Evazee pressed closer to Elden. Angling her head towards his ear. “Do you think those are their real names? Beaver and Shrimp?”
Shrimp chuckled, and Evazee wished she’d swallowed her curiosity.
“Of course not. Real names are powerful. Those with wisdom keep ’em secret amongst strangers.” He kept his eyes focussed ahead, peering through the murky gloom, lit only by the half-hearted lamp light.
Evazee stared out over the water and pretended she hadn’t asked the question or heard Shrimp’s answer. Nope. Not her.
“We’re close now,” Beaver spoke up from behind. “Pay attention, kids. You don’t want to miss this.”
Peta roused from Elden’s lap. For a moment, they paddled in gloomy silence. Suddenly, sparkles of colour like a thousand tiny stars dotted the air in front of them. Were her eyes playing up? Each spot of light glowed, grew, and started spinning as one until the edges blurred and the sparkles merged, transforming the sky above them to an iridescent dome of shifting colour that dissolved the gloom.
Evazee drank in the light as it washed over her in waves, stripping off oppression that she hadn’t realized was pressing down on her. The water they floated on stretched as far as she could see in all directions, reflecting the rainbow colours of the sky in a rippling dance that made her heart miss a beat. She sat forward, twisting all around to absorb the beauty. “Beaver, where do you live? I don’t see anything.” Evazee glanced back, caught sight of Beaver’s face, and froze.
When they’d first climbed into the boat, Beaver had looked craggy and old, somewhat weather-beaten and neglected. Seeing him in this light transformed him. He probably wasn’t much older than her or Elden.
Beaver caught her eye and grinned. He pointed up ahead. “Welcome to our home.”
Evazee turned and gasped. Instead of empty water, an enormous dome-like structure floated on the water in front of them. The mirrored surface reflected the sky, but with a wave of Shrimp’s hand, it cleared to transparent, revealing the insides.
A multi-story home, complete with furniture, bookshelves, a kitchen, plants, carpeted floors…everything that made a place a home. The base of the structure was built from a dull grey material that appeared to be buoyant enough to keep the whole thing floating. As they drew closer, a section of the base split apart and the top drew back to reveal three steps leading to the front door.
Shrimp steered the boat and stopped alongside the stairs. Connectors appeared from below the base with a mechanical whine, securing the boat to the dome.
Beaver stepped off first, pressing his palm to a rectangular, marked section on the dome. With a hiss, the door popped out and slid sideways. “Come on in. We’ve been expecting you.”
~*~
Zap leaned in close, whispering so furiously that Kai feared spit would fly and his ear would catch the worst of it.
“I’m telling you now, if we don’t find food for him, he’s going to get worse. Look at him. He’s stalking around like a demented bear with an infected bladder.”
“Bladder? Why bladder?”
Zap’s face crinkled. “I dunno. It sounded impressive at the time. And it’s really sore. You ever had a bladder infection?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t be telling you. That’s for sure.” Kai shook his head and went back to squinting in the direction they were heading, hoping for some clue that they were travelling in the right direction.
Ruaan stomped along behind them, muttering under his breath and kicking anything in his path.
“There has to be food here somewhere.” Zap dashed ahead of Kai, peering through the gloom at the bushes that dotted alongside the path they walked on.
“I don’t get it, Zap. Last time I was here, I didn’t need to eat. It wasn’t even an issue. I never got hungry, never saw food, and never ate. I don’t think one has to eat here.”
Zap’s face skewed in the way it always did when he was trying not to hurt feelings. “From what you’ve been saying, this time has been nothing like last time. So I’m not sure why you keep using that as some sort of guide for what is happening now.”
Kai sighed. “I guess you’re right. Are you also hungry?”
“A bit.” A loud growl echoed through the air. “OK, maybe a lot.” He rolled his eyes like he did when he was five years old. Now as an eighteen-year-old, it just made him look daft. Ruaan ambled behind them and spewed a stream of unhappiness, none of it loud enough to make any sense.
Kai shrugged. He didn’t know where to start looking for food in this place.
