I was glad she’d not asked will they, but when will they.
None of us could stomach the thought of an if.
“I don’t have an answer to that,” Harry said matter-of-factly. “But what I can say is that the tide will end up pretty high up on the shore tonight. We need to move farther up the beach, and we need to do that now.”
Almost on cue, the ocean roared and the wind picked up, whipping our hair wildly.
“I found a space,” James spoke up, surprising us all. “There’s a big rock with a sort of ledge thing over near the edge of the trees. It’s not very big, but the five of us could huddle underneath it for the night. I’ve been moving sticks and limbs there for a while, so they’ll be dried out if we need them for firewood.” His chest puffed slightly with pride, but enough that I noticed.
“It’s not where you peed, is it?” Ava asked, her upper lip curled in disgust.
“No.” He scowled.
“Fine, great. Let’s go,” Noah said, turning to face the woods and allowing James to lead us. It was about a twenty-minute walk from where we were, the journey made entirely in silence, and Ava had lingered back, purposefully walking next to me. I felt her eyes trailing to me every few minutes, as if seeking comfort, but I had none to give her.
I was an empty shell of anger and fear, still processing all that had happened.
When we arrived at the place James had mentioned, I saw a large moss-covered boulder that was elongated on one end, making for about three feet of covered space where we could sit in the shadows, or stay dry from the rain should any come our way.
“Okay, great, so…” Harry walked under the rock, appraising the cramped space. “One of us should stay awake at all times, and we can split up into shifts so everyone gets to sleep. Any volunteers for the first shift?”
My hand shot up. I’d always struggled with insomnia, but even as exhausted as I was, I had zero desire to let my guard down and fall asleep among these strangers.
“We should have two people, at least. To make sure we can trust everyone,” Noah said, eyeing me. Despite his distrust, he wasn’t volunteering to be the second person staying awake.
Harry stared at him, conceding with a nod. “Fair enough. Any thoughts on who the second person should be?”
“Well it can’t be me,” James grumbled. “I’ve spent the day lugging wood while you all collected puka shells and painted each other's nails.”
I rolled my eyes, already irritated by James entirely. However long we were going to be here, I was sure it would seem like much longer if he didn’t cool it.
“I’ll do it,” Ava said, her voice feeble, her hand in the air.
“It can’t be the two girls,” James argued quickly, as if he were a young boy suggesting we had cooties.
“Why the hell not?” I demanded, squaring my shoulders to his. I’d had about enough of him.
Noah put a hand between us, easing the tension. “Unless you’re volunteering, James, it’ll be the women who stay up for the first shift.”
James grumbled but said no more, so Noah nodded toward us. “Okay, ladies. If you hear anything, you wake us up. If you see any lights in the distance, hear any animals… Anything. Otherwise, give it until you feel like it’s been a few hours and then wake Harry and me up. We’ll take the next shift… Since James needs his beauty rest.” He grinned at me playfully, then turned around and dropped to his bottom underneath the rock.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Harry asked, not truly directed at either of us. When we nodded, he joined the men under the rock, each of their bodies separated by a few inches of space.
“Should we separate and sit on opposite sides?” Ava asked, almost hesitantly.
I wrapped an arm around her, shaking my head. “No, we’ll be fine here. Together. The wind’s getting chilly anyway.”
We sank down on the ground just in front of the rock, watching the leaves rustle in the wind.
“Someone will come back for us,” she said softly, and I realized I didn’t know how much time had passed with us sitting in utter silence. “Right?”
I looked at her, her eyes doe-like and innocent. I reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Of course, they will.”
The moonlight glimmered off the tears in her eyes, but I pretended not to notice. “How old are you, Ava?” I asked after a moment.
“Eighteen,” she told me softly, her voice quivering.
“Eighteen…” I expelled a breath. Less than half my age. I guessed the others on the trip were closer to my age than hers, except Harry, who may also be in his mid-to-late thirties. It made me feel like I needed to be the parent, to keep them all protected, but I had no experience to teach me how to parent. This was all new to me, and I had no desire to lead the group. How on earth had she even ended up on the trip? “You’re just a baby. What were you even doing on that boat?”
She leaned forward, putting her head in her hands. “I’m supposed to be on vacation with my parents and their friends. I was mad at my mom because she’s being totally unreasonable about college. I wanted to change schools from my first choice because my boyfriend’s going to one at home. She wants me to get out and see the world, and I just don’t want to leave him…” She whimpered, swiping a tear from her cheek. “Anyway, I was mad, so I’d gone down to the beach alone, and this man approached me. He asked if I wanted to go for a ride on the boat; said they had an extra
