KATURA
Well,well, the little village is getting a soap opera action.
An hour into the hike through the path in the jungle, sweat soaks my tank top and beads on my face. But this change is exciting. Finally, some action.
“There are cameras,” I say when I spy the fourth hunting cam on one of the trees right on the path.
I am walking behind the guys.
Ty doesn’t look back at me. “They will see us coming. Probably for the better. We took the cameras around the village down when we moved there. This is technically the middle territory.”
I snort. “Well, there is a camera just at the beginning of the path that goes north. I saw it the other day.”
Now, both Kai and Ty turn to look at me.
“Yeah,” I say proudly. “You should do another check.”
“What are you doing roaming the paths by yourself?” Kai asks instead.
Is that concern in his voice?
So sweet.
Or, perhaps, suspicion. I smirk. “Maybe I like nature.”
That’s part of the answer.
“That’s probably how the Chancellor knows you survived the crash,” Ty says with a note of accusation.
Whatever.
Kai pulls a water bottle from the side of his backpack, takes a gulp, then passes it back to me without looking.
“I have my own, thanks,” I reply.
They have no idea.
They think they are tough as shit, living on the beach for two years. Well, try surviving on the streets of Bangkok when you are fourteen. Or get thrown into the Appalachian Mountains in just your clothes for a week.
Yeah, dipshits.
I appreciate the concern. They turn to check on me as they walk. But they barely talk. Probably not wanting to share whatever it is guys discuss when girls are not around. Because the two of them are doing this hike for pussy. That’s a no-brainer.
And I am going with the flow.
This island trip is getting interesting. I don’t have a timeline. The original plan went out the door as soon as the boat crashed. I sent Uncle a message on the satellite phone saying just that. I am good with wherever this goes. In fact, if I went to the Westside by myself, I would’ve scored some points from Archer. But then, he might be a psycho, or a perv, or God knows what. And I’ve dealt with those cocky privileged little shits before.
So, bring it on, I say to myself as we walk.
I’ve figured out plenty of things about the Outcasts. The word is right. They seem to have their shit together more or less.
Emily and Owen are an item. So are Alaina and Austin.
Mia used to date Qi Shan from the Westside.
Kristen is the go-to girl. She’s probably moved here because she likes boys and doesn’t like competition. She has a thing for Kai, though until recently was cozy with Ty and Jeok. And Zach, I think.
Ya-ya is a mystery. The girl is quiet but cocky as fuck. As per little snippets of stories here and there, she had some beef with some kid called Axavier on the other side. Her name is Yara, and she was supposed to graduate as a Juris Doctor after spring break. President of Black Students’ Law Association. Intern at a private security firm. All that fancy-pants stuff. Now, her conversations barely go beyond discussions of fallout and dinner menu.