Chapter 3

Isaac didn't plan on bringing up the Timon and Letti thing again, especially not while they cleaned up camp, but Sadina just couldn't let it go.

"The reason I trust them—that I think maybe Kletter lied . . . I mean, she killed her whole crew. Eight people. That's enough right there not to trust her. But besides all that, the reason I think I trust Letti and Timon, is that they trusted us." Sadina paced while Isaac folded up her grass mat. She kicked up dirt behind her with every step. "They said it themselves, they could have killed the rest of the group, just like Kletter, but they let them follow our clues. They trusted us."

Isaac handed her the mat. "That wasn't them trusting us, they only manipulated us into thinking everything we did was something they wanted us to do. They were frantic half the time, and . . ." Isaac stopped himself before saying and they didn't even trust each other. Did Sadina not remember what Letti pulled on Timon when they came across Roxy and Minho for the first time? The whole gunfire in the air, mentions of betrayal. Something about how not even Timon knew the plan.

"I just think we need to go to Alaska. I need to go."

It wasn't worth arguing over something that had already been decided. "Good thing we're going then." Isaac put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. Even if Sadina had chosen to go back home, he'd have supported her. She was the closest thing to family he had, and family didn't always have to agree.

"And how the hell are we supposed to get there?" Dominic asked, still sour from being the only islander to vote to go back home. It wasn't that Isaac didn't want that, of course he did, but he didn't want to go do it as a failure. He wanted to make the rest of the island proud, to at least say they tried. If they went back now, they'd be returning with more questions than answers.

"Yeah, how are we supposed to get all the way to Alaska?" Miyoko asked as she packed up what smaller pieces of firewood were already cut.

"Well, we can backtrack along the coast and pick up the Maze Cutter." Cowan cleared her throat. "New Petersburg is along the Gulf of Alaska, traveling by ship will save us all time and energy."

Ms. Cowan was probably up all night worrying about how to be the most diplomatic in these decisions. Isaac thought with the vote over and done with that Sadina's mom might be more relaxed, or less stressed, but the circles under her eyes looked darker than ever and she moved slower than Old Man Frypan.

"Minho, can you steer a ship?" Isaac asked.

"I can get us there." Minho didn't flat out say he'd never steered a boat before, but as far as Isaac was concerned if he could steer a Berg and a Grief Walker then he could handle the Maze Cutter just fine. Plus, enough of them had picked up details on the journey to the mainland to help him out.

"We could stay close to the coast, and come in to hunt as needed," Orange said while packing up.

Ms. Cowan cleared her throat again, but this time said nothing.

Minho and Orange led the way from camp, but the vote had slowly divided them into three distinct groups: Minho, Orange, Roxy, Sadina, and Trish in the lead, those who voted for Alaska. In the middle was Isaac, Ms. Cowan, and Miyoko, the three who thought the Villa was a better choice. And trailing behind were Jackie, Dominic, and Old Man Frypan, all of whom didn't want to go anywhere and were moving at a speed to prove it.

Isaac never paid much attention to the politics on the island because he never had a reason to. The sets of laws back home were kept and there was rarely an issue that divided anyone. The last real division in politics on the island had been when they added laws about being near the water during a storm after Isaac's family's accident. It was clear some people were upset that there weren't laws made earlier and others were upset that there needed to be laws added and abided by. Isaac didn't care either way, because no law in the universe could bring his family back. But he hated the feeling of everyone's vote and differences in opinions now seemingly splitting the whole group apart. He hated it!

He could barely see Sadina's group ahead on the trail and he lost sight of Old Man Frypan's group behind him ten minutes ago. He only knew they were somewhat close by hearing Dominic making up a ridiculous song about every single thing they walked past.

"Hey, let's rest a minute and let them catch up!" Isaac called ahead to Sadina's group.

Ms. Cowan cleared her throat with a nod.

Miyoko whistled and waved Sadina and her Godhead-driven crew to fall back. It was almost as if once Sadina had decided to go to Alaska that she was going with or without the rest of them.

Ms. Cowan sat on a log and pulled out her canteen. Isaac waited to see which group came back into view first, but something wasn't right about the way Ms. Cowan drank the water, taking small sips, pausing after each one. The way she lacked the enthusiasm for conversation she once had. Maybe she was just homesick like the rest of them, maybe the guilt of those they'd lost still weighed heavy on her, but Isaac couldn't help but wonder. "You okay, Ms. Cowan?" he asked.

"Of course, why?" She looked up at Isaac from the log, but even the way she tilted her head seemed off.

"You just seem out of breath. Or like it's hard to swallow maybe?"

And that's when he noticed the mark on the woman's neck.

The trees stopped shaking their leaves. The wind off the coast stopped blowing. The birds stopped chirping. The only thing that didn't turn silent in that moment was the rash on Cowan's neck that seemed to scream obscenities. What was that from?

She cleared her throat yet again, locking eyes with Isaac.

Panic rushed through his mind. The Flare. The variants. Infection. He couldn't unsee the image of the half-Cranks. Of Jackie killing one with her bare hands. Isaac couldn't help but clear his own throat. The thought of a virus hit him like a hammer to metal on the forge, igniting sparks of fear in his gut; the heat of the unknown rushed through his body.

The Flare. The variants. Infection.

Isaac followed Ms. Cowan into the brush. Maybe it was just poison. Maybe the rash was just a rash. They'd been surrounded by plant life for days, plants they had never seen before, some with spiked weapons that attached to clothing and skin and some that Roxy claimed could kill you with so much as a touch. Maybe that's all it was.

He tried to catch up to her. "Ms. Cowan . . ." He waited for a response but heard only the sounds of vomiting. A sound he'd heard often enough from Jackie during the Maze Cutter voyage, but never a sound he heard from Cowan before. He followed the gut-wrenching noise. Bent over and heaving, Ms. Cowan's body purged the evil from inside as she leaned her shoulder against a tree.

"Shit," Isaac let out before apologizing. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm okay. Just allergies." She quickly composed herself and fixed the handkerchief around her neck.

"Ms. Cowan . . . you sure?" He pointed to the spot where the material covered her scabbed skin. Cowan touched the rash as if covering it with her hand might make Isaac less suspicious. "We've got to tell everyone and—"

"No." Cowan stood up taller. "Everyone will overreact. I'm fine."

"You can't hide vomiting from the rest of the group. You remember how bad it was on the boat. Especially with Dominic." He was trying to break the ice, reminding her of the Dominic-Vomit-Domino-Effect that ensued every time Jackie got seasick. Jackie barfed, and then if Dominic were close enough to hear it or see it, he'd throw up. And he barfed with such gusto that it usually made someone else in the vicinity throw up too.

Cowan gave a pathetic smile. "Good times, for sure. It'll be okay. I'll figure this out, alright?" She cleared her throat, like a crack of thunder, and the sound of it made Isaac shudder. The smell of her vomit made him shiver. "And please, don't say anything to anyone. Please."

Isaac could only nod.