Crashed

EIGHT

By now, any thoughts about a funeral were completely forgotten. Everyone was whispering in small groups, clearly shaken up by Jenna's death.

Someone had finally made a fire and several people were gathered there, hunched over the flames. Samantha was walking around, handing out some energy bars we had found on the plane. She passed one to me with a smile.

I opened the wrapper and crunched into the chocolate-coated granola. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I took a bite. I was suddenly aware of the grumbling in my stomach and I swallowed the snack rapidly, enjoying the crunchy texture and sweet taste.

I began drinking out of a water bottle Jonah passed to me when I noticed Alex storming in my direction. He grabbed my wrist roughly. "Come with me," he grumbled. Jonah's grip on my hand tightened and he tugged me out of Alex's grasp.

"What are you doing?" Jonah asked.

Alex scowled at him. "Neil sent me to do something and I need help." He clutched my arm once again and he jerked me towards him. Both of the boys were much stronger than I, and there wasn't much I could do to escape. I felt like a doll while the two of them pulled me back and forth. "So I need her to come with me."

Jonah pulled my body back and shook his head. "You can get someone else to help you."

Alex was about to haul me away from Jonah once again and I was afraid that one more tug would result in a dislocated shoudler. I turned to Jonah. "I'm not an object for the two of you to fight over. I can make my own decisions." I tore my arms away from both of their hands. "I'll come with you," I said to Alex. Jonah looked shocked. I handed him back his water bottle. He stared at me for another moment, as if waiting for me to say I was kidding. When I didn't say anything, he rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed, and walked away.

I turned to Alex and he was watching me with an amused look on face. I snapped my fingers under his nose impatiently. "Well, what do we need to do?"

He smirked and began walking into the forest without explaining a word to me. I hurried to catch up with him and he kept looking back at me to see if I was still following him. He turned on a flashlight and he waved the beam of light around, trying to remember which way to go.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I demanded.

"We need to get Jenna out of that tree," he began explaining. "Or else animals are going to start coming closer to us."

We walked for a few minutes in silence until we finally reached the river. When I saw Jenna's body, I bit on the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming. "I'm going to lift you up onto that branch," Alex said. He set the flashlight on the ground at and angle so the light shone on the tree.

"Ok but- Whoa!" Before I even had the chance to prepare myself, Alex had hoisted me up into the air. I gripped onto his shoulders as I tried to keep my balance.

Alex grunted. "Your nails are digging into my shoulders!"

"It's your fault for not warning me!" I squeaked when we leaned too far to the side.

"I did warn you!" he exclaimed. "Now grab that branch!"

I reached up and tried to grab it but only my nails grazed the bark. Alex lost his footing and he lurched forward. My back bashed against the trunk and I cried out in pain. I flailed my arms as Alex and I toppled to the ground. I lay on the ground with my eyes squeezed shut and I tried not to cry.

"That was your fault!" Alex grumbled.

"My fault? How is this my fault?" I asked. I opened my eyes a crack and saw Alex glowering at me.