Calvin
“At least he accepted help to get up to the sleeping platform.” I glance back up at where Easton rests.
Dante grunts at me. He lit the fire and went to town on some sort of fish stew. It smells amazing. But he’s not criticizing or talking smack, and it feels really wrong. Likereallywrong.
Pepper jumps into my lap and rubs herself all over me. The same way she always does when I come back from the other side. Like she has to reclaim me as her own, away from her old clan.
Dante glances over. “You know, I always wondered why she did that after you disappeared for a while. I thought she just missed you. Hmph.”
“Yeah.”
“You planted Pepper, carried her back from the other side?” Dante asks.
Easton and Haley are up on the sleeping platform, but I don’t know where Sam and Zane are. They aren’t around, though.
My voice is soft as that day months ago comes tumbling back. “I’d gone off exploring. I was frustrated about something that I can’t even remember now. And I wanted to see what else was on the island. Understanding our resources was important. It’s still important, and there’s more we should know about this place, since we’re definitely stuck here for the rest of our lives. The section between the stream and the coastline to the derelict—I have no idea what’s there. Did anyone live there? But anyway, I’d been frustrated. I’d taken a water bottle, my knife, and a sack from the raft. It’s the only way I made it work. Up and over the mountain like we’d just done. I found the orchard first, and then I stumbled upon the cats with just one litter. The mother had left them for the day. Gone off hunting, or most likely was trying to give them space as she weaned them. I’d seen it plenty of times with the barn cats. Five little ferocious bundles of fur and claws. Pepper let me pick her up. She wasn’t happy about it. I left the bag of pomelos and found the huts. After I went to each of them, I sat with her on my lap and cried. She let me pet her, like she is now. She didn’t purr, but she didn’t bite me. After the third hut, I made the decision that I couldn’t tell anyone. Not until I took care of things.”
Pepper looks back at me, purring.
“Yes, the massacre happened a long time ago. But when I looked at what was left of them, I could see it all playing out in my head like some kind of sick film. I didn’t want that for Haley. I didn’t want that for any of you guys either.”
“You know you’re a fuckhead. A really good guy, but a fuckhead.” Dante stirs his stew.
“So I’ve been told.” I pet Pepper for a while and look up at Dante. “I’m going to?—”
“No, you’re not. Just sit there and pet that damn cat until you feel better. And when you feel better, then go take a fucking nap.You’re not doing a damn thing today. Or maybe for the rest of the week.”
“We need to?—”
“What? Get ready to be attacked by asshats with automatic rifles who like to slaughter innocent families? Just go take a nap, Calvin. They’ve got a yacht to play with. They’re not coming back for us, not anytime soon.”
I spend a good twenty minutes with Pepper before I put her on the ground and head up to the sleep platform. Haley’s there, lying next to Easton, awake.
“You need anything?” I ask.
She reaches out to me, and I crawl onto the mattress with her and pull her in tight. My nose in her hair, I fall asleep.
Pivoting on the observation platform, I turn to the mountain. There are no goats visible today. There haven’t been any for weeks. I’ve watched the water and the mountains. There’s nothing out there. Not yet. When we first got back, Dante said to me the pirates have a ship to play with. But at some point, they’re going to figure out who the ship belongs to and wonder if they could make even more money by selling Rockwell. Or not. Maybe they’ll want us for target practice.
Even the plastic of the binoculars is warm today. I make another pass with them. It’s important to stay focused, but soon enough I start wondering if Zane really will help me finish up on the other side. It’s the right thing to do. I shake off that thought and scan again.
We’ve all been on edge since Easton got shot. Walking on eggshells, watching him, waiting to see if the pink line comingfrom the bullet was going to turn brighter red or fade away. It took longer than any of us wanted. And we all held our breath, watching, waiting. He’s okay, or as okay as he ever is.
“Hey!” Zane yells up. “I’m going to take a turn on the observation platform. You want to come down?”
“Sure.” I take one long slow pass with the binoculars. There’s nothing, same as the last three weeks. Ocean, a whale, no pirates, no cargo ships. Nothing. I’m quick with my steps, jumping the last few feet to the living room platform. I hand Zane the binoculars. “How are things down here?”
“More of the same.” He puts the strap around his neck. “Dante made lunch, Sam’s washing laundry, and Haley’s collecting plants.”
“By herself? We’re getting too complacent.”
“She took Penny. I doubt any boar would nose up to her after it smells Penny. She’s been rolling in seaweed again.”
“It’s better than alone, but . . .”
“Haley needs to live too. You can’t protect her all the time. As much as I would like to wrap her up in bloody bubble wrap, that’s not healthy.” He slaps me on my back, and I wander into the kitchen.
“You hungry?” Dante asks, handing me a bowl.
