“Creek.”
“Like Celia,” I said before I thought too hard about it.
Coli stopped walking and spun around, coming back to stand way too close to me. “What do you know about a Creek indian named Celia?” she demanded.
I took a step back to restore my personal space. “I met her earlier today. At the shell shop.”
“So you’re saying she’s still alive.” She said it like she didn’t believe me - a statement not a question.
“Yyyeeah … ” I was trying to figure this girl out. Is she happy or mad about Celia still being alive?
Coli turned back around to walk again.
“So, what’s the deal, then? Are you guys, like, friends or something?”
“No.”
“Sisters?”
“Hell no.”
“Enemies?”
Coli sighed loudly. “We’re cousins.”
“Cousins who don’t get along.” I was fishing for info.
“Cousins who don’t agree on what they should be doing with their lives.”
I waited a few more seconds to see if she had anything to add, but she was done. “You know, Coli, I’m just wondering something…”
“What?”
“If you could be any more mysterious.”
I was trying to get a laugh out of her, but I shouldn’t have bothered.
“I don’t share my business with outsiders.”
I was going to say something sharp back at her, but then I decided that it wouldn’t be fair.
When I stayed silent, she looked back over her shoulder. “What? You’ve got nothing to say to that?”
“No, not really. I don’t blame you for it. I’d feel the same way.”
She stopped, waiting for me to draw up next to her.
“I worry about my family,” she said, staring straight ahead, her face set in a stern mask.
“Me too. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”
I looked at her and she turned to meet my gaze.
“So will I.”
I smiled. “Good. Then we have an understanding. You keep your hands off my boys, and I’ll keep my hands off yours.”
She smiled back briefly. “Deal.” Her mask of unhappiness slid back in place, making me wonder if I’d even seen the smile at all or if I had just imagined it.
***
I got back to the chickee hut and Coli disappeared. I turned to thank her for her help and she wasn’t there.
“Damn, she’s good,” I said, walking into the hut.
I started talking to the Peter and Bodo without paying any attention to what they were doing. “That shower is amazing, guys. Now that I’m all clean, I can smell your reekage, so you’d better get over there soon. No stink masters in the hut allowed.” I threw my dirty things in a corner. “We need to figure out how they wash clothes around here. If I can’t scrub the holy hell out of these things I’m going to have to burn them.” I was digging through my pack, unable to find what I was looking for. Buster came over to investigate, sniffing in the open pockets. “Have you guys seen my underwear anywhere? I’m totally commando now. I hate going commando.”
No one was answering, so I looked up. Peter and Bodo were just staring at me.
“What?”
They said nothing, making me nervous, so I abandoned my search for panties and stood up. “What?!”
Peter blinked a few times before finally answering. “You look … much better.”
“Thanks.” I narrowed my eyes at Bodo. “What’s your problem?”
“I hat no idea dare was dis woman under all dat dirt.”
I picked up my smelly t-shirt and threw it at him. “Shut up, you idiot.”
Bodo dodged out of the way, looking back at the t-shirt in horror. “You just throwed a grenade at me?” He tried to look horrified but couldn’t pull it off, his facial expression way too exaggerated to be real.
Peter laughed hysterically.
I stormed over and retrieved my shirt, holding it up and shaking it at him. “Yeah, buddy. A stink grenade. Better watch your back. You have to sleep eventually, you know.”
Bodo lifted up his fingers and pinched his nose. “I will learn how to sleep like dis, den.”
I went to run after him, but he took off, getting far ahead of me in seconds. The guy had some seriously long legs. Buster went barking after him, probably thinking Bodo was doing it just to play a game with him. I gave up the chase quickly and came back to the hut, throwing my stuff down on the ground again.
Peter eyed me warily, trying hard to erase the smile from his face.
“I’m glad you think my being without a shower and suffering the natural consequences of it is so funny. You don’t smell so hot yourself, you know.”
“I know. I’m just playing with you, Bryn. It’s funny to watch you get all mad for some reason.”
“Nice,” I said sarcastically, now totally giving up on finding any underwear. I was just getting ready to pick it up to zip it, when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I looked up quickly, expecting to see one of the indians out in the trees, but there was no one there.
I walked over and nudged Peter on the arm, gesturing casually with my hand as I zipped up my backpack. “Do you see anything over there?” I asked quietly.
Peter looked over to where I had pointed. “No. Where?”
“Between those trees - the ones that look like they have faces on them.”
Peter shook his head. “I don’t see anything but tree trunks, branches, and leaves.”
“Huh,” I said, wondering if I’d been imagining things or if someone was spying on us. I wouldn’t put it past them; we were strangers after all. And they’d done a great job of hiding eleven people from my not very observant eyes earlier, so it was entirely possible there was an entire contingent of Miccosukee watching us right now, and we’d never know. It crossed my mind that I should have traded some of my training for lessons in how to hide and sneak around, Miccosukee-style.
