Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Okay, a shack is being generous, but it’s a structure and it is quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
It’s made from old pieces of the shipwreck and scavenged timber, bound together by vines and old nails. The roof seems sturdy, a frame of thin branches lashed with thick, twisty vines and then layered inches deep in woven palm fronds and leaves. It isn’t entirely closed in; instead, it has three sides, with the front open.
But it’s... incredible.
Ace doesn’t say anything. He just slows, carrying me up to the edge of the structure. Aggie gasps, eyes huge. “So this is where you’ve been disappearing to.”
Ace huffs, then props me up against his chest so I can look. “It’s nothin’ fancy. But it’s dry. And outta the wind. If we have to be here a while, we can’t keep sleepin’ out there. Especially after our visitors.”
My eyes blur, but not with fever. He made this. He made it for us, for me. I’m not the only one crying, either—Aggie wipes hard at her cheeks, then scowls at herself for letting it show. Tatiana circles the shack, staring at it like it’s a mansion. Rachel has dropped her things and just stares in pure joy at the scene before her.
Ace walks me in, and even though my head is pounding and every inch of my body aches, I can’t stop my wide-eyed stare. The ground is padded out with leaf litter and fronds, and he’s crafted a few thick mats of woven palm fronds as mattresses. Ace flicks his head at Aggie. “Put her stuff down over here.”
The girls get to work, fussing and unpacking, while Ace puts me down on a bed that feels like a pile of feathers compared to the rocks we have been sleeping on. Then, he crouches beside me and brings a bottle of water to my lips. I drink, trying not to cough, but it catches in my throat anyway, spilling out the corner of my mouth.
“Slow,” Ace says. “Take it easy.”
“Oh,” Adrian says, finally appearing in the doorway. “This is some skill, though if it were me, I would have constructed another wall.”
We all give him a look.
“Feel free to stay on the beach,” Aggie mutters.
“I never said that was my plan, Aggie. I am simply stating an extra wall will keep predators out.”
“What predators?” Tatiana mumbles. “The fucking spiders? There is nothing else here, or believe me, I would have eaten it.”
Rachel snorts, then grins.
“There will be other wildlife on this island, you just haven’t spent the time preparing traps to capture them,” he points out.
“Good job for you then,” Ace grunts, effectively ending the conversation.
I let him feed me more sips until the ache in my throat eases. I never thought I could trust him this way again, but here we are, and it feels like he’s the only anchor I have.
“How’s the pain?” he murmurs. “Worse than last night?”
I want to lie, but I’m too tired for that. “Yeah. Feels like... everything’s bruised. And my head is being split in half by an axe.”
He presses the back of his hand to my forehead, then rests it there, leaving it for longer than he needs to. “I don’t like this,” he says under his breath, so low it’s not for anyone but himself. Then, raising his voice: “Aggie. Help me get her changed. We need to keep her warmer.”
“I can change myself,” I protest, but as soon as I go to sit up, my head spins.
“Just let us help,” Aggie says, kneeling beside me.
Underneath my clothes, sweat slicks my skin, and the cold air stings. I start shivering. Ace grabs my blanket and throws it over my body, then tugs my damp leggings down. Aggie starts to help, but stops, staring at my thighs.
“Grace...”
“What,” I mumble, then peer down, confused. The skin on my upper legs is dotted everywhere with red, angry bites, some open and scabbed. I try not to scratch, but it’s impossible.
Ace leans in. “How long have you had those?”
I shrug. “A week? Maybe a little less. You know how bad the mosquitoes are before the rain.”
Aggie’s eyes go wide. “That’s a lot of bites.”
“Yeah, okay? It’s mosquitoes,” I say, wanting to laugh it off, but nothing about their faces is funny. “They, ah, bite.”
Ace glances at Aggie, brows knitted. “Yeah, they also carry bacteria and viruses. You ever get sick from mosquito bites before?”
“No,” I say. “Never.”
He curses under his breath. “Shit. This makes sense.”
Aggie looks at him. “You think she’s sick from these bites?”
“Highly likely.” Ace’s jaw tenses.
“What do we do?” Tati asks, appearing beside me now as Aggie slowly puts dry clothes on me.
“Not much we can do, most of the time it’s a virus and it has to run its course,” Ace says, then glances at me. “It can get bad, though.”