Barney was sorting out the cartons on the ground next to the fire but he looked up with a bright smile and said, “Or there could be an amazing beach resort on the other side of those hills.” He pointed at Alice. “There could be a deck chair with your name on it, waiting for you right now.”

Shen added, “And if there isn’t, he’ll build you one, won’t you, Barney?”

They laughed and talked as they prepared the food. People started to stir in the cabin above, and it was soon clear from the overheard conversations that no one was happy about waking up on their first new morning in the jungle, about feeling grubby and unable to shower.

Tom smiled to himself as he heard their gripes, amused by how quickly it set in. They’d had an astonishing deliverance from one of the biggest universal fears, a plane crash, and already they were forgetting how lucky they were to be alive.

Joel was the first to emerge from the plane, looking incredibly fresh and polished. He did a double-take as he saw the three of them sitting there, and looked ready to make some appreciative statement.

Alice jumped in quickly, saying, “We just weren’t tired.”

Joel smiled, nodding. “You’ll probably sleep all day—we’ll have to make sure not to disturb you.”

Involuntarily, he glanced at Tom, perhaps giving away his true feelings, that he was relieved Tom would be out of the way. Tom didn’t get it because he’d made it about as clear as possible that he didn’t want to challenge Joel’s position. It was ridiculous anyway—they were just a bunch of kids stranded in the jungle, not some kind of militia.

Shen made sure to feed them first and then once everyone had come down to the fire, Tom, Alice, and George made their way up the steps to the cabin. It was already hot in there, but the mosquito netting produced a feel of twilight and Tom found it unexpectedly easy to settle down.

As he drifted into sleep he could hear Joel talking about collecting more wood, but for once, even that sound and the subsequent chatter was oddly relaxing. One more day of this, he thought as he drifted into sleep—just one more day.

CHAPTER 20

He was woken by the sound of cheering. He stirred, rubbed his eyes, and immediately thought that the impossible had happened and a rescue party had arrived. Yet the commotion had sounded distant. He climbed out of the reclining seat, just as Alice and George did the same.

Alice said, “What was that noise?”

“Someone cheering,” said Tom.