Chapter 21

Scarlet tossed and turned, the sound of Kit"s agonized moans echoing through the night. She tried to cover her ears to block out the heart-wrenching noise, but it was no use. The whole camp was on edge, no one more than Raven and Kit.

Krys had explained the possibility of infection and shock if Kit didn't get proper medical attention, not to mention loss of the full use of her leg if the break healed badly. It just made the need to get off this damn island more urgent than ever.

Scarlet sat up, rubbing her bleary eyes, and saw Raven still sitting by the fire with Kit. The vodka bottle was at her side, only about an inch left in it and the pain no less on Kit's face.

"Look who's hogging the resources now," Zoe said as she sat up on the other side of the shelter. "But when I do it, I get threatened with expulsion."

Raven"s head snapped up, her eyes flashing with fury. "Are you seriously making that comparison? Kit is in agony, and you"re making jokes about the alcohol? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Zoe held up her hands. "Hey, just trying to lighten the mood. Sor-ry."

"Why don't you give them some space?" Scarlet asked.

"Mind your own business, Zoe," Robin, now awake next to her, ordered in less polite terms.

Zoe threw up her hands and wandered off to the area they'd designated as the bathroom. Raven shook her head in disgust, then turned back to Kit. "Try to get some sleep. I know it hurts."

Scarlet and Robin emerged from the shelter, tiptoeing around them. Kit's eyelids drooped and she looked half-drunk, but her eyes were red like somebody who desperately wanted a rest that the pain would not allow her to have.

"Breakfast?" Scarlet asked.

Kit shook her head. Raven said, "I'm okay."

"You have to eat," Scarlet pointed out. "Both of you. Keep your strength up."

She built up the fire, and while she was doing that, Robin dumped canned condensed soup into the stock pot and diluted it with rainwater. Krys woke up and checked on her patient, and Darcy got up and started fussing with the radio antenna again. She hadn't made any progress, but she hadn't given up, either.

More people began to stir and most of them huddled around the fire, waiting for breakfast and talking about their plans for the day. Jess's crew was going to finish the second HELP sign, and Scarlet and Robin would need to start from scratch on braiding rope after a lot of it went into Kit's splint.

"We have to get off this island," Raven said. "Now. We can't waste any more time trying this and that, splitting up our efforts. If Kit's going to survive this, we have to make a plan and stick to it."

"I'm okay," Kit tried to insist, but her voice was weak and she still looked too pale, despite the tropical sun beating down on them.

"We're working as hard as we can–" Robin tried to say, but Raven cut her off.

"It's not good enough. I mean no disrespect, but for my wife's sake, it's not good enough."

"I understand your worry–"

Robin got cut off again, this time by Zoe coming out of the underbrush and spotting an opportunity to dive into the argument. "Oh, spare us the Goody Two Shoes act. We're all tired of it. Who made you HR manager of the island, anyway?"

"Zoe," Scarlet said in a warning tone, but she wasn't done.

"You too, Scarlet. The two of you have been acting like the queens of the island this whole time, bossing everybody around and acting like you know best," she said. "But here we are, still stuck, starving, and now Kit's gonna die."

"Zoe!" Raven snapped.

"Meanwhile, you haven't exactly been honest with the group, have you?" Zoe said, eyes leveled at Robin and Scarlet.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin demanded.

"Our fearless leaders knew from day one about the problems on the ship," Zoe said, turning to look at every member of the group for maximum impact.

Scarlet felt her stomach turn to stone as she realized what Zoe was doing. They were all scared and tired and doubting themselves, and she'd spotted the perfect moment to turn the tides back in her favor –by turning on Scarlet and Robin.

"Did you know that?" Zoe continued. "They knew, and they said nothing, this whole time. Makes you wonder why they've been fighting so hard to keep us all ‘united.' I think it's because they were keeping this secret from you, and they knew you'd hate them when you found out."

Scarlet could feel dozens of eyes on her, a mix of hurt, anger, confusion and betrayal swirling in them. She opened her mouth, desperate to defend herself and Robin, but the words stuck in her throat as she met those hard, distrustful stares. In the end, it was Robin who spoke for them.

"We didn't intend to deceive anyone," she said. "We just didn't want to cause any unnecessary panic."

"Unnecessary panic?" Lena asked. "We're stranded on a deserted island. Any panic we're doing is entirely necessary."

"So, you did know?" Raven prompted.

"We overheard Zoe and Evie talking on the first day on the boat," Robin said.

"And they said nothing, for all this time," Zoe interrupted, shaking her head in disappointment. "These are your leaders. Hiding important things from you."

"Evie already told us none of that caused the ship to sink!" Scarlet said, finally finding her words.

"It's not about that," Raina said. "You kept something from us."

Scarlet felt the weight of the accusation like a physical blow. She'd been working so hard for the last three weeks just to keep everyone alive and fed and working together, and right in front of her eyes, the whole group was turning on her.

Thanks to Zoe.

The one she'd fought to save.

She gripped Robin"s hand so tight her knuckles went white. "Please listen to us," she tried again. "We were just trying to look out for everyone's best…

They weren't even listening anymore. They were all fighting with each other, turning on each other like animals. Zoe had finally done it –she'd torn Gillian's Island apart. The arguments turned from Scarlet and Robin to any little beef they had with each other. Alicia had taken two mats to sleep on. Lex ate more than her share of papaya. Nat had broken one of the guitar strings.

Scarlet"s stomach twisted as she realized how quickly the fragile bonds holding their makeshift community together had unraveled.

Through it all, Zoe watched the chaos unfold with undisguised glee, a satisfied smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. For once, the group"s anger wasn"t directed at her, and she seemed to be reveling in the melee.

Robin stepped forward, raising her voice. "All of you, just stop for a second and think about what you"re saying!"

A few heads turned in her direction, but the torrent of accusations didn"t let up. Scarlet could see the frustration etched into the lines of Robin"s face as she struggled to make herself heard over the clamor.

"We"re all scared and stressed out, but turning on each other like this isn"t going to solve anything."

"Oh, give it a rest, Dr. Doolittle," Zoe sneered, rolling her eyes dramatically. And to Scarlet's horror, a few people starting migrating toward her, nodding in agreement, taking her side.