Wish You Were Here

37

"Ryleigh, look," she said, her voice a hoarse cry.

Weeds that were about waist high were only a few feet away, so we dodged into them. I knew she wouldn't be able to crawl, not with bloody knees. We rushed into the weeds until we figured we had gone far enough and then crouched down. When my legs began to tingle, I sat down and Cal did the same.

Sitting so close to her like that reminded me of being with her in the basement. The two of us had found comfort in having one another, and we were doing the same once again. Neither of us spoke for a while. Her voice was hoarse and I kept my senses on high alert, desperate for Grant and Will's return.

Eventually, Cal looked worn out and exhausted. I asked her if she wanted to lie down and she didn't have the energy to argue. She simply nodded and reclined onto the ground. Not too long after, I laid down along side of her. We stared up at the sky in silence.

I turned to face her. "We found Beth. She's okay."

She turned her head to look at me. Her eyes welled up with fresh tears. "Beth? Oh, I was so scared! I hoped she'd be okay, but then...I just-"

"It's okay. She told us you saved her and you were taken by another group. We came looking for you. I wasn't leaving here without you. This will sound crazy, but you're my best friend, Cal," I confessed.

She covered her face with her hands for a moment and her body shook with sobs. Tears streamed down her face and she removed her hands to wipe her cheeks.

"You were looking for me? I thought...I thought  it was coincidence you found me. You seriously came to find me?" she said and coughed.

"It was no coincidence. Beth saw which direction they took you in and we came to get you."

She stared up at the sky again. "I can't believe it. I thought I was a goner, you know? When they took me..."

"No way we'd leave you!" I told her.

Cal turned to face me again. "You're my best friend, too, Ryleigh. Thank you. Thank you for coming for me."

"We don't know where Aaron is though," I said softly. "We got split up; Grant and I went one way and Will and Aaron went another way. I guess they got split up, but Grant and I stayed together."

Her eyebrows went up and down really fast. "Ohhhh, I bet you did!" She tried to chuckle, but then broke into a coughing fit.

When she stopped, I poked her in the ribs with my elbow. She smiled.

"We ran into Will and he had Beth with him. She's okay; we stationed her...somewhere safe. We'll go back for her as soon as we find Grant and Will again," I said.

"What about Aaron?" she asked. "Shouldn't we look for him, too? I'd feel bad if we didn't, considering you guys came looking for me."

I debated telling her Will's theory about Aaron.  Instead, I asked her about the group that had taken her. She told me she wasn't sure what they intended to do with her or why they were on the island at all. They put her in that hole, covered it with a hollow tent, and would leave for hours on end.

"I couldn't see anything. I could barely even hear anything. They threw food and water down to me like a caged animal," she whimpered.

My heart ached for her. I could see in her eyes that she was traumatized after the entire ordeal of that island, but being captured and put into a hole had almost broken her. I had to get the old Cal back somehow. The Cal I knew was strong and determined.

"There's something I should tell you about Aaron," I said, looking up at the sky.

"What about him?" she asked.

"Will has a...theory. Maybe he's paranoid or crazy, I don't know."

"What's his theory about Aaron?" she asked me softly.

I took a deep breath before summarizing it for her. She didn't say anything while I spoke. I told her Will's theory and his reasoning behind it, adding that Beth agreed with him. When I was finished, I exhaled loudly and waited for her reaction.

"Hmm," she hummed.

"What do you think?" I asked her. "Do you think Aaron could be a spy of some sort?"

She rubbed her forehead before answering me. "Not really. If he is, he's terrible at it. He got caught again by Dean and Gina and you had to go rescue him, and now he's gone again somewhere. What kind of a spy does that?"

She had a point. I stayed silent as I mulled it over.

"If it's not Aaron," I said finally. "Then who is it?"

"Does it have to be someone?" she asked. "I'm just saying, we don't really know for sure that there's a mole or spy, do we? Isn't this just some crazy theory of Will's?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah, but Beth agreed with him. And honestly? Grant and I had some weird things happen, too. I could see how his theory makes sense."

She cleared her throat and winced at its dryness. "If there really is a spy, then doesn't it make more sense that it's Will?"

I turned to stare at her in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"If he's saying there's a mole, it's probably him."

I bolted upright. Cal reached out to grab my arm.

"What is it? Do you hear something?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"No, it's not that." I glanced at her over my shoulder. "If what you said is true? Will is out there somewhere and he has Grant with him. And Grant won't suspect Will at all."

The expression on her face said she shared my fear. She rubbed my arm, but it didn't comfort me. I pulled my knees in and hung my head.

Grant, please be careful.