Location: Southern Coast
A survivor.
The thought radiated through Jye.
He ghosted back towards the plane, crouching outside of the door. The tapping stopped. But he could still hear it buzzing in his ears. Not a pattern. Not mechanical. Random and soft and... human.
"I heard you," Jye called into the darkness. Nothing answered his call. He tried again with a softer voice, "It's okay. You can come out."
There was a quiet click.
Jye waited, but his prey was too smart to come out into the open.
He turned to look at Pora, whose face held a promise of violence. Does she know how to control her instincts? Or will she kill on sight like Zigo? Jye signaled her to hold her position. Then he entered the plane.
Concern and hope mixed around and around in his head. Then faded out as the static rose. As he maneuvered through the cabin, he let his body settle. Held his breath. Listening. Preparing for what he might find.
The second click sounded loudly against the silence. The door at the back of the plane inched open. Jye dropped into a crouch.
He was utterly unprepared for what peeked out.
A slender girl, no older than ten. Her hair firey red and tangled. Wide green eyes anxiously assessing. Across her lips was a jagged scar that looked freshly scabbed over. It reached from her chin to the right side of her nose, an angry red against her pale skin.
Dried blood still traced her chin and stained her white shirt and pants. Her arms were wrapped around herself to hide the spattering of bruises. And the tremor of fear.
Jye instantly shifted. The distant look disappeared from his eyes. His body language softened. A nod and a small smile.
"It's okay. You don't need to hide anymore."
She didn't move towards him, but she didn't shrink back either. It was like those huge green eyes were scanning every detail and piecing it together. The bodies no longer littering the floor. The dirt under his nails and streaked across his clothes. The hat he'd pushed back off his sweaty forehead, revealing a few damp waves of iridescent hair.
She's smart. He could see it in her face. She'd seen and recognized his predatory stance. The girl tilted her head as if studying the trained killer beneath his reassuring smile.
She's not afraid of me. A second burst of surprise. Followed by a rush of panic – wondering what made her dangerous enough not to fear him. He shoved that deep, down inside himself. Not a threat. Just a little girl. Alone and scared and waiting for help to come. And instead, she gets me.
As if reading his mind, she pushed the door open wider so he could see the small room where she'd barricaded herself. The floor was littered with food wrappers. A small pile of blankets was shoved into the rough shape of a bed.
His eyes lingered on the woman who lay on her side across the floor. Eyes closed. Skin pale and drained of life. The woman's hair and heart-shaped face mirrored the girl's. Her mother. A splintered branch stuck out just below her ribs and had kept her alive... for a time. Dead for a handful of hours at most. We were too late.
He wanted to curse. He wanted to tear apart the plane. He wanted to beat his fists bloody.
Instead, he sank against the door frame and closed his eyes. The strange man's white uniform had been covered in someone else's blood. Jye didn't want to remember his face, but it was etched into his memory.
His eyes. His nose. Her father.
Jye shuddered at the horror of this little girl's life, blown apart in an instant. Destroyed in a matter of days. Until she was all that was left.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, "Let me help you."
She approached him and raised a hand. He shook with the effort it took to stay still as she gently brushed the hair falling over his forehead. Touched his cheek. Traced his jaw. His bruised face stung at the contact of her cool fingers. Jye felt dark memories bubbling up and he shoved them down. Controlled them somehow. She wasn't measuring him for sale. She was reading his face like a book.
Does she see the animal or the man?
Whatever she saw there, it was enough. The girl nodded.
He led her through the cabin. She didn't look back, but Jye noticed the slightest hesitation before she stepped out the door.
The soft-soled shoes she wore made no noise as she padded over the charred dirt. When they reached Pora, Jye silenced her with a cold look and gestured towards the forest. Once they had made it beneath the shelter of the trees, he settled the girl next to a fallen trunk. Then he and Pora moved a few paces away.
"Was there anyone else?"
"Her mother's body. Dead a few hours. No one else."
