by Leyton, Bisi
“He’s harmless, Mum.”
“He’s a cute boy. I won’t be surprised if Hailey or Yvette takes a liking to him.” She gave Wisteria questioning look.
“I don’t care.” Wisteria shrugged nonchalantly.
“That’s the right answer. I don’t want any babies from you, and that boy is just looking for someone to get pregnant.”
“Which one?”
“Does it matter?”
Being Yoruba, her mother believed there was no place for boys in Wisteria’s life until she turned twenty-three and then miraculously got married. While her mother was exasperated with David’s active dating life, he was a boy, so allowed to get away with a lot. But for Wisteria, a girl, that was out of the question.
Right now, Wisteria was too concerned with not being eaten by the biters to dwell on romantic relationships. Anyone who did in this climate needed to get their head checked. That would be the majority of the kids at school and quite a few of the adults, too. Then, there was the reality that no one on the island looked at her that way. “I’m not interested.”
“I just can’t see the benefit in even having a boyfriend in this insane world. Tomorrow we might have to move or he might get infected. You’ll have to shoot him right between the eyes.” Her mother touched Wisteria’s forehead. “Can you do that, Wisteria?”
Wisteria thought back to almost shooting Garfield. “Would you do that to me?”
“Would you?” Her mother kissed Wisteria’s forehead.
“I wouldn’t have that problem with Bach.”
“Oh.” Her mother stopped for a moment, and then returned to her cooking. “Why do you say that? Is he invulnerable?”
“Even if he was, he’s still a waste of time, right?”
“Hmm.”
“Mum, can we please talk about something else?”
Her mother smiled and started to update her on what had happened on the island. This continued over breakfast. Her mother told her the trackers had searched Cunningham’s after they discovered that Amanda had escaped without Wisteria, but only found one of Wisteria’s shoes.
The trackers cured all the biters in the store and found another ten in the town, but there was no sign of Wisteria.
“So, how long before you stopped looking?” Wisteria asked.
“We didn’t, at least Andrew, Rebecca, and I didn’t. We kept searching every day. I was in Woolmer when you returned.”
“Woolmer is in the Red Zone!”
The red zone was everything beyond a ten-mile perimeter of Norton. The soldiers worked on trying to thin out the hordes. The orange zone was everything between the red zone and the island. Most of the biters were cured before reaching the orange zone. The trackers that were civilians, like Wisteria and her mother, helped the soldiers patrol the less dangerous orange zone.
“I’m surprised Coles let you break your route,” Wisteria admitted.
“It makes him feel important to be magnanimous.” Her mother finished eating. “Listen, I have to leave. When you’re finished, leave a plate for your brother in the oven?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Bach would’ve left the Isle of Smythe the moment the humans put him the cage, but Felip had reminded him of why they had come.
The humans provided them with what they considered a decent accommodation, but in Bach’s view, it was mildly better than the hole in the dungeon. With his steward more or less incapacitated, he was left ensuring that the boys had what they needed within the community. So, he had to mix with the humans. He had to go to where the residents collected their food, if he could call what they consumed food. He never had to worry about his meals before because they hunted the animals they ate and they also got regular replenishments from his home, all courtesy of Felip. Now he had to wait in line with the animals.
As he left the ration center, he saw Garfield heading in.
“This looks really fresh.” Garfield beamed over Bach’s provisions. “Wow, I’ve missed real food.”
Fresh? Most of what Bach was given was dried and looked like it hadn’t been fresh for months, maybe longer. Everything looked gray.
“Aren’t you just hungry looking at it?” Garfield cheered with true wonder in his voice.
“Why are you talking to me? You do not need anything from me anymore.”
“You’re the only person I know here. I thought we were cool.”
Curious as to why this boy came to that conclusion, Bach asked, “You know Wisteria. Is she not your friend too?”
“Yeah, but her mother is a bit intense. And I think Wisteria’s still seething over what you guys did and is mad at me by extension.”
“Hi, you’re Bach right?” The brown-haired girl he saw on the wall, along with another girl, crossed the road and came up to them.
“Hi girls.” Garfield stopped, but Bach did not.
“Bach?” The brown-haired girl stepped in front of him.
“You guys were the ones who brought Wisteria home?” Her blond friend pushed her long hair out of her eyes. “Wow.”
Bach stepped away without answering.
“Yeah, we did,” Garfield smirked, stepping into the conversation. “I’m Garfield. What’s your name?” He was clearly attracted to the girls.
“Okay? Is that really your name?” The dark-haired girl seemed unhappy with Garfield’s response.
“It’s what’s written on my underwear,” Garfield replied and the blond-haired girl laughed.
The brown-haired girl spoke up. “I’m Hailey and she’s Amanda. We just want to welcome you both to town.” Now she sounded sweet.
“Thank you.” Bach stepped back. “I have to leave.”
Hailey moved into his space. “We’ll see you both later. Let’s go, Amanda.”
The girls walked past and he felt the Hailey girl brush her chest against him as she went by.
“She’s so fine.” Garfield’s eyes brightened up as he watched the girls walk away. “I can tell she likes me.”
