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“Pretty, right? I like your hair too.” Which is true. It’s rich and dark, like her eyes. “What are you doing out here? How did you get here?”
Sudden yelling makes me jump as an older man comes tearing out of the trees. I grab the girl and shove her behind me, blocking her from whoever he is. He stops when he sees me before looking fearfully around. He calls out what must be the little girl’s name because she pops her head out from behind me to wave at the man.
When he sees her, his face hardens until he finally takes in the protective stance I’ve taken in front of her. He says something to me, but I have no clue what he is saying. He steps closer, and as much as I want to back up, I don’t because to do so will push the girl into the water.
He tries talking again, but I shake my head. “I don’t understand you.”
He steps closer, so I hold my arm up to warn him off. Softer this time, he calls to the girl—maybe her name. Before I can stop her, she moves around me and skips over to him. When she gets to him, he bends down and kisses her head before slipping a canvas bag off his shoulder.
He pulls out a handful of berries and offers some to the girl. She tosses them into her mouth, munching on them happily before babbling away to him. Okay, so she isn’t afraid of him. At least that makes one of us. He pulls out another handful of berries, pouring some into the girl’s hand and nodding in my direction.
She skips back over to me and holds them out for me. I look from them to the man, who nods encouragingly. Well, I have no idea what they are, which means Oz and Zig would kill me if they could see me now. But he fed them to the little girl, so they have to be okay to eat. It’s a risk I’m willing to take. A girl can survive many things, but a diet of mostly mangos and wild birds gets real old, real fast.
I take one and pop it in my mouth. The flavor explodes on my tongue. It’s like a grape in size and color, but the texture is more like a banana. My brain isn’t sure what to make of it. The taste is both tart and sweet, but in an odd kind of way. She holds her hands higher, so with a chuckle, I take a couple more and thank her before inclining my head in thanks to the man too.
The man takes another step closer, and though he has a lot of years on me, I’m still wary, especially since I’m only wearing a freaking T-shirt. I keep the girl between us, figuring she means something to him, so he is less likely to lunge for me if it means putting her in danger. The little girl starts chattering away to me, offering me more berries, which I take. The man continues to edge closer, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. Eventually, he points to the rock formation beside me and asks if he can sit. Since he’s on the opposite side of both the gun and knife, I nod.
He eases himself down with a pained grunt and wipes his head with the back of his hand. I look around for my bottle of water and spot it behind me. I grab it and offer it to the man. He looks at the bottle and palms his hands together in thanks before taking it from me.
He takes a small sip just as Zig and Oz emerge from the trees, all of us freezing in place. Except for the girl who smiles and skips toward them. I see the panic on the old man’s face as he tries to get up and grab her, but I place my hand on his arm and make a soothing noise. I point to Zig and Oz and then back to me before I place my hands over my heart. I’m hoping he guesses from my gesture that I love them and that they won’t hurt us.
The man still looks wary, but I don’t think he’s going to have a heart attack on us. The girl stops in front of Zig and Oz and offers them some berries. Zig shakes his head, but Oz reaches for a handful and tosses them in his mouth, making Zig shake his head. The little girl laughs happily.
“Before you yell at me, they found me. I’m as shocked as you are. Actually, you don’t look that shocked.” I frown.
“I would have been, but I think I’ve found their village. It’s not far from here.”
“You’re kidding me. I wonder how we’ve never come across anyone before,” I muse, then realize we usually leave before now so we don’t risk getting caught in the dark. They live closer and probably come when the sun is more bearable.
Zig walks over to the old man as Oz comes to me with the little girl skipping beside him.
“She seems happy.” Oz smiles softly.
“I get the feeling she doesn’t meet many new people.”
Zig talks quietly to the man as I watch the little girl spin in circles. I look at Oz, who has a pained look on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking about my niece and how much she would have grown since we last saw her.”
I step over to him and wrap my arms around his waist. He rests his chin on my head until Zig turns and faces us.
“I don’t speak Yucatec Maya, which is what I think he’s speaking, but he knows enough basic Spanish to understand what I’m saying. I think.”
“Okay, and what did he say?”
“That we are welcome to come to his village.”
“Really? Fuck yes.” Oz grins.
He looks at me and explains why. “I did a little recon and saw some of our equipment there. If it works, we can send a message home.”
I don’t feel the same level of excitement he does, but I hide it. Zig helps the old man to his feet as Oz helps me collect our things, slipping the gun into his pack and the knife into his pants. While he does that, I finish getting dressed.
“You ready?” Zig calls to me.
I nod. Ready as I’ll ever be.