“Okay, Bryn,” said Peter, ignoring my paranoia and walking over to the shelves that were now covered in our food. “I have organized our pantry. There are canned goods down here, chips here, water here, and miscellaneous here.” He smiled proudly. “Home sweet home.”
I walked over and pulled a can of beans off the shelf and put them up with the chips. “What happens if I do this?”
Peter frowned at me. “Then I do this,” he said sassily, moving the beans back to their original shelf, turning the label so it faced out, perfectly straight.
“And what happens if I do this?” I asked, quickly grabbing two cans of beans, putting one with the chips and one with the water. I finished by tipping one of the bottles over on its side.
Peter crossed his arms. “Do you really want to go there with me? Seriously?”
I smiled. “Sometimes, yeah, I do. You’re fun to rile up.”
“So are you, Smellykins, so you’d better not start a war you might lose.”
“What did you just call me?” I asked in mock outrage.
“You heard me … Smellykins!”
I rushed over and started tickling him, pleased to find that he was amazingly sensitive, especially around the ribcage. He was shrieking with laughter that sounded so much like a five-year-old girl I couldn’t help but laugh myself. Eventually I had to quit attacking him because I was too weak from my own hysteria to continue.
Bodo came back to find us sitting on the floor, holding our stomachs.
I looked up when I saw him approach, a huge smile left over from our tickle fest on my face; but it slowly melted off as my eyes feasted on the glorious Bodo before me.
He’d found the shower and used it well. No more dirt, no more matted hair, and no more shirt. Bodo had been hiding a six-pack and a seriously nice set of pecs under all of it, and I was having a hard time breathing just looking at him. I prayed Coli and none of her tribeswomen were around, because a big part of me right now didn’t want anyone but me seeing this vision of utter hotness.
Peter tried to say something, but it came out as something sounding like, “Gah!” and then he started choking. I whacked him on the back a few times, my eyes never leaving Bodo’s chest.
“Holy hell, Bodo,” I said before I could stop myself.
“What?” he asked innocently. I looked up at his face and saw that he was totally aware of what he was doing to poor Peter. And probably to me, too.
“You know exactly what. Put a damn shirt on, before Peter has a stroke.”
“Sorry, Peter,” he said, bending down to pull a shirt out of my bag.
“Sure, help yourself to one of mine,” I said sarcastically.
“I don’t haff anymore. You don’t want me to put da smelly one on, do you?
Actually, I’d prefer you stayed shirtless. “No. Go ahead, I’m just messing with you.”
Bodo came over and sat down next to me. He pulled the shirt on over his head and down to his waist before leaning over and whispering in my ear. “Did you like what you saw?”
I laughed, pushing him away. “Get out of here.” I had to fight to keep the smile from my face.
“Seriously,” he said quietly. “I’m ready for dat hug anytime.”
I could feel my face burning red again. “I’ll keep that in mind, Hulk.”
“Ah. You called me da Hulk. Dat means you likedt it.” He smiled hugely, obviously beyond pleased that he’d figured me out.
“Yes, but I didn’t call you Ironman now, did I?” I got up to kick all of our dirty things into a big pile, sneaking a look over at Bodo.
His brow was furrowed and he was pouting his lips in thought, before he said, “Iss dat a problem?”
I laughed. “No. It’s not a problem, Bodo. You’re hot. You’ve got a kickass set of abs. Go ahead and strut your stuff around here. Peter and I will just admire you from afar.”
Bodo smiled again. “Dat’s good den. I will do dat if it makes you happy.”
I decided to let it drop since poor Peter was going to start suffering soon. Bodo was obviously a hell of a male specimen, but he wasn’t batting for Peter’s team. Odds were, there were guys out there for Peter, but so far, we hadn’t seen any. I don’t know what I’d do if I lived in a world full of just girls. I’d be fine with it for a while, but eventually, I’d want a straight guy’s company. Peter was right - everyone needed a cuddle every now and then. I looked over at Bodo as casually as I could. It was nice to know he was offering when and if that time came.
“Did you see the organizing Peter did, Bodo?”
“Yes, I dit. It’s very nice. It pleases my Cherman heart to see everything so neat.”
I smiled, knowing now that I had the power to mess with two of my housemates at the same time with a simple switching of pantry items. I would use this power sparingly and with great care - a zen master of teasing awesomeness. I couldn’t wait for my first opportunity.
“Thank you,” said Peter, trying to act all modest. “I have other things in mind for this place, but I need to get those wall parts.”
“Yeah, what was that all about?” I asked. “This thing has movable walls?”
“More like removable. See those hooks up there? I think they have these hides that connect and hang down to keep out the rain and stuff.”
“Cool.” I’d never been in the Everglades during a rain, but I knew it could come down pretty damn hard in central Florida - there was no reason to think it’d be any different here.
“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty damn tired. Anyone else up for a nap?”
“Yes. Me,” said Bodo.
“I have to shower first. Can you show me where it is?” Peter asked both of us.