Surviving Passion Read online

  The cabin was fairly simple and uncluttered, except for Tim’s room, which was full of little skulls, feathers, pieces of glass and other odds and ends. It seemed he was a bit of a pack-rat, but in times like these, he couldn’t be blamed.

  That night, Selena’s sleep was dreamless, but light. Every little sound brought her eyes open, despite the fact that she had her privacy and the knowledge that people she trusted were only one room away.

  The next morning was business as usual but with a lot more mud. Blaire managed to scrape food together for everyone and the mess was all they talked of at breakfast.

  “Your cabin is screwed, Selena. Sorry,” Cal told her, looking a little bewildered about it.

  “Yes it is,” she affirmed matter-of-factly. “And I was just starting to like it.”

  “We might be able to patch it up and get that tree out of there,” Bear put in, “but it’s gonna take a very long time.”

  “Yeah,” Cal went on. “I think we’re gonna fix the small stuff first and when everything else is in order we’ll tackle that mess last.”

  “We won’t have trouble with lumber,” Dan pointed out, prompting a few snickers.

  “Who cares about the stinkin’ cabin?” Ben said glumly. “We’re going to be drinking nasty water as soon as we run out of the rainwater we caught in the buckets. I’m going to have to build another filter-pump and I have to try to salvage the last one to save time. Anyone know where it is? I didn’t think so. Who wants to help me find it?”

  Silence followed.

  “Anyone got any scuba gear tucked away somewhere?” Blaire asked.

  “What’s that?” several voices inquired at once.

  “Never mind,” Bear said with a wry grin. “Young’uns.”

  “Lets you breathe and swim under water,” Susan whispered loudly, “And there’s a mask that you can see through.”

  “Ugh,” Sara shuddered, “I don’t think I’d want to see what’s in there.”

  “If it’s alive it’s probably edible,” Gina pointed out cheerfully, prompting another shudder from Sara.

  “I’ll help you,” Selena told Ben as the others bantered on.

  “Oh. Thanks,” he returned, making no attempt to hide his surprise.

  When they had finished breakfast and begun wandering out of the dining hall, Clint slid past Selena, subtly giving her waist a hard squeeze. She jerked away involuntarily and glared at his back when he made his way out. She wondered if anyone had seen it, but she was too embarrassed to look. Right then and there, Selena made up her mind to do something about him. She just wasn’t sure what yet. Feeling disgusted again, she quickly joined Ben on his way out.

  “So, are we going to do that now?” she asked, falling in step beside him. She hoped he would say yes so she could take her mind off of Clint.

  “Sure. Why not? Let’s get this over with.”

  The two of them set out immediately to the bloated pond. They didn’t have far to go.

  “Okay, so when you’re standing at the pump, those trees are way closer,” Ben narrated as they waded into the cold water. To their surprise, they trudged on a good distance without the water level rising higher than their knees.

  “It’s a good thing the land is flat around here,” Selena remarked just as her next step put her waist deep in the water. Ben chortled before repeating her performance. Taking several more strides through the murky brown stuff, they found themselves armpit deep.

  “So, um, we’re going to have to start swimming soon,” Ben announced unhappily. “But it should be right over there somewhere.” He pointed towards the southeast.

  They paddled over only to find that it was impossible to see anything through the muddiness of the water. Each took turns diving down to the bottom and feeling about for any hint of his contraption, but they returned to the surface empty-handed each time. Selena knew she wasn’t much good at this. Although her parents had made sure she learned how to swim, she didn’t do it very often. The shocking cold didn’t help matters.

  Finally they swam to where they could stand again for a break.

  “Why don’t we grab a long stick that can reach the bottom?” Selena suggested through chattering teeth.

  “Oh, good idea. Then we can poke around until it hits something.”

  It took them a while to find one of suitable length that didn’t weigh a ton. By that time, neither of them was happy to get back into the water, but it was necessary, so they gritted their teeth and let the cold envelop them again. Just when they thought they had covered every inch of the bottom, Selena finally hit something. Ben was underwater in a second.

