Page 22 of Wandering Wild

“That should be your company slogan,” Ember quips.

“I’ve tried to make it happen,” Bentley says with a conspiratorial grin. “Along with many others. Alas, Rykon is set onLive now, not later.”

I’ve seen those words accompanying the flying hawk logo, so they’re not new to me, but hearing them spoken yields a gravitas that I wasn’t anticipating.Live now, not later—the phrase calls to me, prompting both guilt and longing.

“Are we all set?” Gabe asks, re-joining our group and quickly introducing himself to Bentley.

“Pretty much,” Scarlett says, inspecting Zander and me. Satisfied, she tells us, “We have backpacks for you both with spare clothes and other essentials, but we’ll get those to you right before you leave. For now... Ollie, are you ready for them?”

“Sure am,” the photographer says, beaming. “We just need Hawke.”

“I’ll get him,” Scarlett says, glancing over to where the survivalist is standing with a group of black-clad crew members studying a map spread across the hood of a vehicle. “Start with Charlie and Zander, and I’ll bring Ryk to you in a few minutes.”

She and Bentley move off together, leaving us with the still-beaming Ollie.

“This way, my darlings,” he says, ushering us toward the hangar’s exit. “I didn’t introduce myself before, but I’m Oliver Arton: creative genius and content manager forHawke’s Wild World. I normally work behind a screen, but I pulled rank to be here with you two cuties today. You haveno ideahow excited I am.”

Once outside, he guides us to a quiet spot away from the flurry of last-minute gear checks, gesturing for Zander and me to stop beside the hangar’s corrugated iron wall while Ember and Gabe watch on.

“The lighting here isperfect,” Ollie gushes. “I’ve got some nice candid snaps already, so these are for the posed media blasts. Try to look natural. Relax.Smile. You’re excited about your upcoming adventure, remember? Share everything you’re feeling with your new BFF Ollie.”

Given my tumultuous emotions, it’s not the best suggestion. But I have a bargain to uphold, so when Ollie asks me to step closer to Zander, I do so with a big, fake smile over my gritted teeth.

“Gorgeous!—Amazing!—Spectacular!” Ollie’s praise is as constant as the photos he’s taking. “Zander, can you put your arm around Charlie’s shoulders? And Charlie, can yours circle his waist? Then lock eyes and smile like you’re sharing a secret. Nice and intimate—our viewers will eat it up!”

I tense as Zander moves to follow Ollie’s instructions, but his arm doesn’t leave his side. In a voice meant only for me, he asks, “Is this okay? If you’re uncomfortable, we can?—”

“It’s fine,” I say, staunchly ignoring the warmth his concern prompts, and once again wishing he was a heartless ogre, since it would make it so much easier to keep my resolve around him.

“You don’t look like it’s fine,” Zander says, though he hesitantly wraps his arm around me. I curl mine around his waist, touching him as little as possible. “You look like you’re about to face a mountain lion.” His eyes widen in alarm and shoot toward the distant mountains. “You don’t have those here, do you?”

Something in me eases at the panicked look on his face—or perhaps it’s because I know it’s not real, and he’s only trying to keep me from thinking about how we’re practically half-hugging. “They’re not native,” I answer, “but I wouldn’t be surprised if Hawke’s team brought one along for the sake of entertainment.”

“In that case, survival rules apply from here on out,” Zander says, dead serious.

“Survival rules?”

A mischievous grin tugs at his lips. “Surely you’ve heard the saying, ‘You don’t need to run the fastest, as long as you’re not the slowest’? My legs are at least fifteen times longer than yours, so I’m thinking you’re fresh out of luck when it comes to carnivorous felines.”

I play along, making apfftsound. “Oh please, we all know Hawke will be the first to get eaten. He’s obviously just a poster boy for the company, with zero survival skills.”

“Per-fection, my lovelies! Absolutelyflawless!” Ollie cries, breaking the spell between us. It’s only then that I see we’re doing exactly what he asked for: locking eyes and smiling, with our arms around each other. I hadn’t even noticed, wholly caught up in our banter.

Zander, however, has a satisfied look on his face as he drops his arm and steps away, making me realize he was fully aware the whole time. The warm feeling in me intensifies, since instead of ignoring my discomfort or reminding me to act like an enamored fan, he did what he could to distract me. And it worked.

“I have everything I need from you two as a couple,” Ollie says, squinting at his camera screen and therefore missing my knee-jerk reaction to the word “couple.” Zander doesn’t miss it though, and chuckles softly under his breath. So does Ember—but not as softly.

“Sounds like my timing is perfect,” says Hawke as he strides into view. Bentley and Scarlett are with him, and they halt beside Ember and Gabe while Hawke joins us at the corrugated wall.

Ollie takes more photos, then finally waves Bentley over to film some short Q and As. I get asked everything from how excited I am about the adventure—“Soooooexcited! I can’tbelieveI get to spendfour dayswithZander Rune!”—to what I’m going to miss most while I’m away from civilization—“Absolutelynothing, because I’ll be withZander! What more could Ineed?”

My answers make Ember choke on confused laughter and Zander look at me with enough exasperation that I dial it back a notch for Ollie’s next question.

“It’s obvious that you’re a big fan of Zander’s,” he says, laughing, and I somehow manage to keep my fake smile in place, “but what about Hawke? Have you seen his show?”

I’m acutely aware of the camera recording my answer, but even so, I can’t stop my smile from slipping. “I have, actually. Not every episode, but a lot of them.” I hesitate a beat before sharing, “My mum was a huge fan of Hawke’s, so he’s been a staple in my home ever since the pilot ofHawke’s Wild World.”

“‘Was’?” Ollie repeats. “She’s not a fan anymore?”

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