Breaking Point

6- Day 1 8:00 a.m.

"Dusk, are we there yet?" Anthony complains. His feet are dragging across the ground.
        "Come on, Tony. Be a man. We'll get there soon enough." I pat his shoulder, trying to encourage him. I'd seen a great spot but it was crazy far. And with the gray clouds overhead, it's not making anything easier. When we were scouting, I climbed a huge tree and saw it. It reminded me of the time my dad and I went camping. "Look, Jackson," he said. "For us this summer, we want lots of trees for shade. Maybe some animals will come out, yeah?" I was nine then.
        Finally, I see it. It's a small clearing with many trees that'll cover for us. The trees have many big leaves. It's perfect.
        "There. Where I'm pointing. That's where we'll be staying for a while." I feel a surge of pride. My father would be proud. We walk a few more minutes before we get to the clearing. I decide to call it the Meadow.
        "Let's set down camp." I drop my pack. I pull out the sleeping bag I had stolen. I climb a tree with huge leaves to scout for anything that could be bad for us. I see nothing. I carefully climb down. My left arm burns.
        "Nothing," I announce. I have the feeling that I'm being watched. I turn. Like I had said, I was okay. A burst of cold crawls down my spine. I shiver as I unpacked. Finally, we had gotten our things in the trees, some traps set if something delicious decides to stop by (or a little person comes to say Hello), and overall, a nice temporary home. The whole time I felt the feeling of being watched.
        "Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled," I say as we settle in. I hand a gun to Jenna, who takes it like it's a snake. "It's okay," I tell her. I can tell and I know that she's still shaken by the encounter with the man. I can't have that. There are two things fear does to people. One is it breaks them down, to where they're almost useless. And the second is it makes them valuable. I don't know if Jenna is one or two, but I don't know if I want to find out now.
        "You guys can take a break if you wanna. I'm not tired," Jenna says it like it's a command. I worry for her.
        "Are you sure? Because I can watch if you-" I begin.
        "No," she says sharply. I hold up my hands in surrender. I ease myself down next to Anthony.
        "Hey, buddy," I whisper. "How're you holdin' up?" He shrugs.
        "Is Jenna okay?" he says. I shrug this time.
        "She's a bit upset about that man that attacked her, I think. Just give her some space, Tony." He nods, like a good boy. "Are you okay? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or anything." That's the thing that worries me. I don't want to leave Jenna or my brother. The struggle is real, folks. I heave a soft sigh.
        "I am not upset or uncomfortable with you, Jack," he says so I almost don't hear him. I'm about to reply when I hear movement. I jolt up.
        "Jenna? Is that you?" I look around. Jenna isn't in the tree. Oh, God. Great, just great.
        "Anthony, stay right here and be quiet. If I don't come back in a few hours, I'm not ever coming back. I'm sorry, but promise me you'll listen to me." Fear is in his eyes, yet he nods. "Thanks, dude. I'll be right back, I promise." The rain starts all of a sudden. I hope I can keep my promise. I tuck the pistol into my waistband and start the climb up.

Jenna has disappeared. Fear and rain is in the air, making a dangerous combination. I call out for her softly.
        "Jenna?! Where are you?" I walk around. I spot a small lake through the precipitation. I find her with her feet in the water. She had changed into a plain white T-shirt with a V neck and tight jeans.
        "Dusk," she says. "I had been hoping you wouldn't find me." The words strike me.
        "Why?" I ask.
        She says, "I'm not welcome, aren't I?"
        "Jenna-"
        "Don't 'Jenna' me, bitch!" she snaps. I recoil at her words.
        "You're just upset. Please calm down." Jenna looks at me and I realize that she's crying. "God, Jenna... What happened?" She gets up. In a few steps, she's right up against me.
        "You happened," she whispers. She closes the last few inches, and her lips meet mine.
        My eyes close.
        Her lips are slightly rough, from lack of water, but yet they're loving and feathery soft. I curl my hands in her hair, bringing her right up to me. Jenna lets out a breath and kisses me more fiercely. Her arms are around my neck. I trail a line of kisses down her neck, her collarbone.
        She says my name quietly. I say hers back. Suddenly, she's jumping back, breathing hard. Dammit.
        "What?" I say, worried.
        "What the hell was I thinking," she says, "to do that?"
        "Jenna, please-"
    "Just stop." She holds up a hand. "I was an idiot. Lets just go and pretend we never did anything...."
        "But we did," I protest. I sound like a child, and we both know it. I'm desperate for more; I don't care about much anymore.
        "Shut up," she says. "Something's just not right. Please understand. I can't do this. It. Just no." She's almost pleading.
        "Jenna... I-" I have no words.
        "Just please leave me alone for a while," she says quietly. With reluctance, I leave her alone.