I shove the meat deep into the bottom of my backpack with the jar of peaches. I pat the two drones in my bag. Those should get me enough water purifying tablets to last a whole month. I turn to look for the chemist and run right into someone at the next stall. I step backward and I’m about to apologize when I recognize the leather shirt and dark hair.
“You.” I step toward him and reach for the animals slung over his shoulder.
He catches my arm and squeezes. I swing with my other arm, but he twists me around and wraps both arms around me. From behind me he says, “What are you trying to do, kid?”
Strands of hair have fallen loose from my hat, and I blow them away angrily.
“Taking back what’s mine.”
“And why do you think I have anything that’s yours?” He pulls me tight against his body. I grit my teeth and slide into a wide stance, breaking his hold on me. Then I shove both my elbows into his midsection.
I hear a satisfying grunt and he stumbles away from me. I reach for my knife, but out of the corner of my eye I notice we’ve attracted attention. Several men are surrounding us, their hard eyes on both the boy and me. Weapons are prohibited in the market, but fights aren’t uncommon. I know nobody is going to get involved or come to my aid, which means I’ve just started a fight I can’t win. I slide my hand carefully back out of my jacket and turn back to the boy. He’s rubbing his ribs but is sporting an annoying smirk, like this is just a game. I’m trying to survive, and this cocky asshole doesn’t even care.
“You stole my rabbits,” I say, pointing to the animals slung over his shoulder.
My cheeks burn and I clench my fists, trying not to show that my hands are shaking. He just stares at me with those large brown eyes and innocent expression. But then his eyebrows come together sharply. “Maybe you should check your traps more often.”
There’s a trace of humor in his voice. My stomach sinks. It was him. He was near my cabin, and he just admitted stealing from me. But he made no move to give back what was mine. His candor threw me off, and I paused to look him over. If we had met some other time or at one of the yearly harvest gatherings, I would’ve thought him handsome. He’s almost a foot taller than me, his skin several shades darker than mine, with muscles that are well defined even under the rugged leather clothes he wears. Even though he’s young, he’s got an edge to him that allows him to blend in with the traders.
“You shouldn’t even be in that part of the valley. I know all my neighbors. You don’t belong there.” I switch balance to my back foot, but am unsure whether to charge or run away. I can feel the men watching us. So much for keeping a low profile.
He lowers his arms, keeping his gaze locked with mine. “Actually, I had business with some of your neighbors.” I flinch as I see he has a small knife in one of his hands. It appeared so quickly I didn’t even see him draw it. He uses it to point at the alien ship’s leg curving over our heads. “About them and what we can do to get your valley back.”
My heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest.
“We shouldn’t have to keep going on living day to day, struggling to make ends meet and fighting with each other. This is our planet.” He raises his voice and I see the men nodding in agreement. His gaze is mesmerizing, yet makes me jumpy at the same time. I swallow and force my eyes down to his chest, preparing myself in case he uses his knife.
“My only goal is to survive every day and feed myself and my brother.” I point toward the tied-up rabbits. “Something you’re making harder. Is that how New Terra works—stealing from the same humans you claim to protect?”
It was just a guess, based on his rhetoric, but his jaw tenses and I know I’m right. A few of the women gasp, and the men turn away suddenly. I’ve basically just outed him as a terrorist. In public.
As far as I knew, the New Terra revolution was stamped out years ago, but it wasn’t the first time I’d heard a passionate young man use similar speeches to impress a girl. Dad never approved of their violent tactics. Even though they claimed to be working toward getting our world back permanently from the Kreons, every act of sabotage only resulted in brutal retaliations against innocent people.
The dark-haired boy forces out a laugh, that I can feel deep in my chest, but the humor doesn’t reach his eyes. Instead he looks worried, and angry. I take a step backward, unsure of his intentions.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says suddenly.
