Pearl's Number: The Number Series

by Bethany Atazadeh

  Exhausted, the group rested, watching the sun slowly cross the sky, drying them off. Once the bit of stained bandage had dried, Olive pulled Sol up to a sitting position so she could wrap his wound again. The broken skin was clean now, but swollen, and a bright red with hints of sickly yellow-green that suggested the beginnings of infection.

  The dizziness faded. Pushing himself to a sitting position, Jeremiah leaned back on his arms. The lake shimmered in front of them and on both sides. He now knew that the grassland stretching out on both sides was real, but which way led to a town? What territory were they in? Should they go left? Right? Wait for help? He had no idea. Some guide he was. His gut clenched at the reminder that they were looking to him for direction. At least now they had water.

  He studied the area for a few minutes, thinking hard, trying to picture the map they’d been forced to leave behind in the rental car. The others sprawled out on the green grass, recovering. Jeremiah prayed for some divine miracle or insight, but nothing happened.

  Closing his eyes, he imagined the map once more. Hadn’t there been a territory full of lakes? “I might know where we are,” Jeremiah told the group. He hesitated, as they perked up. “Not the exact location, but the territory reminds me of the one in the center, above the Riders.”

  “The Lakelands?” Evie asked.

  Jeremiah nodded. But as he looked to the left and to the right, studying the greenery and trees cropping up along the landscape, he shrugged, admitting, “I could be wrong.” Wherever they were, they weren’t in the desert anymore. That was for sure.

  “As long as we’re near water, we’ll be okay,” Olive said. But she frowned as she glanced over at Sol.

  With a sigh, Evie dragged herself up to sit like Jeremiah. He could tell she was still weak. They all were. None of them were excited about the idea of possibly setting off in the wrong direction. The sun sank closer to the horizon by the minute. Within an hour it would be dark, if not sooner.

  Before Evie could stand, Jeremiah spoke up, “Maybe we should stay here for the night.” If he was being honest, Jeremiah didn’t think Sol could go any further.

  The others agreed. Evie nodded at him gratefully before she laid back down. Jeremiah sat with his back to the water, staring out at the desert they’d somehow crossed. He was about to lie down and relax again, when he stopped, squinting. Was that a dust cloud in the distance?

  19

  Evalene

  “LOOK!” JEREMIAH JUMPED UP, pointing in the direction they’d come.

  His urgency made Evalene whirl to face the desert they’d just left. The moment she saw the dust cloud, her anxiety skyrocketed. “More Riders!”

  Olive watched the horizon too. Evalene caught her glancing down at Sol, who hadn’t even moved. If he was in such bad shape he didn’t bother to sit up, then there was no way they could run.

  “What do we do?” Olive hissed, “Can we hide in the water?”

  Jeremiah held out a calming hand as he squinted at the cloud. “I don’t think they’re Riders…” he said slowly, “Or at least, they aren’t on bikes this time if they are…” Evalene didn’t know what to make of the slow-moving cloud. Jeremiah might be right, but her heart beat wildly at the possibilities.

  Olive turned back to the water. “Let’s jump in and hide, just to be safe.” Evalene nodded agreement, helping her lift Sol and wade back into the cool liquid. Jeremiah followed.

  With only their heads above the water, they spoke in hushed tones. “What are they driving?” Olive asked. She kept one eye on Sol, letting him lean on her, even though the cool water seemed to sharpen his senses.

  “Not sure,” Jeremiah answered, frowning. “But they don’t look like the Riders’ bikes.”

  That was for sure. The vehicles were the size of a bus and round, like a bullet on wheels. But that didn’t make Evalene feel any better. She glanced over at Jeremiah anxiously.

  “I think the Riders get their name from those strange bikes,” Jeremiah whispered, as if reading her mind. "These vehicles seem completely different…” He squinted at the train of buses in the distance like it might help him discern for sure. “Let’s wait until they’re closer…”

  The strange vehicles crept toward them in the distance, driving at an extremely low speed. More bus-shaped crafts appeared behind it. They were traveling in an organized line.

