WILLOW

Two weeks passed, and the camp wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Everything changed after the fight. Reggie kept his distance, and the men kept their damn comments to themselves. I should have gotten a Croc much sooner.

The kids had a blast exploring everything the camp had to offer them. I often followed them at a distance, observing what they did when they thought no one was watching. It warmed me to see them happy, but the thought of disaster turned me iced cold. I tried to focus on the moment and not dwell on what ifs. Right now, they'd each stolen a pair of boots and an extremely oversized leather jacket and were clip clopping around a small group of bears like shrunken Free Soldiers.

"Ready men!" Eve called like a general. "Let me hear you roar!"

The bears let out a chorus so loud, I was surprised it didn't knock the kids backward. A jolt of fear shot through me as I stared at their massive teeth, and I was just about to intervene when they stopped.

Eve threw her hands on her hips. "You call that a roar?" She turned to Eric. "Private, teach these bears what a real roar sounds like."

Eric heaved a breath so large his back bowed with the effort, then he roared the cutest little roar I'd ever heard in my life. I threw a hand over my mouth.

The bears let him finish, then looked between themselves. Were they biting back laughter too? It was hard to tell if they were or if I was imagining things. After all, their mere existence felt imaginary.

They all straightened, and in perfect sync, they roared again, mimicking the sound Eric had made.

I doubled over, physically weakened by the fight not to laugh. I would have failed and been caught, had Merle not chosen that moment to swoop into the fray. "What on Earth kind of sound was that?"

"A real roar, sergeant!" the bears boomed in sync, then they dropped the act, roaring laughter.

Merle's grin was wide. He focused on the children. "Oh no! Tex, Cecil, is that you? You shrunk!"

The kids giggled, and Eve said, "No, Papa Merle! It's us!"

Merle squinted his eyes. "Hey! It is! Say, how about we go give back the things you stole, and I'll reward you with some pudding."

"Pudding! I love pudding!" Eve yanked off the jacket and sprinted to return it to whoever she'd snatched it from.

Merle laughed and heaved Eric onto his hip. "That was some roar," he said as they walked away.

I stepped backward and ran into a hard body. I turned. Croc looked even more excited than the children.

"I found something!" He took my hand and rushed to whatever it was.

I laughed. "What is it?"

"I don't know." He stopped by Cecil's campsite. It was one of the few overlooking the water, just a one man tent, a stool, and various items strewn about.

Croc stopped and motioned to the ground by Cecil's chair.

A boombox.

Croc released me, dropped to his knees beside it, and pressed play. Music rang up, some bluesy sound I'd expect to hear in a long-ago bar. He closed his eyes and listened a moment, then he looked at me. "How does it do that?"

To this day, it still amazed me how much he didn't know. I closed the space between us and took a seat on the stool. "The sound is recorded on a disc, and the stereo replays it. It's called a CD." I highly doubted that was accurate, but it was the best explanation I had.

Croc looked back at the player and skipped to the next song. A slow guitar intro played, and Croc held out his hand. "Dance with me?"

I smiled, and Croc stood, lifting me into his arms. He swayed us in time with the music.

I moved with him, savoring the contact.

"I like the stereo," Croc murmured.

I nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"And I like chocolate and bears and our new bed."

I grinned. "I'm glad."

"But I don't like how hard it is to get you alone." His voice went husky and deep, promising, and he pulled me closer, pressing my body to his.

Goosebumps covered my arms and neck, trickled down my spine. It had been over two weeks since we'd been this close. Between getting settled, helping out, and the kids constantly choosing our tent to sleep in, there hadn't been time.

Croc trailed his fingers down my waist, then flattened his hand over my hip and squeezed. His lips moved to my ear. "We should swim."

Julia interjected. "You two do know this is Cecil's camp right?"

We broke apart. She had her arms crossed, hip cocked. "That cranky old goat will shoot the shit out of both of you if he catches you touching his stuff and treating his space like a pleasure den."

"Julia!" My face flamed.

