Sam wasn't sure what he hated more. Damp air and constant stubborn vegetation, or the dryness and dunes of the desert. Bottom line was, it made walking a bitch.
It took them a few minutes to get over the fact that their means of transport exploded, time in which Tom called Eye Patch and Snitch Gravel every name in the book. But once the novelty wore off, Sam focused on convincing Skye that it could've been much worse. They could've actually been in the car, or have to jump without luggage.
Anyway, the lack of originality was a good sign. It also meant that Snitch Gravel had played his card and might actually not follow them for this one, especially since he was convinced there was no jewel.
So, on that positive note, they started off towards their destination. Everything was desert. The sun over them cast a sickly yellow light and a ridiculous amount of heat for the time of year. They couldn't even see very far, heatwaves dancing in their vision.
"Everything looks the fucking same," Tom mumbled next to him. "How do we know we're even going in the right direction?"
Tom made a good point, so Sam instantly decided the jungle was preferable because then at least then they could use plants for orientation. He took out his compass again and noticed they'd veered slightly to the right. It was annoying to keep changing directions, but the dunes and shifting sand made it impossible to go straight. Unless...
"I have an idea." He grabbed Tom's shoulders and fixed him in place, turning him to face the correct direction. "Stay here. Kyle, come next to Tom and move in a straight line until you can hardly see him, then stop."
Even if he raised a questioning eyebrow, Kyle obeyed. Sam continued to direct everyone, making them move one in front of the other, having them correct their position if they strayed from the imaginary line between them and the person behind them. And once he finally became first, leaving Skye as a barely distinguishable silhouette, he realized his plan worked.
They could keep the right direction by correcting their position according to the person behind them, and after they were all spread out, do it all over again.
Sam pressed his earpiece to activate his communicator. "Tom, you can come to me now and pick up everyone on the way." Then they could start again from their new ground zero.
What followed was calculated movement which resembled a snake moving coil by coil and a lot of team-building which consisted mainly of people screaming at each other that they were going to wrong way and fighting over who lost their position. Quality bonding.
By the time darkness set, Sam was convinced they were on track and that they'd reach their destination by midday the next day.
"How can you be so sure?" Skye asked, sitting by him in front of the fire.
"I checked the compass constantly, and with our minor corrections, we managed to keep the perfect direction and save a lot of time and confusion," Sam explained, trying not to sound too proud of himself. "So the chances that we're lost are very slim."
"I surely hope so," Jessie mumbled from the log in front of them. "Everything looks the same to me."
Sam glanced at her, a little worried by her tone. "You can give me one good kick if I'm wrong." She didn't answer, still fumbling with what looked like a compact mirror. "You okay?"
"Yeah..." She twisted the compact and he noticed it was actually a screen. "I just... Jimmy made me this while I was in Harvard so we could... um, facetime. And I took it because I hoped... Well, obviously I can't contact him this way."
"You really miss him, don't you?" Skye asked, her voice soothing. "He'll be back in four days, you do know that, right?"
"Yes, I do. It's just..." She raised her eyes to them and they were misty. "I don't want to scare you Skye, but Sam, what if we actually die or something? What if something happens to him? What if I never see him again?"
An uncomfortable knot lodged itself in Sam's throat. It was an ever-existing possibility in their lives, but not something Jessie usually pointed out. "I'm sure we'll be fine. That he'll be fine. We're tougher to crack than this. Plus, up side, no Snitch Gravel."
Jessie just stared at him for a second, then rubbed her nose. "You're right. I'm just being stupid." She stood, and with a small wave, walked between the two tents and into the night.
Sam sighed as he watched her go. He could understand what upset her. This was the first time she'd been on a mission without Jimmy. And Sam had to admit that he missed him and Jerry a lot. They brought a balance to the group and now everything seemed shaky. Yes, Kyle was on guard duty and everyone else was settling for rest, as usual, but still... No Jerry to ask if they ate, no Jimmy to potentially design traps.
And if Tom hadn't had the crazy idea to actually get tents, they'd be freezing their asses off on the sand. Good thing they'd had the sense to pack warm clothes, because the temperature had dropped dramatically. Every time they spoke, vapor came out.
"It's just one night," Sam mumbled to himself.
"Have you noticed anything weird?" Skye asked.
He turned his attention to her and away from paranoid thoughts. He had. Like Angie suddenly avoiding Tom again, Kay still being a little queasy because of that damn water, Jessie being overemotional. But he was sure that wasn't what Skye meant.
"Like what?"
She looked at the star-filled sky, nestling in his hoodie, and hummed. "It's too quiet."
"Are you turning paranoid, too?" he asked with a laugh.
"No. My paranoia burst when I met you and now it's all over the place and I can't gather it up for the life of me. I already know anything can kill me at this point." She started bouncing her knees. "Even the cold."
"Sam squinted at her. You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"
She grinned at him. "What gave it away?"
"You're no longer tense around the others."
"You were right, they're cool. And getting into a screaming match with Kyle and winning boosts the ego."
Sam chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, that was actually funny."
Plus, Kyle's mood had so obviously improved, he also found the whole thing amusing. Sam had no idea what had happened and when, and knew that it wasn't any of his business, but seeing his brother and Kay back together and being embarrassingly in love brightened his day.
"I'm so glad he and Kay are fine now," Skye said. "Your model of the perfect romance was not shattered."
"True. I hear it might have happened by talking."
Skye laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Communication. Imagine that."
As Sam watched the light of the flames flickering in her eyes and the content smile on her face, his heart seemed to grow in size. Kyle had been right, as usual. He wasn't projecting anything on her.
