Chapter Text
Jade wasn’t entirely sure how to feel after all of that. After the forest, they’d been made fully aware that someone was trying to discreetly kill, or at the very least, get rid of Luna. However, they didn’t expect it to be a scoutmaster, let alone Scoutmaster Edmond.
They’d heard rumors about Scoutmaster Edmond in the past, but they always dismissed them because they knew rumors could hurt innocent people. Anyone could’ve been rough around the edges on a bad day, and more serious claims were dangerous to spread without substantial evidence. Jamie may have scooped up those rumors early to get in on it, but Jade was far more cautious about it.
From what they heard from eavesdropping on Jamie and Riley’s chat as well as what was on the note, they weren’t sure how to feel. They couldn’t really dismiss any of the rumors anymore since Luna confirmed them to be true. In a way, they felt bad about not doing something about it sooner, but at the same time they didn’t know how bad things really were then.
They were completely wrong about him, it seemed. They didn’t really think of him a lot before, but they didn’t think he was like that. They simply couldn’t fathom the thought of an adult in that position treating a vulnerable child like that. It didn’t sit right with them. And yet, it happened anyways.
Luna was in pain, that much was evident. Even if they were trying their best to hide it, the signs still slipped through the cracks. Their random outburst towards Jamie, their sudden shift into being cold and silent and acting fine told Jade everything. They were hurting and pretended like they weren’t.
That seemed quite odd though. Jade’s impression of Luna was that they were the type of kid to put their heart on their sleeve. So why now would they act contrary to that? It didn’t make sense…
As much as Jade wanted to let their big sibling instincts kick in, they knew from experience that they’d have to be patient. Maybe Luna would come back around soon. Right now, there was no point in pushing them because it’d only make them push everyone farther away from them.
There was nothing they could do for Luna at the moment, so they needed to focus on more immediate issues. With a deep sigh, Jade shifted their focus back onto the descent into the desert. They noticed they had fallen behind considerably, so they quickly jogged back up to the remainder of the group before any of them could ask questions.
While the camp was warm, it paled in comparison to the desert. As they approached the desert, they noticed that it was getting hot quickly. They could feel beads of sweat forming on their forehead and they weren’t even there yet. They were likely going to need to express extreme caution if they wanted to survive.
“Hey, you three.” The other three scouts stopped on command. “Just so we’re on the same page, we’re probably going to have to stay in the shade as much as possible. It’s too hot to be out in the sun for long.”
“Yeah… this sucks. Like, really sucks. It’s too hot…” Jamie whined.
Neither Luna nor Riley said anything, but nodded in acknowledgment.
The group continued their descent in complete silence. The only sounds that occupied the air were the occasional tumbleweeds and tornadoes wandering aimlessly in the desert, as well as everyone’s breathing and footsteps. Under any other circumstances, Jade would’ve been fine with it. However, the air felt too tense to revel in it.
The ground slowly transitioned from dirt to sand, marking the beginning of another adventure. They all grouped up at the bottom of the hill, unsure of where to go next. With all of the looming threats in mind, there was no clear path forward.
After some time, Jamie pointed towards a rock formation. “Hey! I see some shade under those rocks!” They paused to wipe sweat off of their forehead. “Might be easier to figure out where to go when we’re not distracted by the heat.” Jade, Luna and Riley all nodded in unison. Shade sounded really nice right about now.
Immediately after, a cheeky grin formed on Jamie’s face. “Cool! Last one there’s a rotten egg!” Before anyone could protest, they made a run for the shade. Jade didn’t appreciate how reckless Jamie was. They could’ve easily been caught off-guard by a tumbleweed and they were more concerned about racing?
They weren’t really in the mood to confront them at the moment, so they decided to tuck that concern away for another time. It’d probably come back to bite them in the future, but they instead decided to focus on more important issues.
Since everyone stopped to catch their breath, Jade decided that now was a good time to check out their surroundings. They were safe, even if only temporarily, and Jamie was going to need time to figure out a way forward so it felt appropriate.
Plenty of cacti dotted the landscape, some of them with thornberries sitting on top of them. A few of them had flowers blossoming, but the remainder were uninteresting. They were all thorny though, so it’d be incredibly unwise to make contact with them.
They weren’t particularly fond of thornberries. They were sour and prickly, but they were edible. If they had room in either their or Luna’s backpacks, they’d make an attempt to pick a couple of them and hold on to them. There were far better things they could eat, but if they were desperate…
The occasional tumbleweed rolled by the group, though they were quite large. This was their first time ever being in a desert, and consequently didn’t know much about them, but… were tumbleweeds supposed to be that big? Those things were nearly half their height! A hit from one of those would definitely knock any of them off of their feet.
Suddenly, they caught something glistening out of the corner of their eye. Once they turned to get a better look, it turned out to be a white suitcase. It was strange how that got all the way out there, but maybe it would have some sunscreen in there. After all, they were going to Hawaii originally, so it made total sense.
