Chapter 7

  Morning dawned. It was getting colder out in the wastes and I was glad we were only one day from Hamilton. Before we set off I checked both Alex and Jake’s wounds. Even though both of them seemed to be healing well I knew that wasn’t always a sign that they would both be fine. “Do you feel weird at all?” I asked Jake, pressing my hand to his forehead to make sure that he didn’t have a temperature.

  He brushed it away. “No, Kat, I don’t feel weird.” He smiled. “I promise you I will tell you if I do, but for now I feel absolutely normal.”

  I stared at him. “What is normal?”

  “I don’t have a temperature, I don’t feel woozy, my wound isn’t hot to the touch, there’s no pus, and the only real problem I have is the lack of food.” I opened my mouth to speak. “Don’t. I know you’ve been sharing what food you had left as best you could between the four of us. I thank you for that. We’re just not used to it.”

  When we first left Third City we had to deal with the same issues, as food down there is much easier to come by, but up here every piece of jerky is a prize. Fortunately we learned that lesson very quickly and always made certain we had extra, just in case. That was why we could share with our unexpected companions. Other people probably wouldn’t be able to. “You’re welcome, Jake, but it’s not going to get any easier when we reach Hamilton.”

  “Mare told me that. She said if I really was planning on coming with her I should make the most of whatever meal I had before we left.” He shrugged. “You should let us share with you, rather than both of us eating everything that you have.”

  “It’s better that you keep it.”

  “Jake, you’re with me today,” Alex said as he walked back, and I had to hide a smile when I saw the surprise on Jake’s face.

  “What did you say to him?” Jake asked me.

  “That he should give you a chance rather than assume you’re an idiot.” Then I did smile. “Even though I didn’t think I’d ever convince him he did finally listen to me.”

  “Is there anything I shouldn’t say?”

  “Don’t act like you did the day we met you. As long as you act like you have been around me it should be fine.”

  “Okay.” He brushed a hand through his hair. “I don’t think I’m ready for this.”

  Shaking my head at him I pushed him into action. “You’ll do fine.”

 
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