FERN

"Is that a mutation thing?" I stepped around and took one of the chairs his men had vacated. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. He was marking me, like territory, but anything that kept giant men and angry bears at a distance couldn't be bad.

Tex sat across from me and stretched back until his heavy boots thudded the ground on either side of my chair. "The mutations tend to match the wildlife. I'm guessing my sense of smell is equal to Maurice's. The man I was telling you about earlier is from another site. A swamp over in Louisiana. It changed him different than it did us. I got a boat I use for supply runs." He motioned west with his chin. "I've watched him swim alongside it, keeping pace for an entire day without breaking the surface for air. That's how he gets the fish so easy, and that's not all he can do."

"What else?" While the concept was terrifying, it fascinated me more. Before surviving became life, it'd just been fun. I'd loved going out with Daddy, learning new skills and perfecting them. It was the only time I ever truly felt myself. The natural Earth grounded me. What would it feel like to deepen that connection? To cocoon myself in this place and leave something new. A part of nature. It was what my dreams were made of.

"Like alligators," he said. "We've got a mass of them hanging out in the river, just waiting for him to point. My bears couldn't give a rat's ass what I command." He rolled his eyes as he sat up and leaned forward.

How much had he changed? Right then, he seemed every bit what he claimed to be. His sharp gaze. His massive size; the way he moved despite it. Would it really be a bad thing? If I could run like a rabbit, I'd never need to set traps. If I had the senses of a bear, I'd know the minute someone or something was headed my way. I sat up straighter, putting us even closer.

The corner of Tex's mouth crept upward, dimpling his cheek. "You see..." He lowered his tone, and his eyes cut around to make sure nobody was listening. "The bears are like the men. They respect me," he shrugged one shoulder, "but if I say something they don't like, I better be ready to fight their big ass, hairy or not."

He seemed capable, and the more he told me, the more intrigued I became. Capable was never a bad thing, not before, especially not after. Capable meant food. Capable meant warmth and shelter and survival. "How does he control them?" Hopefully it carried over to when he wasn't around. I'd bathed in that water. A gator was the last thing I'd have thought to worry about, but a gator that took orders? A gator that did work like any animal on the farm? It was too incredible to comprehend.

"Hell if I know, Sugar. He makes some noises, they come running like King Shit just walked into the room." His lips curved. "I haven't tried grunting at the bears yet. Something tells me it won't work, and they'll just have a good laugh for a long while."

A million questions fought to be the next one I voiced, but with his close proximity, his keen interest, and the knowledge that he wasn't entirely human, I couldn't manage to speak a single one.

Tex beat me to it. "Will you tell me about the plant? The one you used?"

"Snake root," I said, happy to talk about something I could recite in my sleep. "It grows wild all over. It's a good antibacterial, so it'll protect those wounds from infection."

"Snake root," he said as if memorizing the name with his mouth.

"It's what the Cherokee used to suck the poison out of snakebites. If you want, when you're up to it, we could take a walk through the woods and collect some things." Warmth filled my cheeks after I said it. For some reason, asking him if he wanted to go for a walk with me, alone, seemed intimate. But that was stupid. We were alone now.

"I'm up for it now, if you are." He stood and extended a hand.

I stared at it a moment, remembering my response the first time and trying to understand the way he made me feel. Did I have a crush or was this just my mind's reaction to finally having another person around? It was hard to tell. I'd never had a crush. Never had the chance. Wasn't it too soon for that? I'd only just met him.

I swallowed hard and reached out, and he took it with a smooth slide. Finger tips, palms, then his hand swallowing mine. He helped me from my chair but didn't make a move to leave. He held my hand between us, and I stood frozen, unable to break eye contact. My mouth dried, and I opened it to speak without knowing what to say.

When I gave up and closed it, Tex said, "You lead the way, Darlin'."

An army of chills raced down my spine. I pointed with my free hand. "Just... into the woods is fine. I've got to find it. Or, I mean, we have to search."

