SHE WAS ON the back of a horse, the easy, rocking rhythm familiar to her from childhood. So comforting was the motion that she was half asleep, her head nodding against the tall back of the person in front of her. Her arms circled a lean waist, loosely clasped against a surface that had the feel of sun warmed leather, and she could feel the cool hardness of metal under her cheek.

She was too sleepy to open her eyes, too sleepy to look around her.

All she wanted was for the hot sun to finally fall behind the mountains she knew were at their back, and give her some relief from its relentless force.

A warm pressure surrounded her fingers, and she cast a lazy half of an eye up, to gaze at the long, dark hair that gently covered the dark leather surface and the dully gleaming bronze of the metal she was leaning against.

”Almost there.” The low, vibrant voice was as familiar to her as her own and she gave the tall figure a gentle squeeze to let her know she’d heard. She was aware of being hot, and tired, and hungry, but there was a distinct sense of contentment, which warred against that and made her wish the ride would never end.

Strange.

Kerry was chiefly aware of being cold. She opened one eye grumpily and confirmed that she was where she was afraid she was, stuck in this damned backwater camp full of snakes and spiders and 64

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who knew what else. She rolled over, then smiled a bit as she detected Dar’s scent on the sheets and pillow next to her.

Her dream drifted back into her consciousness and she reflected on its weird quality. She was sure that the person she’d been seated against had been Dar, but Dar in armor and leather?

Kerry's brow wrinkled and she smiled a little. Was that how her subconscious saw her tall lover? As some warrior?

Yeah, maybe. Or maybe it was her mind’s way of rationalizing the reason she suffered all the discomforts of being Dar’s right hand was in order to stay at the tall woman’s side. Woo, that was profound. She almost had to giggle imagining herself telling Dar about it.

She could hear her voice, ”I was dressed in what?” Kerry smiled at the vision.

A glance to her right told her Dar was missing and as she viewed the dawn light, she figured she was out running. Should she join her?

Kerry pondered the web covered ceilings and decided acting as though running with her boss every morning was normal wasn’t a smart idea.

Even if it had become normal, much to her surprise.

It beat

aerobics, too.

Mary Lou pushed herself up at that point and ruffled her short, ash blonde hair. ”Oh my god.” She peered around the cabin, then gazed at Kerry. ”This is a nightmare, right?”

Kerry sighed, sitting up cross legged on the bed and tucking the blanket around her. ”It sure feels like it, doesn’t it?” She rummaged up a smile. “I went to camp a few times in my younger years, but boy, it sure wasn’t like this.”

“Me too.” Mary Lou stifled a yawn. “Up in the mountains, everyone dressed alike and had a group sing at the end of it.”

“The camp show.” Kerry chuckled softly. “Boy, did they learn fast I can’t sing.”

“Would you both shut up!” Eleanor groaned, lifting her head from her pillow and peering at them in the dawn’s quiet. The Marketing VP’s hair looked like a curious ferret had been nesting in it and her eyes had blue and black rings around them from her smeared mascara.

She looked, Kerry realized, like a grumpy, blonde raccoon.

Mariana kept her eyes straight up, folding her hands on her stomach. ”All right, we’ve got one day here and then tomorrow we’ll be going home,” she paused, ”We’re all adults.” She paused again. ”We can do this.”

Mary Lou yawned. ”You’re right, Mari. I’m sure we’ll survive.

Look, we made it through the night, didn’t we?” She glanced over towards Kerry. ”Hey, where’s Dar?”

Everyone sat up to look. ”Maybe the spiders ate her,” Kerry remarked innocently.” Just kidding, I don’t know,” she added when all eyes turned to her in question.

“It’s not funny,” Eleanor told her. “This pointless exercise is Hurricane Watch

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supposed to make us more agreeable with each other. So far, it’s certainly not working.”

Kerry clasped her hands together. “I don’t know if that’s really true,” she said. “I think it’s supposed to let you see other aspects of people you work with so maybe you find something in common with them.”

Eleanor snorted. “Don’t hold your breath.”

Dar chose that moment to reenter the cabin, her dark hair damp with sweat. ”Morning,” she greeted them briskly as she headed over to where her bunk was. ”Our hostess has provided something resembling breakfast up at that main hall. They want to start things up at nine.”

Kerry checked her watch. Seven thirty. ”Okay. You said something resembling...what are we talking about here, peanut butter and jelly?”

