‘You need to fess up!’ Danny bursts through the trees behind us, making me jump. ‘You know exactly what happened last night. You were pissed off and decided to get your own back by chucking spiders all over Honor.’
Jefferson’s jaw drops.
‘I wouldn’t put it past you to rig up that pit trap either.’ Danny’s face is flushed red and his T-shirt is so damp with sweat it’s clinging to his body. ‘Is this some little game you’re playing? Trying to freak us all out by making our phobias come true? A power trip so we all look to you for leadership and—’
‘Danny, stop it.’ I touch him on the shoulder but he shakes me off angrily.
‘What’s going on with you guys?’ He looks from me to Milo. ‘Earlier on you were crapping your pants about the tarantulas and now what? The sun’s come up and you don’t care? Well, Honor does.’ He turns and points at his girlfriend as she walks out from the jungle with Meg. Danny walks over to her, puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her close. ‘She doesn’t want to sleep in the shelter anymore. She said she’d rather chance swimming to the mainland than spending another night here.’
‘It’s true.’ She looks pained as she wriggles out from his grasp. ‘I don’t want to stay here another night. I’d rather swim for it or make paddles out of bamboo and try and row Anuman’s boat back to the mainland.’
‘We can’t do that,’ Meg says. ‘I know how freaked out you are, Honor, seriously, I do. But it’s too risky. What if the paddles break or there’s a storm or a strong current and we drift off course? We’ve only got three more nights left and then our parents will raise the alarm and send someone to look for us.’ She looks to the group for support.
‘I agree with Meg,’ I say. ‘Sorry, Honor, but I’d rather take my chances on the island. At least we’ve got water, shelter and fruit.’
Milo holds up his hand. ‘Another vote for staying. It’s more dangerous on the water than it is here…’ He smiles wryly. ‘And I was the one who fell in a massive great hole.’
Danny shakes his head irritably. ‘This is all very lovely but it wouldn’t even be a conversation if Jeffers hadn’t been a dick last night. If he just admits what he did we can all relax. Seriously, man, I’ve never seen Honor that scared. If you’d have been there I’d have swung for you. And I still might.’
Jefferson’s derisive laugh makes Danny clench his right hand into a fist. I share a look with Milo. The last thing we need is for these two to start fighting.
‘Dan,’ Honor says warningly.
‘Fine, fine.’ He holds up his hands, palms out. ‘I’m not going to do anything. I just want him to admit what he did.’
We all turn to look at Jeffers, waiting for his reply. My gaze flicks to the axe in his hand. There’s no way he’s going to admit to being in our camp. He wouldn’t give Danny the satisfaction.
‘Seriously?’ he says. ‘You all think I’d do something that petty and vindictive?’
‘No!’ the word escapes from my mouth, loud and forceful in the small, sheltered space. ‘Not all of us.’
Danny glares at me. ‘Thanks for the support, Jessie.’
‘Of course I didn’t bloody do it,’ Jeffers spits. ‘Jesus, Danny. I know you’ve got a problem with me being gay but seriously, man—’
‘Screw you!’ Danny stares at him, aghast. ‘I couldn’t give a crap about that. Don’t even go there. I’m not homophobic, man.’ He looks at the rest of us. ‘Am I?’
I’m pretty sure he’s not. I’ve never heard him say anything homophobic but he’s kept his distance from Jeffers – physically and emotionally – since we were nine, and they had a fight. When we were little, properly little, like six or seven, we all got on so well that we’d cry at the end of the holiday and say we didn’t want to go home. But now there are so many divisions in our weird little ragtag group that I’m not entirely sure who likes who anymore.
‘Jeffers, this has nothing to do with your sexuality. Nothing!’ Danny says. ‘It’s to do with you telling the truth. Did you or did you not creep over to our camp and scare Honor?’
‘For the last time,’ Jeffers’ grip on his axe tightens as he looks Danny straight in the eye, ‘I had nothing to do with it.’
‘Can I have a quick word, Jessie?’ Danny grips my elbow.
We’re traipsing back through the jungle towards camp – without Jefferson, who refused to come with us or speak to anyone after his argument with Danny, including me.
‘Jessie,’ Danny says again. The look in his eyes puts me on the defensive. He’s going to have a go at me for keeping quiet when he asked us to back him up on the homophobia thing. ‘What is it?’ I keep my voice low. We’re far enough away from Jefferson’s new camp that he can’t see us but – if he stopped his chopping and listened hard – he would be able to hear.
When Danny doesn’t reply I turn away. ‘I haven’t got time for this.’ I want to catch up with the others; the jungle has closed around us and I’ve already lost sight of them.
‘Jessie, wait. We need to stick together.’
‘Stick together?’ I point back towards Jefferson’s camp. ‘How is this sticking together, exactly?’
‘You can judge me all you want but there’s something you don’t know.’
‘About what?’
‘About this island.’
‘What about it?’
‘Honor isn’t the only one whose phobia has come true.’
‘Go on…’ I say wearily.
‘Milo’s did too. You know when he fell into the pit the other day? There was a snake in there with him.’
I stare at him in disbelief.
‘He didn’t see it,’ Danny says, reading the shock in my eyes. ‘And I haven’t told him.’
I push my hair away from my face and sigh. I don’t know if it’s the heat or the argument I just witnessed still ringing in my ears but I’m not sure why he’s telling me this.
‘What does Jeffers think? He was there, wasn’t he?’ Even as the words leave my mouth I realize how stupid they are. Danny and Jeffers have barely said two words to each other all holiday, other than the snarky ones.
‘I don’t know if he saw it or not,’ Danny says, his eyes not leaving mine, ‘but if he did he’s keeping it quiet.’
I consider this. ‘Maybe he doesn’t want Milo to freak out?’ I venture.
Danny raises an eyebrow.
‘What? You think he put the snake in the pit?’
‘I think someone is making our phobias come true. Someone could have dug the pit out during a jungle walk, and whistled to get Milo’s attention and—’
‘It was a bird. Jeffers said as much.’
‘Or someone pretending to be a bird. The fact is Milo ended up in a hole with a snake and Honor woke up covered in spiders. Jeffers was near the pit and his boot marks were found in our camp. Still think I’m an arsehole for having a go at him?’
I swipe at a mosquito buzzing around my face and swear under my breath. ‘Why, though? What possible reason could he have for doing something like that? He likes Milo, and Honor, he wouldn’t want to scare them.’