After Vivian finished talking, she seemed to lose all interest in everything around her. She pressed her hand to her wound, face pale as a ghost, like she might pass out any second.


    The night fell quiet, almost unnaturally so. ra leaned back against Dn''s leg, ncing up at him.


    He just stared into the campfire, as if the mes were more interesting than anything—or anyone else.


    Men are impossible to figure out, ra thought. Their hearts are like locked boxes at the bottom of the ocean.<fnf7c7> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? find·novel</fnf7c7>


    It wasn''t until after eight the next morning that ra woke up. Dn was slumped against a stone wall, fast asleep. She let out a breath she didn''t know she''d been holding, stood up, and stretched with a sigh.


    Vivian''s voice broke the silence. "Our helicopter will be here by noon. We''ll need to find a clear spot soon. See you in North America." She nced over at Dn- he looked cold, even in his sleep.


    "ra," Vivian added, "when you get to North America, let''s catch up."


    ra blinked. "How do you know I''m going there?"


    Vivian grinned, tired but sly. "Because Dn''s going, and you like him now, don''t you? Of course you''ll follow. Listen-if you run into Loue, stay away from her. She''s always telling all of us who like Norman that Mitch hangs around here, like it''s some big secret. Truth is, she just wants us to walk right into trouble. She gets off on seeing everyone else miserable."


    Loue was spoiled, mean, and never cared about anyone but herself.


    Vivian, leaning on someone for support, limped off into the distance.


    Mya took a few steps, then nced back at ra, somethingplicated flickering in her eyes.


    One of the guys nearby said, "ra does kinda look like Loue, don''t you think?"


    Mya pressed her lips together. "You remember why Loue always got special treatment? That face of hers, she looks just like—"


    Someone interrupted, "Let''s not say any more. The Chester family''s business isn''t ours to gossip about. Even if we can''t stand Loue, when we see her back home, we''ll still have to smile and y nice. Their issues have nothing to do with us."


    The three men were all from old families in North America, close with Vivian. No one said anything else; they just headed toward the open field ahead.


    In no time, only four people were left at the campsite.


    ra nudged Dn awake. "Eat something. Where do we go next? You seem to know your way around-why not lead?"


    He didn''t answer, just packed up their things, grabbed her bag too, and started walking.


    ra hurried after him. "Hey, what''s going on with you?"


    Tara watched them leave, wanting to follow, but she knew neither of them wanted her around.


    She took a deep breath, gripping her stick tight. "I really don''t get what he sees in someone like ra."


    Kay stomped out the fire and looked at her. "Should we go after them?"


    Tara let out a bitterugh. "Why bother? Just to have him ignore me? ra basically got the olddy killed, and Dn doesn''t even care. He only ever thinks about her. Whatever. I''m going to North America too. I need to see how those two end up, or I''ll never get over it."


    Kay just nodded. "Alright, I''ll go with you."


    He bent down and started tidying up the rest of the camp.


    Tara watched him, feeling a twist of frustration at how calm he was. "Didn''t you


    say you liked me? Shouldn''t you be mad seeing me run after Dn?"


    He paused, hands still. After a moment, he said quietly, "I... don''t really know what that feeling is."


    Tara''s eyes filled with tears. "Then why did you chase after me that night? The way you looked at me was different. You say you don''t know anger or jealousy- do you even know what it means to like someone?"


    “I...” He just stood there, lost for words.


    He''d been stuck in that ce for so long, he really didn''t know how to feel anything else.


    Tara wiped her eyes and stormed off into the woods. "I thought I''d finally found someone who liked me."


    *


    ra followed Dn for a while, then stopped in her tracks.


    Dn walked ahead a few steps before he realized she wasn''t behind him. He waited, then finally turned around. "What''s wrong?"


    She stood there, nudging a pile of fallen leaves with her toe. "I was starting to


    think you''d decided never to talk to me again."


    He finally spoke. "You and Norman-did you know each other before?"


    "I don''t know. I still haven''t remembered anything."


    She caught up to him, took her bag back, and grabbed him by the wrist. "You


    don''t actually think Vivian was talking about me, do you?"


    "Don''t see him again." His voice was low, but there was no mistaking the jealousy.


    ra''s lips curled into a smile. She squeezed his fingertips. "See, was that so hard? You could''ve just admitted you''re jealous."