And now somebody wanted to take it from her. Maddy considered the irony that she'd intended on getting rid of all of the stuff anyhow, but there was a big difference between remaking yourself as a new person and having new personhood forced on you. More than anything, Maddy did not want anything forced on her. The biggest part of the new person that she was trying to be was the ability to make her own independent decisions. She didn't want there to be some kind of pseduo-democratic vote pushing rules down her throat. Nor did she want to be the one making the rules. She just wanted to stay on the beach with Sawyer and Kate and be left alone.
And rescued soon, naturally.
Maddy went back to the beach as calmly as she could. It wouldn't look right for her to race out of there like a bat out of hell screaming about how they were trying to take her stuff.
She brought the plates to Kate and Sawyer who were still at the bonfire. They were talking but their body language appeared stiff. Things had not gone well, Maddy imagined.
She gave them their lunches, sat down near them, and began eating her own. But she couldn't eat.
"Sawyer, Kate, there's something going on in the inland camp," she started, then proceeded to tell them what she'd heard about councils, schedules, and stuff being taken away from people.
Sawyer looked alarmed, but Kate merely said, "I'd heard something about that."
"You should have told me about that," Sawyer said. "How'd you know? From Jack?"
"Actually, yes. He's all for a council and all that organized stuff. He wants me to be part of the council but I told him that I thought that the beach should be off limits to them. And if I was part of the beach, I shouldn't be part of their council," Kate said.
Sawyer seemed rather pleased with that answer. "And what did Jack-o say to that?"
"He said they be having a vote one of these days and it would be majority rule—if the people wanted to include the beach in their rules, we'd have to go along with it."
"I'm not going along with any foolhardy thing like that," Sawyer declared. "And when were they planning on telling us this, after they'd taken the vote?"
"I'm not sure it's going to happen so soon. People are still shaken. I think they want to build permanent shelters first. The vote may be weeks away. Assuming we're still here."
Maddy listened to Kate and Sawyer talk without adding her own opinion. She was with Sawyer on this all the way and she couldn't understand why Kate was being so sanguine. Because she had an in with Jack and she knew he'd protect her?
"Doesn't matter what they decide. I won't go along with it. And this time they won't have Sayid here to do their dirty work," Sawyer said. "Whose side are you on, Kate?"
Kate picked at her food. "I'm not on anyone's side. Personally, I don't like what this council represents. More hopelessness. Those people are resigned, but I'm not!"
"You know, on Gilligan's Island there wasn't any kind of council," Maddy blurted out.
Kate and Sawyer turned to stare at her. Maddy was embarrassed by this pathetic contribution. If she kept saying stuff like this then she'd be the Gilligan of this island.
"I'm sorry. I just—I don't like this. It's too serious," Maddy said, knowing she was digging herself deeper into the Gilligan hole.
"Maddy, munchkin, why don't you let the grown-ups talk about this and work things out. We can talk later," Sawyer said.
"I'm not a child," Maddy said through gritted teeth. "Let me start again. Having a ruling council is pretty civilized, but how many of them know anything about political science? About government? How do we know who would be just and fair once they got on the council? How do we know who's only doing it for the power?
"Jack needs help, I know it. I've seen working non-stop only to fall into bed at night, dead tired. But he's a reluctant leader, and someone like generally doesn't let power go to his head. Power corrupts, remember.
"But we're down on the beach away from everything. They may argue that we share their food and if we needed it, we'd share their medicine, but we're doing this service for them of keeping this bonfire lit. When we're rescued, it'll be because of us. Therefore, we deserve an exemption from anything they're planning."
Sawyer clapped. "Nice speech. If weren't down here with us, I would've said that you should be on the council."
"No way, never," Maddy said.
"The best I can do is talk to people, talk to Jack, feel people out," Kate said. "But this may have more to do with your hoarding, Sawyer, than about logic or rules. The more stubborn you are, the more insistent they'll be."
Sawyer shrugged. "Finders keepers, losers weepers."
"That's not helpful, Sawyer," Kate said.
Later that night, Maddy went to Sawyer's tent and told him about her bag and about how she couldn't give it up. He promised that he would try to prevent that from happening.
"From my own stuff too," he added flatly. He looked away from Maddy and wouldn't meet her eyes. He added, "The truth is, sometimes I think the way you think, munchkin. Days when I'm sure that this will be one when we'll be rescued. But then other times come and I'm convinced I have to plan for the future. Everything in my stash is something I will need or'll be good for bartering for something that I need. I was never a Scout, like you. I can't see myself living off the land. I'm a city boy. I don't know if I'll be able to hack it." He paused. "But you'll be fine, Maddy, I know it. You just need to keep up your confidence and you'll be fine."
Something about Sawyer's honesty and sureness about her stirred something inside Maddy. She went closer to him and whispered, "Maybe we could use up one of those condoms. They do expire, you know. They might not even last two years."
Now it was Sawyer's turn to say, "Really?"
Maddy nodded.
She and Sawyer made love slowly and tenderly. It wasn't the passion of two great loves, but of two people that needed each other. It was nothing like making love with Ryan. Maddy almost felt like she was being reborn.