“Then give me back what’s mine,” I say. This time I draw my knife. It’s a bluff, but I know the others won’t want to get involved in this conflict, even if there’s just a small chance this kid really is New Terra. Like me, they’ve learned to steer far clear of potential terrorists.
He holds up his hands in mock surrender. “I don’t want to fight you.” He grins at the large men around us, like he’s enjoying the attention. “I don’t fight girls.”
Shit. I reach up and feel how much of my hair is exposed. He must have figured it out when he had his arms around me. I was too soft to be a boy. I’d exposed his secret, so he’d exposed mine.
***
He turns, like he is going to walk away, but I follow after him stubbornly.
“But you’ll steal from me? And let me starve?”
His smile fades, and his eyes harden. If he is here recruiting people into New Terra, he won’t want to let an accusation like that hang, poisoning sympathy against his cause.
“Fair enough,” he says.
I flinch as he grasps the rope tied to his backpack and pulls the rabbits free. He holds them out to me. “You’d better get them skinned before they rot.”
I step forward and snatch them, half expecting him to drop them in the dirt. Then I step backward quickly and tie them to the bag at my side. His irritating smile is back. He leans forward, speaking softly, as if to a child.
“It was nice meeting you, Rya. My name is Elan. You’d better get home before dark.” He points at the setting sun in the distance as it casts a soft pink light across the monstrous ship in the sky.
My gaze snaps back to him and I take another step backward.
“How do you know my name?” I stutter.
Elan holds up his hands. “I told you, I was talking to your neighbors.”
“They would never give a stranger information about me or my family.” I clench my jaw and glare at him.
“True,” he nods. “They weren’t going to tell me anything. Your little valley and the people living in it are very sheltered.” His expression is serious as he takes another step toward me. “But I was only there warning people that the Kreons are going to make another series of roundups. They need more workers in the mines and have started building new compounds. I think they’re looking for something particular in your sector.” His words come out fast and dark. I can feel the hate for the Kreons seeping out of him even at this distance. It’s about the only thing we have in common.
I think of Jamie alone at the cabin and my whole body tingles with fear. “That’s why there have been so many drones lately,” I say, my shoulders sagging.
He nods. In this light his eyes have a greenish tint, like sage or olive.
“But how do you know?” I look around as the men surrounding us drift back to their tables. I bite my lip. My gut tells me just to walk away. Stop talking to this rabbit thief and get home to Jamie.
He crosses his arms, but his expression has softened. “I have my ways of getting information.”
I’m frozen between wanting to know more and the desire to get as far away from Elan as possible. I had him pegged for a fanboy; someone who believes the New Terra rhetoric but has never actually seen action. There hasn’t been a real revolution for years, but if he has information like this, he must be pretty connected, which means the revolutionists are active in our area. If he’s for real, getting involved with him is way more dangerous than a couple of missing rabbits.
The noise and chaos of the t
rader camp brings me back to my senses. Elan steps back and waves his arm out in a dramatic flourish for me to go around him. I flex my jaw and push past him, weaving through the crowds until I can no longer feel his eyes on my back. After seeing what was selling at the traders today, I know exactly what I need to scavenge for next week. If I can find more batteries like I had this morning, I could probably buy Jamie more clothes next month. We will need it for winter; he’s already outgrown last year’s coat.
I finish trading the rest of my drones at the chemist for purifying tablets, and trade one of the rabbits for three new books. It’s a better haul than I expected. As I leave the camp, I spot Elan in a heated conversation with Sanya’s husband. They seem to be well acquainted with one another, but I can’t hear what they’re arguing about. I didn’t think Sanya would ever let her family be involved with someone like Elan. My irritation toward him makes me stop in my tracks. I narrow my eyes and watch Elan’s smooth smile as he puts Sanya’s husband at ease about whatever they were talking about. They clasp hands, and Elan saunters off into the crowd. I growl under my breath. I want to warn them that he’s not to be trusted, but they wouldn’t believe me, anyway. There’s something about Elan that everyone else around here seems drawn to. Everyone but me. Part of me wishes I knew how to talk to people like that. Maybe Jamie is right; we spend so much time alone we’re forgetting how to be human.
