What happened?The last thing I remembered was thinking about climbing the cliffs to see if I could find more arrowheads...or a cave.
“Well, you’ve been gone a while. Professor Smith said you might’ve headed this way and sent us to find you.” Tara stood and offered me help up. “We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”
“What?” I took her hand and got to my feet. “We’ve only been here for a couple of hours. I thought the dig was until four.” Once I was upright, the vertigo subsided, and I breathed a little easier.
I scoured the rough cliff face, lingering on several smooth rocks resembling natural steps.
Was I thinking about climbing those before—
“Girl, it’s three thirty.” She leaned forward and peered into my eyes then gently grasped my chin. “Did you hit your head?”
“I can’t... I can’t remember.” Carefully, I ran my fingertips over my skull, but there was no wound or bumps.
Why can’t I remember what happened?
“Phoebe, I told you to hydrate in this heat.” She gave my shoulder a quick squeeze then pulled me through the trickling creek bed toward the rest of the students packing up their tools and supplies. “Come on, you need to drink some water before you pass out. Thank God you’re okay. You probably slipped and you’re lucky you didn’t hit your head on one of those sharp rocks.”
Four hours have passed since I wandered off. Crazy.Had I really fainted out in the open and laid on the ground for hours?
I glanced toward the burning sun, now easing its way toward the west.Guess so.
Tara babbled about things the other students had found, from broken pottery to spearheads, but I couldn’t stop staring at my chest.
If I’d been lying out under the angry sun, I should’ve had one hell of a sunburn, but my chest showed no signs of redness. The necklace, with its comforting cross hanging from the middle, seemed to wink.
A shiver shook my limbs, quivering all the way from my skin to the marrow of my bones.
Icy, silver-crystalline eyes flashed in my head then disappeared before I could cling to the image.
Uneasiness fluttered in my belly.
Tara’s right.I probably didn’t hydrate well enough and fainted with the unseasonal heat.
Next time, I’m staying with the group instead of wandering away. What if I’d climbed those rocks and passed out?
I could’ve broken my neck.