  This orderly, peaceful approach, along with everything else about them, persuaded Evalene they were nothing like the Riders. And if they weren’t coming to attack, then they were the group’s salvation. “Let’s wave them down.”

  “One more minute,” Jeremiah cautioned. But finally, he nodded. “Okay... I guess we don’t really have a choice. We need help.” Though Evalene could tell he was worried, they stepped out of the water. Olive helped Sol lower himself to the ground to rest, while Evalene and Jeremiah waved their arms and yelled to get the stranger’s attention.

  The buses were already headed in their general direction, but someone must have spotted them, because they turned directly toward the group. Too late to change their minds now.

  They lowered their arms and waited, as the vessels crawled toward them agonizingly slow. Whoever these people were, Evalene and the others were too tired, beaten and starved to run more than a few feet anyway.

  Each bus had a concave rooftop filled with a group of people lounging comfortably under canopies, enjoying the breeze. As their faces began to be distinguishable, Evalene grew even more certain they couldn’t possibly be Riders. They were unmasked and flashed wide grins at the group as they approached, waving wildly, cheering, and yelling, “Hello, friends! Hello!” They sounded nothing like the Riders or the York natives. There was a rolling lilt to their speech, blending all the words together, but not in an unpleasant way.

  “Hello,” Jeremiah called back.

  “Having a nice swim?” One of the women called out from where she sat in the shade of an awning. Every word flowed into the next like water lapping at the shore. She climbed down the ladder along the side while the bus was still moving, and hopped down to greet them. All her teeth showed pearly white against her brown skin as she grinned. Her smile was so perfect, Evalene found herself wondering if it was a BioGrade? Did they recreate teeth? Olive had said they did everything.

  The smiling woman strode up to them energetically, towering over all of them. “Oh, you poor little babes. You got stranded, didn’t you?” She didn’t wait for an answer—not that she needed one, considering none of them had any gear and all four of them were sunburned a deep shade of red, standing on the shore as if one more drop of water might be enough weight to knock them over.

  “Fern, Peach, come help,” the woman called out without turning around or taking her gaze off them once. She held out a friendly hand to shake theirs. “The name is Skye. I’m in charge of this group of rabble. Welcome to the Lakelands.” The handshake felt formal compared to the rest of their enthusiastic greeting. Evalene noticed a tattoo of three arrowheads on Skye’s wrist as it was her turn to shake.

  Two women leapt down from a bus when Skye called. Evalene assumed they must be Fern and Peach. Strange names. Even stranger looking.

  Skye turned and strode purposefully away from them toward the bus, shouting orders to the other Lakelanders that got lost on the wind, while the two women approached.

  “Hi, I’m Peach,” said the first woman, reaching out to shake their hands like Skye had. She had the same tattoo of three arrows on her wrist. Evalene wondered if they indicated belonging to this crew, the way the Number tattoo on Evalene’s neck used to declare her place back home. Peach’s head was shaved almost completely, with just a bit of red fuzz showing her natural hair color. Just like peach fuzz. She had dozens of piercings on her face and ears. Evalene tried not to stare when she spotted one of the sparkly piercings in the woman’s belly-button.

  “I’m Fern,” the shorter woman introduced herself, a brunette with hair all the way down to her lower back. She wore black, not a hint of fern g
reen or any other color on her. Evalene couldn’t help but notice the multitude of tattoos snaking up and down her arms as they shook hands. Maybe one of designs was a fern? If she had the three-arrow tattoo like the others, it blended in with the rest.

  “Did you come from a fabulous adventure or a disastrous accident?” Fern asked them as she let go of Evalene’s hand. There was a detailed snake tattoo around her wrist that almost appeared to be moving whenever she twisted her arm.

  “Psshh, clearly something hazardous,” Peach said before anyone in the group could respond. She plucked at Evalene’s clothes, ripped and filthy, dropping them in disgust.

  “What are your names?” Fern skipped on to a new question, before Evalene had time to blink.

  “Don’t be rude,” Peach spoke over her, shaking her head and wagging a finger at Fern. “Maybe they wish to remain anonymous.”

  Fern ignored her and spoke to the group, “We mean you no harm, please don’t be anxious.”

