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I swallow hard and meet her eyes as she runs her fingers along her ponytail, daring me to say something. “We still have to follow the regular rules of society and learn to govern ourselves better. Show more respect to each other than I’ve witnessed.”

Silence bites at the group, and I feel sorry for James, Ollie, Nathan, and Serena, who all watch us in what looks like a mixture of horror and intrigue.

This is how it’s been here. Fucking miserable.

After a few tense moments, it’s Ezra who ends up backing down. He sits next to Naomi, while Micah turns and faces the group.

Silence—not one word uttered by anyone after that little performance. He shoots a look at Maison and me as I stand tense in Maison’s arms.

“We aren’t forcing anyone to go,” Micah says, “and you aren’t going, Maison, because we need you to stay here and trap.”

Nigel stands and shakes his head, then makes his way back to his shelter. I take a moment to inspect him. His sunken face shows the toll of twelve days living off the land. I wonder if I look the same, and the thought makes me shudder. He pauses when he realizes everyone is looking at him. For a brief second, I think he is volunteering as tribute.

He arches his brows. “What? Do you all think I’m volunteering? That is fucking laughable.” He tugs at Jade to come with him, because it seems like she belongs to him, catering to every little whim to please him. “Come on, Jade, let’s go.”

Jade stands, her eyes wide, and she darts them around the group. “I’ll go,” she says meekly, ignoring Nigel. “I’ll go explore the island.”

“Don’t be fucking stupid, Jade.” Nigel sneers. “You’re not going anywhere.”

It’s Thomas who stands now, after remaining quiet near Micah. He rises like a feral animal and gets right in Nigel’s face. “Don’t fucking speak to her like that.”

Nigel is half the height of Thomas, and doesn’t so much as flinch. The hatred coming out of Nigel’s eyes sends a shiver down my spine. “She doesn’t know what she’s doing out there. So sit down and put a muzzle on it.”

Thomas takes a deadly step forward, and I worry for Nigel’s life. Thomas’s fingers are curled as his whole body tenses. I think it’s wonderful how he’s sticking up for Jade, but the thought of Jade going out there makes my nerves shake. She’d be less prepared than I am, although she has taken to learning the survival skills better than I have. Nigel sneers, seemingly unaffected by Thomas’s reaction, almost as if he’s plotting something.

Jade rubs her shoulders, darting her eyes between Nigel and Thomas. Her old friend—only friend she really had in school—and Thomas, the guy I think she is falling for. Nigel knows it, too. “It’s okay. Ezra’s right, I’ve probably contributed the least out of everyone.”

I grind my teeth and mutter under my breath, “Ezra’s an asshole.”

Maison leans down and whispers in my ear, “London, stop. You’re not making this any better. We have to let this play out.”

“I’m going with Jade,” Thomas says. “I’m not letting her go alone, and I don’t trust anyone else with her.”

Nigel remains eerily silent, and I want to tell him he’s the one who should go since he’s literally contributed nothing. He pivots and strides toward his shelter, emerging shortly after with Jade’s bag in hand. He hurls it at her feet and declares, “Take it. You created this mess, now you must accept the consequences. I’m not watching out for you anymore, you stupid bitch.”

Bold move on Nigel’s part, considering the brick wall in front of him that looks like he wants to murder him. Ezra and Naomi are grinning now, finding this whole situation rather amusing. And Micah continues his blundering silence.

Thomas picks up the stray clothes Nigel threw into the mud and wipes them off. His eyes shoot up to Nigel, his voice low. “I’ll break your face if you talk to her again.”

Nigel cocks his square head. “Whatever.”

And off he goes, clearly not volunteering to help with anything whatsoever. If he wasn’t such a calculated asshole, I’d feel sorry for him.

Micah rises and slaps Thomas on the back. “We’ll chat tomorrow about a route I found. Travel for one day and stick to the shoreline. You two will be fine.”

I have to get Micah credit; he handled this well. I’m unsure how I would have reacted if they tried to force me to go. Maison squeezes me again, and I’m tempted to pull away. I wish Maison would have more to say to Ezra. Micah’s the only one who will ever stand up to him.

Say something, Maison. Stick up for people.

It’s Ollie who’s speaks next. “What if they don’t come back?” The younger guys seem to avoid getting involved, and I can’t really blame them. It’s only been ten minutes, and we’re already at each other’s throats.

“Then God fucking speed,” Ezra snipes from the side.

With tensions simmered, the group goes back to talking amongst themselves. Jade and Thomas move to the other side of the fire and strike a deep conversation, while Serena sits close to James and leans into him. Maison and I cuddle, watching the fire in silence.

Out of the corner of my eye, Micah rises and grabs Naomi’s hand while she’s sitting next to Ezra. He pulls her back to his spot, placing her on his lap, where he pushes his tongue down her throat.

Micah’s eyes draw to mine when he notices me watching them.