Simoom Rising

Chapter Twelve

WAVE Orbiting Station
Now

Harmony

You snitched on Raquel? Oh, that explains a lot.

No, no, it wasn't like that. I heard Vestra laugh in my head. It really wasn't as simple as that.

I know. It never is. It's anything but simple, isn't it? Love. Mancy and me were never simple. You know, mind links are different between different people. It doesn't always mean you become lovers.

But it did between you and Mancy?

Yes, and right away. I wasn't sure I liked him. I'm not even sure I ever liked him. But I fell hard—I was giddy with it.

You're crying. Vestra sensed the tear rolling down my face before I did. I wiped it away.

I wanted to say more, but I didn't. I could feel how tired Vestra was, as she left the Arboretum and limped to her quarters. It had been a long day for both of us, and I couldn't stop her feeling the pain from that bad hip of mine. Had I overwhelmed her with too much information—too much mind-speak, too much everything? I didn't know, but I thought it best to stop for the night. I let my mind drift away from hers and soon, though we could still feel each other's presence and we could still reach out to each other if we wanted, our minds were our own again.

Breathing in the bland air of my cell, I lay back down on the hard bunk, lying on my good hip and rubbing my hand over my bad one. And I began to remember what it was like to fall in love so fast and deep.

***
Pit District, Simoom
Three years ago

I was like a teenager—always trying to get Mancy's attention—always wanting him to look at me, especially in front of the others. In our council meetings no one actually talked out loud. Good thing really, I remember thinking, 'cause even where we were—deep in the main bunker—the moment you opened your mouth dust got in.

Mancy would laugh at my thoughts. At this one meeting—it was before the barricades went up, but the Pit Pats were giving us a hard time and we were having trouble getting supplies from the Plat—Mancy slouched on a pile of food bags 'cross from me, stretching out his long legs. He was looking at me, so I sat up straight to show off my boobs. He always made me feel noticed.

A flash of pissy-ness came from Omari, standing between us. Can we get back to the matter at hand, please? Omari threw another thought my way. Water supply?

I bit my lip and shrugged, trying to keep on topic. A week maybe—if we cut rations again.

Bergen, contact your man on the Plat. You'll have to make another water run.

But Bergen was shaking his head, throwing doubt at everyone. Going to be tough—even with the dust on our side. WAVE Security has tightened.

Fear squirmed its way in. What do we do now? thought Sharise.

We fight back. Kick their asses. This was from Ng—who always thought he was in some superhero show.

No, no—they want us to fight—then they can blame us for starting it, thought Omari.

We can't give them any excuse for violence—they'll clamp down hard, replied Bergen.

Are we just going to let them get away with this?

I cringed. Thoughts and feelings from everyone fought inside me and out, picking up the red dust off everything in the room. It always amazed me the way the dust reacted to our bickering.