Chapter Three

Even though Kate had relinquished herself to her destiny, thoughts of escape still flitted through her mind. She had evaded capture when she was with the farmer in Australia, hadn't she? She had so many close calls before. What was different this time that made her give up so easily?

If Kate could just find a way to talk to Sawyer out of earshot of the driver and guard, she might be able to convince him to help her with her plan. It would be two against two if Sawyer joined her, albeit one side in chains and the other with a gun. But if they both went after the guard, they might stand a chance of acquiring his firearm and then the ball would be in their court. Just maybe… What was she thinking? Like Sawyer would ever risk his own ass to help someone else. It was a crazy idea anyway.

These thoughts distressed Kate immensely. Even if she did manage to elude the law again, it would mean she would have to return to her life on the run. Before her time on the island, Kate never knew how strenuous her adventures had been. She was so tired of that lonely existence. All her instincts told her to run, but her soul was too weary to listen.

Kate desperately tried to turn her thoughts elsewhere. Sawyer had been quiet this morning. She guessed that it had been almost three hours without one of his wisecracks. That must be a record for him. But no sooner had this idea crossed her mind, Sawyer broke his silence.

"You know, I've been thinkin' Freckles, I've seen you in green and purple and white, but this is the first time I've seen you in fluorescent orange. I don't believe it's your color," Sawyer finished with a smirk on his face.

"Well, Sawyer I don't think it's your color either. But it's not like we have a choice in the matter," Kate snapped back with a faint hint of a smile.

"You don't have to bite my head off. I was just tryin' to make conversation because you look mighty lonely over there," Sawyer replied, somewhat offended.

"I'm sorry, Sawyer," Kate offered but it was of no use. He murmured something inaudible to Kate's ears with a scowl and went back to his melancholy disposition he had carried for much of the trip.

Kate truly was sorry for angering Sawyer like that. She hadn't meant to, it just the fact that he managed to speak up when she was wondering why he was so silent all of a sudden. She regretted missing the opportunity to have some playful banter with Sawyer. If he was of no use in any other way, Sawyer could always distract her from her own dark thoughts.

A while later, the guard trooped to the back of the bus to hand a couple of MREs to Sawyer and Kate for their dining pleasure. It wasn't much but after living on fruit and boar meat for so long, the simple foods still felt like a feast.

As the guard was taking their trash away, Sawyer asked, "Hey chief, do think I could get some paper to write my family a letter?"

Kate rolled her eyes, and threw Sawyer an incredulous look.

"What, you don't think I might have some cousins living' back home that might still care about me?" Sawyer whispered in reply. Kate only rolled her eyes again. She didn't know what Sawyer was up to, but she was pretty sure he wasn't writing a letter to his family.

Nonetheless, the guard returned with a legal pad and pen and handed them over to Sawyer. He uncapped the pen, and stared at the paper in thought. Kate couldn't help but wonder if this is what Sawyer looked like when he wrote the letter that he always carried in his pocket, the one that symbolized all the pain he still carried from his childhood.

Soon Sawyer started to scribble away at his letter, finishing with the quick tear of the paper from the pad. He then folded the letter and stowed it away in his pocket, and laid the yellow tablet and pen on the seat beside him.

Kate was tempted to pursue Sawyer for the addressee of his letter, but she knew from his countenance that he was in no mood for it. It would most likely be a waste of her time. Time? She laughed inwardly at herself. Didn't she have plenty of time now?

All four of the bus passengers sat silent until they pulled into a rest stop off the highway. As Kate rose from her seat, Sawyer offered her a hand saying, "Ladies first." Kate gave him a questioning look, but it wasn't from the sudden appearance of his manners but from the piece of paper she now found slipped into her palm. It was the letter he wrote not an hour before. Why was he giving it to her?

Upon returning to the bus, Kate was anxious to see what Sawyer had written to her. She sat down and quietly unfolded the yellow piece of paper to see Sawyer's handwriting scrawled on the straight red lines

Kate,

If you trust me, I think we can both get out of this mess. The way I see it, if we both go after the guard, one of is bound to be able to lay our hands on his gun. Then we would have the upper hand on those two scumbags. But we should wait until dusk so we can use the dark to cover our escape. I'll give you a signal—I'll start whistling You All Everybody (God knows it's forever stuck in my head thanks to that one-hit wonder)—then we can rush the front of the bus. If you are in tap your foot three times, if not only two.

Sawyer

Trust. Sawyer was asking for her trust…the only person she didn't trust on the island. Now her future might depend on him. Then suddenly the shock of the words on the paper hit her full in the face. Had she not been thinking of an identical plan earlier in the day? The similarities between her and Sawyer were all too evident in that moment. But with that in mind, she had to ask if she could trust herself. She didn't know if she could.

Slowly, Kate tapped her foot once, then twice. There wasn't anyway that she could go through with this absurd plan.