Pora froze, uncertainty and fear on her face.
Jye frowned, "You think I could just leave her there, alone?"
"She's a kid. She can't help us."
"Did you look at her?" he growled, "Did you look at the others we buried? No one's seen features like that in a century. If the Scouts found her, what do you think would happen?"
Something in Pora's face softened. If Jye hadn't been watching closely, he would have missed it. But it was there. Just for a moment. So, he changed tactics.
"Her mother was injured in the crash. That was her father who Zigo... We didn't make it in time to help. But I can't leave her behind."
A beat of silence. It stretched heavily between them, filled with unspoken memories.
"What do you want to do with her?" Pora finally asked.
"We protect her. She might be a kid... but she's proof. There are others out there, beyond the mountains. Maybe she can help us get there."
There was nothing left to say. Pora looked ready to throw him through a tree, but she couldn't leave the girl any more than he could. The girl in question sat perched awkwardly. Wide green eyes studied the trees with open curiosity. Jye approached her and crouched down to bring them face to face.
"I can't imagine what you've been through. What it must be like for you to be here in this strange place. But we don't have to be strangers," he pointed at himself and then over his shoulder, "I'm Jye. That's Pora."
Silence.
Jye gave her a small smile, "I can tell you're smart so I'll be honest with you. It's dangerous here for people like us... and for someone different like you. We're hoping that over the mountains we can find somewhere safe. But we need your help with that."
The girl tilted her head again, looking between them. Reading the eagerness in Jye's eyes and the cool reserve in Pora's where she stood a few paces away, arms crossed.
"I promise to do everything I can to help you too. You're safe here with me."
Behind him, Jye felt Pora stiffen. Something had spooked her. If she panicked now, the girl would too. He shot a warning glance over his shoulder. Pora's skin was pallid. She blinked rapidly and then cleared her throat.
"I'll be back."
Then she was gone again.
Jye glanced at the packs of supplies she'd left behind with a raised brow. Pora wasn't leaving again. But he'd seen the subtle shaking in her hands. Was it fear or anger? He'd have to find out later.
"Pora's not exactly friendly. But you get used to it," he said to the girl.
She continued to stare at him silently, a spark in her eyes the only acknowledgment of his words.
They waited together quietly, absorbing the rustle of the trees and the shifting wind. The girl stared up at the trees in wonder. Absorbing them. Almost swaying with their rhythms. He was absorbed watching her until he realized why. She's never seen trees before. The thought was staggering. He couldn't figure out what it meant.
"You're from far away, aren't you?" he finally asked.
She nodded. Then surprised him by leaning over and tracing a finger through the dirt at her feet. Tracing letters.
Go back.
Jye stood in a rush. He couldn't quite breathe. The girl looked alarmed watching him. She pointed at the words as if asking if he could read them. He nodded his understanding.
When Pora reappeared a half-hour later, they were sitting quietly. Jye had brushed out the words, but they kept bouncing around in his head. Taunting him.
Pora's solemn face broke Jye out of his thoughts. He studied her dirty hands and clothes.
"What happened?"
"She deserved to rest with them," Pora muttered.
And then she shouldered her packs and started to walk away as if the exchange had never happened.
The mother. Pora had buried her. Jye wasn't sure what surprised him more – that she'd returned or that she'd gone to finish what he'd started. He didn't push his luck by asking why on either account.
~
For the first time, Pora took the lead. She trusted Jye not to stab her in the back with the girl there to witness. That had to be worth something. The three unlikely companions walked silently through the trees.
The girl did her best to keep up, not complaining even as the brush pulled and scratched at her clothes. Pora gritted her teeth at their slower pace. Carrying her would have been faster. But the girl was already shying away and hanging back. Her wide eyes watched them with guarded curiosity.
