“Well, that’s basically it,” he said. “You can tie it onto a branch so that it hangs over a game trail, or you can secure it to the ground with a post.... Okay, so we don’t have a post, but we can tie it onto a skinny tree, or wedge it under a rock?”
“You’re our hero,” Mariana teased.
While the fish continued to cook, Claire watched Mariana flirt. She wondered what was wrong with her that she couldn’t just be happy to be alive and to have food and friends.
“It’s ready,” Reyva said.
Reverently, she held the two fillets in front of them. Claire breathed in the smell of fresh-cooked trout and nearly felt dizzy. It smelled amazing. Reyva handed one stick with a fillet to Mariana and held the other out to Claire.
Mariana plucked a bit of the flaky white fish from the stick. “Ow, ow, ow!” She popped it into her mouth and then breathed around the fish. “Hot.”
Claire and Reyva laughed.
Blowing on the fish, Claire took a chunk and placed it on her tongue. She didn’t know what she’d expected it to taste like—she’d never really liked fish before. She usually thought it was kind of like eating rubber bands, chewy and tasteless.
Not this.
This was as sweet and soft as a fresh croissant from a bakery. It melted on her tongue, and she felt as if flavor was exploding in her skull.
“This is amazing,” Mariana said. “You have to try it.” She held a piece out to Jack.
He held his hands up. “I’m not the one who’s been starving. You guys eat it.”
“Gallantandheroic,” Mariana told him, and then shot a significant glance at Claire. Mariana popped the piece of fish into her mouth. “Thanks,” she said to Jack.
The three of them shared the fillets, and they were gone far too quickly.
With a happy sigh, Reyva leaned back next to her. “Is it wrong that I’m happy?”
Mariana grinned at her. “Absolutely not wrong. New, maybe. Warn us if you’re going to break out in song and dance. Or if you’re going to do something even more rash, like smile.”
Leaning back against a boulder, Claire licked her fingers.
Across the lake, the sun was dipping closer to the tops of the trees. The nearby clouds were dyed rose. It was virtually windless, and the lake was still, reflecting the trees and the sky.
“Can I see that wire?” Jack asked Mariana.
She passed it to him. Using his knife, he sliced off several pieces, a couple of feet in length, and handed the rest back to her. She coiled the remainder up and tucked it in her pocket.
Jack stood up. “You guys rest. I’m going to set a few snares.”
“Thank you, my hero!” Mariana sang.
He blushed and retreated from the fire.
The three of them watched as he trooped into the woods. His footfalls crunched on the dead leaves, audible even after hedisappeared behind the thick trees.
“Think it’s okay that he’s going off alone?” Claire asked.
“Absolutely fine,” Mariana said with a wave. “The man with the gun is long gone.”
After less than a minute of not-so-patiently staring at the woods, Claire stood up. “I’m just going to go check—”
“—on what Jack is up to?” Reyva asked. “Good idea.”
“Oh, stop it, both of you.” Mariana swatted lightly at Claire’s foot. “Leave the poor boy alone. He’s fine. Everything’s fine. Someone’s got to be expecting him back; they’ll come and save us. This is almost over. We can relax.”
Claire felt a shiver.
