The Missing by Kiersten Modglin (essential books to read txt) 📕

willing to give everything up? To never return home? To never see my husband, my parents again? To die on this island…

“Yeah, I agree. This all feels like a setup anyway,” Ava said, then her face lit up. “Oh, you know what? Maybe we’re on a reality TV show.”

James laughed, and Noah looked around, as if searching for the cameras. “Alright, guys… Bring out Ashton Kutcher.” He wiggled his head around a bit, dancing in place gleefully, but I noted the sarcasm in his tone.

“It’s not the worst guess,” I said, suddenly feeling the need to defend Ava. “None of us has any idea what’s going on here. Ava could be right.”

“Look, none of this matters,” Harry said, shaking his head as if forcing the thought from it. He pointed to the note in James’s hand. “All that matters is that we won’t be doing what that note says. We can’t turn against each other. We’re in this together, and we have to remember that.” He looked toward the sky overhead. “We were going to look for water, but if we know where the coconuts are, I think it makes the most sense to find shelter near them for the day. We can rest, rehydrate, and then start exploring the island a bit more tomorrow.”

“But…” Ava said hesitantly. “Should we leave the beach? I mean, what if someone sees our SOS signal, and they come looking for us? How will they find us?”

The question hung in the air as we realized she was right. We couldn’t leave the beach, not if we wanted to hold on to the hope that we’d be rescued, and we desperately did.

“She’s right,” I said. “We have to stay close by.”

“I agree,” James said. “But we should go get more to drink. That wasn’t enough.”

“Yes, and we should start building some sort of shelter here. There’s a fallen tree over there”—Harry pointed as he spoke—“so I think if we can drag it over here and rest it against the boulder we slept under last night, we can lay other branches, brush, and leaves on the sides to give us more protection and keep us more concealed. It’ll give us more space, too. So we can all fit inside at night, but we can still keep an eye on the shore and the fire both.”

“Fine, you guys do that, and I’ll go get more coconuts,” Noah said, jutting a thumb over his shoulder.

“No, you’re not going back alone,” Harry said.

He ran his tongue over his teeth. “And who’s going to stop me?”

“You need help,” I interjected before the argument could catch fire. “You’re going to need to bring a ton back, and you’ll need help carrying them.”

His thick, black brow raised slightly, the scar just above it wrinkling. “Are you volunteering?”

My stomach tightened at the thought, but I quickly weighed the alternatives. Harry was the only one who had a vision for the shelter, which only left James and Ava. I didn’t trust Noah and James together even more than I didn’t trust them separately, especially after the note’s revelation, and I definitely didn’t trust him with Ava. That left me.

“Yes—” I said.

At the same time Harry said, “No, I can go with him. You don’t have to.”

“No, you said it yourself… I shouldn’t be in the sun. The forest is the best chance for me to stay in the shade. Besides that, I don’t have a clue how to build a shelter. We need you to do that.”

He twisted his mouth in contemplation. “I don’t know… I can build the shelter later.” His panic-filled eyes said what he couldn’t articulate into words in front of the present company—that he didn’t trust Noah not to hurt me. But there was no other option.

“Oh, Jesus, people. Come on. I don’t have all day. The coconut train is leaving. If you’re on it, you’d better keep up.” With that, Noah turned away from us and stalked into the woods.

I looked at Harry and Ava, nodding affirmatively and hoping I looked surer than I felt. “I’ll be back soon.”

With that, I jogged across the sand to catch up with my companion, refusing to look behind me.

I’d be back. I’d see them again.

I had to believe that, or I was sure my legs would’ve given out then.

Chapter Nine

Noah walked through the jungle faster than I’d been expecting. Zigging and zagging between trees and boulders, making no effort to slow down in order for me to keep up. Even so, I was.

I’d managed to keep pace with him, practically running most of the way.

“Thank you for letting me come. I know you didn’t want to show us the place.”

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, slowing only slightly at the sound of my panting. “Who says I’m taking you to the right place?”

My skin chilled, but before I could react, he let out a laugh.

“Relax. Jeez. You really are paranoid, aren’t you? You and the dream team back there.” The lump in my throat grew larger as I watched his hand trail down his side, toward the outline of the knife in his pocket.

“We just want everyone to get off the island in one piece, Noah. That’s it. And the only way we can do that is by working together.”

His mouth upturned slightly, and he whispered, seemingly to himself, “Matibay ang walis, palibhasa'y magkabigkis.”

I stared up at him. “What does that mean?”

His dark eyes softened as he looked over at me. “It’s a Filipino proverb. My lola, my grandmother, used to say it. It means a broom is sturdy because it is tightly bound.”

“What does—"

“People are stronger when they stand together,” he interrupted. “That’s basically what it means.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling relief. “Yes, well, I agree with your lola then. Did you grow up in the Philippines?”

“Nah,” he said, “my grandparents moved here before they had my dad. I’ve never even been there, but my parents made sure I was fluent so I could speak to