Pora ignored her and tracked game, looking for a trail that might lead them to cover. The afternoon wore away as they scrambled over the pitched land. Ruined homes passed in varying states of destruction. The occasional overgrown road fascinated the girl, but Pora pushed them forward. Along the way, she caught some small game, wrapping and stashing each kill in her pack, ignoring the girl's stare. She felt coarse and primitive under the girl's silent observation.
When the sky flushed orange and red with the setting sun, Pora tracked down a suitable shelter for the night. She would have preferred to keep moving. On her own, she could keep pace all night. Put more distance between her and whatever hunted their trail. Every instinct was shouting get somewhere safe.
You're safe here. Jye's words disturbed her.
Her mother's words. A lie. A promise Jye couldn't keep.
They were being hunted and the girl slowed them down. She's not the problem. We are. Pora clenched her fist. The girl would probably be safer on her own. There was nowhere safe for their kind.
Pora signaled the others to stay back as she explored a shallow ravine. Carved into the side of the rocky canyon wall was a cave. She approached and surveyed it, her eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness. The low ceiling looked manmade, far too geometric to be a natural dimple in the mountain. It looked more like the entrance to a tunnel. The roof had given in to its weight. A pile of stone and wood cut the tunnel off, turning it into a room that was just big enough to fit them all comfortably. Best of all, the game trails nearby didn't look fresh. Hopefully, that meant no competition from the wildlife.
Satisfied with the temporary shelter, she watched Jye spend long minutes coaxing the girl inside. Too naive to come out of the open. But not stupid. The opposite, actually.
The girl immediately moved to a corner and sat down, curling her knees up to her chest and watching their movements. The ceiling was just high enough for Jye to stand up. Nothing shifted under his touch as he checked the space.
Pora sat down near the entrance. She drank her fill of water. Then pulled out a knife and started plucking and skinning their dinner. The girl watched for a moment with wide eyes, and then looked away. Pora's temper flared. She wouldn't feel ashamed of her skills. Some things had to be done. No one will complain when they have food to eat.
Jye fished out the medical supplies from his pack and slowly approached the girl. She shrank back, curling tighter into the corner.
"It's okay. I need to clean that cut."
The girl shook her head.
"Want me to hold her down?" Pora offered.
Jye threw her a withering glare and turned back to the girl. He sat cross-legged, close without crowding her. They stared at each other for a long time. She seemed to be waiting. Studying them. Her eyes kept anxiously darting towards Pora's knife.
He tried to put her at ease. "I'm Jye, remember? I enjoy long walks through the forest, sitting in caves, and making people smile."
That spark of amusement appeared on the girl's face for a moment.
"That's my sidekick Pora," there was an indignant snort behind him, "She enjoys hunting, boating, and isn't afraid to throw a punch. But she's handy at dinner time."
Pora frowned. Can't tell if that's an insult or a compliment. But his ridiculous introductions had taken away the girl's fear.
"What's your name?" Jye looked expectantly at the girl.
She shook her head, silent.
"Can you speak?"
She nodded.
"Too painful right now?"
She eyed him cautiously and then nodded again.
"Well then, let's make a deal. You let me clean that cut, and I'll give you something to eat. You won't have a say a word, okay?"
She nodded a third time. Slowly uncurling herself from the corner, she scooted forward until they were face to face. He quickly went to work cleaning out the gash with a gentle touch. The girl winced once or twice but remained silent. Her eyes followed his movements, studying Jye's face. Suddenly she lifted her hand and brushed it over his hair again.
Pora caught the movement from the corner of her eye. She saw the flinch he tried to cover up with a smile. It's not just me he flinches from.
"You like it? I grow it myself."
The girl nearly smiled, but quickly shut her eyes against the pain that followed.
"Almost done." Finishing the cleaning, he rubbed a small layer of clear medicine over the gash, "This should help it heal faster."
While Jye patched up the girl, Pora finished preparing the catch and started shuffling through her packs. Efficiently repacking and organizing. Out came bags of dried fruit and nuts. Without a word, she unceremoniously deposited them beside Jye.
