Page 52 of Blue Arrow Island
Keeping the knife in my right hand, I tiptoe deeper into the cave, toward the murmur of water.
I don’t have to go far. In the darkness, I can clearly hear the trickle, but can’t see it. I use my hands to search, my palm landing on a smooth rock wall with water gently flowing down. I bend to inspect the ground with my fingers, hoping to find a pool of cool water.
Instead, it’s rolling along the edge of the cave floor. I follow the path for about fifty feet, where the water seems to seep into another wall.
Damn. No drinkable water source in here. That means I have to go out. I’ve got enough problems with my feet; I can’t let myself get dehydrated, too.
I leave everything but the knife, spear and canteen in the cave. As the path takes me upward, pinpricks of light filter into the cave through tiny holes in the curtain of vines. I can smell the sweet, heavy scent of the tropical flowers even from twenty feet away.
Careful to ease out at the same end I entered through and not disturb the cave’s covering, I blink against bright light when I emerge. The tree cover above is too thick for me to tell what time of day it is.
I consider waiting for the cover of night, but I’m just too thirsty. The small waterfall I bathed in yesterday isn’t too far, and I know exactly how to get back there.
A snake as thick as my forearm slithers across the ground in front of me as I walk, unconcerned with my presence. It’s black and red with an arrow-shaped head—probably venomous.I’m not tangling with venomous snakes, even though my mouth waters at the thought of grilled meat.
I’ll have other chances at small game. I say another silent thank you to the universe for sending me this knife. In the light, I can see that it’s very well made and sharp.
This weapon will give me a chance against anything I encounter. I can’t help wondering who left it in the cave, and when.
It’s mine now. I can live without everything I left in the cave if I have to, but the knife, spear and canteen will come with me everywhere.
When I exit the jungle, the sun’s position tells me it’s around late morning. I must’ve slept through the night.
Sweat is already running down my spine and gathering under my arms. I’d love to take my clothes off and sit in the cool water for a while, but I can’t.
Kneeling beside the pool of crystal clear water, I bend and splash my face. It’s a mess of scrapes, but none of them seem very deep.
Then I fill my canteen, drink it all, and fill it again. This time, I drink half of it and then dunk it below the water’s surface to get it full.
After screwing on the cap, I put the strap over my head so the canteen rests on my hip, pick up my knife and spear, and start back toward the cave.
I feel better. The rest helped. My head is clear enough now that I can think through my options and decide what to do after I let my feet heal.
“Any last words, Briar?”
My feet freeze, the voice setting off alarm bells in my head.
It’s too late for that, though. When I turn around, Virginia is standing around ten feet away, her expression a cross betweenfurious and smug. She’s gripping a long metal spear, the corded muscles on her lean arms glistening with sweat.
“Just leave me alone.” It’s an effort to keep my voice level, a knot of panic tightening in my stomach. “You said I know too much, but there’s no one to tell. I just want to be alone.”
“I can’t allow that.”
She takes a step forward and I match it with a step back. The corners of her lips turn up slightly like she’s enjoying my fear.
This bitch. She’s got a major God complex, not unlike Soren Whitman.
“How do you live with yourself?” My voice drips with the contempt I feel for her. “You’re a woman making other women into breeding machines for Whitman.”
She scoffs. “And who are you? Just an arrogant loner no one will miss when I leave your body for the animals to tear apart.”
I’m my father’s daughter. He was a smart, measured man, but he was also a proud one. And he taught me to never let an opponent see my fear.
Master it, he’d say.Swallow your fear whole and use it.
I walk closer to Virginia, my fingers aching from my tight grip on the knife. “You’re nothing but a bully. And I’ve never been afraid of bullies.”
That hits. A shadow crosses her face and she storms toward me, snarling.