  “Found it!” he said triumphantly, bursting to the surface. “Now I just have to figure out how to get it out of there. I’m going to have to open it up. Be right back.”

  Down he went again as Selena miserably prayed that he could detach it. The seconds ticked on and on until she began to grow worried. How long could he hold his breath? Selena suddenly wondered if he was caught on something, but the bubbles were coming up steadily. More time passed and still no Ben. Selena took a deep breath just as Ben bounced up.

  “Almost,” he panted.

  “Jesus,” Selena sighed.

  “What?” he asked, blinking the water from his eyes.

  “Thought you drowned.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Ben told her before diving down again.

  This time he emerged with several parts, looking triumphant.

  “That’s about all we should bother with,” he told her finally, between breaths. “I’m glad that’s done.”

  Even when they split the components between them, swimming was difficult, but soon their feet found bottom once more. Just as they sloshed to the shore, the sun broke out warmly from the clouds.

  “Oh now the sun’s out,” Ben grumbled. “Great timing.”

  Selena nodded in agreement as she tried to rub the mud from her feet onto the sodden grass.

  When they had dropped the parts off at Ben’s cabin, it was already well into the afternoon. She hurried away as soon as he had everything in hand, desperate to dry off and warm up. As soon as she started walking, her thoughts returned to Clint. She was still at a loss as to what she could do about him. Since his intrusion, she’d made sure to keep her dagger in its hidden pocket at all times but she wondered if it would be enough, should he catch her unaware.

  No sooner had she gone twenty feet from Ben’s cabin than she saw him walking towards her. Selena felt a stab of fear and stopped in her tracks. Scanning the trees around the path, she frantically assessed the situation. Should she bolt for Ben or hold her ground? No, she thought to herself. I’ll find a middle ground.

  Clint knew she had seen him, and he kept on coming. She calmly turned on her heel and walked back until she was in clear view of Ben’s cabin and only then turned to face him.

  “Clint, you’re going to have to knock this shit off,” she said darkly when he drew near. He stopped to stand a few feet from her.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie,” he said with a nasty smirk. “I’m not going to do you right now. Later though ….”

  Selena stepped back as he drew closer, determined to maintain the distance between them.

  “I just wanted to have a look at you,” he went on. “So tempting. You’re always wet when we’re alone, aren’t you?”

  “I’m tempted. To kill you,” she replied quietly.

  An acid laugh burst from him. “Are you? You should come to my cabin some night when I’m sleeping. You were thinking of doing that, weren’t you? It’s the best shot you have, you know? Do you like those odds? One of us will win and one of us will lose. But we won’t know which until you try. How about it? I’ll find my moment sooner or later. Come to my room some night and you’ll be more likely to win ….”

  “You’re insane,” she whispered.

  “Worth it as long as I get what I want,” he conceded. “And I will, sooner or later. You can be sure of it. Dan was an idiot for bringing you her
e. Look at you; so stubborn. And you still imagine you can take care of yourself. Shit. You won’t even ask anyone for help. Maybe you should run. That’s probably the most fun option.”

  “Dan would find me before you did,” Selena blurted.

  Clint made an ugly face, his eyes slithering up and down her, “That’s right, the piece of shit beat me to it already.”

  Her eyes widened and she started feeling sick. How does he know?

  “I can tell just by looking at you. Don’t matter. I was pretty pissed when I figured out that he got to break you in first, but after I’m through with you, that fucker’s gonna be a hell of a lot more bothered than I was.”

  “And you’re not worried about what he might do?” Selena asked, openly incredulous. Clint would be dead in a second if it came to a real fight. How deluded could the man be?

  “Nope. I’ve been wanting to tangle with that bastard. Beat his ass down.”

  Selena’s eyes narrowed at the hatred in his voice. “Sounds like this is more about him than me,” she ventured, almost wishing she hadn’t when Clint’s eyes burned into her.