”Yes.” Eleanor edged to a more dignified sitting posture. ”I usually have Mueslix.”

Dar sat down and started taking off her sneakers. ”Well, there’s coffee and hot water and a couple of baskets of bagels, and some boxes of individual cereal,” she paused, exhaling, ”and bananas.”

”Great.” Mariana sat up, then gazed at Dar. ”What on earth have you been doing?”

Dar gave her a look. ”Running,” she answered briefly. ”You all want to pick who takes a shower first?”

They all looked at the bathroom with its tiny, bare shower stall, then back at her in mute horror, except for Kerry. The blonde woman merely looked off out the window with lightly twitching lips.

”Fine.” Dar stood and stripped off her sweatshirt leaving her in her sports bra, then picked up the towel she’d rolled into her bag and her small kit of soaps. ”Be right back.” She padded barefoot to the bathroom and kicked the door shut.

”Rude,” Eleanor spat with a disgusted look.

”Efficient,” Mariana disagreed. ”She’s right. We’re going to feel awful if we don’t shower.”

”Practical.” Kerry nodded. ”That’s Dar.”

”Buff.” Mary Lou noted, approvingly. ”Very nice.”

They all looked at her in surprise.

”Hey, I call ‘em like I see ‘em,” The Personnel assistant stated, lifting her shoulders in a little shrug. They all got up and twitched their beds into some kind of order. Mariana and Mary Lou went to the window and peered out at the new day. ”Dear god, what is that?”

Mariana suddenly said, with a start.

They clustered behind her and peered out. ”Oh...my...gosh...” Mary Lou exhaled, ”it’s a bog monster.” The sun was behind the approaching apparition, which was moving towards them with stiff, unnatural motions, a solid black form with little white flecks here and there.

”God in the heavens,” Eleanor snapped. ”What is that?”

The figure lurched up onto the steps and opened the door, and the 66

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women all clustered in the back. ”Where in the hell is that bitch?” the figure screamed, eyes and teeth white against the black stained skin. A pungent, unpleasant odor floated in with it. ”Dar, I’m going to kick your ass!”

”Steven?” Eleanor asked, cautiously. ”What happened to you?”

He ignored her. ”Bitch! Get out here!” he yelled louder.

The bathroom door opened and Dar stepped out, her towel wrapped around her otherwise bare body and her dark hair slicked wetly back. ”Yes?” she asked, taking in the apparition with a stifled grin. ”Looks like you’re next up for the shower, Steven,” she drawled, leaning one hand against the wooden wall and crossing her ankles.

He seethed and, for a moment, Dar thought he was going to attack her. Muscles along her arms and thighs visibly tensed, but he thought better of it. Instead, he threw open the door to the men’s part of the cabin and stormed through. A chorus of loud complaints echoed back, then José came to the door, rubbing his eyes. ”What in the hell is going on? Oh Dios Mio, Dar, put your clothing on!”

He was almost run over from behind as the doorway filled with bug eyed, wild haired men.

Dar smiled, perversely flattered. She kept her pose in the doorway, not intimidated by the stares. “You guys must not get out much.”

José looked like he was going to say something, and then thought better of it. He slammed the door shut, sending a scattering of debris from the ceiling rafters onto the floor.

“What did you do to him?” Mary Lou asked, curiously.

“Nothing.” Dar headed for her bunk, her workout clothes in her hand. “Though I’m sure he’ll blame me for him being stupid, just like always.” She rummaged in her overnight bag, ignoring the rest of them as she pulled out a fresh shirt.

“Guess I’ll go next,” Kerry volunteered, after a moment’s awkward silence. She picked up her toiletries bag and a change of clothes and disappeared into the small bathroom, closing the door behind her and leaving the rest of them to gawk. “Been there, done that, seen it all,” she uttered to herself, unable to hold back a grin now that she was alone.

“Dar, you little exhibitionist punk.”

She pulled off her sleeping shirt and turned on the shower, keeping a cautious hand under the stream before she stepped under it and quickly scrubbed her skin with body wash.

“Really can’t get much worse, can it?” she said, watching the corners of the stall for snakes. “We’ll get through it. I know we will.”

She jumped as a crash sounded from the men’s cabin and she heard the sound of water running rapidly, as yells soon followed. “Okay, maybe not.” She hurriedly rinsed her hair and grabbed for a towel before the wall collapsed and she stole Dar’s thunder.