"You awake?" he asked, his voice husky with sleep.
I sat up, my head brushing the roots. It was then that I noticed Mason had spread waterproof ground mats beneath us and covered us with blankets and the sleeping bag. I was also surprised to find Mason's boots on my feet. They were large, but he'd tied the laces tight, and my toes felt toasty warm. His own feet were covered in a thick, woolly pair of high-quality hiking socks, but I doubted even they were keeping out the biting air.
"Your socks were soaked through,” he explained.
"You didn't have to give me your boots,” I said, feeling very grateful he had.
"I hung your boots and socks to dry." He pointed to the drying rack he'd jury-rigged from one of the lower protected roots. "But until we get a fire started, they're going to do more hanging than drying."
"Fire,” I said slowly, savoring the word. Delicious longing crept through me at the thought of real heat.
"It's not snowing right now. Good time to find wood."He reached across me and started unlacing his boots from my feet. of course he would need his boots if he was going out to collect firewood, but the easy, familiar way that he touched me took me off guard. The only boy who'd ever touched me so intimately was Calvin.
Mason slipped the boots off my heels and put them onto his own feet. Somewhat shyly, I gave him back his fleece hat.
"How much snow did we get?" I asked.
"Several inches. Any roads up the mountain that were open are definitely closed now. We're on our own for a couple more days, until they can plow. Don't worry,” he said, looking at me suddenly as if realizing this news might alarm me. "As long as we keep our heads, we'll be fine. I've survived worse."
I felt strangely reassured by his company. But I couldn't help wondering if Mason's confidence stemmed from knowing that the roads were clogged and the police couldn't come after him. He had time to plan his next move. This seemed to boost his spirits, but made mine shred further. No one was coming to rescue me. I knew Calvin wouldn't stop looking for me-he'd find Korbie and come back for me as soon as he could-but I couldn't count on him. I couldn't count on my dad. I couldn't rely on the police. One by one, I felt rocks begin to drop on my chest.
"You're not going far, are you?" I asked Mason as he crawled out of our hideaway.
He studied me curiously for a moment; then a look of amusement flickered in his eyes. "Worried I won't come back?"
"No, it's just . . ."
Yes, that summed it up.
Oddly, only hours before, I had tried to run away from him. I hadn't trusted him then, and I wasn't sure I could trust him now. He still needed me to help him off the mountain, which was probably the only reason I was alive. Or was it? Did I really think Mason could-would-kill me? If he'd killed the girl whose body I'd found at the cabin, then he was capable of killing again. But I wasn't sure who to pin her death on. And I wasn't about to ask Mason again-it wasn't in my best interest to provoke him.
"I'm going to dig for dry twigs around the base of the trees,” Mason said. "I should be back in a half hour."
"See if you can find pine pitch, too,” I said. "Pine pitch?"
"Sap. It's sticky but easy to pull off, and it burns like gasoline when ignited." Calvin had taught me the trick years ago.
A little smile of approval rose in Mason's eyes. Just for a moment, it seemed to soften his serious, closed-off expression. "Pine pitch it is."
I slept until Mason returned. I heard him crawl under the awning of roots, and even though I was stiff with cold, I scooted over to watch him light the fire. I didn't want to be a nuisance or a show-off, but maybe I could offer him a few other pointers. I hadn't expected to put my training to use in such dire circumstances, but I was suddenly immensely grateful I'd mastered at least some basic survival skills.
Mason set four smaller logs side by side, forming a platform. He wiped the sticky globs of pine pitch onto the platform, pausing only to wink at me. Then he used twigs to construct a ventilated tepee. This took time, and so did getting the twigs to ignite with the fire starter. Finally, a spark took and the twigs began to smoke, then burn.
"We'll be warm soon,” he promised. warm. I'd almost forgotten the feeling.
"Why are you helping me, Mason?" I asked him.
He shifted uneasily, then settled into thoughtful silence. At last he said, "I know you don't believe me, but I never meant to hurt you. I want to help you. I wanted to help you from the beginning, but things got-out of hand." he said remotely.
"Were you scared of Shaun? Scared of going against him?" I'd thought Shaun was scared of Mason, but maybe I'd gotten it wrong.
Mason didn't answer.
"I'm not sorry he's dead, but I am sorry you lost him. I'm sorry you had to see him die."
Mason gave a bitter laugh, wagging his head between his knees. "Me too,” he said heavily. "You have no idea."
"I didn't think he would die like-that,” I added quietly, still unnerved by Calvin's heedless decision to kill Shaun.
"Forget about Shaun,” Mason said, his eyes momentarily darkening with regret. He blinked, seemingly clearing away any lingering reluctance to accept that Shaun was really gone. "Just you and me from now on. A team, right?" He extended his hand.
I eyed it, but didn't clasp it. "Why should I trust you?"
"This feels like a job interview. 'Why should I hire you?' 'Why are you the best person for the job?'"
"I'm serious."
A shrug. "I'm all you've got."
"That's not a reason to trust you. If I were stuck in this treecave with Shaun, I wouldn't trust him, even if he were the only other human for a hundred miles."
"It's more of a burrow, really."
I resisted the urge to sigh. "Why do you need me? You know how to start a fire. You've clearly spent time in the woods-you're good at tracking. Why not leave me here and fend for yourself?"
"Is that what you want?"
"Of course not,” I said quickly, shuddering at the thought of facing the immense reach and brutality of the mountains alone. "I mean, our chances of survival increase if we stick together."
"My thoughts exactly.”
”So you're using me."
"No more than you're using me."
I fell silent. There was a certain relief in finally being able to ask Mason questions, but our exchange wasn't as satisfying as it should have been. I got the distinct impression he wasn't giving me straightforward answers. He gave me just enough, a nibble of bait, nothing more.