With Kate present, I swallowed my impulses—though the repression might just kill me faster than this island.
Marking trees with the axe gave me an excuse to shake off Emma's clinging hands. Left adrift, she latched onto Kate's arm instead.
Kate side-eyed her. "Oh, now you need me?"
"I'm scared," Emma whimpered.
To my surprise, Kate allowed the contact. Their unlikely truce held as we trekked deeper, Emma's usual venom replaced by desperate charm.
After thirty minutes, we paused to rest. Kate refused to sit—yesterday's snakebite had left her understandably skittish.
"Mushrooms!" She pointed excitedly to a cluster beneath a tree.
As she crouched to harvest them, a rustle in the undergrowth sent her sprawling backward. Emma shrieked and glued herself to my side.
"Just a rabbit," I assured them, though my pulse still raced.
Kate accepted my hand up. "You're a real comedian," she deadpanned, brushing dirt from her shorts.
While gathering the mushrooms, I spotted unfamiliar reeds—their fibrous stems reminded me of cordage plants from back home.
"Cordage?" Kate frowned when I explained. "Why would we need rope?"
"Contingencies," I said lightly, though the implication darkened their expressions. "But first, higher ground for the transceiver."
The jungle grew stifling. Sweat soaked through my waistband as Emma undid her top buttons, fanning herself dramatically.
"David's eyeballs might fall out," Kate observed dryly.
Emma shrugged. "Let him look. I'm melting here."
"Must be nice having minions with fans on set," Kate prodded.
Emma brightened. "Two assistants, actually. Plus AC in my trailer—"
"The perks of fame," Kate said in a tone that could curdle milk.
I recognized the glint in Kate's eye—she was baiting Emma again.
"Emma," she continued innocently, "what's the going rate for a supporting role these days?"
"Depends what you're willing to—" Emma caught herself. "You little bitch."
"Enough," I cut in. "Save your energy for walking."
Emma flopped against a tree. "I'm done. This is pointless."
Kate surprised me by agreeing. "We should return to the beach."
"So our rations were for nothing?" I snapped.
Emma grabbed my arm as I turned away. "Don't leave us!"
Their subsequent bathroom break became another crisis when twin screams pierced the jungle.
I crashed through foliage to find them gaping at—