Chapter 78

"What next?" asks Ray, looking around at all our faces. We look back, as unaware as he is. There is silence between us, and not even the sounds of insects or birds can be heard. I fidget nervously in my seat on the dark gray rock.

"We need to find Wes and Jake," Xavier finally says with an authoritative tone, "I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

"So far, everyone has been found within the same ten mile radius. Maybe scouting the rest of this area will prove fruitful," Danae said calculatingly, staring at a notebook in her hand. "We still have a lot we haven't covered."

"I say we look for water," I said sharply. "There is only so much food near this tiny little pond, no matter how full the fruit is. And if on this trip we find Wes and Jake, so much the better. If we don't, we can always go back and look for them with a significantly higher chance of survival on both sides." I can see Yi and Griffin nodding after my suggestion. Xavier just looks at me with displeasure.

"I think Mon