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Her friend had a point, but Sophie wanted to defend herself. “In a team, one member doesn’t openly work against another.”
“I wasn’t working against you.” Owen said. “I made a judgment about the situation that you didn’t agree with. And I still think that any contact with…that guy is too dangerous. My job is to protect you.”
Luna stepped between them. “Exactly what I suspected. You’re working at cross-purposes. Time to find your faith in each other.”
Sophie wanted to groan. What was Luna going to make them do now?
“Come with me.” Luna took a path into the woods and went up the trail until she came to a small clearing. “I’ve got an assignment for you. And you are not returning to camp until you’ve completed it. Understand?” They both nodded. “You’re going to do a more extreme version of what’s happening in the dining room. One of you will be blindfolded here in the woods and spun around enough times to be disoriented. The other will have to verbally direct the blindfolded one to a location I’m going to assign to you without running into trees or falling off cliffs. Got it?”
“Yeah. Fine. I’ll wear the blindfold first,” he said.
“Works for me,” Sophie agreed, secretly glad he’d volunteered. She didn’t like to give up control.
A minute later, Owen was blindfolded and spinning in circles. Luna took that opportunity to point into the nearby woods to a tree with a red birdhouse hanging from a limb. It was only about forty feet away. How hard could this be?
Owen stopped moving and staggered just a little, proving that he was disoriented. His brain was probably feeding him intel like where the breeze was coming from and sun versus shade, but since he didn’t know the target, none of it would help him reach their goal.
“Are you steady on your feet?” she asked.
“Yeah. Let’s do this.”
“Turn to your left and start walking. Be careful, the ground’s uneven. I’ll tell you when to stop.” She walked beside him, hovering a foot or so away.
He stopped before she told him to. “I can feel deeper shade.”
“We’re on the edge of the woods. Lots of trees and some underbrush. Keep going two paces,” she said. He strode forward, keeping his hands at his sides. She had to admire him. He was trusting her to keep him safe and she was intent on her job. Luna was staying nearby, but Sophie hardly noticed her as she continued to give commands, having Owen step around obstacles and change directions as needed. “We’re almost there.”
They were within ten feet of the birdfeeder when Owen smacked his forehead on a tree limb. “A little warning about that would’ve been nice,” he said rubbing his hand over the spot on his head.
“I’m sorry! I slipped right under it,” she said, stepping closer to inspect the injury. It wasn’t serious, but she still felt guilty. “I didn’t take into account that you’re so much taller than me.”
“I’m okay,” he said. “What’s next, partner?”
“Just three strides straight ahead,” she said, walking alongside him.
“Stop,” Luna called out when they’d reached their goal. “That wasn’t bad other than knocking into that low limb. You listened to each other. Let’s try it with Sophie blindfolded, but I’m going to change the rules a little. I’m going to position Owen away from you, and he has to guide you to him.” Luna repeated the process of blindfolding and disorienting Sophie. She was left leaning against a tree, trying to get her bearings, while they moved deeper into the woods. “Okay, Owen, talk her through getting to you.”
“Turn sixty degrees to your right,” he instructed.
“Geometry wasn’t really my strong subject. I mean, I know there are 360 degrees in a circle, and I can probably figure it out, but…”
“How about turn to your two o’clock?”
“That I can visualize.” She shifted her body. “How far?”
“Eight steps.”
“Got it.”
“Whoa,” he said when she got to seven, “that’s far enough. You’re taking bigger strides than I thought. I won’t make that mistake again. I promise.”
Slowly, she made her way toward his voice, shifting direction often as he called out to her. If they were out in the open, it would have been child’s play to head right toward him, but there were so many obstacles in her path that she didn’t dare take a step without direction. Once, she brushed a tree with her shoulder, but she wasn’t worried. It was obvious that he was good at this, and she trusted him.
“Almost to me,” he said. “Two long strides.” She bumped into his chest and felt one arm go around her waist. He gently pulled off the blindfold and smiled at her. “Success.”
Sophie could think of no reason to step away from him. All the frustration she’d been harboring had just disappeared sometime in the past half hour. Now, all she could think about was how good it felt to be so close to him again.
TWELVE