I return my concentration to my footing and the direction I’m traveling. I don’t want to waste any more time getting lost, or thinking about Elan’s smug face.
I push myself faster despite the burning in my lungs. Panic and adrenaline keep me moving as the shadows of the trees grow long and inky. Finally, I’m back in familiar forest. I slow my pace so I can catch my breath and let my burning muscles ease up.
The sun goes down behind the tops of the trees and it takes a few minutes for my eyesight to adjust to the darkening forest. I check all my other traps, but find nothing. They’re undisturbed, so even Elan hasn’t been near them.
I relax as I get closer to the cabin. I can’t wait to see Jamie’s expression when I tell him how I got our rabbits back. I love our part of the forest. I inhale the pine scent and the wild rosemary my mother planted at the edges of the valley. I take off my hat to feel the breeze through my hair. The birds are still rustling around in the trees, and I hold my palms against the tall grass, taking a deep breath. I pause to listen for anything unusual, but hear nothing. Suddenly, my pulse spikes as I realize something feels different.
It’s too quiet.
I race past my perimeter securities and break into the clearing. The cabin is dark. I run up the steps and swing the unlocked door open, wincing as it hits hard against the wall.
No Jamie.
I rush over to his mat and see that his backpack is gone. That makes me relax slightly. If the Kreons came here and took him, they wouldn’t allow him to bring anything. I look around and find he’s taken his bow and arrow and a few tools as well. Was this why he was so quiet last night, because he’d been planning to go out on some foolish mission while I was at the market?
I should’ve come straight home. I might have been able to stop Jamie from going off alone if I hadn’t been sidetracked. My anger turns inward as I realize I let Elan get to me. I’d wasted all that time confronting him. For rabbits.
I clench my fists as I step out onto the porch. I leave my pack on the bench and toss the rabbits into the cooling box, before trekking a wide circle around the cabin.
I check with my closest neighbors, each about a mile apart, but they haven’t seen my brother. My heart feels like it’s inching up into my throat. I stop to catch my breath and watch the last reddish rays of light disappear behind the trees.
He’ll be back by dark. I keep telling myself, until I realize the sun has already set. In thirty minutes, the forest will be pitch black. We don’t use lights at night because they’ll alert the drones to our position, and Jamie knows better than to stay out this late.
I return to the cabin with lighter steps, daring to hope that I’ll find him at home.
I could’ve just missed him along the way somehow.
But as I look at the dark, empty cabin, and my hope fades. I crumple to my knees before I reach the front door. According to Elan, the Kreons will be out this way soon, and now I don’t know where Jamie is. I want to grab my flashlight and keep looking, but I know that’s a mistake. We need to be hiding, laying low, not wandering around at night, lost in the forest. I pull myself onto the bench my father built into the front porch and pull my knees up to my chest. I keep watch for Jamie with heavy eyes, thinking he’s just upset and he’ll be back as soon as he gets scared in the dark woods. The alternative, that he’s already been taken, is too terrifying to consider. I slow my breathing, trying to force myself to relax.
Cold seeping into my bones wakes me. I realize with a start I’ve fallen asleep on the porch and the morning sun is just barely peeking up over the distant mountains. I’ve been asleep for hours. I scramble to my feet and rush into the cabin.
Still no Jamie.
My stomach heaves as I realize Jamie is really gone. Swallowing down bile I grab my pack and tighten it around my shoulders. I throw most of the food I bought into the cellar under the rosehip bush. If Jamie comes back before I find him, I don’t want him to go hungry.
After writing him a quick, desperate note, I shut up the cabin tight and set the safeties all around the perimeter. This time I head the opposite direction from the alien ship. I would’ve seen or heard him if he had gone the way I just came back from. The forest is thick in that direction and there aren’t a lot of safe paths. He would’ve had to take the same path I did.