“Which one?” Though the girls were human, Bach could tell they had little interest in Garfield.
“Wisteria,” Garfield said.
“What? No, I do not believe she sees you that way at all,” Bach stated categorically.
“No, there she is.” The boy pointed down the street.
Bach saw her, walking toward a building with the word library written on it. Seeing the two guys, she seemed to hesitate, but then she smiled.
As he neared her, Bach could see her appearance had changed. She looked sweetly refreshed, but something else had changed.
“Nice hair,” Garfield remarked.
“Yes, I had to get rid of the braids. They kind of stank after sixteen days.” She twisted her thick, dark curls.
“Er, it looks interesting,” Bach replied, trying to find the right words. “Human hair is pretty, although where I come from, hair is longer and blonder.” But he liked the way her hair looked. He wondered what it felt like. It looked soft, and then he stopped himself. What was he doing? He was dwelling on her hair—the hypnotic hair of a human. This unsettled him. He noticed a hint of anger flash across her face.
Garfield burst out laughing.
Wisteria’s eyes squeezed into angry slits as she glared at him.
“No, your hairstyle makes you look like you’re twelve or something,” Garfield teased as he tried to play with the strands.
Snickering, Wisteria dodged Garfield’s reach.
Bach grasped Garfield’s hand and pulled him away. Garfield had no business touching her. He should’ve been friendlier with the other girls, whatever their names were. Not Wisteria.
“Hey!” Garfield wailed as he stumbled back.
“Do not,” Bach stated, with serious intent in his voice.
“We were just messing around. What’s your problem?” Garfield asked.
“Amanda might get jealous,” Bach replied slowly. He doubted that greatly, but what he wanted to say was impossible for him.
“Amanda? Really?�
�� Wisteria grinned.
“Yeah and she’s amazing,” Garfield declared. “Do you know if she has a boyfriend?”
“My brother, I think?” Wisteria replied.
“Your brother?” Garfield repeated. “Isn’t he younger than you?”
“There are other girls on the island and you’ve been in the dungeon for years. Give your senses a chance to adjust,” Wisteria suggested.
“I’ve seen a few of them, and none look like her,” Garfield replied emphatically. “Unless you’re a little jealous.”
“No, she is not.” Bach spoke without thinking again.
She scowled at him.
Talking about relationships in general held very little interest for him and hearing Wisteria speak about hers was something he had absolutely no interest in pursuing.
“Garfield, I need to go to work. We’ll talk later,” she said quietly to him.
“You’re back at work already? Didn’t they give you time to get your head straight?” Garfield asked.
Shaking her head, she started to go into the library.
“Hey, didn’t you have that perilous job of killing biters? Why are you going into the library?” Garfield asked.
“I was a tracker,” Wisteria said. “I was reassigned here, when I got back. Major Coles decided it was too dangerous for a teenager. He decreed that all trackers had to be at least older than me. So, I got a safer and easier job now.”
“You do not look happy about it,” Bach noted.
“I don’t look happy?” she said, as if she expected him to disregard her feelings.
“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Bach continued to ask.
“Just a lot to deal with from the last few days.” She gave him a dirty look.
“Maybe you need more time to adjust.” Bach wasn’t sure why he was asking her these questions. He shouldn’t care, really.
“The least they could do was give you time to get over your traumatic experience,” Garfield echoed Bach’s reasoning.
“Thanks for your concern, Garfield, but coming here helps because otherwise, I’d be at home stressing,” Wisteria said. “Everyone on the island’s got to pull their weight.”
Bach couldn’t believe she was ignoring him.
“Yeah, they told us we have to go to school,” Garfield whined.
Bach had finished the ten years of his required education before he started the Great Walk. Because the Family learned at a great pace, twice as much as humans did, so was done with school. This was one of the reasons the Family’s teenagers went on a long Great Walk, to learn about life once the academics were done. There was nothing the human schools could teach him and nothing he wanted to learn.
“Yeah, but you’ll need a job, too,” Wisteria informed them.
“Your town hall is working on finding me a place and I don’t have to start pulling my weight until they do. I hope the people they put me with won’t blow,” Garfield said.
“But you’re staying with Bach now?” she asked.
Someone in the town hall had suggested Garfield live with Bach and Felip, but that was ludicrous and Bach point blank refused. It would be better for Felip and him to sleep outside than in such close proximity with the humans.
“Thomas Clarkson, a rat trapper. Apparently, he’s the best rat catcher on the island,” Garfield muttered. “Anyone would be better than that. I thought my days of smoked rodent were over.” Although living with the chief rat catcher would mean Garfield would never go hungry.
“You could always stay with us,” Wisteria suggested. “I mean, I’ll ask my Mum first.”
“No,” Bach declared. “He cannot stay with you.” He knew Garfield was trying to appeal to her sympathies and her suggestion was insane.
“No?” Her dark eyes rose to meet his and for first time since he came to Smythe, she actually spoke and looked at him. “You’re unbelievable!”
“Garfield, you can stay with us until we leave,” Bach offered.
“Really?” Garfield looked up at him, bewildered. “But you leave in a week—that’s not going to help me very much.”
