When Fender plays, I forget almost everything.

Almost.

Because Claus sticks around, always.

Look at Kate and Lucas happily singing along. They don’t have a care in the world.

Sometimes I feel lonelier when I’m with them than when I’m alone.

What if I tell Fender the truth?

Maybe he’ll get so mad at me that he won’t even hear what I want to tell him.

Then I’ll have lost him for good.

Kate’s voice is so shaky that she has to stop for a moment.

I look at Fender, who is twisting his hands together. I can see that all he really wants to do is attack Claus again, but I can only hope that he controls himself.

I needed to pee, so I went into the bushes, not that far from the campfire.

I could still hear Fender playing from there.

When I found a spot to go, I looked around.

Maybe I was being paranoid, but I had to be certain.

As soon as I started to pee, I heard rustling.

It was really close.

I stood up before I’d finished.

I had to get out of there as quickly as possible

“Isolde?”

It was him.

“Claus?” My heartbeat was practically audible. “What are you doing here?”

“I just came to take a look.” He pointed at the place where our campfire was. “Having fun?”

I didn’t want to answer, but nodded anyway.

“You don’t look happy.” He took a step closer. “I can see there’s something wrong.”

You’re here, I wanted to say, but I didn’t do it.

“I don’t feel too good.”

“You’re lonely.” He reached out his hand and stroked my braid. When he reached the tip, he gave it a little tug. “I can see that you’re lonely.”

He was right—and he knew it. But it was because of him. And I think he knew that too. Maybe that was why he kept coming to see me. The more often we saw each other, the more secrets I had from the others. Claus was gradually isolating me. I was transforming from a country into a peninsula. And eventually I would become an island.

“Kiss me.”

I looked at him. Was he serious?

Claus leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. His hand clawed under my braid.

I wanted to push him away, but my body froze. I could only wait for him to stop.

“You…” I’m startled by Fender’s icy voice.

Kate is just in time. She grabs Fender by his jacket and pulls him back into his seat.

“Don’t do that,” she says quietly. “Think about it.”

Fender

Claus was there that night.

He put his hands on her.

While I was playing a song in blissful ignorance, Claus was groping her.

He kissed her.