Untangle “You said Sofie is coming to get us out of here?” I asked Max, my hand holding the cloth door back as I appraised the sleeping village. The tribe was nocturnal, Max explained, and so all was quiet except for the occasional stirring of a tiger, guarding the huts. Now, though, with the sun passing below the tree line, they would rise. Uh-huh. “When?” Dunno. Max had resorted to one-word answers where possible, likely to conserve his energy. He was starving and he wasn’t permitted to hunt. Sofie had warned him against hunting while on the island. The tribe considered all animals food for their precious tigers. They’d kill Max if he dared deprive the tigers of food. We stayed in the hut all day, except to get water from the basin a few times—and I wouldn’t have done that, if not for the sweltering tropical heat. I dragged Max along with me each time, clinging to him like a terrified child, constantly reminding myself to breathe as the tigers’ eyes lingered on me, their noses twitching as they sniffed the air, their tails writhing excitedly.
