Jeremiah hated himself for hating them, but he did it anyway.
The pervasive feeling snaked through him slowly, like a poison.
He watched everyone else eat the scadog Graylyn brought. He pushed the meat and berries around on his eating surface, eyes focused and narrowed whenever his sister and Graylyn spoke.
Jeremiah noticed how Naltag seemed to fast----they wouldn't eat the foraged food. Yet, perhaps out of politeness, sat with everyone during the meal, sharing in conversation and general camaraderie. Graylyn playfully hung scadog meat near Naltag's face in offering, laughing when he declined again to eat.
Kilah then shoved two berries in Graylyn's open mouth. Graylyn grasped at her throat, gasping. The playful mood in the air shifted as Graylyn choked on the berries. Kilah hit her on the back, fretting and apologizing. Finally, Graylyn managed to swallow and the moment passed.
"Hmm, tasty. Thanks a lot, ya budget billabong." She smiled, her berry-stained teeth contrasting against her brown skin.
"So sorry." Kilah pecked Graylyn's cheek.
"Humorous, if not reckless." Naltag patted Kilah's back, then moving to pat Graylyn's hand in a similar gesture of comfort.
Jeremiah's vision centered on the touch between his mentor and crush. Despite himself, images from the propagation archives bombarded his thoughts. He pictured Graylyn entangled with Naltag in ways he wished he hadn't. In his estimation, their brief touch instead seemed to linger, alluding to other touches in intimate places.
He had no doubt that they linked.
Naltag and Graylyn.
A red tide crested inside Jeremiah, washing over him. He stood, ignoring the questioning looks from those still seated.
He returned to the ocular window to stare out at the expansive bay as scadogs raced over the terrain. A sensor near the window allowed view of the bay at the wave of the hand. Later, the view would transition to a opaque and lacquered surface.
Watching the shapes blurring across the land usually calmed Jeremiah. Presently, he hated the blurs as he hated Naltag. Aware of the toxic mindspeak he might dispel, he imagined walls erecting in his mind to shield his hate. The haphazard walls failed to keep anyone out, though it kept them from understanding the source of his hate. Jeremiah found this out once Graylyn joined him, eager to learn why he was upset.
YOU ARE READING
In the Compound
Science FictionJeremiah wants to choose his path, but in New Andover, gender decides every role until an otherworldly visitor arrives. Survivalist compounds dot the landscape of an Earth ravaged by nuclear winter. New Andover thrives on threats and conditioning, a...