  “That’s alright,” Jeremiah said, stepping forward to introduce himself and the group. Evalene noticed his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, which were tight around the corners. “It’s good to meet someone friendly.”

  “Oh, how marvelous to meet you as well!” Peach exclaimed, grinning broadly. Her lip ring glinted in the sunlight and felt incongruous with the pleasant conversation. Evalene tilted her head, trying to figure out their choice of words…

  “It’s not like they’re famous.” Fern rolled her eyes, but winked at them to take the edge off her words. A few dozen feet behind her, people began to pile out of the tubs from the roofs as well as from inside the strange vehicles.

  “Maybe so, but it’s still a momentous occasion, being allowed the opportunity to rescue such fine people.”

  “One might even say a mountainous occasion,” said Fern.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Peach huffed. The sarcastic twist of her eyebrow emphasized two more piercings. They were focused on each other, forgetting the group.

  “I prefer spontaneous.” Fern smirked.

  “Preposterous.”

  Silence.

  Then Fern lifted a finger in victory. “I do believe you’re jealous.”

  “An enormous assumption.” Peach’s mouth twisted in a fiendish grin as if she was winning something. “And frivolous.”

  Evalene tilted her head as the two bickered, unsure if she should smile at their word play or be worried. Another short pause and then Fern lit up as she said to Evalene, “Either way, you’re courageous—it’s truly miraculous! Don’t mind Peach, she tends to be obnoxious.” And she grinned over at the four of them, as if celebrating.

  “Enough games,” Skye called from where she’d been organizing the rest of her crew. Distracted by Fern and Peach, Evalene hadn’t noticed until now just how many people had tumbled out of the massive buses. There had to be at least three dozen of these strange Lakelanders standing there in front of them.

  The two women stopped squabbling for a split second to yell back, “Yes, ma’am.” Fern lowered her voice so that only their small group would hear, “Skye’s the boss.”

  “Our new friends must be hungry?” Skye called out to them. And though Evalene hadn’t thought there was any moisture left in her body, she felt a bit of drool form in her mouth. She nodded fervently as Skye met their gazes. The leader laughed. “Lucky for you, Crater is just finishing dinner. I’ll make sure he serves you first. Let Fern and Peach make you comfortable, you’re our honored guests and we count ourselves fortunate to have you.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Evalene saw Sol lean forward like he was about to keel over. Olive reacted before Evalene had a chance, ducking under his arm to keep him standing. Skye took notice and stepped closer to peer at him, immediately frowning in concern. “Come with me,” she told him, taking his arm. She pulled him away from Olive, who was reluctant to let go. “We’ll have someone take a look at that.” Sol leaned on her heavily as they entered one of the buses.

  Weight fell off Evalene’s shoulders at the kind welcome. Her relief was so profound, she suddenly needed to sit. She was about to topple over just like Sol, when Peach reappeared with a fold-out chair. With a flick of her wrist it flew open, and Peach went as far as to take Evalene’s hands and guide her into the seat. “Oh honey, you look like you’re about to be unconscious. Just rest, we’ll take good care of you!” Between her and Fern, the rest of their little group was seated in just a few seconds.

  Fern spoke as she worked. “Skye is very generous.”

  “And magnanimous.” Peach agreed.

  “If you’re nervous, just wait until Crater serves us.”

  “That makes it sound like his food is hideous.” Peach cut Fern off again with a raised brow.

  Evalene settled deeper into her chair, relaxing between Jeremiah and Olive, enthralled with the strange women. They continued to banter back and forth even as they flung out another two dozen chairs, creating a large circle. “Not at all,” Fern said, as she swept by with more chairs. “If you’re curious about our glamorous life, just wait until you see dinner.” The huge buses had driven up on all sides, surrounding them, creating a protective barrier.

  “Now you’re making them cautious,” Peach said. “Negativity is contagious!”

  “Quite the opposite,” Fern argued, as she pitched the last chair and moved to the center of the circle with some wood. “You’re being mischievous, trying to distract me. But it won’t work. Crater’s cooking is as tremendous as it is fabulous.

  “Ah!” Peach dropped a load of wood in the firepit and pointed a finger at Fern. “You already said that last one. I win!”

