“And you don’t know me.” He actually did look a little like a stray dog, sad and furry.

“So you’re not going to read my poems?”

“If you want a different answer, ask a different girl.”

Was he nuts? Or maybe this was par for the course in the creative process. You obsessed about somebody and used them as an excuse for all that head-banging and self-involved drama, and then you got shut down and wrote about rejection.

He took a step toward me. I don’t know what he had in mind, or what might have happened next, because just then the air around us zipped, a stinging sound. A yellow-feathered fiberglass arrow buried itself in one of the porch timbers, not exactly next to Matt’s head, but close enough to make him yelp.

“Jesus Christ!” We stared at each other. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!”

He didn’t believe me. He backed away. “That could have killed me!”

“Maybe it was Cupid.” But he’d already taken off around a corner of the porch and I don’t think he heard me.

I scanned the edge of the forest behind me, the dense tree cover, and although I didn’t see anyone, I lifted a hand to wave.

And it was only the first full day.

I checked the conference center, but no one was there. I guess Gil had already cleared away the morning’s refreshments. I went back to my room and lay down, thinking I’d catch a nap, but I couldn’t fall asleep. I kept hearing the things Viridian had said, going over them without entirely comprehending them. I only knew that I wouldn’t be sharing it with anyone else, not even those of us who were intent on helping and protecting her. I felt I’d been told things in confidence, things that might be known but that she never spoke of. Perhaps after a time she’d forgotten I was there, and I had only overheard them. Finally, I gave up on sleeping and went off to see if Tony or Gil needed me for anything.

Tony was in his office at the conference center. He held out his arms. “Look at this, does this look like poison oak?”

There were raised red welts all along the underside of both arms. “Yes.”

“Crap. I went on the nature walk yesterday.”

“Don’t scratch it. Put calamine lotion on it and wash the clothes you had on. It’ll start to blister and ooze.”

“I don’t believe this. How long does it last?”

“If you don’t aggravate it? A couple of weeks.”

He groaned. “It itches like all get-out. Have you seen Oscar? He said he was taking his workshop out to lunch and they aren’t back yet. I have to go, one of the bunkhouses doesn’t have hot water. Do you know anything about gas shutoff valves?”

“No, sorry.”