Rating: T for now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannah Montana. Based on the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.

Note: Another short chapter I tried to make longer. I just saw 'The Last Song,' and thought it was a huge coincidence. Keep reading to know what I'm talking about (if you've seen the movie, that is). And thanks again to Gerri Hill for some inspiration for the dream.

10

Lilly grabbed as many dead limbs as she could carry, and when she had a large pile of them she sat near the fire, on the other end of the log bench as Miley. It was getting into the warm middle part of the day and she was hot. She was also nervous, as her mind had been wandering while she was gathering fire wood, and it kept coming back to Miley and what had happened over the past few days.

Instead of speaking to Miley, who was engrossed in her basket weaving again, Lilly broke down some branches into small pieces and fed the fire. She didn't want to let it go out, ever. And so she sat through a long part of the day, keeping the flames even, eating from their stock of salmonberries, drinking from the lake when she was thirsty, and occasionally chatting with Miley. An awkwardness had settled over them and Lilly was unsure what had created it.

In the late afternoon, with her face smeared with smoke and her skin red from the heat, Lilly finally began to think ahead to what they needed to do. They would need a large woodpile to get through the night, as it would be impossible to find wood in the dark. It would also be nice to have heat in the shelter as they certainly couldn't sleep out in the open next to the fire.

She made certain the fire had enough wood, trusting Miley to keep it going, and went out into the nearby woods for a good fuel supply, the previous branches she had scavenged earlier almost gone. She made her way up the hill from the campsite where three large white pines had been blown over onto each other during a wind storm. They were dead now, dry and filled with weathered dry limbs – enough for many days. She chopped and broke and carried wood back to the camp, stacking the pieces under the overhang of the ledge until she had what she thought to be an enormous pile. It was six feet long and as high as her head. Between her trips she had stopped to add small pieces to the fire to keep it going, each time lingering and taking small glances at Miley who was either very absorbed in her work or had a sudden unwillingness to talk to her besides a few short words at a time.

The light was beginning to fade as the evening came upon them and Lilly decided to start the fire in the shelter. She chose a spot far enough away from the door to keep it from burning but would leave ample room for them to sleep next to one another. Lilly still didn't want to be far away from Miley, especially in the middle of the night. She set up a small log cabin that she'd seen her father do on the few times they'd gone camping as a family and then brought in a flaming branch, bringing the flames in at the base of the cabin and watching as the branches took light.

The curve of the rock back made an almost perfect drawing flue that carried the smoke up through the cracks of the roof but held the heat. If they kept the fire small it would be perfect and would keep anything like the porcupine from coming through the door again.

A guard, she thought.

Miley soon joined her in the shelter, eyeing the new fire with appreciation as she sat down next to Lilly and set her finished baskets to the side. She had finished making two large bowls that would be helpful in their berry picking efforts, and hopefully for any other food they might come across.

"Good job," Lilly commented, nodding toward Miley's crude handiwork.

"Thanks," was her quiet response as she smiled shyly and began poking at the fire with a stick.

It was fading to twilight, when the mosquitoes normally made their attack, when Lilly made the wonderful discovery that the smoke from the fire drove them away. The mosquitoes had nearly driven them mad and the thought of being rid of them lifted her spirits immensely. She desperately wanted to share in this newfound happiness with Miley but she didn't know what to say. Miley was acting unusually distant.

Strangely, it was Miley who broke the silence first. "This fire makes quite a bit of smoke. I saw it curlin' up into the trees when I was outside."

"That's good. Maybe we can build a signal to attract the attention of any planes that might fly overhead." The exchange was strained, business-like. Lilly didn't like it, but she guessed forced conversation was better than no conversation at all.

Miley simply nodded her head.

Lilly sighed. She couldn't handle this, the awkward silence and the strained dialogue. "I'll bet you can't guess what I'm having for dinner tonight." Lilly nudged Miley with her shoulder.

Miley gave her a suspicious look. "Berries and water?" she finally said, knowing it was the only thing they'd had for days, the only food they knew how to acquire out here.

"Ha. Nice try." Lilly smiled triumphantly. "I'm having water and berries."

Miley rolled her eyes but smiled, just a tiny bit, anyway. It was an improvement.

They ate the rest of the now mushy salmonberries in silence and Lilly was happy to see Miley eating more than normal. "Miles, how about I re-braid your hair tonight?"

Even with just the firelight, Lilly could see her expression brighten. "Sure."

She motioned for Miley to sit on the ground in front of her and leaned back against the rock wall. They hadn't washed their hair in days but Miley's hair still felt silky soft. Lilly raked her fingers gently through it, making sure to work out any knots with the utmost care.

"So," Miley tentatively began. "How is your leg?"

"It's loosened up a bit, but it still aches."