  “That’s a load of tech-bait,” Fern snapped. Evalene blinked, wondering what tech-bait meant. “Besides, it doesn’t matter. I had 16, and you only had 13.”

  Overwhelmed, Evalene watched them walk away, still arguing. She glanced over at Jeremiah, feeling disoriented, to see if he’d followed any of that. He shrugged.

  Olive whispered, “They seem nice.”

  “Sure…” Evalene agreed tentatively. There was something off about them that she couldn’t put her finger on. Maybe she was imagining it. Likely she was just reacting to a new culture.

  Just as Olive started to say, “I wonder if Sol–” Fern and Peach appeared with Sol in tow, as well as another smaller woman, who could only be four-feet-tall at the very most.

  “This is Bubble,” Fern said, introducing the tiny woman with deep brown skin and big hair. Evalene almost laughed at the name, then realized they were serious. It must be a nickname. Bubble stood a foot below Fern and two feet below Peach, but despite the height difference, it was she who helped Sol walk over to them, while the other two just watched.

  Bubble flashed the rest of the group a smile with so many teeth, Evalene thought she could almost see her molars. This whole group had perfect skin and teeth. Evalene felt certain they must have had BioGrades to all look so flawless. Which led her to wonder just how old these people really were? Everyone looked so young; the thought that they might be decades older blew her mind. Bubble’s tattoo of three arrows was faded, but Evalene found it there on her wrist because she was looking for it. Definitely something to do with being in this crew then.

  Bubble guided Sol into the chair next to Olive and he sank into it with a sigh of relief. Evalene noted the fresh, clean bandage wrapped around his head. The alert spark in his eyes that she’d grown so used to seeing had returned. That alone helped her relax more than any welcome party could.

  “I brought some medicine for you all too,” Bubble told them, producing a heavy jar with a thick, honey-colored liquid. She had them hold out their hands together, palms up, and poured. Evalene stared at the strange substance in her hands. It looked like a runny cream and smelled sweet like sugar. Bubble gestured for them to rub it into their skin, starting with their faces. The sting of Evalene’s sun-burn disappeared immediately. A soothing sensation spread across her skin wherever the cream touched. Once she felt
the power of the medicine, she eagerly spread it across her face, neck, and arms until she ran out.

  Bubble chuckled at their reactions. “It’s good, I know. That’s for your outsides, now for your insides.” She pulled out a small clear vial filled with blue liquid that sloshed around as she shook it. Unscrewing the lid and holding out the container toward Olive, Bubble held up one finger in warning, “Only one small sip. Understand?” Olive nodded, tilting her head back and swallowing without a second thought.

  Evalene was less trusting. Nothing was free. What was the catch? She took it from Olive’s hand, hesitating. “What is it?”

  “Just a few herbs and my secret recipe.” Bubble spread her hands wide and smiled at them, turning to screw the lid back on the cream. She waved a hand as if it was a foolish question. “It heals the dry ache in your insides. You didn’t have any water for a long time, am I right? This is a fast solution. If you don’t want it, that’s okay. You’ll just need to drink 8-10 glasses of water for the next five days instead. Works about the same.” She shrugged, pointing at the body of water near the camp. “We have an overabundance of lake water here. Fishy. But it’ll do the job well enough.”

  Evalene’s nose wrinkled. She glanced over at Sol, who was as cautious as her. He nodded. “I took it. It’s safe.” If he’d chosen the unknown liquid instead of drinking buckets of lake water, then there was probably nothing to worry about. He definitely looked better for it. Evalene reluctantly accepted the little vial. It tasted empty, but with a hint of something bitter. The aftertaste soured on her tongue and her mouth puckered as she handed it to Jeremiah. He raised a brow at her expression, but chose to take the medicine as well.

  “Good, good,” Bubble said, accepting the blue liquid container back from Jeremiah. “You should be feeling better very soon.”

  And Evalene did feel somewhat better. Between the soothing lotion on her skin and the cooling sensation trickling down her throat toward her stomach, she felt lulled into a sleepy, relaxed state. But the smell of meat on the air roused her.