The Marriage Game

In Which Camila Gets to Use Her Knives

Camila woke with the sun.

Instantly, she missed her curtains. She missed her room, with her private bathroom and her shower—she had gone so long without deodorant that she was afraid to lift her arms—and she missed her toothbrush. Her mouth tasted like roadkill peeled fresh off the pavement.

Even so, she felt refreshed. She couldn't really remember her dream last night, but it had left her with a sense of optimism.

"Sleep well?" Declan sat on a fallen tree branch, resting his chin in his palm. He was unshaven, black stubble outlining his jawline.

"Yeah, actually." She frowned. "Have you been watching me sleep?"

"Do you see anything better for me to do?"

"That's kind of creepy."

"Ever seen Twilight? It's charming and romantic. Worked out for Edward."

Camila stumbled to her feet. "It's still creepy." She was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that reads, in sparkly pink letters: make love, not war. Something crinkled in her pocket. "Wait. You've seen Twilight?"

She reached into her pocket. Her fingers brushed against a wrinkled scrap of paper. An image flashed through her mind: Alex limping towards her, covered in dried blood, shaking her by the shoulders. He's dangerous, she remembered him saying.

"You're just assuming I went straight for the movie?"

Camila removed her hand from her pocket, letting the scrap of paper be. It was probably nothing, but maybe it was safer to look later.

"The important thing is you know what Twilight is." A laugh bubbled up in Camila's throat. "Oh my Goddess. Is this what the Vindicators do when they're not robbing and killing?"

Declan tossed her a protein bar. "Oh yeah. We watch the whole saga every Saturday. Sunday's are the Notebook, Monday's are Sleepless in Sea-"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Yeah. I'm kidding." Declan looked happier than she's ever seen him. His eyes danced, the corners crinkling into smile lines. The sunlight made him look younger somehow, more innocent. His scars were less visible, his golden skin almost glowing. "I had a little sister. She was really into the whole Twilight thing."

Camila glanced up. He'd spoken in past tense. She wondered what kind of person his sister had been, what kind of woman she would've grown up to be.

"What happened to her?"

"She died. It was a long time ago." Declan shrugged a shoulder and crossed over to her, sitting down on a rock by her sleeping bag. "You have any siblings?"

"An older brother. He's backpacking across Europe. I haven't spoken to him in...months, I guess. It's been a while." It occurred to Camila that her brother has no idea what happened to their parents. She felt a flash of jealousy for his ignorance.

"We should probably get moving." Declan knelt, rolled her sleeping bag into a tight spiral, and places it in the back of the truck. Camila finished her protein bar. "I want to get to Manaus by nightfall."

The moment Declan started the engine, Camila realized the truck was on its last legs.

On every uphill, the engine sputtered weakly as the wheels scraped against the gravel road. About an hour into the drive, it shut off entirely, sending the car skidding towards a sharp drop off. The brakes kicked in just in time and the engine recovered after a terrifying three seconds.

"Why would you ever pay for this?" Camila yelled, when the car finally lurched to a stop.

"It was cheap and it was available."