12. Two Red Eyes

When my little brothers start fighting, I can usually make them stop. Partly because I’m the oldest, but mostly because I’m bigger than they are. With me and Deke, it’s just the opposite. That’s why my knees are shaky as I step between him and Mia. My mouth is suddenly so dry it’s hard to get the words out.

“Hey, Deke? Um, can I ask you a favor?”

He gives me this scornful look, like I must be out of my mind. “Seriously?”

“If we could talk for a minute?” I ask him.

He shakes his head, but allows me to turn him away from Mia, who’s holding her ground. When we’re a few yards away, he stops and folds his arms across his chest and says, “This better be good.”

“Okay, first, we are on the same side. The side of finding our way home. Of, um, you know, surviving? And you can really help us do that. You’re the biggest and the strongest, and out here in the wilderness, that could make all the difference.”

“Blah blah blah. Do you have a point, Danny boy?”

“My point is, um, that we’re counting on you. We’re all hungry, but some of us are scared we’ll run out of food. So if you keep leading us along the trail like you’re doing, I’ll give you some of my share of breakfast tomorrow morning.”

Deke stares at me like I’m a bug on a windshield and he’s the wiper. “Dude, that is so weak. I’m ashamed for you.”

A few minutes later, he’s back leading the hike, with Tony tagging just behind. Mia is so embarrassed for me that she doesn’t bother to thank me for handling the situation. Imani must see it different, because she touches her forehead and nods in approval, as if to say, Good thinking.

What I did to distract Deke probably seems pitiful, at the very least. But it worked. He’s fighting his way along the river, breaking new trail with his big feet and his long arms, and he and Tony seem to have given up on demanding another meal.

It won’t last, I know that.

By midafternoon, the rain has eased, even if the sky stays so overcast that it feels like you could reach up and touch the clouds. Then, for a while, the pathway widens, making it much easier to trudge along. Mia looks like she’s struggling with the backpack, but the thought of asking if she wants a hand makes me cringe. Plus, it would crank Deke up. Better keep my mouth shut and hope we can get through the day.