Max looked back at me. “The Resistance doesn’t care about water now. They care about revenge for all the innocent people murdered by the Consulate. All the ones who were killed for their W.A.R. machines or left to burn outside the pod cities.”
Alec nodded. “The Consulate must pay for their crimes against humanity. They know we’re out here somehow, and that your father’s guns can be used against them at some point. They think the best defense is a good offense. They’ll stop at nothing to wipe us out.”
My father’s guns would never be used against anyone if I could help it.
So many more questions popped into my head, but my eyelids felt heavier every second. The running, hiding, and drug withdrawal had wreaked havoc on my body.
“Rest, ángel,” Alec said. “We have a few light breaks before we’ll get to Callie City so you have time for a good nap. We’re going to rest, ourselves.”
Max flipped a switch that must have been the autopilot because he stretched his arms and leaned back in his seat.
I fought the exhaustion in my bones. A tiny voice told me what would make me forget about that exhaustion. The physical craving for the pain meds temporarily overwhelmed me. I shook my head. No way would I ever be that vulnerable again.
“What about Kale? Where’s he? Where are the guns?” Back on Earth, Kale had been so focused on defeating the Consulate and growing the Resistance that he had no qualms about disposing of me when I showed no interest in his war. Especially when he realized James could fire my dad’s weapons too, which I still didn’t understand. Kale wanted to use the guns to destroy the Consulate, where I just wanted the weapons destroyed, period, so they couldn’t hurt anyone again. I’d guess his goal of wiping out the Consulate hadn’t changed since then.
Alec yawned. “Wish I knew the answers. After we outran the Consulate ship and that giant bomb you detonated, Kale made it to Caelia, dropped Markus and me off, and left again with a pilot named Gunther. Said he’d be back though.” Alec patted Max on the shoulder. “After a few weeks in Callie City, Max brought me to the Consulate, and you know the rest.”
I let my head fall against the seat and closed my eyes. Unanswered questions still swirled in my weary brain, but what mattered now was that we were on our way to Callie City. And when Kale did return, which I knew he would, I’d be waiting.
We flew over miles and miles of thick forest before we slowed and started to descend. I stared out the window in awe of this foreign planet that was so alive and thriving. Something caught my eye and I leaned closer to the side window. Every once in a while I’d catch a glimpse of something between the trees—clusters of small, brown, box-shaped things.
“What are those?” I asked, pointing out the window.
“Huts,” said Max. “We live in small groups in the trees. Only about four or five huts each, that way the Consulate will have a harder time finding us all in a search.”
I peered into the forest. “The huts almost blend in with the trees.”
“Exactly. Natural camouflage,” Max said as he landed the ship in a small clearing. “Welcome to Callie City.”
Alec pulled his pack over his shoulder. “Thanks for getting us out of there, man.”
Max tipped his head toward Alec. “Anytime. I gotta go … see you at the meeting. Stay safe.” He turned and ran off into the woods.
I stared after him. “I’ve never seen so many trees before, even on the Infinity programs. This is unbelievable.”
The fresh, earthy scent of the trees filled the air. After the deep sleep I’d had on the ship, I hadn’t felt so alive in years. My sister would have loved that such a beautiful place was named after her. We passed several of the clusters of makeshift huts I’d seen from the ship. “This is where people sleep,” Alec explained. “During the day, they’re usually in the middle of the city by the command center.”
The huts were made of wood on three sides and a thermoplastic sheet hung on the front. I walked up and touched the thick, heavy sheet. I pulled it back and looked inside. Cots to sleep in just like in the containment center. Guess the small structures wouldn’t support the weight of the hanging sleep chambers that had been in the bunker and on the ships.
Alec pointed to a circle in the middle of the huts. “That’s the fire pit.”
I frowned. On Earth, everything had been so dry and scorched that the idea of intentionally starting a fire didn’t compute. “You make fire?”
“Yeah,” Alec said. “I know. It’s cool though, you’ll see.”