Zap grabbed his arm and pointed. “Maybe we don’t have to know where to look for food. Let’s ask them.”
“Did you just overhear my thoughts again?”
“No. I don’t think so. Don’t be weird, Kai.”
Huddled together and moving quickly, a group of people came over the rise and saved Kai from having to respond. They came to a sudden stop, silently staring toward Kai and his friends.
“Get down!” Kai dropped to the ground, hiding the light underneath him.
Zap knelt slowly. “But—”
“Shh! We don’t know who they are. I don’t want them to know we are here.” Kai squinted. He couldn’t see through the gloom.
Ruaan shuffled closer on his knees. “Those are kids from the OS. That’s Morgan in the front.”
“How can you tell?” Kai’s spoke louder than he’d meant to. He clapped his hand over his mouth but removed it again to whisper. “Can you see?”
His eyes glowed faintly, a luminous grey, just visible.
Ruaan shrugged. “I can see everything. It’s all greyed out, but it’s clear. Can’t you?”
Zap grabbed Kai’s arm and hung on as if a whirlwind was about to hit. “Dude, that’s creepy.”
Ruaan turned toward Zap. “What’s creepy?”
“Your eyes. What is going on with your eyes?” Zap’s fingers slipped off Kai’s arm as he backed away.
Ruaan’s belly rumbled, and he patted it. “Just so you know, Morgan and her bunch are all looking toward us. If you were aiming to hide, you failed. They’re listening to every word we say, trying to decide if we’re safe. So go right ahead, keep yakking.”
“And you’re sure that’s Morgan?” Kai asked.
Ruaan rolled his eyes.
Kai frowned, “I saw that.”
“You were meant to.” Ruaan put a hand to his mouth and yelled, “Morgan! Come on over.”
Kai’s head hung. He pushed back onto his knees and light bloomed from the bottle around his neck. “Seriously? Did you have to?” The situation was getting worse. It was only meant to be him and Elden who came back to find Bree. Now it seemed that more of the kids had been brought back. With no Affinity, no Tau, and Evazee missing, the last thing he needed were more people trapped here. Whether it was his job to look after them or not.
“Ruaan? Is that you?” Morgan and her companions inched closer, hunched over, wide-eyed and wary. Her face relaxed and she straightened up. “It is you. What are we doing here? I thought all the training was supposed to be over.” She took in the other two with a brief nod. The rest of her group huddled behind her. Her gaze flew back to Kai and her eyes narrowed. “You. This is your fault. You’re a liar! What did you do to us?”
Kai’s head tilted, and his eyebrow rose. “Excuse me? I could ask you the same thing. Why are you here? It’s not safe. You should be taking care of this bunch back at the OS. What were you thinking?” He regretted his outburst the moment the last word left his lips. He opened his mouth to apologize, but before he could say a word, a deep drumbeat shuddered through the ground, vibrating up his legs. It pounded into him through the air and shook the ground beneath his feet.
Morgan and her friends turned away from Kai. Another deep boom rocked the ground. Kai, Ruaan, and Zap staggered to keep their footing, but Morgan and her friends stood rock steady, staring into the distance like a regiment of soldiers carved from stone. The drum beats picked up a rhythm, coming faster and stronger. The sound r
ippled through him.
Morgan’s group started walking, each step in time with the drumbeat.
Kai reached for Morgan. “Don’t listen!”
Her eyes glazed over, and she pulled from his grasp with shocking strength.
Kai swung around to check on Ruaan and Zap. “Are you guys falling for this?”
Zap’s mouth hung open, and he crouched low with his legs spread and arms wide as if he were trying to surf on solid ground. He wobbled as each drumbeat hit. He blinked at Kai, eyelids flapping, “I’m trying not to fall!”
Ruaan stood with his arms tightly folded, sneering at the group as they marched off. “I bet you they’ll get food.”
Kai looked from one to the other. Then he shook his head and walked. “Enough. Let’s keep moving.” As the deafening drumbeat hit, the ground rocked beneath him, but other than steadying himself, he ignored the noise and drama and aimed himself in the direction of the light. He just had to get there, and everything else would sort itself.