"Alright." He kept me beside him and glanced at my face as we walked. "You know, while you're here, I think you should stick with me. After all, it's my camp, and you're my guest. That way I know you're being taken care of, and I'll have plenty of time to learn more."

"That's probably best," I said. "Although, if I'm going to be sticking around a while, I'll want to build my own shelter. I can make a camp close by. Since I was moving anyway, I'd planned to have to do that." Planned was a joke. I'd been living on one rabbit a week and barely had the energy to set my traps. But I needed that. Some space. The last thing I wanted—no matter how interesting he may have been—was to form attachments. That was what would turn a short stay and a few conversations into repeating history. I couldn't do what Daddy did. I couldn't risk experiencing how it'd ended a second time.

Tex stopped walking. "You won't stay in camp? I have a tent you can use. A mattress–"

"I have my routine," I said. "And it's probably best if I don't get too comfortable. It will make it harder for me to readjust when I head out."

He bit his lip and chewed, then nodded and started walking again. "What about edible plants? Can we find some of those? Anything poisonous that I could plant around our borders? Add an extra layer of security to keep the suits out?"

"You could give someone a rash to take home with them, but that's about it. What's a suit?" I searched the brush as we passed, but looked up for his answer.

"Government officials. They always have the hazmats on when they come near this place, so we started calling them suits."

I pulled my hand loose and took two steps back. "They come here?" I looked around, expecting to see one, and the urge to run made my legs restless. I shifted on my feet, taking small steps in one direction, then another, unsure of which way to go.

Tex took my hand, and a low soothing sound rumbled from the base of his throat. "Hey." He sounded like a man calming a spooked mare. "They don't come in. That's why we picked this place. They just dump, and whatever it is they're dumping scares the hell out of them." He bent to meet my gaze. "They don't even know we're here."

I sucked in a breath and blew it out slow, letting his reassurances sink in, if only to calm myself enough to think. Panicking wouldn't do me any good. I needed to stay smart, stay alive.

"Hey." He rested two fingers beneath my chin and tilted my face up. "I may not know about plants yet, but I can promise you, I know how to deal with a suit. You're safe with me." The hand holding mine gave a squeeze, and his thumb made slow circles over the backs of my fingers. "Can you trust me on that, just for a while?"

Could I? I shouldn't. It went against every one of my instincts. It was common sense. You see an official, you move in the opposite direction until your legs give out. You don't hang around and just hope they don't notice you there. Hadn't I learned that? Then, why hadn't I left already?

Because I didn't want to. Not yet. Not when I'd just found this place. I needed to take advantage of this deal and gain some weight before winter. With the supply of fat, carbs, and sugars in their stock pile, I could put on something to burn later and preserve my kills for when I left. I could trap some rabbits, and who knew how long I'd be without human contact once this was over. Perhaps never again. I looked past him and noticed a bushel of red peeking through the brush. I pointed. "That might be something." I walked ahead through the foliage, then kneeled down and held up a heavy bunch of small red berries. "Red elderberries."

Tex bent to study them. He didn't bring up the officials again, and he seemed eager to accept the change in subject. "They're edible?"

"If you cook them right, and only the berries. Not the plant itself. They're good for rheumatism. My daddy said that's why they call them elder-berries."

He studied me as I picked the bunch from the plant and began gathering more. "Your daddy taught you a lot then, huh?"

I nodded. Daddy had done more than that. Daddy had been everything, and even after, he was always there, reminding me of every word he'd ever spoken. My chest tightened, and I focused on the berries. "We can take these back, and I'll show you how to cook them. I really need to get to work on my shelter soon if I plan to have it suitable by night fall."

He looked away as if he'd noticed something in the trees, and I held my breath waiting to see what it was. Had he... sensed something? The thought of an official made me tense. But when he turned back toward me, it was like I'd imagined it all. "Alright. Let's do that first. I'll help to make it faster, then I can just hang out for a bit while you show me how to cook these."