After another few miles, we reached a cluster of huts that lay along a small channel of running water. Alec followed my stare. “You might have seen something like that on the Net. It’s a creek. You can swim in it, bathe in it, and drink it.” He pulled a thermoplastic flask from his pack. “It’s where they get the Caelia Pure. Or rather, one of the places. Freshwater creeks and rivers like this are all over the planet. The largest river is the one the Consulate built their city near.”
“Let me guess. They named it Consulate River.”
Alec laughed. “How did you know?”
“Just lucky.” I watched the water tumbling over smooth rocks and wanted to dip my hand in it. I couldn’t get over the fact that water was available everywhere. No way would I ever take this for granted.
“So this is us.”
I turned my head back to Alec. “Huh?”
Alec coughed and gestured at the group of four huts. “This is my group. I thought you’d stay here with us. Don’t worry. You’ll have your own hut. Mine is next to yours. Technically, yours is Markus’ but he never sleeps there.”
I raised an eyebrow.
Alec sighed. “He’s always either at the bar or passed out in … other huts.”
I shook my head. He was back to his womanizing ways. “There’s already a bar?”
Alec chuckled. “It was the first thing the Resistance built, after the command center of course.”
He led me to a tree near the huts that had orange ball-shaped things on it. “This is fruit. You read about it on the Net, right?”
I nodded but found it hard to comprehend that I could eat something that grew outside. All I’d ever consumed was the gel from energy packets. Alec pulled one of the spherical orange objects from the tree and peeled off a skin of some kind. He handed it to me. “Here. It’s not exactly like anything that grew on Earth according to the Net, but it’s delicious. Might take your system a little bit of time to adjust to it, though.”
I studied and sniffed the fruit. It had a tangy, pleasant smell. “How did you know it was safe?”
Alec grimaced. “We’ve had a lot of trial and error in the last few months. Luckily, severe vomiting has been the only downside to unsafe food so far. This type is safe, and a favorite of the Resistance. They distill it for alcohol when they’re not eating it.”
I bit into the fruit and juice spurted from it and dribbled down my chin. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever tasted. “You realize I can never touch energy gel again after this?” Without waiting for an answer, I sank my teeth into the round fruit again and devoured it in minutes. My stomach gurgled like it had no idea what was going on. I didn’t care if I had adjustment issues with the fruit or not, no way was I stopping.
Alec’s eyes sparkled. “I like a girl with an appetite. Anyway, they grow all over the place. There are some leaves here that are good too … and some animals.”
My eyes widened. “Like dogs? You eat dogs?”
“No, no, never.” Alec waved his hand emphatically. “These are big animals, again not like anything I saw on the Net, but they are really good. Trust me.”
I crossed my arms. “I’ll stick to these orange things, thank you. I am not eating animals.” My chin was sticky with juice. “I’m going to the creek.”
“Suit yourself,” Alec said.
I placed my satchel inside Markus’ hut, then marched down to the creek and took a tentative step into the stream It was cooler than the ocean, and I reached down a
nd splashed some on my face. I took another step and then another. Even standing in the center of the creek, it only reached to my knees. I sank down and sat, not caring about my clothes, and let the stream rush over me.
After a minute, I leaned back and let the water close over my head. Bubbles filled my ears and I realized that I couldn’t breathe. I sat up, coughed, and gasped for air. Being underwater would take some getting used to. I tried again. After taking a deep breath, I lay back in the shallows then opened my eyes and stared up. The distorted images of trees and the sky swam in front of me. The grime, dust, and dirt of the last few years slid away. It was so quiet under the surface, only the gurgling around me. I’d never felt anything so peaceful yet so powerful.
I’d also never felt so energized. Whatever faced me ahead with James and Kale, I’d do it with clean hair. I stood up and shook the dripping water from my hair. I’d forgotten about the flower behind my ear until I saw it floating downstream out of reach.
I walked up toward the huts where Alec was arranging sticks in the fire pit. “That is the best thing I’ve ever felt in my life,” I told him.