Miley nodded. "I'm probably next. It's only a matter of time before the universe evens the score."

Lilly began plaiting her hair, taking a moment to think. It was only a matter of time before something else happened to them. But for the first time since the crash, she thought that they might be getting a handle on things, might be starting to do something other than just sit. They had a good shelter, they had made fire, and they had found at least one food source. They needed to get more berries, and they also needed more wood, but they could look tomorrow. And maybe start working on building a signal fire.

She finished off the braid, enjoying the feeling of Miley's hair against her fingers.

"Can I -" Slowly, Miley started to lean back against her, giving Lilly the opportunity to push her away. Lilly just grinned.

"Sure," she said, letting Miley's back rest against her chest while trying to hide the happiness in her voice.

"Just for a minute," Miley said quickly. "My back is sore from hunching over all the time and -"

"Shh. You're fine." The fire was hot and Miley was warm and felt so nice against her. Tentatively, Lilly wrapped one arm around her slender waist and gave her a hug. She felt Miley stop breathing, but then she patted her arm and let out a long, satisfied breath as her entire body relaxed against Lilly's.

Lilly felt like she'd died and gone to heaven.

They were quiet for a long time, soaking in each other's company and the crackles of the fire as Lilly's mind began to wander to the dark-haired girl lying in her arms, as they'd been doing all day.

She was scared of her feelings and they almost made her sick to her stomach with dread. She knew these thoughts weren't normal, that having a crush on your best girl friend wasn't something that everybody did. She knew what it must mean. And this thought scared her even more. She didn't want to be different. She didn't want to want Miley. But she did. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized about herself.

Almost all of the girls she knew had some sort of celebrity crush - Robert Pattinson, Joshua Jackson, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio…the list went on. They would plaster pictures of them in their lockers and talk about their latest dirty dream starring said celebrity hottie. Lilly had never done this. The only pictures and posters she had plastered everywhere were of Hannah Montana. Yes, she had chased Orlando Bloom at a Hannah party once, but that was as Lola, and it was something she thought she was supposed to do. As if going through the motions would make it true, and she would suddenly start crushing on these guys that everyone thought were so cute. But she had mainly chalked all of this up to an unattainable male fantasy that she was too smart to fall for.

Except, she also had never wanted or desired any of the boys at school or on the beach that all the girls were always fawning over, even Miley herself sometimes. She could admit they were attractive, but they never drove her mad with passion and she never found herself staring at their bodies and imagining dirty things, her body reacting to them. The few guys she had dated were okay, but she always had to force herself through the actions. Okay, now I need to hold his hand, and now I need to kiss him goodnight, and now he's sticking his disgusting slimy tongue in my mouth…

But she had never ogled the girls, either. And she never found herself wanting them physically, wanting to kiss them and feel their skin against hers as people often talked about. Except for now. Miley was making her have these thoughts, making her body heat up and sweat just by looking at her. Her dear, sweet Miley that she would do anything for was suddenly all her brain could think about and she had to force herself not to start mentally undressing her. She was getting hot and bothered, and this would not be wise as the girl was currently wrapped up in her arms.

Lilly's lustful feelings were like a boulder running downhill. Slow and ominous at first, but unstoppable once they really got going.

Oh, God, she wanted her best friend. Physically, mentally, emotionally…she wanted all of Miley. In love? Maybe. Or maybe just the feelings associated with that first real crush. But God, lying here at night, she ached with the longing to wrap herself completely around Miley, to touch her, and not in the innocent way she was doing now. The desire to kiss Miley was nearly too much.

A single tear leaked out of Lilly's eye and travelled down her cheek, just as lonely as she felt right now. These feelings could go nowhere, could never be reciprocated, and she was only bringing herself more heartache by acknowledging them.

It was in her best interest to force them away, forget about them, and go back to only wanting to be Miley's best friend, if that's all they ever were in the first place…

With the fire cutting the coolness of the night and Miley's warm body snuggled into hers, Lilly's eyes finally closed to sleep as her mind brought the memories again.

***

More memories were drifting over her unconscious state, playing like an old movie in her mind…

"But, I don't know how to play pool, Miley."

"It's easy. I'll show you. And it'll give us somethin' to do while Daddy and Uncle Earl close the bar down."

Oliver sat stiffly on a stool near the pool table, his eyes darting around the room of the bar nervously. He stuck out like a sore thumb dressed in his preppy skater clothes in the room full of cowboy hats and leather.

"I don't think Oliver likes it here," Lilly whispered.

"Who could blame him? We're in redneck hell. But we can leave if ya want."

"It's alright. I said I wanted the full Tennessee experience, so bring it on."

Miley took a cue stick and held it out, eyeing the straightness. "This one'll do." She handed it to Lilly, then grabbed another. "Oliver? You sure you don't wanna play?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine just watching you guys."

