Chapter 4

Bertha smiled at me too. "We all brought cash. We'll just pay with cash, easy."

"Oh no, Renee, don't tell me you didn't even bring any cash? You must be dying of thirst by now. What are you going to do?"

"Ezra, can I buy some for Renee?"

Ezra frowned. "Rules are rules. You want to help her cheat?"

Bertha stuck her tongue out at me. "Then there's nothing I can do, Renee. You'll just have to watch us eat and drink."

I turned to Ezra. "Isn't buying stuff against the rules? Otherwise why lock our phones away at the trailhead?"

Ezra and the others answered together. "Who said buying things was against the rules? We said electronic payment was against the rules!"

"Of course you can buy things if you've got money. The whole point is testing whether we can survive without phones and the internet. You've got cash, you can buy too. Who's stopping you?"

Bernice shook her head and sighed. "Ezra, this girl you picked has something wrong with her IQ. Her brain doesn't even turn."

Ezra grabbed a bottle of water and waved it at me.

"No money means you go thirsty. Don't expect me to help you. We agreed—everyone's on their own."

I nodded and sat down on the stool in the shop. "Fine. On our own. No objection here."

Ezra and the others grinned, pleased with themselves.

Bertha was practically draped over Ezra, keeping her voice at just the right level for me to hear.

"Bet you anything, in a minute she'll be begging us. I'm your girlfriend, I'm your best friend, all that..."

Ezra made a gagging motion. "Ugh. Every time she gets clingy it makes me sick."

"Whatever, I'm not looking after her. You want to, you go ahead."

"Me? Do I look like some saint?"

I watched quietly as they walked up to the register.

"We're paying separately, each for our own!"

"Right, we agreed before we set out—on our own, no cheating."

They said it while shooting me a glance, then reached smugly into their pockets.

Ezra's hand had barely gone in before his face changed.

"Where's my money? Where'd I put it?"

He looked down and dug through every pocket, refusing to accept it.

But apart from a pack of tissues, he came up with nothing.

Bernice rolled her eyes. "When are you going to fix that careless streak of yours? Never mind. I'll pay for you."

Then something dawned on her, and she turned to say to me on purpose,

"I'm his own sister. Family helping pay doesn't count as cheating."

I said nothing.

She thought I was sulking and let out a cold laugh. "Object all you like, it won't help. My money's mine to spend on whoever I—"

"Where's my money?!"

Bernice's face went white in an instant.

Then came Desmond's and Bertha's screams, one after another.

"My—my money's gone!"

"What do we do? No money, how do we buy water? I'm dying of thirst!"

I propped my chin in both hands and tilted my head to watch them.

Last time, they'd been so smug pulling out their wallets. This time, they were just as pathetic patting empty pockets.

When their faces had twisted with despair, I stretched, stood up, took a bottle of water and some bread off the shelf, and walked to the register.

I met their stunned stares, pulled a ten-dollar bill from my pocket, and handed it to the owner.

"Ring me up."