They’d have to find the right time to make a run for it, though. They weren’t particularly interested in being caught off guard by a tumbleweed—
Out of nowhere, Jamie decided to make a run for the suitcase. They didn’t bother to look out for tumbleweeds, their vision completely tunneled on the suitcase. Jade couldn’t stop them in time, so they helplessly watched as Jamie ran up to it. However, it randomly disappeared in front of all of them, making Jamie’s stunt worthless. Jamie stood there, completely dumbfounded by this.
Before anyone could react, a tumbleweed quickly tumbled directly towards Jamie and hit them squarely in the chest, sending them rolling back in the direction they came from. Luna instinctively jumped out of the way, but Jade was there to stop Jamie from rolling. The tumbleweed itself was gone, so they could only assume it was redirected when it hit Jamie.
For a moment, Jamie laid motionless. That moment felt like forever to Jade. A lot of thoughts suddenly invaded their mind. Are they hurt? Are they… They shook their head before they could finish their last thought. Jamie was alive. They were breathing. They were… going to live, at the very least. Would they be hurting? For sure. But they were alive.
Jamie groaned before sitting up, revealing that their chest and stomach area were covered in thorns. They panicked almost immediately upon seeing them, but Luna grabbed them by their wrist before they could do anything.
“…L-Let me help you.”
That was the first time Luna spoke since they lashed out at camp. Their stutter appeared to make its return, but their tone still felt cold. At least they were still willing to offer medical assistance, which Jade was extremely grateful for.
Jamie nodded in response, adjusting their position to make it easier for Luna remove the thorns.
Luna knelt down and gently grabbed the first thorn. After another nod from Jamie, they carefully pulled it out. Right after they pulled it out though, Jamie yelped in response and pulled away from them.
Luna cringed at how Jamie reacted, but closed in on Jamie in an attempt to try again. “It’ll h-hurt more if they s-stay in there.” Jamie glared at them for a moment, but took a deep breath and once again nodded. They seemed to be muttering reassurances to themselves, but Jade couldn’t make out the words.
Luna managed to pull out the remaining thorns with few issues. They left behind several tiny holes, as evident by the tiny blotches of blood that stained Jamie’s tank top. They’d likely need to find another first-aid kit soon to patch those up before they could get infected.
Once they were finished, they took a step back to give Jamie back their personal space. They said nothing else but forced a small smile on their face.
Jamie gave Luna a thumbs-up. “Thanks, Luna.” Luna flatly hummed in response.
Jamie’s gaze immediately turned to Jade. “Jade, I—”
“Just stop being so reckless. Is that too much to ask?” They hastily added on the next part before Jamie could respond. “I let it slide when you decided to race everyone to get here, but… just stop.”
An unwanted sense of frustration washed over Jade. They had every right to feel this way, and yet, it felt wrong. They were never deliberately mean to Jamie before, but their patience was running thin by both this journey and Jamie constantly ignoring their pleads for caution. All they wanted was for them to not get hurt, and they just…
Jamie stared at Jade for a moment, then their face shifted towards guilt. “S-Sorry. I won’t do it again. I swear.”
They tried a more gentle approach. “I don’t want an apology, I just want you to be more careful.” They mulled over the next words that sat on their tongue for a moment. “I don’t want to lose you. Just… be more careful. Please.”
Jamie appeared to be pained by that last part. However, they simply nodded in response then got up. They let out a small grunt, presumably from the discomfort the tumbleweed left behind, but were otherwise not verbal about it. Once they stood up and brushed themselves off, they focused on moving forward.
Jade felt a tug at their right sleeve. They turned around to see that it was Luna, who pointed at the ground. Jade didn’t notice what they were pointing at at first, but they soon realized that they were slowly losing shade. They were going to need to make their next move soon.
“Got any ideas, Jamie? We’re running out of shade here.”
“Uh… I do see a bigger rock formation up ahead. Maybe we can go there?”
“Well, if nothing else, it’d buystutter us a little more time to figure out what to do next.”
“Okay. Let’s go then.”
The four of them ran to a much larger structure which had shade at all angles. This was much better than sitting under a tiny patch of shade. Barring any other hazards, this would give them plenty of time to figure out where to go.
Hiding almost out of sight was another suitcase. If it weren’t for how reflective it was, Jade likely wouldn’t have noticed it. They walked up to it, fully expecting it to disappear. However, it didn’t. It just sat there, waiting to be opened. They opened it up, revealing a first-aid kit inside. How convenient.
Jamie caught sight of the first-aid kit and sighed in relief.
Jade offered the kit to Luna so they could help Jamie patch up their wounds. Without skipping a beat, Luna gently took the kit from them and opened it up, revealing plenty of Band-Aids and ointment inside.
Luna pointed towards one of the pillars of the structure and Jamie sat there without asking any questions. “S-Shirt off, please…”
Jamie’s eyes widened in confusion, a blush sweeping across their face. “Seriously? You need me to take off my shirt???”
Irritation quickly replaced the concern on Luna’s face. “D-Do you w-want me to help o-or not?”
“Ugh. Fine.” Jamie hastily removed their tank top. “Make it quick.”
