get snow over there sometimes, and between the bear and wildcats, you can’t…”
He cut her off with a raised hand. “I can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you can, but this is about making intelligent choices. Why would you make things harder on yourself for no reason?”
He rubbed his eyes and then rolled his shoulders. “I have reasons.”
She opened her mouth to object and then closed it again. She had known this boy less than a day, but it already felt like they had both been on each side of every possible argument. Instead of killing him or fearing for her life, now she was trying to convince him to stay.
“At least let me pack up some provisions for you. I can put them in a sealed container so the smell doesn’t attract anything.”
He looked at her and nodded.
“You drink coffee?”
“I guess.”
“Good,” she said. She went inside to pack.
Lunch had been about showing off all her best provisions. When she packed up supplies for him to take, she did the opposite. She packed plain, ordinary stuff that he could use every day. Flour wasn’t calorie dense enough. Instead of bread, she packed canned salmon, walnuts, and dried fruit. She threw in things like herbs, salt, and spices so he could liven up the game that he caught or trapped. While she was at it, she put in matches and a small first aid kit.
Madelyn smiled as she took the bag back outside for Jacob.
He was gone.
She looked towards the woods and laughed to herself. Of course he was gone. Leaving behind the provisions had been a small price to pay for his clean getaway. She could track him down, but what was the point?
Chapter 9
{Alone}
M ADELYN OPENED THE DOOR to a dreary day. The low clouds blocked the sun. Rain drizzled for a bit and then came in sheets. Even tucked into the back of her porch, she got wet from the splash-back. She gave up on being outside and locked herself in her grandmother’s cabin.
She stared at the walls.
David’s skull hadn’t yet taken its place on her memory wall. He sat on the side table. On another wall, her grandmother had mounted family photos and rusty tools. Neither one of them had any sense of style. The decorations were depressing and only served to catch dust. She thought about taking everything down. There was nowhere to put them. She would have to drag everything deep into the woods and then leave her mess there. It was easier to close her eyes and forget about it.
But she couldn’t close her eyes.
The faces that came to her were much more disturbing than what she saw on the depressing walls. She imagined her brother and her father. She blinked and saw David smiling at her. She pictured Austin and the way the corner of his mouth would turn when he had a secret.
Madelyn screamed her frustration and hurled her coffee mug at the wall. It shattered when it hit a rusty pickaxe. The dregs of her coffee dripped down the planks.
# # # # #
She stormed towards the stairs. Once in the compartment, she stabbed the button to take her underground. She could feel the dirt pressing in on the sides of the chamber. The lights came on. She stopped at the control panel and activated all the outside cameras. Most of them still worked. There were a few in the woods that showed only black. One was obscured by mud and twigs. Some bird had built its nest against the lens.
Madelyn took herself to the lounge and flopped down in her chair.
The display was still on. They had forgotten to power it down after the repair cycle.
Madelyn frowned and shook her head. She flipped through the view from the cameras again. She searched every image for a sign of Jacob. He was long gone from their limited range. Madelyn sighed and worked her way through the list of available movies. She had seem them all. Even the ones that sounded terrible had a little green check next to the title. Back when she was new to the idea of living alone, she had used up all the entertainment bundled into
He cut her off with a raised hand. “I can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you can, but this is about making intelligent choices. Why would you make things harder on yourself for no reason?”
He rubbed his eyes and then rolled his shoulders. “I have reasons.”
She opened her mouth to object and then closed it again. She had known this boy less than a day, but it already felt like they had both been on each side of every possible argument. Instead of killing him or fearing for her life, now she was trying to convince him to stay.
“At least let me pack up some provisions for you. I can put them in a sealed container so the smell doesn’t attract anything.”
He looked at her and nodded.
“You drink coffee?”
“I guess.”
“Good,” she said. She went inside to pack.
Lunch had been about showing off all her best provisions. When she packed up supplies for him to take, she did the opposite. She packed plain, ordinary stuff that he could use every day. Flour wasn’t calorie dense enough. Instead of bread, she packed canned salmon, walnuts, and dried fruit. She threw in things like herbs, salt, and spices so he could liven up the game that he caught or trapped. While she was at it, she put in matches and a small first aid kit.
Madelyn smiled as she took the bag back outside for Jacob.
He was gone.
She looked towards the woods and laughed to herself. Of course he was gone. Leaving behind the provisions had been a small price to pay for his clean getaway. She could track him down, but what was the point?
Chapter 9
{Alone}
M ADELYN OPENED THE DOOR to a dreary day. The low clouds blocked the sun. Rain drizzled for a bit and then came in sheets. Even tucked into the back of her porch, she got wet from the splash-back. She gave up on being outside and locked herself in her grandmother’s cabin.
She stared at the walls.
David’s skull hadn’t yet taken its place on her memory wall. He sat on the side table. On another wall, her grandmother had mounted family photos and rusty tools. Neither one of them had any sense of style. The decorations were depressing and only served to catch dust. She thought about taking everything down. There was nowhere to put them. She would have to drag everything deep into the woods and then leave her mess there. It was easier to close her eyes and forget about it.
But she couldn’t close her eyes.
The faces that came to her were much more disturbing than what she saw on the depressing walls. She imagined her brother and her father. She blinked and saw David smiling at her. She pictured Austin and the way the corner of his mouth would turn when he had a secret.
Madelyn screamed her frustration and hurled her coffee mug at the wall. It shattered when it hit a rusty pickaxe. The dregs of her coffee dripped down the planks.
# # # # #
She stormed towards the stairs. Once in the compartment, she stabbed the button to take her underground. She could feel the dirt pressing in on the sides of the chamber. The lights came on. She stopped at the control panel and activated all the outside cameras. Most of them still worked. There were a few in the woods that showed only black. One was obscured by mud and twigs. Some bird had built its nest against the lens.
Madelyn took herself to the lounge and flopped down in her chair.
The display was still on. They had forgotten to power it down after the repair cycle.
Madelyn frowned and shook her head. She flipped through the view from the cameras again. She searched every image for a sign of Jacob. He was long gone from their limited range. Madelyn sighed and worked her way through the list of available movies. She had seem them all. Even the ones that sounded terrible had a little green check next to the title. Back when she was new to the idea of living alone, she had used up all the entertainment bundled into
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