Page 105 of Dawn of Hope

My guilt hasn’t subsided, and I am keeping it to myself. I don’t want anyone knowing that I had any of these feelings. I just need time to work them out. Besides, I feel somewhat embarrassed that I stopped him the other night, and I don’t want to hurt him again. I know it was to protect my map, which is crucial to my time here. I don’t know what would hurt us more, me stopping his advances the way I did, him finding the map, or him finding out I let a Castaway go.

I need to get my head on straight.

I spend the entire morning on the far side of the island, near the coast. I’ve come up empty-handed, not even a diversion from the island to keep me on my toes.

Hour after frustrating hour passes with nothing when I hear a low grumble in the distance. I peer out over the sea and sure enough, off in the distance are thick black storm clouds, moving quickly and heading directly for Dawnlin.

Might as well call it a day.

A tropical breeze blows on my back as I head back toward camp. We don’t have warm storms back in Blackwood. They are usually frigid and icy, sometimes with a bit of snow. Another new experience in Dawnlin.

I run into Taril on the main path, who is also trying to beat the storm back to camp.

“Those look like dark clouds,” he says. “I have a feeling this is going to be a rough one.”

“Hopefully, everyone makes it back in time,” I say with a glance at the sky.

“Make sure to bring all your stuff to the cabin.”

“The cabin?”

“Yeah. During big storms like this, we can’t sleep in our bunks. There’s no protection, so we all go to the cabin.”

“I’ve never seen it,” I say as we walk through the portal.

“Go grab your stuff and meet me at the tavern. I’ll take you there.”

We go our separate ways once we get up into camp and I head to my bunk. I hadn’t accumulated anything of value to me here, besides the charcoal and candle, but I can’t risk Dane discovering those and decide to leave them here tucked under the center of my sleeping pad. At least they won’t fall if the bunks rattle in the wind.

I arrive at the tavern with only my pillow and blanket and Taril is waiting for me, a sack slung over his shoulder.

“This way,” he says, directing me back toward the boys’ bunks. I follow closely, not having spent much time on this side of camp before. Just before we get to the bunks, he turns toward an enormous tree trunk with a door carved into it. He turns the handle, pushing the door open andsteps inside. I follow, and once I cross the threshold, I realize he wasn’t kidding about calling it a cabin.

Magic opens the inside of the trunk into a large wooden walled room. Lit sconces hang from the walls, casting a calming glow over the room. The floor is covered with cots, sleeping pads, and large fluffy cushions tossed haphazardly around with hammocks hanging from the roof. A mini tavern is to the right, already filled with snacks and an opening to grab hot meals. Some Voyagers have already set up inside, but it seems like most haven’t returned yet.

“There’s no point in splitting up in here. Just pick a spot before they’re all taken.” Taril takes off to the back of the room, and throws his sack down inside a hammock.

I weave through the cushions on the floor and make my way over to a larger fluffy pad up against the wall. I put my pillow down and spread my blanket across it, smoothing it over the edges. More Voyagers wander into the cabin, and soon Mara and Lily step inside.

“Hey,” Mara calls out, stepping over some cushions and making her way toward me, Lilly following closely behind. “Just grab a bed, anywhere you want.”

I sit down on my bed and cross my legs. “How was your first day, Lilly?”

“It was good,” she says quietly. “Just still trying to wrap my head around all of this.”

“It’s a lot all at once,” I agree. She sets her pillow and blanket on a cot next to the pad Mara chose. Mara has a sack of belongings, just like Taril. I guess that is an easy way to determine who has been on the island the longest.

“I’m hungry,” Mara says once her bed is set up. “Anyone want food?”

Lilly and I nod and follow Mara across the room to the small tavern. A couple of boys in front of us grab their food, and we fall in line behind. I turn when I hear the door open, followed by a crash of thunder and the sound of pounding rain.

“Go in, get inside.”

Several Voyagers hop in through the door, followed by Dane’s large frame. He is soaked through and shakes his long hair away from his face as he too steps inside, closing the door behind him.

“You found it,” he says as he wraps an arm around my shoulder and squeezes me to him.

“I did thanks to Taril, otherwise I would have been out there in the rain wondering where everyone went.”