Davina (Davy Harwood #3)(30)

I was so very far from just a student.

Drifting closer, warming to me from my laughter, the taller one chuckled, too. “I know we’re a sight. We got separated from our group yesterday. We haven’t washed or eaten anything except a little marijuana that Spencer had left over. And side note, if that’s all you have to eat, don’t do it. The munchies are making me go crazy. Spencer won’t let me eat any of our food. Rainforest tree bark started to look a lot more appetizing than the pine trees back home. Say,” his eyes focused on me again, “You haven’t seen any other U.S. students, have you?”

No, no. Just vampires. That was all.

My shoulders were still shaking, and I shook my head back and forth. I was trying to form a coherent word, but the hilarity of the situation was still hitting me. A few tears leaked from my eyes, and my cheeks were starting to ache from the laughter.

“What’s your name?” Spencer’s lip were still curved up, but any slight chuckle he might’ve let out had dwindled. The bright smile he had was no longer. It lessened and a look of alarm was starting to enter his gaze. “You haven’t said yet.”

“Da—” I was Davy. The nickname of Davy didn’t pertain to me anymore. It hadn’t for so long, since my first torture session, but I heard myself saying, “Davy,” to these two strangers. I wanted to be Davy again, even if it was for a brief moment in time. I could be that girl with no big responsibilities, where I only had to worry about being empathic. I suddenly missed that girl a whole ton.

“Davy.” Spencer pumped his head up and down, his lips tugging into a smile again. “That’s an awesome name.”

“Uh . . .” The taller one glanced up to the darkening sky. “Well. I hate to admit it, but I think we’re going to be lost for another day. It’s going to be nighttime soon.”

Spencer looked pained. He repeated the earlier question again. “You haven’t seen any other Americans, have you?”

I shook my head, growing somber. They were lost and I had one last mountain to cross before being back in Mori territory. I could feel their magic. It was growing more and more the closer I got. I also knew that I didn’t have long before the others caught up to me, whoever it was that was coming after me. Gavin. Gregory. Tracey. Any of those three or none of them. I didn’t figure Wren would come. Seeing that these guys were looking around to put their bags down, I spoke up, “Uh.”

They stopped and looked at me.

I gulped suddenly. What was I doing? I should send them on their way, but I said instead, “There’s still some light, and it was a full moon last night. It’ll be one again tonight. We can keep going.”

“You know where you’re going?”

The taller one asked that . . . I forgot his name.

“Cal,” the shorter one said, “I don’t know . . .”

Cal was the tall one. Spencer was the shorter guy. S and S. I nodded to myself. That was how I’d remember their names.

Cal was saying, gesturing to me, “. . . I think we should. She knows where she’s going, or she looks like she knows. Let’s go with her, and maybe we’ll find our group.”

I cleared my throat, drawing their attention. “I’m headed over that mountain behind you. I-uh—I have a friend over there. I need to get to her.”

Spencer frowned at where I pointed and he scratched behind his ear. “I’m pretty sure that’s where we came from over the last two days.”

Cal’s head bobbed up and down. “Hey, yeah. I think you’re right. Wait.” He twisted around to the mountain I just came from. “Fuck. I have no clue. They all look the same.”

“Well.” Spencer grimaced, his hand falling back to his side. “Let’s just go with her.”

“You can’t.” I corrected, “I mean, not all the way. My friend—there’s dangerous people where I’m going. You can come with me part of the way, but not all the way.”

“Oh.” Both gave me alarming looks.

I didn’t want to go alone anymore, but they couldn’t go all the way with me. The Mori would kill them, if they hadn’t already killed their group. But if they went alone—I didn’t know if that was safe either. My allies and I were the only ones I knew that wouldn’t harm them. Whoever these guys were, whatever f*cked-up kind of karma that put them in the middle of this war, I needed to protect them. Or I had to try, at least.

The decision was made then.

I nodded at them. “You should come with me, at least as far as its safe. If you find your group, I’ll keep going it alone.”

Cal cocked his head to the side. “What are you doing out here?”

Saving my potential ex-best friend.

Saving the world.

Saving myself.

None of those answers sufficed. I only said, “Just looking for a friend.”

The small surprise both had when they first saw me was wearing off. I didn’t know if it was my doom and gloom attitude that I couldn’t seem to shake, or if the Mary Jane was wearing off. Either way, both seemed more wary of me than they had been in the beginning.

Or maybe they were just realizing the absolutely f*cked-up situation they were in.

I was going with the latter, and with that cheerful thought, I started up the trail, and after a few moments of hesitation, they did as well.