on edge right now, my emotions so close to the surface, and it feels like she’s attacking me. “You don’t want to be here. I’ve been trying so hard to get you to spend time with me, for all of us to spend time together and get to know each other, but it’s never been what you wanted. If you could leave the house tomorrow, you would. You’d walk away, and I’d probably never hear from you again.”
“That’s not true.” Dani’s brows get that little divot between them that always shows up when she’s confused or frustrated. “We have the sanctuary farm together, Honey. I’m not walking away from that.”
“But you’d walk away from me.” My cheeks are hot. A tear slides down to my chin and drops onto my shirt. “None of you really want to be here. I thought if I could just get you all together in one place for a year, you’d remember how important family is and it could be like it was when we were kids, except I’d be included because I’m not a baby anymore. I just want to get to know my sisters.”
The silence is so deafening that I whip my head around to make sure my sisters are still here and haven’t been snatched by a cave monster. Dani and Clover are looking at me like I’ve said something horrible.