6
Evazee curled up on a beanbag and fought the heaviness of her eyelids. The oblivion of sleep seemed so tempting.
The lounge of the dome house was on the same level as the boat bobbing outside the front door. The only seats were randomly dotted beanbags in shades of sea-blue and green. The glass panes of the dome were clear, and from her vantage point on the bean bag, she could see out over the river, which stretched lazily away into the distance. The dome spread light that pushed back darkness in a wide circle. The dome itself was a strange contradiction, seeming at once fragile and indestructible. She felt safe. But could she trust her feelings? She’d been wrong before.
She wriggled upright and placed both feet on the floor. Her head lolled back.
Shrimp brought in a tray and propped a glass on the short, mushroom-shaped table next to her. The liquid glowed, five different coloured layers in all. “Drink up. It will help you relax.” Shrimp’s sandy-blond hair stood out in all directions as if it objected to being rooted to his scalp. His skin was golden with a dusting of freckles across his nose.
Evazee eyed the drink, not convinced something that cheerful could be safe to drink. “Where are my friends?”
“Do you want to see them?” If Shrimp was offended at her suspicion, he didn’t show it. He smiled. There was kindness in his eyes. “Come.”
He held out a hand, but she ignored it, preferring instead to awkwardly push herself to a stand.
A winding staircase ran through the centre of the dome, leading to the upper floor and disappearing into the base of the structure below. Evazee eyed it with suspicion. The steps were see-through, connected to each other by metal rods that zig-zagged beneath each step. Shrimp followed the staircase down, two steps at a time. Evazee hung back. They seemed too fragile to hold her weight, but Shrimp was heavier, and they’d held him without breaking.
Evazee took a deep breath and followed, walking on her toes to make herself as light as possible. Only as she stepped off the last step did she look around.
“Oh my word. Are we underwater?” The entire lower level was fashioned from glass. Her feet tingled as she walked on the cold surface. Tiny fish darted beneath her. It was like being in a reverse fish tank, only she was in the glass bowl for everyone to gawk at.
A small, cold hand slipped into hers. It was Peta, pale and shivering. Evazee squeezed and wrapped the girl’s hand in both of hers, sharing warmth.
The water all around shifted and bubbled, and rays of light broke the surface, slicing through emerald with dazzling slashes of turquoise. The sound of water bubbling seemed louder inside than what it should. Shrimp waited for her off to one side, a strange smile on his face.
“Your boyfriend is here.” He moved to the side and waved her over. Behind him were two glass pods suspended from the ceiling and half-filled with bubbling water. Elden floated in one, the other one behind it stood empty.
Elden’s face was radiant. He opened his eyes as she came close and grinned at her. The pain must have lifted, as his features were relaxed and calm. He was dressed in a baggy blue jumpsuit. It flapped around him, loose enough for the water to get to his skin but covering enough to be modest.
“What are these?” Evazee stepped closer, but Peta hung back, still holding onto her arm like a lifeline.
Shrimp looked smug. “The water is from the Healing Stream. Another couple of minutes and his back should be all better.”
“Would it work for Peta’s legs?”
Shrimp nodded. “If it were up to me, she’d be in already. But she was a bit reluctant.”
Peta had tucked herself in behind Evazee. Another tremor ran through her from top to bottom and her nails dug into the palms of Evazee’s hand.
“And what if I go in with her? Will that work?” Evazee twisted to look into Peta’s eyes. Should we do this? Peta blinked rapidly, and her nostrils flared. She was breathing too fast. Evazee sunk to her knees and wrapped her arms around the girl. She pushed away to study Peta’s legs. The wounds were angry, red, and seeping.
“We’ve never tried that before.” Shrimp’s head tilted sideways as he frowned at them both. “You’re both quite small. You’d fit. Still, I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
“I’ve been in the Healing Stream. I know the water. Please.” The thought of Peta in pain was too much for her. The risk of infection was high. Maybe if she had her first aid kit she could prevent it, but she hadn’t been given the luxury of packing for this little adventure.
“I’m going to ask Beaver. I’ll be back.”
