Naked and Defiant by Breanna Hayse Read Free Book Online

cloud cover, and the nights grew cold and windy.
When it was not raining heavily, Griffon spent his time outside the
shelter teaching Jade how to hunt and gather food, repair and water
proof the roof, and how to use the throwstick to spear fish that
were trapped in the fish gates they had built out of rocks. The
rain provided sufficient water for the time being, however, his
concern about finding fresh water became a daily obsession, and he
often left for hours in search of a drinkable water source,
temporarily escaping the dark mood that grew around the girl. His
frequent absence made her anger and resentment grow, adding a sense
of rejection to her depressed state of mind.
    On the evening of day ten, the weather
shifted drastically, as the rain pelted down in large bullets upon
the shelter and the wind aggressively whipped above them. The
inside of the small room flickered with the warm light from the
bottom fire-pit and the air smelled of wood smoke and salt. Griffon
had set to work weaving baskets from vines and thin banyan roots
while Jade worked on a large mat. They were both quiet, as the
crackling wood echoed beneath the platform. Jade suddenly
shivered.
    "Are you cold?" Griffon asked.
    "No. It's like a billion degrees in here. I
just was thinking about what it would be like if you hadn't known
how to survive out here. As miserable as this is, I honestly have
never felt so safe before. It doesn't make sense, does it?" Jade
said, taking a risk in her honesty. She wanted to tell him how she
felt but was not sure how to begin.
    Griffon handed her some vines. "Yeah it does.
Your life is in danger. Knowing that you are guarded from the
elements and are warm and well-fed will give anyone a feeling of
security. Especially since these are things you never had to worry
about before."
    "I don't like being left alone for so long.
Why can't I go with you when you look for water?" she asked
outright.
    "I like alone-time. I'm not accustomed to
being around someone twenty-four-seven."
    "Or do you just want to avoid me? Have I done
something to make you not want me around?"
    "Jade, listen up." He looked at her
patiently. "You've been moody and sour. I know you are depressed,
but nothing I do or say will change your disposition. That is your
decision and your choice to make, but you need to be prepared to
accept that I don't want to be around you when you are like
this."
    "This is just how I am. I have feelings, you
know."
    "Yes, you have feelings, but there is nowhere
that says that I am required to feel the same or that I have to
allow you to impose those feelings onto me."
    "I don't do that."
    "You certainly do. You decide you don't like
something and then expect me not to like it as well, as a show of
support and encouragement. That is a form of manipulation, and it
does not sit well with me."
    "I disagree. I have a right to express
myself."
    "Yes, you do. And I have the right to remove
myself from the situation, when expressing yourself means making me
as miserable as you are. Try an attitude adjustment, girl. Make
yourself do and say everything opposite of what you are used to.
You might find out that people will like being around you
more."
    "Plenty of people like being around me!" Jade
snapped.
    "Really? That isn't what you shared earlier
about how all your friends are superficial and competitive. Did you
ever consider that you were the problem in the relationship—not
them?"
    "You are wrong. I have never done anything to
make them not like me."
    "That's good to know—that you are not
demanding, rude, inconsiderate, selfish or self-serving with all
your friends—or that you don't try to force them to accept your
attitude or embrace your thoughts and feelings. They must all miss
you so much," he said, with a sarcastic tone.
    Jade's face reddened, when she realized he
had used her words against her. She changed the subject. "You
mentioned you were poor growing up. What was it like?" Jade asked
casually, weaving the basket like