“Felip needs more time to recover. We will be here for a while,” Bach said. “Hopefully, you will find a permanent arrangement before I leave.”
“What are you on about?” Garfield exclaimed. “You said you’d rather be boiled in your own blood than stay in this—”
“Our plans have changed,” Bach cut him off. “Felip needs his rest.”
“How is Felip?” Wisteria finally smiled up at him.
“Why did you say that, then?” Garfield seemed puzzled while no one seemed to listen to him.
“They said he needs rest and lots of fluids,” Bach said, ignoring Garfield’s curious expression.
“What about the others, Enric and Piper? Won’t they think I’ve killed you or sold you to Black Phoenix, Red Hawk, or whatever you call those people?” she asked, her words dripping with sarcasm.
“They probably will at first.” Bach nodded. “But then, Enric has a tendency to overreact about everything.”
“Wait, is that supposed to be an apology to her?” Garfield sneered.
Bach didn’t respond and neither did she.
“Because if it is, you’ve got to do more than that, mate,” Garfield added.
“I’ve got to go inside,” she said.
“I know you had nothing to do with the Red Phoenix attack,” Bach finally spoke. “I should not have let Enric do what he did.”
“No, you shouldn’t have, Bach.” She marched up to him and poked her finger to his chest. “I did everything I could to protect you on the street and in the dungeon. I gave you all my food. That crazy woman, Mackenzie, almost killed me because of you.”
“I did not know,” Bach responded quietly.
“No, you didn’t. You were only thinking about yourself, your cohort, or that damn cult—whoever those people are. You see the whole world from your point of view. I get it, Bach. You’ve had a hard life. Well, big surprise! Everyone has had a hard life since the outbreak.” She closed her eyes and backed away from him while seeming to hold back her tears.
“Wisteria.” He reached out to her.
“Thank you for apologizing.” She ran into the library.
He wanted to follow her.
“Bach, let her cool off.” Garfield stopped him.
“No,” Bach replied, feeling frustrated. “Why is she still upset? I have apologized!”
“She’s a girl. They don’t behave like human beings,” Garfield shrugged his shoulders.
* * * * *
“I warned you. Apologizing would not change much,” Felip reminded him when Bach told him what had happened outside the library. Felip stood in the corner of his room. He had stood there several hours, trying to adjust to the new environment. This would be the first time he had really lived among humans. And while he despised the way Enric trained Piper, Felip never interacted with free humans.
Bach had during his childhood, so this wasn’t a complete shock to his system. “So, I am supposed to beg her to tell me what I need to know?” Bach seethed. “Oh—forget it!”
“How do they live like this?” His steward scanned the room.
“You are part human. You tell me.” He unrolled a large white sheet of paper onto the mattress that was supposed to be Felip’s bed. “This is the plan of the island so far. I have twenty percent of it mapped. I will have more time tomorrow. I should have most of it done then.”
“You actually lived among them. How did you do it?”
Bach was too young to remember.
“I am starting to suspect that Enric was right about not coming here,” Felip commented.
Bach remembered the discussion, days before in Hammond Village.
“If she brought her people here, going back to the Isle of Smythe would be foolish,” Enric warned Bach and Felip, as Wisteria stormed back to the SUV. The three Famila had returned to the mansion and Enric dismissed his unstable Thayn, leaving the guys alone.
“That is not how Red Phoenix discovered us. We lit up the tower all the time because we thought Red Phoenix were gone.” Felip added and took the pink GPS device from Bach. “We were really, really stupid.”
“He is right, the dungeon dwellers knew we were up there,” Bach agreed.
“We expected to be fine if random Terrans tried to break in from the ground. Did it occur to either of you that they would come from the sky?” Felip continued. “No, because only Red Phoenix would be that determined.”
“Still, she could have summoned them anyway. Why did they show up when she did? When they knew Felip was weakened?” Enric demanded. “Why?”
“The telephone?” Bach took it from Enric. “When exactly did you find this? Maybe the Red Phoenix left it behind after their attack. She brought almost nothing with her.”
“She is dangerous, Bach.” Enric stepped in between Felip and Bach. “And as a full blood, I am telling you not to go back to the Terran village. Remember what they did to your mother?”
Reminding him of his mother was low, even for Enric.
“We were careless not to black out the windows and throwing balls off the roof,” the steward continued. “Or not to live underground since that was where we were supposed to live.”
“And I wanted us to live underground when we arrived. Felip convinced you it was a bad idea. I was right then and I am right now. Stay away from the Terran rats,” Enric seethed. “Or have you allowed that Terran to infect you, Bach? How can you, after the way your mother—”
Bach slammed Enric against the wall. “Say that again and I will break you. You think you can bait me into doing what you want by insulting me?”
“No, I am trying to warn you.”
“Enric, putting your theory aside, we have a bigger problem which you seem to have forgotten. There is obsidian coral on the Isle of Smythe.” Bach let him go.
“Since when?” Felip asked while he sat on the stairs.
“Wisteria wore it on her neck when she arrived,” Enric relayed. “It was decorative.”
“They are primitive people.” Felip seemed amused. “And you think there is more on her island?”