Page 9 of Uncharted

“Yeah, the walls aren’t exactly walls.”

“We thought you were asleep. I’m sorry if we woke you.”

“You didn’t, and it’s fine. I like the idea of a day off. If you’re okay with it.”

“I can be.”

“I can’t keep them all straight.” Pepper jumps up the last step and curls up in the crook of my legs.

“Can’t keep what straight?”

“I got completely lost somewhere after Hulk 2.”

“Oh, that’s not hard to do.”

“I’m waiting.” Her voice vibrates through my chest.

“For?” I give her a squeeze.

“Marvel.” Her voice is already sleepy.

“I don’t know if we have time for all of it tonight, Little Bird. But in the beginning, there was Captain America...”

* * *

Somehow, I wake last. It’s like my body knows. I push myself back, leaning against the giant trunk of the map tree. Everything we need to do pulses through me, but I take a moment and breathe through it.

Haley’s dirty blond hair pops up the ladder. “Hey sleepyhead. I’m proud of you for taking the do-nothing day seriously, but we’re going to do something now. Nothing productive, just a little jaunt up the mountain.”

I stretch and come down the ladder after her. The rest of the guys are standing around the stove. “What happened to no cooking?”

Dante shrugs and hands me a cup. One of the ones Calvin carved out of a hunk of wood.

“What’s this?”

“It’s pretend tea.” Haley jumps up and down. “Last time we were talking about what food we miss the most—you said tea!”

“This is very much not tea. But it’s not water.” Dante laughs. “It won’t kill you.”

“I like it.” Haley smiles at me.

I bring it to my lips. It’s floral, with an undernote of coconut. But that could just be the cup, though. Everything we eat has coconut in it. I take a sip. It’s hot, and that might be where the similarity to tea ends, but when I take another, it’s pretty good. “What is it?”

“Young bamboo leaves,” Dante says. “Drink up, it’s time we get going. I’ve got the fire out already.”

We’ve been keeping it going night and day. It’s a heck of a lot easier in a stove than in a pit in the ground. If we ever see a boat or a low-flying plane, we can grab embers out of the stove and take them to the signal fire.

Watching Dante fill the bottom of the stove with sand, smothering the fire, is... well, it sends a nasty pain into the pit of my stomach. I’m not Calvin. I still have hope. Yes, we’re well past the twenty-one-day mark. We’re closing in on five weeks. Haley wraps her arm around my shoulder. “You ready for the hike?”

“Not a hike. I don’t hike. Stroll through the woods. We’re forest bathing,” Dante announces, dusting his hands on his pants.

“What the hell is forest bathing? We’re in the jungle.” Calvin turns to Dante.

“It’s where you take the time out of your busy life to notice nature and fuck. It’s an article I read on the plane on the way over. I couldn’t sleep.”

Haley laughs. “Okay, let’s get this bath on the trail.” We’re a few feet down the path when Pepper follows. “No stay here, Pepper. We’ll be back soon.” Pepper meows and sits down.

“I still wonder where she came from.” I shake my head.

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