Danny glances at the empty water bottles lying in the sand and shrugs. ‘There’s nothing to stop us getting water en route. Fine, fine,’ he adds as Jeffers’ lips part in objection. ‘We’ll go tomorrow.’
Jeffers turns to look at me. ‘I don’t suppose you managed to catch any fish before all this,’ he waves an arm in Milo’s direction, ‘kicked off?’
I glance back at the rocks, where I abandoned my spear. But there’s nothing there.
Chapter 12
DANNY
Danny waits until Jeffers – who’s walking along the beach towards the rocks, berating Jessie for leaving the spear there – is out of earshot, then he beckons Meg closer.
‘I vote we just go and explore,’ he hisses. ‘I don’t know who Jeffers thinks voted him Camp Commander but it definitely wasn’t me. I say we do what we want.’
Meg glances at Milo, still sitting on the sand by the fire. ‘Someone needs to look after him.’
‘I don’t mind staying with him.’ Honor wriggles out from under Danny’s arm and drops to the sand opposite Milo.
Danny falters. He’s not sure about leaving Honor alone with Milo. But if he changes his mind and stays in the camp it’ll look like he’s accepted that Jeffers is their leader and there is no way he’s letting that power-hungry idiot feel like he’s got one over him. Leave it is, then.
‘See you later, dude,’ he says to Milo, who’s staring out to sea with his hands wrapped around his ankle and a pained expression on his face.
‘And you, behave yourself!’ He shoots Honor a look, then, seeing Meg raise her eyebrows, he softens his tone. ‘Love you.’
When Honor doesn’t reply his heart twists in his chest, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead he leans down to kiss Honor goodbye then scoops a water bottle up out of the sand. ‘Let’s go to the waterfall first,’ he says to Meg. ‘This could be a bit of a trek.’
‘What was that all about?’ Meg shoots him a look as they kneel by the spring, screwing the tops back onto their water bottles. They’ve only been trekking through the jungle for ten minutes and they’re both knackered. There was a moment when they first set off when he considered telling her about the cobra, and how close Milo had been to being bitten – and possibly dying – but he decided against it. Jefferson obviously hadn’t seen the snake. If he had he’d have made a big song and dance about it when they got back to camp, pointing it out in his guide book and scaring them all half to death. No, Danny had decided, better to keep quiet and not add to the hysteria. And besides, he liked knowing something Jefferson didn’t. For a change.
He presses a hand to his stomach as it rumbles angrily. All he’s had to eat since Anuman cooked them the fish is a handful of crisps and a few boiled sweets.
‘What was what all about?’ he asks Meg.
‘Your comment to Honor about behaving herself. What’s going on?’
He stiffens. Has Honor said something to her? They have been hanging around together a lot this holiday.
‘Nothing.’ He shrugs. ‘Why?’
‘Why tell her to behave herself? What do you think she’s going to do – stick her tongue down Milo’s throat?’
‘No,’ he says. Honor wouldn’t do something like that. And there’s no way Milo would kiss her back. ‘Nothing like that. I just…’ he says uncertainly. ‘Sometimes I get the feeling she has more fun when I’m not around.’
Meg shrugs. ‘Maybe she does. A different kind of fun,’ she adds before Danny can respond. ‘You can’t live in each other’s pockets all the time. It’s not healthy.’
‘Has she said something to you?’
‘No, it’s just…’ She pauses. ‘It’s just an observation. From an outsider.’
So he’s not imagining it, things aren’t right between them this holiday, but it’s weird that Honor hasn’t mentioned anything to Meg. Normally she’d be the first person Honor would turn to. Unless… he tries to push the thought away but it remains firmly lodged in his head… unless she was too scared to say anything in case it got back to him.
‘Is everything all right?’ Meg asks.
‘Everything’s fine between us,’ he lies. ‘Honor would have told you if it wasn’t.’
They set off again, trudging uphill, following the path of the waterfall, neither of them speaking, both of them searching the jungle floor for any more hidden pits. Danny looks up into the thick green canopy above and mentally shakes himself. It’s beautiful in the middle of the jungle with the birds singing in the trees, the cicadas chirping and the geckos and lizards speeding across his path and hiding under frond-like leaves. He thinks of his dad, sitting on the sofa at home with Sarah, his new girlfriend, and wonders how they’re getting on. They’ve only been together a few months. His dad’s crap at dating. Since his mum, he hasn’t been able to hold on to anyone for more than six months. They all leave him eventually. He definitely doesn’t want to end up like his dad.
‘What do you reckon?’ Meg says as they reach the top of the waterfall. ‘I figure if there’s a beach on this side of the island we’ll find the other one if we keep walking in a straight line.’
Danny swigs at his water bottle. ‘That makes sense.’
‘Crap,’ Danny says, stopping suddenly and resting his hand on the gnarled trunk of a palm tree. ‘I think we’ve walked in a circle. I swear we’ve been here before.’
Meg, panting, puts her hands on her hips and stares around. ‘Do you? It all looks the same to me.’
‘Yeah, look, there’s that branch we said looked like an elephant’s trunk.’
‘Oh God, you’re right.’ She sighs heavily. ‘Which way did we go last time, can you remember?’
Danny checks for a break in the leaves or footprints on the jungle floor but there’s nothing. It’s as though whenever they force their way through the jungle the plants fold themselves back over the path.
‘We should have left a breadcrumb trail,’ Meg says.
Danny gives her a look. ‘Didn’t Hansel and Gretel end up in a witch’s lair when they did that?’
‘Can we stop for a bit? I’m knackered.’
Danny pauses to look back at Meg. She’s bent double, her hands on her knees, her empty water bottle swinging from her fingers. He’s not sure how long ago they ran out of water but his mouth’s so dry he could use his tongue as a pumice stone on his scabby feet.
‘Yeah, sure.’ He drops down and rests his back against a palm tree. After a pause Meg does the same.
They stare at each other for a couple of seconds then Danny sighs heavily. ‘We’re lost.’
‘Should we shout? If the others are close by they might hear us?’
‘Jeffers would love that, us needing to be rescued.’
Meg plucks a wide, flat leaf from a bush and uses it to fan herself. ‘What’s your problem with him?’
‘Other than the fact he’s been an annoying dick all holiday? I just don’t like being told what I can and can’t do.’