Chapter 22

Robin and Scarlet took off shortly after breakfast. It was clear that sticking around wasn't going to accomplish anything, and Robin didn't want to listen to them attacking Scarlet, the most generous and good-hearted person she knew.

"I can"t believe they reacted like that," Robin said. "We're not the ones who cheaped out on everything about the cruise. And we didn't put that damn rock in the ocean for the ship to run into."

Scarlet sighed. "I know, everyone"s just looking for something to latch onto, something to blame for our situation."

Robin shook her head. "You are too good for those people. They don't deserve you."

This time, they weren't headed to their secret pool, or even to the inlet to fish. The HELP sign still needed finishing, and Jess and Dana had been too busy pointing fingers with everybody else to organize their crew. So Robin and Scarlet decided to do it. They weren't wanted around camp right now anyway.

The air was muggier than normal this morning, and there were a few dark clouds on the horizon.

"Not another storm," Scarlet pleaded aloud. "I can't take any more of them."

"Those clouds are far away," Robin pointed out, swatting at a mosquito on her arm. "It might blow over."

"All that matters is we get off this damn island as fast as we can," Scarlet said, like a mantra.

They kept an eye out for good pieces of driftwood when they knew they were approaching the HELP sign. There was a lot to choose from, so that lifted Robin's spirits. When they got to the sign, however…

"Oh my God," Scarlet groaned.

The entire bottom half of the sign had been washed out to sea, leaving a meaningless jumble of driftwood.

"I've never even seen the tide come this high up on the beach," Scarlet said, plopping down in the sand. "It didn't storm last night or anything."

"Babe, we'll rebuild it," Robin tried to reassure her.

Scarlet picked up a fistful of sand and threw it at the ocean, reduced to ineffectual gestures of frustration. "It's like the island itself is fighting us. Like it wants us to be trapped here!"

"Hey." Robin crouched in front of her, taking Scarlet's face in her hands. "We're not quitters, and we will not be defeated by this island. We'll reconstruct the sign, further up the beach this time. We'll do it every day if we have to."

"What's the point?"

Robin leaned forward, kissing her until Scarlet yielded beneath her, sinking onto her back in the sand with Robin perched above her. "The point is that I want to take you out to dinner. I want to see you in your prettiest outfit. I want to go to a ballgame with you, or the museum, or a zoo… I want to do a million things with you that do not involve this fucking island."

"So do I."

Robin sat up and extended her hand to Scarlet. "So, we rebuild."

Scarlet sighed. "Okay. We rebuild."

They spent most of the morning carrying driftwood and reconstructing the sign as high up on the beach as they dared without obscuring it in the trees.

When they got back to camp in the afternoon, they found two distinct groups had formed, clustered around two different fires. The tension was palpable between them, and Robin shot Scarlet a wary look as they approached.

Zoe appeared to be holding court in the center of one group, and she narrowed her eyes at Robin and Scarlet. The rest of the people gathered around that fire looked distrustfully at them too.

"I guess she got what she wanted," Scarlet muttered, "her own little faction."

Among her newfound supporters were a lot of the crew, Missy, Lena and Reese, and Tasha and Raina. Robin stole a glance at Scarlet as she spotted them, and the worry line between Scarlet's brows deepened. Robin put her hand on the small of her back.

"It'll be okay," she said softly.

Thankfully, the other group wasn't nearly as hostile. Raven waved them over to their fire.

"We want to apologize for earlier," she said. "We know how much you two have done for us all, and we let our emotions get the best of us."

Kit nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we need to stick together rather than tearing each other apart." She still looked pale and clammy, but at least she was up to talking now.

"What are they up to?" Scarlet asked, nodding subtly to the other group.

Krys rolled her eyes. "They took Zoe's side. She's been telling them all morning that you two are ineffective leaders and she's the only one who can save them."

"We didn't even ask to be leaders!" Robin objected. Yes, she and Scarlet had often taken on that role, but only because no one else seemed to want to. Letting Zoe lead anyone, however… that was a clear recipe for disaster.

"They're buying it?" Scarlet asked.

"Sadly, yes," Amelia said.

Robin shook her head in disbelief. Had they all forgotten the countless times Zoe looked out for herself at the expense of everyone around her? How could they believe a word she said? Robin took a deep breath, trying to quell the anger rising in her chest.

"We give them a day, max," Simone added. "They'll hear the ridiculous things she says and figure out she's clearly out for herself, and come to their senses."