  “I’ve got my reasons,” he told her in a cold and steady tone.

  To her vast relief, he turned and walked away. “I’ll see you soon,” he called over his shoulder. The moment he disappeared back down the path, Selena collapsed to the ground. She cradled her head in her hands, sitting in the leaves. Clint had turned out to be far more dangerous than she imagined, and worst of all, smarter.

  How had he known what had happened? Was she so transparent? Everything he said and did seemed to be premeditated. Selena knew she had to do something, and fast. She certainly wasn’t going to walk right into the lion’s den as he suggested. She was going to have to do the one thing he was sure she wouldn’t do. She was going to have to find help. Hating the idea of admitting her helplessness to anyone, Selena wondered who would best receive her story. She knew right away that she wouldn’t go to Dan. What if, by some miracle, Clint somehow managed to hurt him? She would not willingly make them fight, no matter how certain she was of Dan’s superior battle prowess.

  Selena chewed her lip in thought. Maybe there was some way she could make it look like he had done something that wouldn’t be tolerated by the people here? Something that had nothing to do with her? What she did know was that she’d have to figure it out fast. The hell with it, she decided suddenly. I’m going to be honest. Right now.

  She strode purposefully down the path until she reached the kitchen and walked up the stairs and through the front door. Finding Blaire in her usual spot, Selena felt both relieved and nervous.

  “Blaire?”

  The other woman paused to take in her soaking form. “You’re all wet. Here,” she offered, digging an ancient towel out of a cupboard and tossing it to her. “You find the filter?”

  “Yes. I need to talk to you about something,” she announced, doing her best to dry off. “ But I need to know you will keep it quiet.”

  That got her attention.

  “You got it,” she said seriously. “What’s wrong?”

  Selena took a couple of long breaths, steeling herself for what she was about to say. “Clint tried to—he tried to force himself—”

  The other woman’s surprise did not register subtly. “Oh my God! When?”

  “Before the storm, when you came to my cabin to ask if I’d make something for Becky. He was walking out. You passed him on your way in. He broke into my room. If you hadn’t of shown up …” her voice trailed off.

  “Now why in all the hells didn’t you say so at the time?”

  “I hadn’t decided what to do about it yet. But he just got through threatening me for the past ten minutes.”

  Blaire paced the room for a minute, frowning as she thought.

  “We can’t kick him out,” she finally muttered, turning to face Selena again. “We kick him out, he could go to Jake. Killin’ him is a bit much. Wait. Why does it need to stay quiet?”

  Selena wrung her hands, stammering, “I just—I don’t want them thinking about me that way. I don’t want to be a victim. And anyway, I don’t know what everyone would do if they found out.”

  Blaire’s eyes narrowed further. “That’s right,” she pondered. “We’re gonna go to Bear. That okay with you?”

  Selena nodded. She didn’t mind if Bear knew. He wasn’t the sort to blab, but he was the sort to take seriously.

  Blaire dropped what she was doing and the two of them set out to find him immediately. When they reached Bear, he was covered in mud, and several of the pigs were back in their enclosure. He saw the two of them marching over and halted his work. Selena couldn’t look him in the eye as Blaire faithfully repeated her story. Bear listened silently with a deep frown. He looked unmoved, and Selena worried that he might not help her.

  “This is all true?” he asked her when Blaire had finished.

  All she could manage was a nod. For several long moments, he offered no reply whatsoever and only stood there thinking.

  “I don’t want everyone to know about this, if that’s possible,” Selena requested weakly.

  After what felt like forever, he answered, “I believe you. So would everyone else. There are only two choices. Get everyone together and if they think he’s guilty, we’ll have to kill him. We can’t let him go or he’ll go straight to Jake. The other option is that Blaire and I go threaten him. We give him a warning that we’re watchin’ his every move. We tell him the first second he steps out of line, or you so much as look unhappy, we’re gonna blow this whole thing wide open on him.”

  Selena glanced between the two of them, hoping they wouldn’t choose the first option, but they seemed to be waiting for her.

