Page 56 of Delirium

I didn’t want to think of the implications of us going there.

There were always consequences, weren’t there? Even with actions we didn’t have a choice to make. Difference was, I chose to let James’ money sway me. I chose to lead them through the rainforest. I chose to explore what was essentially a graveyard, perfectly preserved in time.

Choices like that didn’t come without consequences.

I’d experienced a ton of weird shit in the time I’d lived in the rainforest. Weird people. Weirder situations. Things you couldn’t quite explain. Things you saw out of the corner of your eye, or noises you heard from the ship deck at night when you should’ve been asleep.

What I told Scarlett was true. I hadn’t been superstitious until I moved here. But being here, where life operated around a whole different set of rules than modern society, changed the ballgame.

Once everyone was safely back on board the boat, I pulled up the gangplank and faced everyone. “Right. Ten minutes to get yourselves right. We’ll regroup in the dining hall and decide what to do from here.”

“What to do from here?” Camp snapped, wide-eyed. “I’m pretty sure there’s only one option. Get the hell away from that creepy ass place, and back to civilization.”

“Look,” I held my hands up, waving them around. “I don’t like it any more than you do. If it were up to me, we’d be halfway down the river by now. But unfortunately, people are missing. Quite a few of them, by the looks of it. And you and I aren’t the only people on board, either. We’ll make the decision as a group, just like everything else. Isn’t that the same courtesy we lent to you?”

“We don’t even know where tostartlooking for them, or if they evenwantto be found.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes, the first I’d seen her look annoyed with Camp. “Be honest with yourself. Did that really look like the campsite of a bunch of people who decided to run away willingly?”

Camp crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Well, I’m not sure, having never been in that situation myself.”

“Oh, sure.” James laughed. “Now you’re a hero. Sure.”

I had approximately thirty more seconds before everyone imploded right in front of me, which wasnotwhat we needed. “Stop!”

The three of them froze, looking up at me. I knew they weren’t feeling annoyance and resentment toward each other, but sometimes fear didn’t know how else to express itself.

I was afraid, too. But I had brought them here.

It was my responsibility to get them out.

“Ten minutes. Go dump your gear, splash your face with cold water, drink something, I don’t care. I’ll see you all in the dining hall in ten. Got it?”

One by one, they nodded, stalking off in the directions of their respective cabins.

I sighed, dropping my bag to the deck.Fuck. I should’ve known when James showed up in my inbox nothing good could come of it. Nothing good ever came of the two of us together.

Scarlett, though. Scarlett was here, on my boat, because of my choice to run this last-minute trip. I couldn’t find it in myself to be upset aboutthat.

Even when she was annoyed, flashing glares at Camp, she was still beautiful. There was something alive in her soul, something that blazed so brightly, I didn’t know if I wanted to capture it or just watch it and see where it went next.

I rolled my shoulders, attempting to shake off the sore muscles before they settled in too deeply. I wouldn’t admit it to the rest of them, but my bag definitely felt heavier than normal. Either I’d been slacking in the stamina department, or I’d caught some kind of bug. Hopefully the former, because this trip downriver couldnottake any more bad news.

Tipping my face toward the sky, the telltale clouds slowly creeped together and blocked the sun. We were likely going to get rain tonight, but hopefully it would fizzle out by the morning so we’d have clear weather to continue downriver or do a bit more exploring.

The watch on my hand told me almost seven minutes had passed, so I should probably make my way toward the dining hall, although the prospect of being stuck inside a small room with such big personalities wasn’t my idea of a good time.

I rubbed the back of my neck and headed down. The air was weird today. Oddly still and thick, even for the rainforest. A steady breeze had blown down by the city though, of that I was certain. The tents whipped in the wind, and there was no mistaking the sound of the breeze as it blew past your ears.

Here on the boat, though, it felt stagnant. I patted the worn dining table fondly. “Few more days and we’ll get you into the shop for the season, old girl. You’ve done good work this year. I just need you to keep it up for a few more days, and then you can rest, I promise.”

“Are you talking to your boat?”

I snapped my head up to see James standing in the doorway, frowning. “And if I was?”

He shrugged, rolling his eyes as he took the seat across from me. “No weirder than anything else you’ve done, I suppose. After all, you are living your life like some kind of shirtless jungle boy.”

I scoffed. “What was I supposed to do? Stay in the city and wait to be arrested? I had to dosomething.”

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