Page 14 of Wandering Wild
“We have a plan, then.” Gabe claps his hands together. “With that done, shall we go see the sights?” He indicates beyond the cafe’s windows. “We could walk to the falls? I hear they’re impressive. Or perhaps?—”
“Let’s do the flying sky-car thing!” Ember interrupts gleefully.
Gabe pales. “Oh, erm, yes.” He coughs. “Of course.”
My lips twitch but I suppress my smile, only to find Charlie doing the same. We share a moment of camaraderie before her expression shutters, as if she suddenly remembered that—for whatever reason—she hates me. I can’t explain it, and I have no clue what might have caused it, but her antagonism toward me is impossible to miss. She’s keeping it mostly in check, but I fear that’s only for Ember’s sake, which means that, come tomorrow when we’re alone with Hawke, I have no idea what’s going to happen.
I need to know why she’s here, since maybe that will give me answers as to why she doesn’twantto be here. But I also can’t just blurt out the question. I’ll have to wait until I’m alone with Gabe again. He knew about Ember transferring the competition to Charlie, so hopefully he’ll be able to tell me what I need to know in order to make this work.
Because if I can’t, then that’s it for me, my dreams over and done.
* * *
I don’t get a chance to interrogate Gabe until we separate from Charlie and Ember at the hotel later that night, after hours spent riding the Skyway over the valley and walking to Katoomba Falls. Aside from Charlie’s continued coolness, the afternoon was nice. Fun, even. Ember reminds me a lot of Summer—if Summer didn’t have the weight of the world on her shoulders—and I enjoyed hearing about her application to a prestigious drama school and her hopes of becoming an actress. She didn’t badger me for advice or ask for help reaching her goals; instead, she stated upfront that she wants to make her own way, even—and especially—knowing all the hard work it will require. I can’t help respecting her for that.
Charlie, however, remained a locked vault during our hours together, and I feel as if I knowlessabout her now than I did upon meeting her. My frustration only grows when we finally say goodnight to the girls, since all Gabe can tell me is that Ember won the competition, but she’s recovering from a chest infection and her doctor advised her not to risk being out in the elements just yet. Because of that, I’m stuck with her best friend, who spends half her time ignoring me, and the other half looking like she wants to spit on me.
“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” Gabe warns as we walk down the homey-feeling hotel corridor toward our rooms. “If I’d known Charlie would be an issue, I would have organized a redraw.”
My ears perk up. “Can we do that? Postpone for a few days and—” I stop, knowing it’s useless. Hawke’s team are already here and ready to go.
“You’ll find a way,” Gabe says, patting my shoulder. “You’re Zander Rune. No one can resist you.”
I wish I had his confidence. All I can think about are Charlie’s cold, violet eyes flashing with resentment whenever she looks at me.
We halt outside Gabe’s door, and his serious gaze locks on mine. “Whatever it takes, you need to get through to her. Because if you don’t...”
He doesn’t finish, but he also doesn’t need to.
My throat is dry when I respond, “See you in the morning.”
He takes the hint, nodding once and vanishing into his room.
I continue along the hall until I enter my own suite, barely taking in the dimly lit space. It’s still early, but I want a good night’s sleep before my morning departure, so I prepare for bed. The problem is, when I burrow beneath my blankets, I can’t get my brain to shut down. I keep replaying every interaction with Charlie, wondering why she dislikes me so intensely. Apparently she was once a huge fan of theLost Heirsfranchise—which means she was once a fan ofme—so I can only assume her current prejudice comes from what she’s heard in the media. If I didn’t need her help improving my image, then her unfair judgment wouldn’t matter so much, but I can’t deny that it hurts.
I sigh and roll over, trying to silence my thoughts, but sleep continues to elude me. I finally admit defeat around midnight and push back my covers, deciding I need some fresh mountain air. I don’t have a balcony, and I can’t get my windows to open, so I tug on a hoodie and sweatpants and leave my room.
The hotel is unnaturally quiet as I walk along the carpeted hallway toward the elevator, reminding me that Katoomba is a small country town, and tourists come for the scenery, not the nightlife. Even when I step into the lobby, the only person I see is a middle-aged man dozing behind the concierge desk, and I slip past him, heading for the glass doors at the rear of the building.
Outside, the crisp September air is colder than I anticipated—just forty-five degrees according to my weather app, or seven in the local Celsius metric. Until now, I haven’t given much thought to what physical challenges this trip will bring, but as I stroll down the cobblestone path toward the hotel’s private tea garden, I wonder about Hawke’s plans for Charlie and me. While I’m not worried about the adrenaline side of things, or even the general discomforts of camping, I’m definitely apprehensive about the quiet moments, since Hawke often uses them to ask his guests prying questions. His wilderness camps are known to offer counseling sessions as part of their programs—or the rehab ones, at least—and while he’s not a trained therapist, he’s learned a thing or two from his employees about how to get people to open up. It’s why Gabe and Valentina want me on his show—to have those vulnerable conversations that remind viewers I’m a real person—but knowing it’s a PR strategy doesn’t lessen my unease about airing my private life so publicly.
Reluctant but resigned, I continue walking until I reach the small garden illuminated by fairy lights. It ends at a glass railing atop a cliff, overlooking the shadowy outlines of the Blue Mountains beneath the moonlight. I shiver at the beauty of the misted peaks and take a moment to just stand there, marveling at the sight. But then a shuffling sound causes me to whip around, only to find Charlie sitting on a wooden bench, staring at me.
Unsure of my welcome, I consider leaving her to her thoughts, but change my mind at the last second and hesitantly ask, “Can’t sleep?”
I half expect her to ignore me, but she surprises me by answering, “Ember snores like a bear with a sinus infection. It’s astounding how someone so small can make such a loud sound.”
I chuckle, partly from what she said, but mostly because I’m relieved she’s not scowling at me. “My friend Summer is the same.”
Charlie tilts her head, causing her fleecy blue pajamas to shimmer under the fairy lights. “Summer West?”
I nod, then share, “My co-stars and I used to nap on set, but if Summer fell asleep first, no one else was able to. She also sleeps like the dead, so whenever her snoring kept the rest of us awake, there may have been a few, uh, retaliating pranks.”
Curiosity touches Charlie’s face. “What kinds of pranks?”
Eager to capitalize on her non-hostile mood, I send a mental apology to Summer and offer the first example that comes to mind. “Did you ever see that movieThe Parent Trap?” At Charlie’s confirmation, I go on, “We were shooting the thirdLost Heirsfilm on location, doing the lake scene over and over until we were all exhausted. But the moment Summer dozed off, no one else stood a chance at sleeping, so we found an inflatable mattress and let her enjoy her own version of a waterbed.” I adopt a suitably chastised look. “She ended up drifting so far out that we needed a boat to bring her back in.”
Miracle of miracles, a smile quirks at Charlie’s lips. “And she’s still your friend after that?”
