Stranded

Chapter 32 ~ Cassie

"Samneric are here, and your girls won't allow me to see them!" Ralph yells at me.

"They are painted and were found with a traitor of our group. What did you expect?" I ask as he continues ranting and pacing in front of me, around where the edge of the bonfire used to be. We let it burn out a while back.

"I expect for my leader—"

"You hold no position of power here. You lost it long ago."

"You can tell them—"

"Ralph, I can not force anyone to respect you, just as you could never get any of the boys to respect me or other members of my group."

"Then why did you order no one without your permission to enter the hut?!"

"They are prisoners, and I know a few girls who would like to beat up at least one of them, if not all. It's for their safety if nothing else."

"Well—"

"Um, am I interrupting anything?" Hannah asks coming in.

"No," I say at the exact same time as Ralph says, "Yes."

"Ralph we have a meeting, you can leave or participate, but I'm not holding up this meeting just to have an argument. The Savages are trying to hunt you down at this very moment, and it won't take long for them to figure out that you may be with us which means that they will attack us. Not to mention we have to figure out where our prisoners' actual loyalties lie. What is it Hannah?"

"Well, everyone's waiting outside."

"They can come in."

Everyone fails in as Ralph grumply sits to my right. The last to arrive are May, Annie, Ella, Ileen, Lucy, and Patty with Rachel, Sam, and Eric. Those who haven't arrived yet won't be joining us because they are on watch.

"Everyone knows why this is being held, so let's cut to the chase," I say. "Rachel came with Sam and Eric from the Savages' camp late last night with news of possible plans to burn down this camp and hunt and kill Ralph who has been granted our protection." Murmurs fill the hut.

"Then why have him here? He'll just bring the Savages to us faster!" Anastasia says. She's a girl who seems to quite literally hate boys. A few agreements fly through the room.

"We didn't even agree to have Ralph come here!" Rebecca says. Yells of agreement.

"We may not have all agree to that move, but we did agree to a line with Ralph's group in the beginning and especially when Jack split off," I say loudly. "We basically granted him protection then."

"In your eyes maybe, but not ours!" Georgia yells. Courices of agreement.

"Would you prefer to be wiped until you're voice is hoarse?!" Rachel, who has somehow gotten her gag off, yells. "Cry until you have no more tears left?! A line yourselves with a pack of murderous?! Look at you all, just trying to split your own group in half! Do you want to know what would have happened if Cassie where on Jack's side instead of Ralph's? You all would be slaves to the Savages by now!!"

"Why is she here! You should be out with the Savages!" Decoda yells.

"Leave her!!"

"Kick her out!"

"Turn the four of them in!!"

"Give them—"

"QUIET!!!" I yell as I find myself standing, practically burning with rage. With in a second all the yells are silenced. "If you wish to leave and join the Savages, Georgia, be my guest. That goes for everyone." The hut is so silent that I can hear everyone breathing. "Would anyone like to leave?" I basically hiss. No one moves. "Then I expect my inviting Ralph here will not be questioned again."

The hut continues to be dead silent.

"If there are any more interruptions similar to this, you will leave this meeting, is that understood?"

Not a noise is made.

"We are here to decide these three's fate," I say pointing to the prisoners, "and how to contend with the Savages. No more, no less. Am I understood?"

It is almost like everyone is afraid to wake the dead. I sit.

"Very well," I say, trying to cover up some of the previous anger, I don't think it works. "Bring the traitor forward and we will begin questioning."