Page 65 of Passions Ignite

“Got one!” she said.

Lux grinned. “Nice catch!”

Zoey carefully removed the fish, holding it up for Lux to see. “It’s sizable.”

Lux laughed. “Who says sizable? That’s a big fish.” Her smile widened. “Let’s see if we can catch a few more.”

They spent the next hour or so fishing, catching a few more small fish.

Lux was in a playful mood as they finally gathered their small haul of fish by the lakeside. She leaned over, inspecting their catch with exaggerated seriousness.

“Well, it looks like we won’t starve after all,” she said, holding up a fish and examining it like it was the most precious thing shehad ever seen. “We will knock up another camp fire to cook them on and then I’d say we’re practically gourmet chefs now.”

Zoey chuckled, laying out the fish beside the stones they had collected earlier.

“Gourmet chefs who can’t even start a fire,” she teased, her eyes twinkling.

“Hey now,” Lux said, picking up two stones with determination. “I told you, I’ve seen this in movies. How hard can it be? Of course we can start a fire. We are experts in fire.”

“Yeah, putting them out, not starting them!” Zoey laughed.

Lux struck the stones together aiming to create a spark for the kindling they had gathered. She scrunched her face in concentration, clearly hamming it up to get a rise from Zoey.

Zoey crossed her arms, watching with mock skepticism.

“Right, and in the movies, they usually succeed after two strikes. You’re on, what, twenty now?”

“Patience, grasshopper,” Lux said, grinning as she kept striking the stones together. “Mastering the art of fire making takes time…or at least a lot of trial and error.”

Zoey rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. Despite the absurdity of their situation, Lux’s humor was infectious. It was hard not to feel a little lighter around her.

After several failed attempts, Lux flopped beside the fish, sighing dramatically. “Okay, so maybe I’m not quite the fire master I thought I was.”

Zoey nudged her with her shoulder. “We could try rubbing a stick into a hole in a piece of wood, old-school style.”

“Why not?” Lux said with a shrug. “We’re already living in survival mode.”

They spent the next few minutes trying to source suitable candidates for the stick and the piece of wood. Once they were sorted, Lux retook the lead, attempting to start the fire by rubbing the stick between her hands and attempting to createenough friction with the piece of wood to ignite the dry leaves they were aiming to use.

“This would be much easier if we had matches,” Zoey commented dryly.

Lux gave her a mock glare. “Where’s the fun in that? Besides, I’m pretty sure our ancestors did this all the time. If they could do it, so can we. I won’t be beaten.”

After what felt like an eternity of effort, during which Zoey began to doubt their fire making abilities seriously, they finally saw the tiniest flicker of smoke. Lux’s eyes widened, and she doubled her efforts.

“It’s working,” Lux said, her voice laced with surprise and triumph.

Zoey leaned closer, watching as the smoke thickened and a small flame began to take shape. They quickly added more dry leaves and small sticks, nurturing the fragile flame until it grew into a small but steady fire.

“We did it!” Zoey said, beaming as she looked at Lux.

Lux sat back, grinning like a kid discovering a hidden candy stash. “I told you we could do it. I was starting to worry we’d have to eat raw fish.”

Zoey laughed, the sound mingling with the crackling of the fire. “Well, we can enjoy our gourmet meal now.”

They carefully prepared the fish, skewering them on sticks and holding them over the fire. The midday sun was high, casting a warm glow over the rocky terrain. The atmosphere was surprisingly peaceful, the earlier tension from their journey dissipating as they relaxed.

Lux watched the fish roast, the skin turning a delicious golden brown. The scent of cooking fish filled the air, making her mouth water.

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