A Second Life, A New Power novel Chapter 111

Demi didn't let Tyler carry anything; instead, she took the initiative to lift a tree trunk with Sam.

Sam fell silent. How had she managed to run with one of these on her own?

Meanwhile, Maria kept chattering away. "I'm telling you, Demi tried to carry two by herself earlier. I had to stop her, and even then, she only put one down reluctantly before taking off."

Another wave of silence fell over the group.

"Haha, nothing stings more than a direct comparison."

"Look at the guys, pure existential crisis."

"No joke, freshly cut tree trunks like these are ridiculously heavy."

"Maria, Tyler, you two carry the vines. We need to hurry. The rain's getting heavier," Demi reminded them.

…

It took Nigel's group almost an hour to carry back the branches and logs they had found.

Of course, they couldn't find anything too thick. The biggest ones were only about the size of a baby's arm.

The lengths weren't great either—just a little over three feet. If they wanted to move in and out, they'd have to crouch.

They also gathered some firewood along the way.

Now, it was time to build their shelter.

It took a while, but they finally set up the tent. Then, one by one, they huddled inside to escape the rain.

Luckily, the tent was big enough. As long as they all stayed in the center, they barely got wet.

Just then, Connor frowned and rubbed his stomach.

First, he hadn't eaten much at lunch, so now he was starving. Second, after getting drenched, the chill was starting to set in.

And now, his stomach hurt.

Wendy, ever observant, noticed right away.

"Do you want to try chewing some of the herbs we found earlier?" she asked.

Ana had been sitting blankly on a rock, lost in thought. She looked from Wendy to Connor. "That… might not be a good idea. What if they're poisonous?"

The moment she said it, she regretted it a little. She shouldn't have warned them.

If Connor ate the herbs Demi recommended and something did happen to him, his fans would tear Demi apart.

Then, Demi would finally get a taste of what it felt like to suffer the consequences of her own need to show off.

Wendy hesitated too. After all, you couldn't just eat random plants without knowing what they were.

"So much for free help," Wendy muttered, shaking her head.

"You guys are seriously heartless," Ana snapped, glaring at the staff.

"What if you don't warn us, and we end up poisoned?" Sally asked.

The staff just smiled without answering.

"They wouldn't just sit back and watch us get poisoned first, right?" Sally turned to Wendy.

Wendy shook her head, unsure. Still, she hoped the crew wouldn't be that ruthless.

"We should pay. Mr. Yale and Mr. Bayer aren't feeling well," Sally decided.

"Yeah, let's do it," Thomas agreed.

"I support Ms. Penn's decision," Ana added after a moment of thought.

Even though she wanted to see Demi suffer, she also wanted the others to think better of her. So, she had to at least pretend to care.

That said, if the expert checked the herbs and found out they were toxic or just plain weeds…

Hah! She would see how Demi could maintain her dignity then.