Luna sat down in front of Jamie and pulled out a fistful of Band-Aids and the tube of ointment. Jade sat down beside them to observe the process. Luna first applied a drop of ointment to the pad of the Band-Aid and then covered up the wound, starting with the ones on their stomach.
As they got closer to Jamie’s chest, they paused and waited for their approval. They nodded, prompting Luna to continue.
Once they were finished, they took a step back to make sure they covered everything up, then gave Jamie a thumbs-up. Jamie wasted no time in putting their tank top back on then quickly rose up. Again, a small grunt slipped out, but evidently they didn’t want to waste time standing around.
Jade made a mental note to inquire on Jamie’s condition later once they were in a safer place.
Luna put the remainder of the supplies back in the kit, then took off their backpack to stuff the kit into an open space. They then put their backpack on and nodded, suggesting that they were ready to continue.
There was a cactus with a red thornberry close by. That same cactus caught Jamie’s attention and they pointed it out to Jade. “What’s that on top of the cactus, Jade?”
“That’s a thornberry. They grow naturally in deserts and despite their thorny appearance, they’re actually edible. Sour, but edible.” Jamie’s face scrunched up when they heard “sour”.
“Really? That prickly thing is edible?”
“Sure. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable thing to eat, but if you’re desperate enough… or… if you have the time, you could pull off all of the thorns then eat it.”
“Probably a good idea to grab it then, huh?”
“Well…” They caught a glimpse of the near-empty box of Thick Mints in Luna’s backpack. “Considering you two ate almost all of the cookies… that’d probably be a good idea.”
Riley stood up and volunteered to grab the thornberry. “I’ll get it.” They effortlessly plucked it from the top of the cactus and removed all of the thorns from it. They then offered it to Jade, who took it and put it in their backpack.
“I should clarify that there’s also golden thornberries. I’ve heard that they can heal your injuries a bit too, so… if you spot one and it’s not too far out of the way, feel free to grab it.” Everyone nodded in response.
Something off to the left appeared to catch Jamie’s attention. “Oh, check it out!” Everyone looked in the same direction and spotted an oasis. “Maybe we should—”
“No. We shouldn’t.” Everyone stared at Jade in confusion. “It’s just… so far out of the way. Is it really worth it?”
“Worth it for water? You tell me.”
Right. Water. They’d forgotten about that. They weren’t quite sure how they’ve made it this far without a lot of water… which only made Jamie’s desire to go there more understandable. They’d be lying if they said they weren’t thirsty themselves. “Right. I forgot about water. If we can get over there safely, we can check it out, okay?”
Jamie seemed content with that response and begun to trace out a route. However, they quickly became frustrated. “I’m gonna… look around for a bit. I won’t go far.” Their wary eyes met Jade’s. “And I won’t be so dumb this time.”
“Okay, but take someone with you when you go.”
“I’ll take Luna with me then.”
Luna stared at Jamie for a moment. “Okay. I’ll g-go with you.”
“Cool. Let’s go then.” Jamie walked around to the other side of the structure with Luna in tow. The two of them disappeared from Jade’s line of sight, leaving them alone with Riley.
With nothing else to do, Jade sat down and rested up against the same pillar that Jamie did earlier. Riley sat down beside them and absentmindedly dug in the sand.
They were starting to regret letting Jamie go without them, but they didn’t want to be too overbearing either. They’ve been through worse. They didn’t need, or want, to be pampered all the time. They were getting older and wanted their independence. They needed to accept that.
Riley nudged Jade’s shoe with their own. “You good?”
“I’m fine. Just have a lot on my mind right now.”
“Hm. Okay.”
After a few more minutes of silence, they heard a pair of footsteps rushing back towards them. Their first thought was that something went wrong and fully expected two panicked, potentially even injured, kids to re-appear. However, the exact opposite was the case. Neither of them were hurt. Jamie appeared to be excited about something though.
“Hey! I found that hole we spotted from the camp earlier!”
Riley tilted their head. “Oh?”
“Yeah! We didn’t get to check it out for long because the sun kinda hurt, but… it seems cool!”
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to check it out, right?” Riley looked over at Jade, who simply shrugged in response.
“Yesssss!!!! Let’s go!” Jamie started to excitedly run in place. “This is gonna be awesome!”
Jamie led all of them back, and they did indeed find that same hole again. Jade stepped out into the sun to get a look. They could only see what the sun above illuminated, but it appeared to lead down into a dark tunnel. They couldn’t see any farther than that.
Jade raised an eyebrow at Jamie. “Is it really a good idea to go down there?”
“Is it really a good idea to run between rocks and get hit by tornadoes and tumbleweeds?”
“Fair enough. Let’s get going then. The sun’s starting to sting.”
Everyone began to climb down the hole one by one. Jamie went first, followed by Luna and Riley. Jade was the last to enter and plunge down into the unknown.
They didn’t have a good feeling about this… Going down into total darkness and not knowing what was down there was not the most comforting thing. If nothing else, it did keep them away from the surface’s threats, so they couldn’t complain if that was the case.
Regardless of what was down there, they could only hope that it’d be worth taking the detour for.