Miley took the blue chalk cube and rubbed the tip of her cue stick then walked over to Lilly. "Here, rub the tip. Keeps it from slippin' when it hits the ball."

"Okay." Lilly watched intently as Miley put a couple quarters in the table, putting the balls that were dispensed below into a triangle thing, moving them around, one by one. "What are you doing?"

"Rackin' 'em. You don't want the balls in order." Miley shrugged. "Good enough." She picked up the white ball in her hand. "This is the cue ball. We use it to break and hit the other balls."

She bent over, eyeing the table, her cue stick sliding back and forth between her fingers like a pro. Then she drew the stick back, slamming it hard into the cue ball. The colored and striped balls scattered evenly across the table.

"Good one," Oliver said.

"You sure you don't wanna play, Oliver?" Miley offered.

"No, thanks. I'll just watch."

Lilly skeptically eyed the table. "Now what?"

"Well, since none of the balls went in on the break, the table's open. You can either have solids or stripes, depending on what you hit in first." Miley raised her eyebrows teasingly and pointed to a blue one near the back corner pocket. "The two ball will be easy for you."

"I don't know what to do…I've never done this before," Lilly whined as she once again eyed the table with apprehension.

Miley stepped close. "Here, I'll show you." She stood behind Lilly, her hands on Lilly's hips moving her at an angle to the table. "Just watch the ball, Lilly," Miley huskily whispered into her ear.

As Miley folded her body around Lilly, hips tucked intimately against her backside, arms mirroring her own as Miley's hand closed over her fingers, Lilly's vision slowly blurred. She was only dimly aware of her arm moving with Miley's, yet she was intensely aware of Miley's warm body pressing against her own. She relaxed and let Miley take over as the cue stick thrust in her arms, slamming the two ball into the corner pocket.

"Good shot," Miley whispered against her ear. Lilly still didn't move.

She was very aware of her heart pounding against her chest and not much else. She finally turned, her eyes meeting Miley's—blue on blue—and she felt shaken by what she saw there. Then Miley moved away, giving her room.

"You're a natural, Lils," Miley said.

Lilly nodded. "Let's do it again."

The memory was so real that she could smell the smoke in the bar, feel how her heart reacted to Miley's body being so close, could remember Oliver's expression as he watched them, etched in confusion and understanding…

***

Lilly slept hard and wasn't sure what awakened her as her eyes fluttered open in the darkness, her mind going over the dream she'd just had. She glanced at Miley who had rolled away at some point during the night and was fast asleep, dead to the world. The fire had burned down but she stirred it with a piece of wood, uncovering a bed of coals still glowing hot and red. With small pieces of wood and careful blowing she soon had the blaze going again.

That was close, and she needed to make sure they didn't let the flames die out, even if that meant sleeping in short intervals. She tried to think of a way to regulate their sleep but it made her sleepy just thinking about it and she lay down again to close her eyes. It was then that she heard the noise outside.

It wasn't unlike the sound the porcupine had made, something dragging and slithering across the sand outside of the shelter. But when she stuck her head out the door opening, she couldn't see anything in the darkness.

Whatever had been making the noise stopped in a few moments and she thought she heard sloshing at the shoreline. But she had the fire now, with plenty of wood, so she wasn't as scared as she'd been just last night.

She fell asleep again, dozing lightly and awakening again at dawn, the gray light filtering in through the shelter door. She added more wood to the still-smoking fire and then crawled outside to stretch, her arms over her head. She felt the familiar tight knot of hunger in her stomach and stared down at the lake and saw the tracks.

They were strange claw marks, with a center line between the two prints as if whatever had made them had some kind of flat bottom that dragged in the middle, extending from the lake shore to a small pile of sand and then back to the water again. She squatted down to study them, trying to make sense of the tracks.

Some kind of water animal must have come up from the lake for a reason that had to do with the pile of sand. She brushed the top off gently with her hand but found only more damp sand so she carefully dug deeper, gently scraping the sand away, until about four inches down. There she reached a small chamber containing almost perfectly round eggs, slightly larger than the size of table tennis balls.

Of course! It had been a turtle. She remembered learning about sea turtles coming up onto beaches and laying their eggs in the sand. They would then leave them, expecting the baby turtles to crawl to the ocean on their own when they hatched, something that was innate in the species to know to do. There must be freshwater turtles that did the same. One must have come during the night to lay eggs, and that was what had awakened her.

Eggs. Food.

Lilly's stomach tightened and rolled and made a noise as she looked at the eggs. It was as if her stomach had eyes of its own and was demanding food, the eggs causing it to scream out to eat. Her whole body was craving food and with such an intensity that it quickened her breath.

