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Now she stays out of the fray and makes sure everything’s on track. She earned that right through blood and sweat and tears. I know she’s difficult to deal with and isn’t the most popular member, but none of them understand the depths of her loyalty and just how useful that can be.
“Not bad. Seas were rough near the coast but I got everything on the list.”
“Students will be happy.”
“Teachers will be happier.”
She cracks a slight smile, but it quickly disappears. “We need to talk about the new girl.”
Kaye shuffles past, lingering behind Paola. The taller, darker girl is telling Kaye how things go, and my little pet listens with an intense if extremely wary look on her face. Coming down into this cave for the first time must be nerve-racking, and even though we’ve taken steps to make it safer—more lights, some handrails, minor bracing, shit like that—it’s still always a risk. Walls collapse, people get lost, air runs out, sea levels rise. Risk is inherent in everything we do.
“What about her?”
“She was asking about Lucy yesterday.”
I let that sink in. I need to act surprised, even if I’m not in the slightest. Lesley hasn’t figured out who Kaye is yet, but she’s going to flip shit when she finally does. Lesley and Lucy were close—they bonded over their shared love of trying to make me feel like an asshole, and the whole school started calling them the Ls. But Lucy was notoriously quiet about her past and she never mentioned her little sister, not even once, let alone shared pictures.
I only know because I research every new student that comes to this island, and little Kaye didn’t bother to hide her last name on her official documents.
“What brought that up?”
“She says she heard the rumor and wanted to know if it was true.” Lesley scowls, shaking her head. “I don’t trust that girl one bit and I don’t like her asking about Lucy.”
“What am I supposed to do about it?”
Her eyes narrow. “You, of all people, should be most worried about some girl poking around Lucy’s death.”
“What happened to Lucy was a tragic accident,” I say very slowly as our society members move around us, carrying things out from the boat and back up the path toward the waiting Jeeps. “And you need to remember that.”
Lesley rolls her eyes. “Don’t give me that crap. Look, I’m just saying, you don’t want people talking about Lucy, especially not people in your own stupid little society. You’d better make sure she stops poking around.”
“It was salacious. A girl died.Everyone’sstill talking about it. Should I stomp around campus breaking skulls and fucking up anyone that mentions the most notorious event of last year?”
“Just take care of the girl.” She scowls at me then spots Dirk balancing too much weight on his shoulders. “Hey! Idiot! Easy with that shit, you’re not fucking Terrence.” She stomps off to take care of another crisis.
I stand there watching her, trying to remain calm and measured. Her reaction is interesting. I don’t know what she thinks happened to Lucy, but ever since the girl died, my name’s been attached to the situation, and for good reason. There was the article she wrote before she died, and there’s the fact that I’m the only one who saw what happened.
Together, those two facts make it very possible that I was the one who pushed poor Lucy to her demise.
Nobody knows the truth and I’m in no hurry to tell them.
Kaye comes up from the boat with a single box. Paola’s still with her, and the girls are chatting as they work. I follow them at a distance, watching as Kaye maneuvers up the steep, winding tunnel, into the wider sections above until we step out into the late jungle evening. The Jeeps are running, their headlights on, casting long shadows across the rock face. When Kaye’s box is unloaded, I catch her eye and wave her over.
Paola gives her a wink and a grin and heads back down to grab another case. Kaye comes toward me, looking sheepish, and smiles a bit.
“How’s your first unloading going?” I ask.
She shrugs and wipes her forehead. A bit of sweat’s glistening on her skin and I’m tempted to lick it off. Whenever she’s around, I get these thoughts, difficult and destructive and lust-filled thoughts. The sort of ideas that will get me killed if I indulge them.
She’s dangerous. This girl is my enemy and I can’t forget it. But even if she’s a knife at my throat, I still crave her sharp edges.
But I want to indulge myself in her so fucking badly it hurts.
“Pretty good so far. It’s a steep climb carrying a case of beer but—” She shrugs like, what else can you do?
“Come with me. I want to show you something.”
I turn around and lead her back into the cave. She follows, keeping a bit of distance between us. I nod to Terrence and Jayson as I pass, but instead of turning down the tunnel that leads toward the dock, I take her along a different path instead.
