Page 7 of Delirium

“Question.” Pretty girl didn’t look horrified by my confession. If anything, she looked more curious. “Doesn’t blowing up the supposedly delicate eco-system cause just as much of a problem as the pipeline would have?”

“My bomb was more of an implosion. The empty pipe collapsed in on itself.” I whistled, demonstrating with my hands what would happen to the pipeline. “It means it’s more of a mess for them to fix, but less impact on the environment. Regardless, a small explosion is still better than decades of rainforest ecosystem being abused until there’s nothing left to sell.”

She looked me over, processing every inch of me with a sharp gaze. I could almost see her brain working, analyzing the parts she could see, mixing it with what I had told her. She had a scientist’s mind, that was for sure. I wanted to see what else would make her tick, what buttons I could push to elicit a reaction, what parts of her would combine to make her combust.

I wondered if she was thinking the same things about me.

“I’m Camp, by the way. Camp Hart.” I gave her a small wave, immediately regretting my life decisions. A wave. A fucking wave, from a mere two feet away? I was a tool and a half. Besides, she already knew my name—it was on my backpack.

“I know,” she said. She glanced over her shoulder toward Nash, before turning back to me. “I’m Scarlett. That’s Nash at the helm, and this is James next to me.”

“Pleasure, I’m sure,” James offered, in a tone that made it clear how little he waspleased. He yelled toward the helm. “How far is it to the fork?”

“It’s going to be a while yet, unfortunately. Is our stowaway being unruly?” Nash called back.

“Depends on what you mean by unruly,” James muttered, and I glared at him from my spot on the floor.

“Listen, I appreciate y’all thinking you’re doing the right thing turning me in, but I really didn’t do anything anyone in my positionwouldn’thave done.” I pushed off the deck, attempting to get to my feet, half expecting James to shove me back down. “So if you want me off the boat, I understand completely. But maybe, you could just drop me off on the shore somewhere and leave me to my own devices instead of turning me into the authorities.”

Scarlett’s gaze softened, and I immediately knew she was on my side. One out of three wasn’t bad, and I had a feeling she had more pull than she realized with the other two.

In contrast, James’ face hardened, looking like he’d sucked on a lemon for far too long. “I think returning you to those you’ve hurt is the only course of action here.”

“Of course you would.” Now that I was on my feet, I couldn’t believe how much I towered over Scarlett. When I was running to the boat, and looking up at her, she seemed larger than life. But now, I realized she was petite, small enough to tuck under my arm. “But I promise I’m no threat to you, or your excursion here, or anything else in your life. So maybe, just this once, you could look the other way.”

Scarlett and James both opened their mouths to talk, but before either of them could, Nash spoke over them.

“Seeing as this is my boat, I’m sure everyone wouldn’t mind if I have the final say. I do understand this affects everyone. So when we get to the fork, and I’m able to safely anchor this thing, we’ll put your fate to a vote, Camp. Majority wins.”

Butterfly effect was a strange thing.

Maybe if my parents had never bought me that children’s chemistry kit, I never would have been interested in finding out how things worked.

Maybe if I had been better at soccer, I would have scored a scholarship and earned my master’s degree, settling down with a nice girl I’d met at a party.

Instead, my life decisions had accumulated into this—my fate being decided by three strangers, on a boat in the middle of the rainforest. What kind of fucking butterfly had flapped its wings and put me on this path?

When I looked at Scarlett, watching the soft smile spread across her full lips, and the quick wink she gave me, I realized maybe I shouldn’t be cursing that butterfly after all.

Maybe I should be thanking it.

Chapter

Three

NASH

I’m not going to lie—it wasn’t often I had a dull day onCarpe Diem. However, this was probably the most eventful day I’d had in a long time.

See, there was always stuff going on. Problems to fix. New people to meet, and educate on the complexities of the environment. The rainforest was always changing, and I was always adapting. I’d show them how the upper and middle layers of the forest were shaded by the tangles of vines and ferns while we coasted through the wide, dark waters. I’d point out technicolored birds as we scanned the shores. Even Humphrey did his part to make sure my days were full and exciting. It was probably better that way. Too much quiet left me uncomfortable, wading through a brain with far too many thoughts than I knew what to do with. It was better to keep busy, keep my brain quiet, reciting touristy facts my passengers at least pretended to find interesting.

Dwelling on the past was good for no one.

But a wanted criminal leaping onto my boat, after the prettiest passenger I’d seen in a long time encouraged him to jump? That was a new one.

I didn’t like to pull the captain card often either, but I had a feeling if I let Scarlett and James duke it out amongst themselves, no one would win.

Scarlett had a soft heart. I’d picked up on it the moment she’d boardedCarpe Diem. I had a knack for seeing through the masks people wore every day, covering the scars and stitches they’d hidden away beneath.

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