He had a mischievous look in his eye. “It’s even better naked.”
“I’ll have to try that sometime … when I’m alone.” Maybe he hadn’t heard the part about me liking James. I walked over to a large rock by the huts and stood on it, my face tilted toward the sun where it peeked through the trees. The good thing about thermoplastic was that it dried quickly, though the shirt was a little stiff. The sunshine warmed me. I felt strong. I was ready.
I hopped off the rock. “Okay, let’s do this. Take me to where I can get some answers.”
“Cool. I really want to see Lucy, and we both know who you want to see.” Alec grabbed another few pieces of fruit. “For the road.”
I followed Alec through the trees to the next group of huts, maybe a quarter of a mile away. Alec peered into the first hut. It was set farther off from the other huts. James and his space issues.
“Anyone here?” Alec called out. “Lucy? James?” His voice echoed in the trees.
“Guess not,” I said.
Alec scratched his head. “They must be at the command center. We can stop by the bar on the way. Doubt James will be there, but at least you’ll be able to say hi to Markus, maybe talk some sense into him since no one else can. Oh, and here.” Alec plucked another flower from a nearby bush and tucked it behind my ear. “You haven’t seen James in awhile. Don’t you want to make a good impression?”
The bar was little more than a dimly lit shack. A strange wood and metal structure sat atop its roof. Every few seconds the inner metal pieces rotated closer to a large groove in the wood. There were multiple grooves and each had a different marking on it.
I pointed. “What is that?”
“Our version of timekeeping,” Alec said. “We had to create some sort of standard ‘day,’ since so few people have access to an Infinity. Each groove means six light breaks have passed—a new day. It would be hard to organize anything otherwise.”
I stared at the intricate contraption another minute before entering the bar. Makeshift tables constructed from driftwood were scattered around the room in a haphazard pattern. People clustered around them on rough plank benches. It amazed me to see furniture made from something other than thermoplastic. The only thermoplastic items in the room were clothes and the drinking mugs. Someone must have brought a stash from Earth.
A long-haired man held some sort of wooden, stringed instrument that he played with his fingers. I vaguely recalled the instrument from the Net. His voice warbled earnestly as he sang something about fighting and freedom.
“I’m guessing he’s not Consulate,” I joked.
Alec laughed. “None of these gringos would be caught dead hanging out with the Consulate.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You were Consulate and they hung out with you.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, but I had to prove myself like you wouldn’t believe to earn their trust.”
I scanned the room. One group at a table clinked their mugs together and chugged the contents in apparent celebration. A group of girls at another table listened with rapt attention to the long-haired dude, swaying back and forth with the music. Then I saw Markus. Or, rather, the side of Markus as he made out with some girl against the wall. I pointed him out to Alec. “He doesn’t look like he’s coming up for air anytime soon, does he?”
“No. We’ll stop by again on the way back from the command center. You want a drink or are you ready to go?”
The last thing I wanted to do was stick around and watch Markus stick his tongue down a girl’s throat. “Let’s get out of here.”
As I turned, a movement caught my eye from the other side of the room. There was a small table I hadn’t noticed in the far back corner of the bar. The light barely even reached the table. My breath caught in my chest. It was only his back, but I’d know him anywhere.
James.
And he wasn’t alone.
Chapter FIVE
REDDISH HAIR FELL IN WAVES OVER HER SHOULDERS AS SHE leaned toward James, her mouth curved into a smile. His left arm rested on the table, and her fingers playfully walked up his muscled forearm as she spoke. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut and wanted to throw up. So shooting you is okay but talking to another girl makes you sick? I couldn’t speak, so I grabbed Alec’s arm before he could leave. He followed my gaze to the corner table.
“Oh, her,” Alec said.
She looked up and noticed us staring. Her eyes fixed on mine and something flashed across her face before she removed her hand from James’ arm.
