“Don’t tell me about my own mind!” Theo shouts. His eyes travel over everyone in the group, landing on me last. “Wheeler.”
My name is a sigh and a plea that cracks my heart open all over again, and I can’t help but wonder how many times it will break for him.
Theo and I may be doomed to live in terror for the rest of our lives, but at least we’ve always been in this together.
I can’t justify it, can’t put words to the part of me that is willing to put my destiny in his hands. I fell in love with him and gave fate a hostage.
“Let’s go.”
CHAPTER20
I’m the first domino; once I fall, the others quickly follow. In a matter of minutes, Naomi, Brooke, and Henry agree to trek across the island with Theo and me in search of help. When Victoria sees that her options are to come with us or stay behind with Reggie and Winston, she grudgingly relents.
Theo’s shoulders relax for the first time since the crash. He makes eye contact with me across the group.Thank you,he mouths, and my chest feels tight. Like deciding to leave Heathrow on the eve of the apocalypse and meeting Theo in a pub, it feels like nothing else was ever an option.
I turn to Naomi. “Will you be able to hike with your injury?”
“I’m not worried; it’s just a few blisters.” She stands for the first time all morning and instantly doubles over in pain. With a hand braced on her knee, she looks up at me with a wince that she pretends is a smile. “The blisters heard me, and they laughed. I can’t come.”
“No! Are you sure?”
“I can’t even put weight on my foot. I’ll never make it.”
“But I don’t want to go without you.”
“Ironic, because I won’t let you stay. I’m trusting you to get us rescued.” She hugs me tightly and we promise to see each other soon.
Before I have a chance to catch my breath, my sister, three royals, my rescue dog, and I walk into the foggy forest with the ocean at our backs and a mountain that is “technically a volcano” in front of us.
A recipe for success.
“We’ll take the direct path, straight through the middle of the island,” Theo explains as we move through the dense trees. Vegetation swallows us and blocks out the rest of the world; the ocean waves are soon muted and sunlight filters weakly through the leaves. I swat a mosquito off my elbow.
“It’d be easier to walk along the coast. Less chance of getting lost,” Henry says.
“This is faster. We have no idea how long the coast is,” Theo argues.
Henry puts his hand out to stop Theo. “You want to climb over a volcano?Really?”
We form a small circle, and I can see Theo is getting frustrated again. The tension between the brothers has been thick since last night, and I have a feeling Henry is trying to get a rise out of him. Theo’s right. If we’re taking the risk to make this journey, we may as well do it the quickest way possible.
Theo points toward the north shore. “The crater is off center. We’re going up and over the base. It’s the fastest way.”
Henry crosses his arms. “I disagree.”
Theo’s jaw tics.
“C’mon, Your Majesty, pull rank on me. You know you want to,” Henry says.
“Get over yourselves and stop fighting,” Victoria snaps. “Let’s vote on it.”
“The democratic way!” Brooke smiles sarcastically at the royals.
“Brilliant,” Theo says dryly. “All in favor of traveling as the crow flies?”
Theo, Brooke, Victoria, and I raise our hands. Comet barks in agreement.
“Well, that’s hardly fair.” Henry gestures to me. “Wren was going to agree with you regardless.”
