Selene tried to laugh in response, but it just felt awkward.
Through all of this, Sniffy lay in the corner. His response to having so many strangers on the island had been to withdraw. He didn’t bark or threaten, as he had done with Garret. When Selene excused herself and hurried out of the room, heading through the guesthouse toward the lobby, Sniffy rose and padded after her.
These Marines intimidate me too, Sniffy, she thought. That’s why I’m even more awkward than usual. These are not my kind of people. Still, Elna left me in charge. I have to get over it.
The Marine with the impressive swimmer’s build, the one they called Fish, was sitting on the couch in the lobby, gazing into a crackling fire in the hearth. Selene forced herself to start a conversation with him.
“Hello, sir,” she said. “And how are you feeling this evening?”
“Better,” he replied. What a deep voice. Like the bellowing of a contrabassoon. “Wish I was with Prig and the others across the bay, but it is what it is.”
“Well, be sure and get plenty of rest,” Selene said. “We have fresh water in a pitcher in the dining room. Help yourself. It’s important to stay hydrated.”
“Hydrated,” Fish said, shaking his head. “More water is the last thing I want right now.”
Selene didn’t know how to respond to this comment. How did one joke around with such massive, scary people? After a couple of awkward seconds, she just nodded at him and headed outside to the veranda. She found Dr. Ruzka already there, seated at a table near the handrail with Norman and the Dulleses. They were all sipping tea and nibbling from a bowl of mixed berries—Selene was glad to see that they were eating some of the wild, indigenous fruit.
“I’m not a trauma surgeon,” Dr. Ruzka was saying to Norman. “There’s only so much I can do.”
“If you can help their man recover from his wound, it’d buy us a whole lot of goodwill with the Marines,” Norman said, taking a sip of tea. “That’s all I’m saying, Doc. They’re moving into the neighborhood, you know?”
“Well, we sent two of our most important people on their combat mission,” Dr. Ruzka muttered. “If that doesn’t buy us goodwill, nothing will.”
The Dulleses were sitting close, holding hands, and gazing off across the dark parking lot. A nearby oil lamp made the crags of their faces seem like canyons to Selene. She thought they looked sad, so she went and sat down next to them. Sniffy hopped up in her lap.
“Hey there, folks,” she said. “Are you doing okay this evening? Anything I can do for you?”
Joe Dulles seemed oblivious at first, as if he had no idea she was talking to him, but his wife slowly turned to look at Selene.
“We were just hoping things were going to be quiet on the island now,” she said softly. “I’m sorry, Selene, but we’re just not cut out for all of this violent business. After Elna came back from the clinic and brought the doctor, we thought we were finally going to be okay, but now…” She shrugged sadly. “The fighting has come to us, and there’s nowhere else to go.”
Joe only shook his head. Whatever he was feeling, he seemed unwilling to share it.
“I know what you mean,” Selene said. “I’m sorry I can’t make it better.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t expect you to,” Rita said. “We’ll cope. Joe and I just find our own little quiet corner and mind our own business.”
And then, as if to prove her point, she turned and gazed off again into the darkness. Selene knew it wasn’t her fault, but somehow she felt responsible. She sat there in awkward silence for a few seconds, trying to find some comforting words that would make it all better.
“This too shall pass,” she said finally, though it felt kind of lame.
“Let’s hope,” Rita replied.
Norman pushed his chair back then and rose, finishing the last sip of tea and setting the cup down as he backed away. Selene assumed he was going to head inside, but he headed down to the parking lot instead.
“Where are you going?” she asked. “It’s dark out there.”
“I’m going to check on that boy down there,” he said over his shoulder. “Mac. He said he was going to head down and patrol the island in case any boats approached. I think he felt bad being left behind. Poor kid reminds me of my nephew—I haven’t seen him in so long. Anyway, Mac is all alone. Maybe he could use some company. Don’t worry. I know the way, even in the dark. I’ll let him know I’m coming so he doesn’t get startled.”
The last time Selene had seen Mac, the young Marine had been setting up some kind of defense on the causeway, stacking wood and rocks to form a makeshift wall. She briefly considered joining Norman, but as he disappeared into the darkening distance, she realized she didn’t like the idea of roaming the island at night, especially when a military operation was taking place just across the bay. Too creepy.
Instead, she picked up Sniffy and headed back inside, thinking she might check on the wounded again. In the lobby, she saw that Fish was gone, and Miriam and Chloe had taken his place on the couch. Miriam was quietly talking to the child as Selene stepped through the door, but as soon as they noticed her, they stopped speaking and turned away from her.
I’ll drag them out of their shells kicking and screaming, Selene thought. She felt an affinity for Miriam. It seemed like they had similar trauma, but if Miriam felt the same way, she hadn’t shown it.
Selene moved to the fireplace and sat down on the edge of the brick hearth. “Hello, friends. I’m making my rounds, checking on people. Is there anything I can do to help you this evening?”
At first, neither of them would look at