She reached into the nest and pulled the eggs out one at a time. There were seventeen of them, each as round as a ball, and white. They had leathery shells that gave instead of breaking when she squeezed them.

When she had heaped them on the sand in a pyramid, feeling as rich as ever, she suddenly realized that she didn't know how to eat them.

They had a fire, but no way to cook them, and the thought of eating a raw egg disgusted her. She had watched Oliver eat them raw, claiming they would help him grow muscles and bring ladies onto the Ollie Trolley, but she didn't think she could do it. She had watched as Oliver drank down the runny part and the yolk and had nearly lost her breakfast.

Still, she thought as her stomach growled again, some people ate even more disgusting things. Like bees and grasshoppers and ants. And if they could do that, she could certainly get a raw egg down.

She picked one up and tried to break the shell, but it was surprisingly tough. After struggling with it for a few moments, she grabbed the hatchet and sharpened a stick, poking a small hole in the egg. She widened the hole with her finger and looked inside. Just an egg. It had a dark yellow yolk and not as much white as she thought there should be.

Just an egg. Food. Just an egg she had to eat. Raw.

She looked out across the lake and slowly raised the egg to her mouth, closing her eyes and sucked and squeezed the egg at the same time and swallowed as fast as she could.

It was greasy, almost oily, and she gagged as she forced her throat to swallow the runny substance tasting like motor oil. Her whole body seemed to convulse with the disgusting taste, but her stomach took it and didn't throw it back up. In fact, it demanded more.

She grabbed a second egg, once again poking a hole in the top and enlargening it so that she could swallow the egg down. She raised the egg to her mouth again, and just as the tough skin touched her lips, Miley's voice startled her.

"What in Sam Heck are you doin'?"

She lowered the egg from her mouth, relieved that she wasn't eating it just yet but also frustrated as her stomach loudly grumbled once again. She glanced up at Miley and was momentarily stunned into silence. God, even grungy she was beautiful. Lilly pushed the thought away.

"Turtle eggs. I was going to eat them."

"Raw?"

"Well…yeah. You have a better way?"

"Actually, yes." Miley held her hand out for an egg. When Lilly handed her the one she had been about to eat, Miley turned on her heel and headed back to the shelter, disappearing through the door.

Lilly let out an exasperated sigh and followed her. Inside, Miley was digging a small hole in the sand with a stick, right next to the fire.

"What are you doing?"

"Cookin' you breakfast. Now go bring some more of those eggs in here." Lilly turned to head back down the beach when Miley called out to her. "And bring that stick! If we don't poke a hole in the top, they'll explode!"

Lilly grabbed five more eggs, leaving ten piled in the soft sand on the shore. She wanted to grab more, wanted to eat more, but a part of her said to hold back, save the rest for later. Instead she brought the five eggs in to Miley who was diligently turning the egg in the sand. She sat next to her and began poking holes in the tops of the remaining eggs, passing them off to Miley who buried them in the sand next to the fire.

It took about eight minutes, but the eggs were finally done and Miley handed her one. It was hot to the touch and smelled like a hardboiled egg but a little smoky. She ripped it open and took a bite. Hot, but delicious, and so much better than eating it raw. She could almost kiss Miley she was so happy, but decided that wasn't the best idea.

She had no problem getting the cooked eggs down and she ate her share of them in no time at all. In fact, she even went back and licked the inside of the shells clean, her hunger now roaring fully. She wondered if she could eat the shells, thinking there must be some nutritional value to them, but when she tried they were too leathery to chew.

Miley, however, chose to eat her eggs slowly, almost torturously slowly, and Lilly could only stare as she delicately ate her breakfast. She literally had to turn away from her so that she could not see the eggs, the temptation to rip them out of Miley's hands was strong and she knew she mustn't.

"Ain't nothin' better than fresh eggs for breakfast!"

Breathe. You already ate your eggs. Those are Miley's. "Where'd you learn to cook eggs like that?"

"Daddy. Another of his 'Back when I was a boy…' stories. The old man is useful for some things, I guess."

Lilly nodded, still thinking of the eggs down on the beach. They should store them somewhere in the shelter, and eat only one a day for a little protein. She fought the hunger down again. She would control herself, take the remaining eggs and store them and save them, eating one a day. Repeat. Save the eggs and only eat one a day.

She realized as she thought this that she had forgotten about the rescuers coming. Surely, they would come before they could eat all the eggs one day at a time. They should be coming soon.

She had forgotten to think about the search and rescuers and that wasn't good. She had to keep thinking about them because if she forgot, then maybe they would forget them. And she had to keep hoping.

They had to keep hoping.

Questions, comments, or concerns? I hope that didn't feel too forced. It'll get better though. I've got lots of good plans for future chapters lined up :)