"Don't you Julia me! I'm old enough to know hanky-panky when I see it. Now, you two come help me dig this soil up so I can get these seeds in the ground."

***

CROC

The men kept their distance, but unfortunately, so did I. There was always someone around, and I was about to lose my mind. Lying beside her at night, holding her, imagining it. It didn't help that she wiggled in her sleep. I kept replaying that night in the swamp: the way she'd felt, the way she'd moved, the sounds she'd made.

I shifted uncomfortably. I was on my knees, digging up rows of dirt so Julia could plant a new garden. Normally, I liked helping Julia, but her timing couldn't have been more frustrating.

"Willow, start planting those seeds there. Hopefully we can get at least a few rows done before the sun sets," Julia said.

I bit back a groan. So, we were doing this all day. Willow would be tired. We'd go to bed, and I'd have another night of torture. I sighed and pushed away thoughts of Willow. We were here, and she was safe, and that was enough for me.

I picked up a clump of dirt and crumbled it in my hand. I'd forgotten so much about my life before I was alone. Not everything, but the bits and pieces I was picking up were clicking together like broken links on a chain, connecting me back to myself. I'd never forgotten Pappy in his garden. I remembered him teaching me hoe to plant the seeds, pick the vegetables, and when to water. I could even remember bringing him peppers, then sitting on the floor beside the couch where he laid while we ate.

But I hadn't remembered the rest until Julia arrived. Her first day in Pappy's garden, she'd pulled weeds and removed dead plants, and in her actions, I saw him clear as day. I heard him telling me to do all those things. I remembered the stress in his eyes, and the way he'd gotten slower and slower, until he couldn't go at all.

Looking back now, after teaching Eve and Eric, making them strong, it all made perfect sense. Pappy knew he was going to leave me, and he'd done everything he could to ensure I'd survive once he was gone.

I wished he could know I had.

"Oh, by the way," Julia said. "I keep forgetting to give these to you." She stepped over to her bag and pulled out the keys. "I got your keychain like brand new. Well, nearly. You were right about something being written. I assume it's the name of whoever owned them." She tossed them over.

I caught them in the air then carefully read the name on the back. "Harlan Boudreaux."

"The x is silent," Julia corrected. "I believe it's pronounced Bou-drow. Why? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Ghost aren't real," I said. But this was. I sat down, my head spinning as I read the name over and over again. Pappy's name was Harlan Boudreaux.

"Croc?" Willow prompted.

I looked up, and they were both watching me closely.

"The fan boat we found was Pappy's," I said. " I remembered when I saw it. He used to let me drive."

"You mean, you remember leaving the swamp," Willow asked.

I had their attention now. Julia even sat down her spade, and she never stopped working.

I shook my head. "No. Not yet, anyway."

"So, then that's his name," Julia said. "Why didn't you say something before?"

I shrugged. "I wasn't sure if it meant anything or not." It was the clue I'd wanted, but now that I had it, I had no idea how to use it. Where did I go from here? "I was hoping it might help me figure out more about who I am."

They shared a look.

"I had no idea you felt that way," Willow said.

I met her gaze, a sudden twist of guilt tightening my gut. I hadn't meant to keep it a secret. I'd tell her anything she wanted to know. It was just. . .it was hard to talk about out loud, and the more I remembered, the harder it got.

"You know, now that you have a name, you might be able to look him up in public records. Old newspapers maybe," Julia said.

Willow snorted. "Sure, let's just head on into town and ask the Officials for help."

"Not the Officials, smart ass. Pappy was an old man. Half the places that used to store records have been abandoned. If you really wanted to find something, I bet you could."

My spine straightened. Was it really that easy? Would I be able to find out who my mother was too? "Where do I look?" I asked.

Julia shrugged. "Would have been better if you had that name before we left. My best bet would be whichever town is closest to where he lived."

"Oh." My hope deflated.

Julia picked up her spade and started to dig again. "But Tex says they go for supply runs every couple of months or so. I'll talk to him about possibly helping you out."