He made it halfway up the stairs and turned back, rubbing his chin. “Once I seal you in, it takes ten minutes to pressurize. I can’t open for you until those ten minutes are up. Think about that before you decide.” He ran up the stairs two at a time.
Evazee thought back to the first time she’d taken Runt into the water. She’d not only been healed, but she’d been changed from the inside out. Maybe this was Peta’s hope of getting rid of whatever had been transferred into her when Shasta fixed her ankle.
“Peta, do you trust me?” She twisted herself around in the little girl’s arms and crouched to eye level.
Peta glanced from Evazee to the pod and back again. She didn’t shake her head or nod, but her eyebrows dropped low into a fierce frown.
“Here, look at Elden. Look at his face. He’s happy in there. His pain is gone.”
The girl breathed deep and took a small step forward. Easing in front of Evazee, she walked alongside the pod. Evazee kept an arm around her shoulders, willing courage into the girl. Elden floated with his eyes closed, thousands of tiny bubbles collected on his skin. As they burst, more bubbled up from below to replace them. Peta’s muscles relaxed beneath Evazee’s fingertips. Peta’s frown lifted, and she reached out to touch the pod.
“Don’t touch the p—” Evazee spoke too late.
As Peta’s fingers met the glass, a jolt of heat shot through Evazee. Her eyes burned, and she pinched them shut. Images flashed in her head: a sticky black spider web, melting, flowing along the ground and seeping up into her feet, slipping into her veins; black goo pumping through her cells, her lungs, to her heart, flowing through her system, tainting cells and turning healthy flesh grey. It threaded all around her spine, up through her neck, branching out over her scalp, a skullcap of hemlock.
A curtain was drawn over her mind. She gagged and fell back and the vision cut off. The room had turned a sickly green. Peta clung to the pod as if all the strength had gone out of her legs. Elden thrashed inside, hands pressing the glass. The water had turned a dirty, murky brown.
“Peta! Get back!” Evazee pushed off the floor and staggered across to Peta, pulling the girl off.
Shrimp and Beaver ran down the stairs. Shrimp flew to a lever on the side of the pod. “One more minute.”
Elden was on his knees, back pressed against the lid of the pod. He stared at Evazee with wild eyes. A trail of blood trickled from his nose.
Shrimp hovered
over the timer as if he could speed it up through the sheer force of his will. A single, clear beep rang out and Shrimp leaned on the lever, all his muscles straining. It shifted with a metallic screech and the lid flew back with a hiss.
Beaver tried to help Elden, but he shot up out of the water and clambered over the side. His foot hooked and he came down head first, breaking his fall with his left arm. Elden lay there, moisture from his jumpsuit spreading into a puddle on the floor. The moment he left the pod, the water changed back to the sparkling emerald that it had been.
Peta had curled up in a ball on the floor with both hands covering her ears, her eyes squeezed shut. Evazee crawled over and stretched out a hand to stroke her back but stopped just short of touching her, remembering the awful vision. Her little friend needed the comfort, but the memory was still too raw.
Shrimp ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head with a low whistle. “Beaver, take the girls upstairs. I’ll check on the boy.”
Beaver reached down and helped Peta to her feet. She flinched at his touch but didn’t fight him. Evazee followed him, looking over her shoulder at Elden, searching for some sign that he was going to be all right.
~*~
“We’ve been walking forever. I tell you now, we are not getting any closer. How do we even know for sure that we’re going the right direction?” Ruaan had seemingly unlimited stamina for complaining. He never missed a beat and constantly found new ways to whine about their current dilemma. “I can’t see lights. I’m beginning to think that it was some weird trick or illusion. Like an oasis but no water, just light. We don’t need a desert to end up as carcasses.”
Kai halted so fast that Zap bumped into him.
“Hey! Why’d you stop?”
“Mostly to glare at the one sprouting rubbish here behind us. What do you suggest, hey, Ruaan?”
“That’s not a fair question.”
“But filling our ears with your moaning is?”
“Oh please. I don’t moan that much. Anyway, you asked for my suggestion. I say we ask him.” He pointed up ahead to a tree.
Resonance Page 5