Raven's Return - Ruby Dixon Page 0,84

says. "It seems harsh that they would be outcast forever."

"Your team's tribe, not your real tribe," Hannah adds. "Like if you're on the blue tribe or the red tribe, then you get voted off."

"And you become part of the other tribe?" R'jaal asks.

Both Devi and Hannah groan. "No. You're just out of the competition."

"But why would your tribe do such a thing?" J'shel looks upset. "It seems cruel."

"It's a game," Hannah says again, tugging on his long braid in a lighthearted attempt to tease her distressed mate. "People get voted off the tribes until you're down to one person, and that person wins the knife."

"But what if you do not want to be voted off? I do not wish to leave Tall Horn and join a red tribe. I want to stay in mine."

"I do not wish to leave Strong Arm," N'dek adds.

"You know what? We're going to call them teams from now on," Devi says loudly. "Everyone, they are TEAMS, not tribes."

"Another competition for a knife?" I ask Willa when she passes by.

She rolls her eyes, nodding. "Since the last one went so well, right? And the weather's nasty today so everyone's sticking around camp. They decided it might be fun to plan another round of games." She shakes her head. "They don't understand some of the shyer members aren't going to want to play a cutthroat survivor-type game." Willa hustles away, handing a cup of tea to her ugly mate, and she caresses his cheek as she passes by. I'm sure she's thinking about Gren, who keeps mostly to himself when he's not with Willa or hanging around with the kids. Poor Gren. He seems nice enough, for all that he's different. Maybe he and Juth would get along well.

I sip my tea, listening to the bickering, when Devi starts to write names on a skin. "Okay, we're going to find out who wants to play and who doesn't. I'm in, Hannah's in. N'dek is in. Sam, are you in?"

"Sure?" Sam calls back.

Devi looks up from her writing, and her gaze lands on me. "Raven, are you in?"

"Can I be on the same tribe as U'dron?" I ask.

"I'm not sure if he can play," Hannah points out. "He's not here and if we start the games tomorrow—"

"Then I don't want to play."

Hannah crosses her eyes at me. "Okay, fine. He can play. We'll just work around him being absent. So you two are in?"

"Can we be on the same tribe?" I ask again.

"Team," Devi points out. "And if you want to, I'm sure it can be arranged."

"Girl, didn't you ever watch Survivor?" Flor asks, leaning forward to look over at me. "The couples always get split up first."

I shrug. I don't really care about the knife. I just want to be with U'dron. "We'll see how it all shakes out."

"If that's your strategy," Flor warns, grinning. "Good to know. When's your guy gonna be back?"

"Soon." I lift the tea cup to my lips so I don't have to say more than that. Truth be told, I don't know when he'll be back, and it's worrying me. I search out O'jek, A'tam, and I'rec with my gaze, but they all seem unconcerned that U'dron has been gone for days now. I want to ask how long these things normally take, but I don't want to make it seem like I'm not utterly confident in his abilities.

I am. I just…worry. Any girl would.

So I decide to focus on what I can control, and when Brooke gets up from her seat next to Daisy, I set my cup back down by the fire and quickly sidle over to sit with the newcomer. "Hi," I say brightly. "You got a moment?"

Daisy gives me a broad grin, her pretty face lighting up. "Raven! Of course I do."

I thumb a gesture away from the group. "Can we go somewhere quieter?"

If she's surprised by this request, she doesn't show it. Daisy picks up the hem of her fur cloak as if she's wearing a fancy ball gown and saunters away from the gathering. I follow behind her, noticing her movements. She's effortlessly graceful, and her hair is perfect and shiny despite a few weeks on the beach at this point. No wonder Bridget is intimidated by her. Daisy looks as if she could handle any situation with a pleasant smile and a cheerful word.

"I'm so delighted we're getting a chance to talk," Daisy tells me as we head toward the beach. The waves are more