Beauty Queens

Beauty Queens Page 59

She stood panting. Her nose ran. She wiped it on her arm.

“Okay,” the prince said.

Mary Lou pushed aside the leaves and stuck her head out a bit farther. “Did — did you say okay?’

“Yeah.”

He smiled.

“You’re not scared of me? You don’t think I’m some kind of unnatural girl, a beast?”

He gave her the smallest smile. “Nah. Well, I mean, all the best people have a little beast in them. I’m Tane, by the way.”

Mary Lou could taste desire in the back of her mouth like a sugary caramel. “Josephine,” she said, using her old name from the days before she knew of her curse, when she was weightless. “Queen of the Wild Girls.”

“How’d you get here?” he asked.

Mary Lou was jolted back to her predicament — the plane crash, the survivors, the need for rescue. But she felt less in danger at this moment than she ever had. It was like being inside a living dream that she could control. Later, she would tell him. Yes, there would be time for that later. She just wanted to stay with this moment a bit longer.

“I’m not really here. You’re just dreaming,” she answered and stepped out from behind the covering of the plant. He registered her nakedness with a small intake of breath, followed by the lightest of sighs, and this pleased her. She gave his neck another sniff. He smelled of fire smoke, salt breezes, and man. “And since this is a dream, I’m going to kiss you now.”

“Fair enough,” he said.

She bestowed the blessing of a wild girl’s lips.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

In the morning, Adina offered to help Mary Lou find her ring.

“Oh, that old thing. Don’t need it. Thanks anyway,” Mary Lou said with a smile, and watched Adina shake her head in confusion.

The next night around three, Mary Lou ran through the jungle full-bore, relishing the freedom. It did not feel like a jolt of panic anymore, this change in her body, but like a part of her was being integrated into all the other parts. She was full.

She came to Tane, waking him with a kiss, and they swam in the cool waters of a lagoon. She told him about the plane crash and all they’d done to survive. They talked about what it might be like to sail around the world for a year. How hard it was to be yourself in the world. Tane told Mary Lou about the wing structures of birds and evolution, and the time he had to pee on his little brother’s jellyfish bite to stop the sting. Mary Lou told Tane about the family curse, about Billy and the Dinosaur Pit, the world’s largest pile of shoes, and Annie and Jacques-Paul’s ill-fated romance.

“I knew he wasn’t the one. He didn’t smell right, and his hands were weak. He said he liked the wildness in her, but I don’t think he really did. I think he was sort of threatened by it. And she wanted so much to make him happy that she forgot how to make herself happy,” Mary Lou said, resting her head against Tane’s chest.

“That’s not happiness. That’s a kind of murder, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Mary Lou said.

“There’s something I need to tell you, too. I had to be sure I could trust you first,” Tane said. His voice was no longer playful.

“What is it?”

“I’m not just looking for birds. I’m an eco-warrior. This island used to belong to my people before The Corporation pushed them out and took it over.”

“But this island is deserted. We’ve been here for weeks. I swear, there’s nobody here.”

“They were here. My people talk about it still. How they came to drill and mine. They violated the land and tested products on the animals. Made them very sick, killed a lot of them. They say the Venus bird was so sad, she flew away and was never seen again. The great volcano goddess was silenced, her fire extinguished by her tears.”

“That’s awful.” Mary Lou had rolled onto her stomach so that she could see Tane’s face.

“A few years ago, my people lost all contact with the island. The Corporation closed us out. Whatever they’re doing here is top secret. And the authorities are all paid off. So I decided to come on my own, see what they’re up to. Tomorrow I have to go to the other side, near the volcano. Might be gone a bit. Then I’ll go get help, get you off this island. I’ll be back — I promise.”

Mary Lou pictured Jacques-Paul climbing into his Impala and kicking up dust as he pulled away forever. “Don’t promise.”

He lifted her chin with his finger. “I promise. I’ll even leave my bedroll and lantern here.”