He nodded in thanks and turned to the girl.
"Here, eat slowly or you'll start bleeding again."
The girl tucked bits of food in her mouth with a grimace and chewed carefully. Her eyes teared up but she continued eating.
"Slow down. There's plenty." He handed her small bits at a time. She ate slower, and the gash turned a swollen red but didn't bleed.
Pora gathered together kindling and small sticks from around the cave's entrance and put them together into a roughly constructed circle of rocks. Flint struck the rock, and sparks ignited the cooking pit.
The bag of fruit and nuts dropped with a smack and the girl shrank back into the corner, staring at the growing fire in horror.
"It's okay. It's just for cooking. You're safe." Jye offered.
The girl watched warily as Pora speared the meat and lay it across the rocks over the fire. The combination of Jye's soothing tone and Pora's easy practiced motions seemed to reassure her. Pora scowled, realizing the terrible memories she had brought back to the girl with her careless act. Remembering the scorch marks across the plane.
She shook off the feeling. Not my fault everything makes her jump. Food had to be cooked. She wasn't about to apologize for doing what needed to be done. They should be thanking her.
Suddenly the girl leaned forward to grasp Jye's hand. He froze. But didn't pull away. They sat there in stiff silence, watching the flames together. When the meat was golden brown and dripping, Pora sliced it up onto two worn, metal plates. She took one and brusquely set it beside them.
"Thanks," Jye muttered. Gone was the sly, snarky tone. Replaced by a soft note in his voice. Probably for the girl's benefit. He fed her small bits of meat between his bites.
Pora leaned against a rock and watched the dwindling fire through half-closed eyes. Feeling the weight of the last day and a half press down on her shoulders. The lack of sleep. The bruises across her skin and ribs. The occasionally stinging of the cut on her arm. A day and a half ago she'd been living a different life. Not safe, but somewhat comfortable. Confident that she could take care of herself. How wrong she'd been.
Now she was balancing on uneven ground. Feeling it shift under beneath her feet from moment to moment. The last time she'd felt like that, her mother had just died. It felt like a lifetime ago, but the pain was a wound that wouldn't heal. Pora held it close to her heart. She hadn't let it fade. She'd bathed her senses in it as a warning.
Don't trust in a safe place. You aren't safe anywhere.
It was the one thing she wanted most, but could never have.
Maybe there was still a small chance that this girl could help them. Maybe. Maybe. It seemed ridiculous to put their hope into this child. But it was still there – that hope. Pora had to believe it was out there. A safe place. She had to.
Safe place or not, she was a survivor. No matter what was thrown at them, she would survive. Even if that meant running. The image of the girl's mother lying there, dead and alone, kept returning to her. Too close to her own memories for comfort. It had gone against every instinct – she was doing that a lot these days – to go back a bury her. But now she understood Jye's overwhelming impulse to lay them to rest. Because no one else would.
Not a job for a child.
Pora remembered it all with cruel clarity. The weight as she settled her mother into the boat. Arms shaking with fatigue as she rowed across the choppy water. Dragging as far as she could. And then the digging. Only when it was done had she collapsed on the fresh mound of dirt and let herself cry and scream until her voice was gone.
Sparing the girl those memories hadn't been her goal. But some small part of her, beneath the gaping hole of pain in her chest, was glad. She'd suffered enough. Pora knew what that felt like, being stretched to her breaking point. Left feeling brittle and paper-thin.
But the girl had kept going. Found a way to move forward. To trust them, as stupid as Pora thought that might be. She wasn't weak. Good, Pora thought.
The weak don't survive this world.
~
Jye couldn't read Pora's mood. It seems to be alternating between irritation and discomfort. Even though she hid it, hints of pain slipped through her mask of indifference. She wasn't quite as unaffected as she seemed. And somehow it comforted him to know that she might be just as broken as he was.
