Chapter Seven - Jane
Despite my many attempts to tell my mother I felt fine, she called again an hour later.
"Everything okay?"
I sighed, resting my elbow on my knee and bracing my forehead against my palm. "Momma, I'm fine, I swear. I'm going to go to the school today and setup some of my classroom."
"That'll be fun. Why don't you ask Stephanie to come, and y'all can go eat afterward?"
I wasn't born yesterday, and I knew this was one of her many attempts to get me to eat with a chaperone. "Mom, I want to be alone today. It's my first time in my classroom. I don't want
Chapter Eight - Remy"Another rabbit?" Taborie asked from the fire pit.I tossed the bunny by its ears toward the sand and sunk to my knees, ripping off my t-shirt and wiping my forehead with it. The sun was brutal mid-day and I felt myself needing water more every second. It took a while to gather the water from the stream and boil it but it would keep us alive."Yeah, seems the Boy Scouts taught me something."Sarah jumped on my back, causing me to fall forward with a laugh. "Looks like a monkey found me," I said, swinging her around.Her bright blue eyes reminded me of Jane's, only Sarah's didn't look sad near as often. "You caught another bunny?" she asked, sinking to her knees and licking her lips. Knowing she was hungry hurt me. "Yep, and you get the first bite, how about that?"She jumped. "Yeah!""Let us clean 'em and we'll call you when it's ready. Where is Jane?"Taborie tossed his head toward the woods. "She said she wanted to grab some rocks to spell out help on the riverba
Chapter Nine - JaneThunder boomed in the distance, rattling the glass of my windows and leaving me scared on the couch like a kid. I knew after everything we'd been through that being afraid of thunder was irrational, but there I sat, curled in my blanket with my cell phone clutched to my chest.I could always risk going to mom's for the night, but I didn't want to hear her nagging about eating. Truth was I skipped dinner after going to the school, feeling full from the burger at lunch. It'd been more than I ate in a long time.It hurt to say it, but I did feel guilty eating, and it made no sense in my head but I did. Was this how anorexia started? I didn't know.I slid my finger against the unlock button on my touch-screen and pulled up my text. I didn't want to bother anybody, but I didn't want to be alone. Sighing, I tossed my phone onto my couch and went to take a shower.I turned on the faucet in my small bathroom, hurrying to finish and dress in a long t-shirt. I made it to my
Chapter Ten - RemyI tossed my apron into the passenger side of my truck and slammed my door. The weekend rush really took my brain off the visit to Lucas' grave. I'd been to his funeral and it was hard enough, to visit his grave, and hear that he wanted to marry Jane broke my heart.I started my truck, fighting the urge to go drown myself in liquor or just go home. Sighing, I pulled out into traffic and went toward my favorite Chinese restaurant on the way to my apartment. I made myself a to-go plate, and got home in record time. The silence greeted me like an old angry friend, full of haunted memories.I stepped over my bills, noticing a thick electric bill sitting on top, telling me that I needed to make a payment before they shut it off. I didn't feel like dealing with it, so I left it sitting for another day.My phone beeped ten minutes into my meal and Taborie's face pulled up. "Hey ugly," he said.I grinned. "Girlfriend left you? That why you face calling me this late?"He flip
Chapter Eleven - Jane I didn't want to close my eyes because I felt that I wouldn't wake up if I did. I fought against my eyelids while Remy ripped his t-shirt into two pieces and pressed his palms against me. I screamed, feeling the inside of my leg compared close to what I assumed was Hell. Remy's dark eyes looked worried but he tried to reassure me with a small smile. Sarah's cry from the hut rattled the back of my mind. I hadn't realized I'd come upon the wolves while peeing until I noticed a baby. I walked toward it, hearing it's baby howl when the mother stepped out from behind the tree and then the daddy. It was scarier than the plane crash. At least during the crash, I assumed I would die instantly—this, I knew would take me on a journey through Hell and back. Fear coursed me, and I ran as fast as I could, bare foot through the woods and back toward the camp. Branches, roots and only God knew what else tore at my feet but I pushed through it. I should have jumped into t
Chapter Twelve - RemySeven entire days and no search party, no sign of a helicopter or airplane. Jane looked like death lying underneath a half-ass hut with her leg propped up and the color slowing draining from her face.Taborie sat against a tree, trying to sharpen a rock into an arrow in case the wolves came back. Sarah's playing wasn't the same anymore. She ran and chased butterflies, now she sat in the dirt, no energy, drawing pictures beneath her.I tried to get my mouth to say good things for Jane, but my heart screamed to get her help. I couldn't leave Taborie weak and defenseless to protect the girls. We agreed for me to go tomorrow, hopefully I'd find something and not get lost.Jane asked me to kiss her. At first, I thought it was pity, but I knew she wouldn't lie about her feelings. This wasn't the time to lie. The truth came at these moments because it was the only sane thing to hang onto anymore.I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, smearing dirt and sweat agai
Chapter Thirteen - Jane"Wake up."Wolves surrounded me, cornering me against the edge of a cliff overlooking the mountains. Red eyes hunted me, waiting on me to move so they could tear me apart for their dinner."Wake up!"I scurried backwards, rocks tumbling over the edge toward the rocky bottom. This is it, I'm about to die. All the brutal days with no food and soul sucking heat meant nothing because it's all ending now."Wake the hell up! Please, Janey!"The wolves stood with their heads high, teeth reveal underneath bloodstained lips. I was out of moves—nowhere to go. The only choices in front of me where to fall to my death or be eaten alive. I wasn't sure which one sounded worse."Janey!"I gasped, sitting up in my bed, bracing my palms against the mattress to ground myself from the dizziness. Sunlight shown through the slit from my blackout curtains in my bedroom and blinded my view."Janey."Remington sat on his shins beside me, concern all over his face while he searched my
Chapter Fourteen - Remy"You look happier today."Adrianna stood by the server stand and stared, chewing her gum like it offended her."I agree," Mrs. Johns said from the door where she locked it. "Did you finally take my advice and go out with a girl?"I tried to keep my face neutral, not wanting either one of them to pry into my life. If Jane and I decided to stay together and try to make it work, we wouldn't tell Mrs. Johns right away. I couldn't imagine having that conversation so soon, especially so soon in our relationship. I didn't want Mrs. Johns to think I was jumping into bed with her, because that wasn't the case.I wanted her to know I'd take care of Jane."A guy can't be happy?" I asked counting my tips.Mrs. Johns snorted. "Not you, apparently," she said.I shot her a look. "Maybe it's my amazing new job that I'm enjoying."Adrianna laughed. "Yeah, right. I know you were about to spit in that guy's food tonight that called you over ten times—it's a girl," she said, grabb
Chapter Fifteen- JaneIt'd been over a week when I felt my insides turn against me. The vomiting went on for hours at a time. There was no secret my leg was infected. My skin began to turn blue and purple well into my thigh and toward my knee.The chills came and went, leaving behind sweat and shivering that lasted for hours at a time. The dry heaving hit the hardest with an empty stomach. Remington didn't leave my side. He sat underneath the hut, watching me hurt with a pitiful look on his face, because for once there was nothing he could do to save me.Taborie woke feeling better two days after eating the wolf meat. That'd been hard to watch him ache and hurt, too."You can leave her, Remy, I'll watch her."Remy shook his head, lips pressed into a tight line that made him look mean. "I can't leave her here," I heard him whisper. "Why the fuck is this happening to her?""You told her we were gonna get out of here no matter what, I'm fine, now get your ass to the trail so we can get h