I never knew someone could listen so furiously but that was the only way to describe Billie while she put on the outfit.

When I gave her the pistol, she immediately fired five shots. She hit the tree I’d dragged out of the rainforest three times, and the side of the bus twice. The wood was still too wet to catch fire, and she didn’t hit any windows, but the bus’s metal glowed red hot before cooling.

The pistols seemed to fire some kind of superheated plasma. Later, I’d look for some kind of projectile and couldn’t find any evidence of one.

“Billie, I don’t know how to recharge those weapons. You just wasted five shots.”

She gave me a disgusted look. “We just need to fucking find more bullets.”

I got mad. “Okay, genius, where? The local Big Five? Fucking Walmart? Redhawk Rifles off 23rd and G Road?”

“I don’t know!” she screamed at me.

I’d told her all that I knew, except I said that the professor was in the starship “thinking.” I wasn’t sure if the lust magic I was feeling affected her at all. It sure didn’t seem so.

But there was no fucking way I was going to let her scream at me.

I kept my distance—getting in her face was a terrible idea. However, I kept my voice firm. “If you fucking yell at me, I will leave you. We aren’t in Grand Junction anymore, and we’re not in college. And yes, I’m just that guy in your anthropology class, but I’m also the best chance you have of surviving this.”

She couldn’t match my gaze. Her eyes went to the ground. “Sorry. I’m scared. And showing up here naked was awful. I’m glad you had something for me to wear. Thank you.”

“No more just doing shit, okay? We have to be careful, or we’ll end up dead.” I tried to be gentler, but I was still so pissed off.

Billie put the gun into her jumpsuit. “Sorry. I didn’t know, okay? Don’t get your panties all up in a twist.” She pulled the crotch of her jumpsuit. “Speaking of which, I can’t believe I’m not wearing underwear, but this feels pretty good. It’s not giving me a wedgie or anything, but getting out of it to pee is going to suck. And speaking of which, do we have toilet paper? We need toilet paper, Sid.”

I didn’t say anything.

We were on another world—not sure I could call it a planet because it wasn’t following the laws of physics and here was this spoiled brat complaining about a lack of toilet paper.

She must’ve seen the expression on my face. “What?”

I sighed, trying to keep my temper under control. “Maybe the energy storm will drop a Walmart on us. Until then, we’ll have to make do. I found us water, clothes, and shelter, as well as the means to start a fire. Now, we just need something to eat.”

“I’m a vegetarian,” she said.

Of course she was.

“I’ll try and keep that in mind.” I went to turn away.

“You and Merida were totally doing it. Back at the field trip. I totally saw you.”

And there we were, standing there in the dust, while the rain fell in the forest and the sun baked the sand.

“That’s right,” I said.

Billie’s eyes went to my hand. “Your magic ring better not give you the ability to see through my clothes. I saw how you were looking at me. You’re probably always totally horny. Like all guys. Well, it’s not happening.”

“I didn’t think it would,” I said. “I’m not a football player.”

She made a face. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Noooooo…” It took her like five minutes to say that one word. “It’s not just nothing. You think that since I’m a cheerleader I would only date a football player?”

“Aren’t you dating a football player?” I asked.

“Yeah. But I would date other people.”

I knew I was wasting time. It was all pointless, high school shit, and I wanted to make sure that the professor was okay. Her “thinking” was taking longer than I would’ve thought.

At the same time, I didn’t have anything to lose. It wasn’t like she’d ruin my reputation or come after me. “Fine, Billie. I think you were into me, but the minute you found out I wasn’t a football player you lost interest. And you found one you liked, so it’s all good. You’re kind of a bitch anyway.”

“I am not a bitch!” She walked right up into my face. “And I don’t need you to survive. I’ve been camping before. I know what to do, Sid.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Without another word, I turned around and hurried away from her. I told her I would leave her behind, and I meant it.

I jogged away, moving quickly across the red sands, heading toward the starship.

The professor was walking toward me, her gray jumpsuit striking a harsh contrast against the crimson landscape.

Billie followed me, talking a mile a minute. “Okay, I can be bitchy, which is different, and I just didn’t like you like that, Sid. It’s nothing personal. Yes, I thought you were cute, and yes, I kind of wanted to be with a football player, because in high school, I was so unpopular. I swore to myself that college would be different.”

That made me stop. “What were you like in high school?”

Her blue eyes still were burning, and I knew, she didn’t want to tell me a thing. “I just wasn’t popular, okay? Like, my mom was my best friend. It was kind of pathetic, and…and…we all have our secrets, right? I swore that college would be different, and it wasn’t, not right away, until this year, when I decided to really get serious about things.”

“What kind of things?” I asked. “What kind of secrets?”

She sighed. “The things a person does to be popular. How to look. Who to date. That kind of thing. I’m sorry I yelled again. I don’t want to yell at you…or anyone, really. I’m just feeling all…”

I could see the word “horny” on her lips.

So the magic of the place was affecting her as well.

She licked her pink lips. “I’m just not feeling like myself. I guess I shouldn’t be, because, well, you know, we’re literally on another world. I do have a boyfriend back on Earth, and I can’t just cheat on him, so let’s just be friends, okay?”