My mind races as I try to figure out where Jamie would’ve gone. He probably was bored or angry that I didn’t take him to the traders, so I bet he wanted to prove himself. He was always hungry, so I head for my large game traps. The ones I didn’t check yesterday. I pause on the hill, looking down into the valley. Sadness seeps into my bones as I gaze over the only home I’ve ever known, wondering if I will have to live there alone after losing every member of my family.
I check all the traps. There’s no sign of any animal in them, and no Jamie. In front of the last trap I turn around in a circle looking up at the blue sky over the green canopy of trees. No Kreon machines or drones are visible, apart from the unmoving presence of the main ship that fills the sky, today barely visible through the haze. I close my eyes, feeling the filtered sun on my face and hearing the birds chattering high in the trees.
Then I realize where I need to go, and I feel like I’ve been hit hard in the gut. I sit down on the grass, still wet with morning dew. I breathe in the fragrant forest air to dispel the grayness creeping around my vision. As a wave of nausea washes over me I stand up and shake off the panic. When I was little I had medicine that helped me cope with the attacks. Although I couldn’t escape the dangers of living under Kreon control, the meds helped me stay calm and think clearly. When the meds ran out, Mom developed routines for me that helped me control my emotions. For years, she was the only thing that could keep me from getting overwhelmed. After she was gone, Dad tried his best but he was no replacement for her soothing voice. So instead, he taught me how to fight and work on machines for focus and discipline. I count the branches on the nearest tree, like they are parts to a device, until my breathing slows. I look up through the green leaves, feeling a tiny sense of calm just in knowing what I need to do next.
Except that what I need to do is check the nearest compound. If Jamie was discovered, that’s where the Kreons would take him. For reeducation. We’d always given the gated community a wide berth. Only the stupid or weak humans sign away their freedom to become slaves for the Kreons. I pray Jamie isn’t one of them.
FOUR
THE PATH OUT OF THE forest is worn from years of scavenging in the old city. I can already catch glimpses of it through the trees. The dark, sheer lines of the croo
ked beams and columns; the slabs of broken concrete and exposed pipes. They look like giant teeth and claws of a buried titan, and stand in stark contrast with the perfectly smooth Kreon vessel floating above the ruins.
Sections of the city had been hollowed out into great pits, as the Kreons burrowed though the ruins. Nobody knew what they were digging for, it was just something they did, like ants. We assumed they were building shelters or mining for rare earth metals.
To the East of the vast pit and holes drilled into the earth, they built the compound, to protect their human slaves from the rest of us. Wouldn’t want their precious brainwashed minions mixing with us dirty, untamed heathens.
There are signs of recent footsteps in the path before me. Large, rectangular tracks. I also spot broken branches and signs of a Kreon patrol. I tighten my fists as I think about one of the mechanical soldiers taking Jamie. A frantic part of me still hopes Jamie just went someplace I haven’t thought to check, but I know I’m running out of places to look.
I veer off the path and head toward Melvin’s. He’s our farthest neighbor, and the only one that Jamie really knows. I sometimes took Jamie with me when I went to Melvin’s for lessons on the drone tech. My brother was quicker than I was with the equations and the logistics of drone mechanics, but I’m still the best with the actual hardware. He doesn’t have the patience of it. I can picture all the pieces of a drone all at once in my head, and know exactly where they fit in relation to one another. At least with the tech I’ve been able to get my hands on.
I side-step the safeties Melvin has around his A-frame cabin. He taught Dad and I to put in early warning systems around our land as well, though nothing as elaborate as this. I hope in the last several months he hasn’t set any new ones. I yell out his name so he knows it’s me.
I walk into the open area around his place. There’s a lean-to attached to the cabin that covers his supply of firewood. There aren’t any flowers or grass in his yard, or decorations on his house. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed this was an abandoned property.
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