It was all about her. How smart she was, how no-nonsense. He loved the way she stood up for herself and how she made him feel normal, powerful. Grounded. He loved the way she laughed, the tenderness in her smile. The way she made efforts to get along with his family, to be part of his life. He loved her bravery, her ability to forgive, and her big heart. The way she kissed, the way she touched him, the way she'd risked it all for him.
This was not projection. Not some random ghost or faceless statue he put on a pedestal.
He loved her, every bit of her.
"Skye..."
She turned to him, her face filled with warmth. "Yes, Snowflake?"
He could get lost in her eyes forever. In her. She was much bigger, much better, more overwhelming than anything.
"You're really beautiful," he said, though the words didn't even begin to cover it.
A blush crept to her cheeks and she bit her lower lip. "You're not too shabby yourself, but I think you're already tired of me fawning over your gorgeousness."
"I'll never get tired of that."
She laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder again. And at that moment, as he wrapped both arms around her, there was nothing he'd rather do than stargaze with her.
♠️
Jessie felt like an idiot, but even as she dropped with her ass in the sand a little further behind the tents, she couldn't help but fumble with the communicator. Just seeing that it turned on and was trying to connect gave her a little piece of solace.
More than anything had that day. She wasn't sure why, because things were going great. Except being out there without Jimmy felt like she was betraying him on some level. The crunching of footsteps signaled someone approaching, but she couldn't even bother to turn around.
"What are you doing?" Kay asked, sitting next to her.
"Nothing, really."
"Trying to talk to Jimmy?"
"I'd wish." With a sigh, she lowered the gadget and turned to her friend. "What about you?"
"I'm fabulous," Kay said, and from her tone, it was obvious she wasn't being sarcastic. "But I will be even more fabulous after I continue doing right things. I need to apologize to you properly. I've been a really crappy friend ever since you've returned and I never really said I was sorry for actually thinking you and Kyle could..."
"It's okay. I understand." Sort of. "You two alright now?"
Kay's smile was small, but it still made her glow, like one of the distant stars in the sky. "Yes. Better than ever actually. All we needed to do was talk. And you were right. He deserves so much more."
Jessie bit back her own grin. "Glad to be of service."
"No, seriously." Kay put her hand on Jessie's shoulder and squeezed. "I know how hard this has been on Kyle, especially over the past few days, and you being here really helped him. And, no matter what, I'm grateful for that."
Jessie did her best to keep smiling and squeezed her shoulder in return. Kay would never know how badly she'd broken him, that she'd actually made him cry. But did it really matter when she had he obvious power to put him back together? They were back to their honeymoon stages, all over each other. It only made her miss Jimmy more.
"You'll be fine, you know," Kay said, as if reading her mind. "Jimmy wasn't ever really mad at you. Just confused. I am a little, too, because I can't understand why you wouldn't--"
"My ex husband was a piece of trash of a man," Jessie said, her voice low. Even if Esteban was a thing of the past, her decision to run off without a word still plagued her, and she needed to tell someone about it to assure herself her it hadn't been completely insane. "I married him because he pretended to be exactly what I needed. A friend and a way to escape my parents. But once we were married, he decided he had rights. "
Kay frowned. "Rights? Wait, are you saying..."
Jessie nodded grimly. "I've never told anyone this, except my mother, but he forced himself on me. Took my virginity."
Kay brought her hands to her mouth. "That's awful."
"I know. What was worse was when my supposed mother told me he was my husband, what did I expect?"
Kay's face darkened. "Oh, I know all about mothers like that."
"The thing is," Jessie continued, "I managed to overcome it. But even so, even if I managed to reason my way out of a depression and feeling like a victim, it's still part of a life I hated, a life I didn't want to bring any of you into." She raised her eyes and took Kay's hand. "I want you to swear to me that you will never tell Kyle or Jimmy about this. They're the reason I felt it necessary to cut everyone off. Because I'm sure that if they ever find out about this, they'd kill Esteban. Literally. And they don't deserve to lose their lives over a piece of shit."
"I swear, of course. And I think you did the right thing."
They sat in silence for a few moments. Jessie tried to drive her tears back. It was all in the past now, anyway. She was back and she would never again forget who she really was, where she belonged. This was her home, they were her family. No matte what.
Kay wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "You're so strong," she said. "And I'll always be here for you, no matter what. You're one of my best friends."
"And you're mine." And it finally felt like it again.
"Want to join me in pestering our other best friend to find out why she's suddenly moody?" Kay asked, pulling away.
"Nah, thanks. I need a bit more time with the stars."
"Okay." Kay stood and gave her shoulder one last squeeze before moving between the tents.
Left on her own, Jessie let out a sigh. It had felt good to share, good that Kay hadn't judged her, Things were getting better. Kyle and Kay, Sam and Skye... And she truly believed what everyone kept telling her, that Jimmy wasn't mad at her, that him coming back would lead to them talking and hopefully getting back together. Because every time she looked at the sky, all she could think about was him.
"Do you ever think about me at all?" she whispered to the night.
Of course it didn't answer. Just like everything else in their lives, it remained a mystery.
♠️♠️♠️
I wanted to clear up a few things, and I like people actually communicating and getting over their squabbles after I spent an entire book throwing bricks at them.
Of course, this doesn't mean I'm done with the bricks. I'm just holding them off for the future chapters.
So Sam is finally aware he's not projecting anything and is actually in love with Skye. Kay continues to apologize to people for being a douche. And Sam believes they're not lost and they'll actually reach their destination soon.
Then there's the matter of Jimmy (and Jerry). What are they actually doing up there? I guess we'll see in the next chapter.
Stay tuned and don't forget to vote and comment. 4 chapters left until the end.