My heart beat like crazy in my chest. I was so mad at myself for believing that even after everything he did to me, James still cared about me. You shouldn’t be mad at yourself; you should be mad at him. He shot you, remember? Anger welled up and I grabbed a full mug from the nearest table, ignoring the protests of its owner. I stormed over to the table.
Alec yelled something that I couldn’t hear because my ears throbbed with rage. James swiveled around, and the red-haired girl’s eyes widened. It seemed to happen in slow motion. Just as his eyes met mine, my stomach dropped and I almost lost my nerve. Don’t let him fool you again. I reached the table and threw the contents of the drink in his face.
“That’s for trying to kill me. I’d do worse if I had a weapon.” I turned to the girl. “Good luck, he’s all yours. Oh, and be careful … he likes to shoot girls.”
Alec stared at me slack-jawed as I stormed back over to him. “Now I’m ready to go,” I said.
“Tora!”
Several people yelled my name at once. One of them was James. I’d know that gravelly voice anywhere. I turned toward the second person as I stomped out the door. It was Markus. Apparently the ruckus had been loud enough to pry him away from his make-out session.
Markus stumbled out the door after us with James close behind.
“Sweetcakes, it’s so good to see you,” Markus said loudly. “Come here and give me a hug.” He bent over me and I almost retched from the fumes on his breath.
“You’re drunk off your ass, Markus,” I said, pushing his arms away. “It’s good to see you, but not like this.”
Markus swayed a bit on his feet and Alec helped to steady him. “Easy there, amigo.”
James stepped in front of me. “Tora, I thought we’ve been through this already. What’s wrong?”
What the hell was he talking about? We hadn’t been through anything. I glared into those hazel eyes of his and refused to let them affect me. “What’s wrong is that while I’ve been rotting away in a Consulate prison—after you tried to kill me, I might add—you’ve been making moves on the next girl. I don’t know why I’m surprised.”
He gave me a pleading look “You know that’s not how it is. Just hear me out.”
I put up my hand. “How would I know that? I’m done listening to lies. Just tell me where I can find Kale and the guns, and I’ll be on my way.
”
Alec coughed. “And I’d like to know where my dog is.”
Markus waved his arm in the air as his words slurred together. “That mangy mutt is jus’ fine. She’s tied to a tree behind the bar with a bowl of water. James takes her everywhere with him.” He pointed a finger in my face. “In fact, that’s the only bitch you need to be jealous of, heh heh.” With that, he turned and vomited onto the nearest bush.
I couldn’t believe this was the same Markus that had swaggered his way across the planet as a gunrunner. Now he could barely even walk. After he finished gagging, he stumbled over to a tree and passed out within seconds.
“He needs help before he drinks himself to death.” I stared at his snoring form.
“I’ve tried,” said James. “He won’t let me.”
Alec shifted back and forth. “Now that you’re here, maybe you can talk some sense into him, Tora. I’m going to run and and get Lucy. Be right back.”
“Fine, go.” I waved him away. All I needed was information about the guns and I was out of here. I’d get Max to take me and the guns somewhere, and then figure out how to destroy them once and for all. The sky had turned a dusky shade of orange. The light break was ending quickly and I needed answers before it got dark again.
I crossed my arms and stared at James. “You were saying? Kale? Guns?”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “Kale knows you’re alive. He’d have found out anyway, so I figured it was better if he heard it from me. That doesn’t mean you’ll be safe when he gets back.”
“Not with you around, that’s for sure,” I said. “So if I’m in such danger, why was Alec supposed to bring me here—to a settlement that you renamed after my sister. What the hell is that about?”
James frowned. “Remember? The plan was for you to lay low until we got more intel. I didn’t know you were going to show up yelling and causing a scene,” James said. He looked around like he half-expected Kale to show up at any minute. I remembered how James had followed Kale’s orders to the end, even when it meant killing me. All because of some bigger plan that Kale was involved in that James wanted to know about. My life had meant nothing compared to that.
Strange Skies Page 4