She was trying to make peace. However, hearing the “let’s just be friends” would never not hurt. In the end, it didn’t matter, and I wasn’t going to be an asshole. I reached out a hand. “Fine. Friends.”

Instead of shaking my hands, she leaned in and gave me a big hug.

Her smell was in my nose, and I felt the heat of her body, which felt like it was a thousand degrees hotter than the two suns above us. I wanted to grab her and feel her ass. It had looked so good, but I knew it would feel even better. I wanted to squeeze it, and I wanted to kiss her.

She had to be feeling horny, and I thought about trying something, but no, she had a boyfriend. And she had secrets. She wasn’t telling me much about her high school experience, and I hadn’t really seen her before we’d taken the class together. It sounded like she was a sophomore. She seemed younger.

She gave me a final squeeze and then stepped back.

Her eyes dropped to my crotch. “Oops. Sorry.”

I was strangely apathetic. “It’s okay. It’s just a part of being here. It’s why Merida and I did what we did. We felt it even before the energy storm hit us. I’m assuming you did too.”

Billie blushed. “Yes, but I don’t want to talk about it. I’m kinda of shy when it comes to that kind of thing.”

“Sex stuff?” I offered.

She nodded. “Yeah. Uh. Sex stuff.”

The professor finally caught up to us. “Miss Kidd. I’m so sorry to see that you didn’t escape the storm.”

Professor Kroft still had a blush on her face, and yet, I could see how much more relaxed she was. She had her hair tied up in a bun, and she saw me looking.

She touched it. “Yes, I found some elastic bands and some other random objects in the starship’s equivalent to a junk drawer. I gathered up what I could and put it in this bag. There are several pieces of cloth that might be useful.”

I was curious to see what she’d found, but I was also getting hungrier. That hunger wouldn’t be going away any time soon. While it wouldn’t become a real problem for several days, it was still a reminder that I had to go hunting monsters.

“What’s happening, Professor?” Billie asked in a quiet voice.

The professor frowned. “Let’s not have this discussion out in the heat. I am very thirsty, and we should seek shelter in the bus. But I’m afraid I have no answers.”

“That’s not what I wanted to hear,” Billie said quietly. A tear slid down her face.

That girl had some violent mood swings. One minutes she’s yelling and the next she’s crying. It was like being with a tornado of emotions.

The professor was being far more understanding than I would’ve been.

She took the girl’s hand. “Let’s walk back to the bus. We’ll feel much better with a little water. We’ll get through this, Billie. Think about it. Whoever created the petroglyphs we saw must’ve returned to Earth to warn others.”

I didn’t argue with her, but I was pretty sure that the drawings were made by the people left behind.

I went through the bag and noted what might be useful for later on. The pieces of metal I could probably use, but I loved that we had elastic bands, since they could be used for any number of things. There was also some blue-black wire as well as some string. It was a good find.

I made a mental list of our inventory:

<<< >>>

* Bag of crap containing elastic bands, steel wire, some string, bits of metal, and several pieces of gray cloth

* 3 jumpsuits

* 3 pairs of sandals

* 3 pistols

* 3 rifles

* Toolbox for water

* Various tools

* Welding torch

* Hammer

<<< >>>

I did go into the rain forest, but I didn’t find the monster. Instead, I found big, black birds, like overgrown crows, and I managed to shoot three down. They were smart, and it took me six shots to bring them down. I hated using that many charges.

The rain was gone, and the sky was a bright blue, marked by misty clouds, slowly fading away. I thought I caught the smell of the ocean, but that place was so humid, I wasn’t sure. As the sun set and the clouds dissipated, I looked up to see moons strewn across the entire sky. There must’ve been a dozen, in various phases.

It was so alien and gorgeous.

Back with the ladies, I plucked the feathers off the birds. We didn’t talk much at all. Too much had happened, and I think we were trying to process it all.

Going back to our bag of crap, I found one of the bits of metal had a pretty good edge. Using the other pieces of metal, I managed to hone it into a dull blade. It was enough for me to cut through the pink skin of the ravens. Then, I scooped out the guts and found wet sticks.

We cooked them on our fire like hot dogs, turning them over and over, until the flesh was blackened.

I have to say, it was the best meal I’d had in a long time. Yes, the outside was burned, and the inside was nearly raw, but it was food.

I noticed Billie didn’t complain a bit. She ate her raven and drank her toolbox water and was happy to do it. I was having a bit of trouble believing that Professor Kroft could weave a basket that was waterproof. I would have to see it to believe it.

Nothing came for us while we sat around our fire. We started referring to the scarlet desert as Red Dune World, while the forest became Rainforest World. What we lacked in creativity we made up for in horniness.

I was nearly bursting, and with every breath I took, I seemed to get even more aroused.

At least Professor Kroft had had her “thinking” time.

I thought about taking some time to “think” myself, but I was too tired. When the professor offered to take the first watch, I took her up on it.

Lying on a bus seat, I was out like a light. But I wasn’t asleep for long.

Muffled moans woke me up.

Bille was doing a little “thinking” of her own.