"I hope so," Scarlet sighed.

"Plus, we have the food," Darcy pointed out. "If they want to eat, they're gonna have to come back over to our fire."

Robin looked at the dwindling stack of canned goods, and the small pile of papayas and coconuts Lena and Reese had foraged. The other group would have no problem getting more fruit with those two on Zoe's side, but papaya wasn't enough to live on.

"If they think they have to switch allegiances just to get food, that's going to breed resentment," Robin said.

"Well, we're not splitting the food with them," Amelia said, arms crossed. "If they want to eat, they get it from us, not her. She can't be trusted."

About that last part, Robin agreed wholeheartedly.

"Zoe took the last bottle of vodka," Raven said. "She knows we've been using it to manage Kit's pain."

"It's fine," Kit bit out. "Wasn't doing that much good anyway."

Jess and Dana had volunteered to go out to the inlet to fish for dinner since Robin and Scarlet handled the HELP sign. Nobody was particularly happy to hear that it had been washed out, but Robin tried to reassure them that the new location would be safe from the tide.

"Well, we're not as accomplished as fisher-women as you two," Dana said, "but we did get a couple."

"It'll taste even better because we didn't have to do the work," Scarlet said. While the dinner cooked, she asked quietly, "What's up with Tasha and Raina? They seriously chose Zoe?"

Amanda rolled her eyes. "You'll note Missy over there, too. Zoe made this big speech about underdogs and the couples on the island teaming up against the singles… She said the couples have an unfair advantage and the singles need to band together to survive, or else the couples will push them out… I dunno, the whole thing was pretty unhinged but I guess it was convincing enough for them."

"What the fuck is going on around here?" Scarlet shook her head. "We have to get off this island, we're all losing it."

"We lost a day to bickering, but tomorrow we'll get back to work on the raft, whether they want to help or not," Simone said.

"And in the meantime, maybe we can win some of them back with dinner," Amelia said. She stood up and called over to the other group, "Dinner's ready! We have fresh fish."

"No strings attached," Robin added. "If you're hungry, come eat."

A couple of them started to get up, and Zoe snapped, "Sit down! If you eat their food, you're not coming back over here after."

They sat reluctantly. Zoe's group had no food, and yet whatever hold she'd managed to get over them was strong enough to make them go hungry.

"Guys, come on," Scarlet said in a this is ridiculous tone. "Come have dinner."

"It's a bribe," Zoe hissed. "You think a few measly bites of fish and some papaya is worth giving control back to them? They're the reason you're still stuck on this island."

"What?" Scarlet's mouth dropped open. "We've been trying like hell to get help–"

"And failing," Zoe cut her off. She stood up, chin held high as she announced, "I have a better solution. While I was in the jungle, I found a stockpile of food. Canned vegetables, potatoes, meat, even spices to season your meals with. It's a feast compared to the gruel they've been feeding you here."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Robin asked, incredulous.

The other survivors, however, murmured amongst themselves, their eyes widening at the prospect of such a bounty. Robin could see the hunger and desperation in their faces, and she knew Zoe"s words were having the desired effect.

"She's lying," Robin pointed out, surprised that she had to. "Why wouldn't she have told us sooner if she found something like that?"

"I've been saving it until I knew who my true friends were," Zoe said. "And I'll bring you all to the stockpile –even those of you sitting with Robin and Scarlet. On one condition."

Robin rolled her eyes. Of course.

"I am the new leader of this group," Zoe announced. "I'm the only one who can feed you properly, and the only one who can ensure your survival. Follow me and I will take care of you."

"Bullshit," Scarlet spat. "Come on, everyone, think about it. Where did this magical food come from?"

"The dead man," Reese said. "It must have belonged to him."

Zoe snapped her fingers. "Exactly. And now the island is gifting it to us."

"You said you were wiped out by the storm," Robin argued. "When you came crawling back to us, you said you had nothing and you couldn't survive on your own."

"Well…" Zoe's eyes darted around as she conjured an explanation. "I… lied. I knew you were leading people astray and I was the only one who could help them." She raised her voice, becoming commanding as she pointed to Robin and Scarlet. "Don"t let them control you any longer. We"ve been stuck on this island for more than two weeks, starving to death under their so-called leadership. Reject them. Follow me."

Robin watched helplessly as the survivors exchanged uncertain glances, their resolve wavering. She knew they were all exhausted, hungry, and desperate for any glimmer of hope. But she also knew that trusting Zoe would only lead them down a worse path.