"Have a pleasant day," Chieko calls to me and Erin from the truck. We've clambered out from the old vehicle to stand at the edge of the poppy fields. Nia and Florencia still wait in the truck bed. Their stop is closer to the main settlement.
Erin waves with one hand, the other defensively cradling her brown bag of cookies. "Chieko? Before you go..."
Chieko peers over the rolled-down window. "Yes?"
Erin scuffs her shoe in the sandy dirt. "Is David nice to you? I mean, are the two of you friends?"
Chieko blinks. Then frowns. And then there's something about her expression I can't place. She tilts her head, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "I..."
Erin sags against me.
"Woah... hey, you alright?" My heart skips a beat. David wouldn't try to poison us, would he? I know I've been tired, but I thought I'd just exhausted myself after practicing all those water techniques.
"I'm fine," Erin whispers, staring at the ground and still leaning against me. "Just a little dizzy."
"Here... uh... this might help." Chieko cracks open the truck's door and tosses us a bottle of water. I almost catch it, fumbling before managing to grab the water inside it to slow it down so I can grab the bottle. I pass it to Erin, but her focus has returned entirely on Chieko, who raises her hand. Looks at it. Flexes it. Looks back at Erin.
"Is something wrong?" Erin clutches the water bottle so hard that it crinkles.
Chieko startles. "What? Um... perhaps. I... never mind. I'm fine." Chieko clears her throat. "I should be going. Best not to keep the guard detail waiting." She rolls up the window. The truck rumbles onward, leaving the two of us in its smelly wake while Florencia and Nia give us concerned frowns. I wave to try reassuring them, but I have no idea what just happened.
"You sure you're okay?" I ask. Chieko suddenly seemed a lot less... sure of herself... than she had when I talked to her in the truck. Does she know about Erin's powers?
Erin closes her eyes and lets out her breath, as if she's tired. She certainly wouldn't be the only one.
I nudge her hand where she's holding the water bottle. "You should drink that."
"Hmm." She mumbles, and unscrews the lid. She swallows a gulp, then stares at it, dazed. "Do you think I said something wrong?"
"I have no idea," I admit. "I'm not sure what the customs are around here. But I wouldn't worry about it too much. I mean, she's probably used to newcomers not knowing what to say. If it's that."
But Chieko sure rushed off fast. And started acting weird.
Erin twists her lips. "I guess."
Maybe we should walk around a bit. No one is close enough to hurry us back to our posts. "Want to stretch before we get started again?" I ask, hoping that might distract her.
She nods gratefully.
We walk along the outskirts of the road with Erin taking periodic sips from the water bottle. The sun bears down on us, any dampness from the morning already baked away. A haze obscures the distant mountaintops. The air is fresh, though. And while my legs are still wobbly from the extra training this morning, I'm not quite as exhausted now that I've had food. So that's a plus.
After we've walked off the stiffness, we return to where Jacques manipulates a soft spray of water over the poppies. He grins. "Ready to get back to training?"
An hour passes. I'm at wit's end trying to get my own powers cooperating with the more advanced moves he wants from me. From how I can barely push the water through the motions, there's no way I'm going to be able to play Erin's role, too.
YOU ARE READING
Betrayed
Adventure~ Part two of the Deceived series ~ Galina Maly escaped the terrible facility where students with powers were being turned into monsters. She arrives in a new Community, which promises security and transparency. A new home, where she can safely use...
