Page 39 of Wild Thing

Maybe if I leave Zion it’ll get easier to breathe. But the thought of never seeing Archer again is devastating.

I stomp to the Center and open my work computer. I can’t talk to Dad from anywhere else. Only here. Everyone’s eyes are on me like I’m a spy.

Oh, wait, I was.

I try to collect myself as I wait for the laptop to boot, then dial Dad. But when his face appears on the screen, my chest shakes with a sob. So do my hands that I clasp together and dig my nails into the skin to distract myself.

“Dad…”

“Hey, Kit-Kat.” His voice makes tears well up in my eyes. “What’s wrong?”

I shake my head and lean with my forehead on my fingertips, hiding my face from him, from the several employees at their desks, from the world. I want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

“Sweetie, what’s happening?”

I swallow hard and take a deep breath, finally summoning the courage to look at the screen.

“I’m coming home tomorrow.”

What I don’t expect from him is a smile. “You are, huh?”

“Archer has Australian visas for us.” What used to be a dream suddenly feels like a punishment.

“I know.”

“And…”You are okay with that?I want to scream. But then—goddammit—that was our plan!

And now it’s a mess, a disaster, a subtle pain in my chest.

Dad’s gaze is unblinking. “Why are you upset, Kit-Kat?”

“Because I don’t want to leave!” I say too loudly and notice heads turn in my direction. “I… Dad, I…”

I’m about to burst into tears. So, I say, “Archer will send you an update, I’m sure. Talk to you later, Dad.”

And without waiting for a response, I hang up. The screen lights up right away with a call back from Dad, but I slam the laptop shut and leave the Center.

One drink.

Two.

Three.

I don’t want to get drunk but rather fall into a deep sleep and wake up on the mainland, forgetting that this trip ever happened.

I take the bottle and set it next to me as I sit on my balcony and stare at the dark jungle.

Marlow doesn’t pick up the five times I call him. I text him the news. Now he knows I’m leaving. But he’s busy with the new girl. Right. Who gives a shit about Kat, anyway? So much for friendship. If I go around saying bye to Maddy and Kai and Callie and Ty, it’ll feel devastating.

I wipe away the tears and take a swig from the bottle, some sweet liquor Marlow brought once for dinner. It’s half-empty by now and too sweet. Something nasty and bitter would’ve been more appropriate.

Wiping away tears doesn’t help. They just keep coming.

My phone dings with a text.

Archer: The boat leaves tomorrow at 6 a.m. Slate will pick you up and take you to Port Mrei.

A sob escapes me.

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