  “It’s up to you,” Blaire said quietly.

  “I think … the second choice.”

  Selena wasn’t completely settled about this. There was still the haunting possibility that Clint would find a way to hurt her, no matter how much they threatened him. She was not ready to discuss her plight with everyone in the community, however, especially at such a sensitive time with Dan.

  Bear nodded and turned to address Blaire. “Alright. I’ll be right back. Why don’t you meet me in front of the kitchen in a few minutes? I need to grab a couple of things.” He turned to Selena adding, “This will be just Blaire and I. You don’t need to be around for it. Probably best if you get on with your day.”

  Selena was relieved and accompanied Blaire only as far as the kitchen. The other woman grumbled all the while about what a nasty person Clint had turned out to be and how everyone should have guessed he was no good.

  Selena listened silently, feeling worried. She was sure that even now, no one knew how truly depraved the man was. The others hadn’t seen the furious hate that had been directed at her, or his violent attitude towards Dan. It was strange that he would say these things in private but hide his animosity the rest of the time. Briefly, Selena wondered what had happened to make him that way. Forcing such questions from her mind, she hoped that their plan would work, or at least buy her time. She dreaded the thought of telling everyone the truth if he ignored their warnings and the harassment continued.

  While they waited in front of the kitchen, Blaire reassured her in low tones that they would put enough fear in Clint to keep him at bay. When Bear appeared with his axe slung over his shoulder, Selena believed her. The man was incredibly intimidating. Selena was glad he had decided to help her. He was probably the only person in the camp that could match Clint pound for pound.

  “Lucky thing everyone’s busy cleaning up their own places,” Blaire mused. “They probably won’t even notice.”

  Selena nodded as the pair of them set off for Clint’s cabin. When they drew out of sight, she suddenly felt exposed standing outside in the evening shadows alone. Folding her arms protectively around her, she hurried to Blaire’s to wait for their return and to change into dry clothes.

  When she was inside, Selena felt a good deal better. She resol
ved not to be at dinner that evening. There was too much on her mind. She sat on the bed and mulled things over. Dan relentlessly emerged in her mind over and over. She clasped her hands against her temples, trying to force him out of her head. It didn’t work. She knew what the problem was. He was born to sort out problems like these. If she could have brought herself to ask for his protection, he would know exactly what to do about Clint. But she couldn’t speak to him about anything now, much less her fears.

  “This is so hard,” she groaned quietly.

  Just now, Dan’s actions were every bit as overwhelming as Clint’s. Admitting to him that she needed his help was an act of surrender. She had to wonder if such a thing could make her feel any more helpless and vulnerable than she did already. The truth was that those feelings might already be at their peak, but there was something comforting about the fact that only she knew it. This was the right choice, she affirmed finally.

  Blaire’s return came a little later than she’d expected. “What a bastard,” Blaire told her with obvious contempt. “He tried to weasel out of it, he did. All this bullshit about him just bein’ friendly and you taking things the wrong way. Don’t worry, we didn’t buy a word of it, and told him so. We told him we’d call a meeting the minute something even smells off. He didn’t like that one bit.”

  “Thanks, Blaire,” Selena told her humbly. “I’m really lucky to have you around. I don’t know what I would have done ….”

  “Aww, knock it off,” she said brusquely with a half-smile. “You’d do the same for me. Now I’ve gotta go finish with dinner. You comin’?”

  “I’m going to hide out in here for a while.”

  “Alrighty. You take all the time you need. I’ll bring you some leftovers.”

  When the door closed behind Blaire, Selena lit the bedside lantern and lay down, feeling her fears ease. But while she may not have to worry about Clint for the moment, she knew that she couldn’t escape Dan. Because she lacked the courage to speak to him, she would have to face him at a time of his choosing. She knew it was cowardly of her to keep slinking away like this, but she couldn’t look him in the eye. He was far too much for her, what had happened was even more so, and she was afraid she would crumble in front of him.