"It's raining," he mumbled against my lips.
"I don't care," I said recklessly. There had been such a fine line of hate between us for days that it felt surreal to be wrapped in his arms.
"Neither do I," he said, dropping his lips almost roughly back on mine once again. I moaned softly at how delicious the pressure felt. He used the tip of his tongue to coax my mouth open and I complied without hesitation. Time stood still as we stayed locked in each other's arms.
"Alyssa's gone," a loud disapproving voice said from behind me.
Chapter 8
"What?" I asked, turning around to see an unhappy Rick standing directly behind us.
"I said, Alyssa is gone," he repeated, emphasizing his words.
"What do you mean 'gone'?" I demanded as water dripped down my face.
"She ran away. Her cot is empty and she left a note saying she'd rather live in the woods than live with her father," he said, looking panicked for the first time ever.
"Holy crap, what are we going to do?" I asked, scanning the immense forest that surrounded us.
"I'm organizing search parties until the forest rangers can get here."
"Okay, let's go," I said, anxious to start the search.
"Not so fast. You need to change. The cold front has moved in and everyone needs to dress warmer and wear a rain slicker," he said, blatantly pointing out our drenched state. His words seemed to trigger a reaction in me, making me suddenly aware I was standing in a torrential downpour. Shudders ripped through me as my mind and body connected to how chilled I was.
"But we need to find her now," I said as my teeth started to chatter.
"We will, but we need to be prepared before we go off traipsing through the woods all willy-nilly. Meet me in the mess hall in five minutes," he said, shooting us one last disgruntled look before heading off to the other cabins.
I turned to Mason, confused over everything that had transpired in the last few minutes.
He sighed as he watched me shake uncontrollably from the cold. "Go change, we'll sort this mess out after we find Alyssa," he said, dismissing me as he strode off toward his cabin.
Sort the mess out? So, kissing me was a mess? I thought angrily. He was the one that initiated the lip-lock, and now he wanted to categorize it as some mess that needed to be swept under the carpet. I swear, he's mental, I grumbled to myself as I stomped to my cabin.
The lights were on as I pushed the door open. All eyes were on me when I entered.
"Is it true?" Parker asked with eyes filled with tears.
"Yeah," I answered quietly as the graveness of the situation fully gripped me. "But don't worry, we're going to find her," I said, grabbing a stack of dry clothes before heading to the bathroom. I could hear the worried voices of the younger campers as I hurriedly stripped off my wet clothes. Shivers shook my body, making it hard to pull the dry clothes on. After my second layer was added, I finally began to feel some relief from the cold that had gripped me. I headed back to the main room to pull on warm socks as Amy burst through the door, looking like a drowned rat.
I couldn't help laughing briefly at the sight of her.
"Can you believe this?" she asked through chattering teeth.
"Which part?" I asked gravely.
"I know, right?" she said, heading to the bathroom.
The room was now silent as all the girls watched me, waiting for reassurance.
"We're going to find her," I said firmly, trying to convince myself as much as them as I pulled on my rain slicker.
"It's raining though," said Tracey, one of the shyer girls.
"I know, which means she probably didn't go far," I answered, hoping I was right.
"Ready?" Amy asked, coming out of the bathroom and pulling on her own rain slicker.
"Yep, try not to worry," I told the girls as we headed out of the cabin and raced over the mud-slicked ground toward the mess hall.
The large room was busy with activity. Everyone crowded around one of the round tables that had a map spread out on it. "We're going to split up in teams and take the five different trails," Rick said, pointing to various spots on the map. "It's likely she stayed on familiar ground, but I still want us to search all the trails, including the advanced ones. Mason will team up with someone and take the Mountain Lion trail, while Travis and I will take the Black Bear trail. The easier trails will be divided up by the remaining teams. Amy I want you to stay behind in case Alyssa comes back. She knows you best," he added.
Amy nodded.
"What about me?" I asked.
Rick turned to me, but before he could answer, Mason answered for him. "You'll be with me," he said.
Rick started to argue, but Mason interrupted again. "Look, she doesn't know the trails at all and I'm your best guide. If we're partnering up, she should be with me."
"You better watch her like a hawk," Rick answered, giving Mason an odd look that was hard to read.
"Yes, sir," Mason said with just a touch of anger.
Without a doubt, the tension between them had something to do with me, but now wasn’t the time to deal with it, not with Lyssa out there somewhere.
Rick handed me a lightweight backpack. "Keep this on at all times," he ordered.
"What is it?" I asked, adjusting the straps on my shoulders so it would fit more comfortably.
"Emergency supplies in case anything happens."
"Oh, okay," I answered, feeling it was overkill. I wasn't the one lost in the forest.
I felt a little better once I saw everyone else shrugging on similar packs.
"Team leaders, grab a walkie-talkie from the chargers and let’s head out. We have a scared little girl to find," he said, pulling on his own pack.
He stopped in front of me before heading out the door. "Do not leave Mason's side, do you understand me?"
I nodded, feeling my emotions getting the better of me again at the concern in his voice.
"I mean it. The terrain you'll be on can be dangerous under normal conditions. In these conditions it will be much worse. Make sure you watch your footing."
"I will, Rick," I said, taken aback at how serious he sounded.
He pulled me in for a quick hug. "Be careful," he told Mason, giving him a one-armed hug as we exited the building.
The rain was still coming down in bucket loads, so I tightened the drawstring of my hooded raincoat so only my face peeked out. Mason did the same before purposefully striding past the cabins toward the notorious Mountain Lion trail. I had to practically jog to keep up with his long strides, but I was careful with each step I took over the uneven ground. The idea of holding up our search by doing something embarrassing like tripping or falling down the mountain was stressing me out. Mason and I both held flashlights, but the rain was falling so hard, it was like sheets of glass, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. I slowly began to fall behind and debated calling out to Mason, but my breathing was labored from the slow steady climb we'd been on.
Mason finally turned to check on me and waited impatiently for me to catch up. "Can you do this?" he asked when I closed the gap.
"Yes, I can do this," I said through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to hit him. Where was the guy who had swept me in his arms just an hour ago? What had changed between then and now? "Not all of us have Jolly Green Giant legs," I said sarcastically, sweeping ahead of him.