The girl, on the other hand, was an open book. Emotions animated her face. Hunger. Curiosity. Humor. Fear. She didn't seem afraid of him. Or Pora for that matter. That makes one of us. But more of the world itself. As if every experience was new, overwhelming her.
She hadn't let go of his hand. It was a novelty for him, to have physical contact. Not because he was being trained. Or forced. But because she needed a friend to ground her in a brand-new world. He counted her breaths as they started to slow.
The girl eventually curled up on the hard stone floor. Exhaustion overcame her and she drifted to sleep. Jye breathed a sigh of relief, pulling away his hand. He shrugged out of his jacket and gently laid it over her tiny, sleeping form.
Moving away, he sat down on the stone floor opposite Pora. Twilight painted the trees beyond their shelter in shades of blue. He picked up a few sticks and fed them to the fire.
"Now what?" Pora asked, scrubbing her utensils and knives clean with a wet rag.
"We let her sleep. Our questions can wait."
He couldn't keep the concerned expression off his face as he glanced at the sleeping girl. Pora watched him carefully. Jye met her gaze and held it. For the first time, she wasn't in motion, walking or hunting or arguing with him. It gave him a chance to really see her. The dirt and blood on her hands. The brackets of pain around her mouth. The wary look in her eyes.
"I'm going to patch myself up," he announced.
Shrugging out of his shirt, he gave Pora a view of the patchwork of purple marks along his chest and ribs. She sucked in a breath but didn't say anything. He hadn't let on how much walking had hurt. How every breath was difficult. Every movement burned. No longer disguising the pain, he dabbed medicine on the worst of the marks. A long strip of gauze wrapped around his torso as a brace. A clean shirt covered it up again.
More medicine coated the bruises along his unshaven jaw and cheekbones. It was a wonder the girl hadn't taken one look and ran the other way.
She's not afraid of me.
But Pora is.
He knew Pora was injured. Blood had coated the cell floor when Zigo first brought her in. Her lips were swollen and split in a few places. Zigo had kicked her – he knew that kick. Her ribs had to be as bruised as his. Not that she'd admit it.
So, he waited. Patched himself up first. Carefully showed her every one of his weaknesses. And when he finally turned to her, the wary look had faded from her eyes.
"Your turn." There was a dare in his voice.
Pora froze. He watched her eyes as she considered the offer and the challenge he'd extended. To let him help. She refused to answer but pulled off her jacket and overshirt. Letting him get close. Her eyes held a threat of violence if he did anything beyond helping clean her wounds.
He started with the cut along her shoulder. The strips of cloth she'd pasted over it were stained red and she cringed as he peeled them back. He cleaned the area, coated it in medicine, and wrapped it with fresh gauze from the kit he'd found in the plane. Then he cleaned the blood that had dripped down her arm. Cleaned her hands. Dabbed medicine on her swollen lip. And finally offered her a roll of cloth to wrap into a brace around her ribs. All in tense silence. When he'd finished, he offered a grin.
"You're welcome."
She bristled at the taunt and he chuckled.
They wrapped up the food and stashed it away. Pora unwrapped a light bedroll and settled by the fire. Jye leaned back against a rock and watched the wind blow through the trees outside of the cave's entrance. He longed to join the wind, running wild over the land and flying into the distance.
Pora surprised him by breaking the silence. "What do you want?"
"From what?"
"From her."
Jye looked at the girl only a few feet away. An unexpected recruit.
"She can help us. And I want to help her."
"You're not afraid?"
He gauged the meaning behind her words. Afraid of where the girl came from? Her people? Afraid she'd slow them down? Afraid of what they would find? Pora could've meant any of them.
"Of course I am. So are you. So is she. We'd be idiots not to be."
Pora didn't rise to the bait.
"There's more out there. I don't know if I can get there by myself. But with her..." a long pause, "... and with you."
Pora nodded. Not quite an agreement, but an acquiescence.
"Why did you go back to the plane?"
Her eyes lost all warmth. "I had to do it for my mom. Hers deserved the same."
"I never got that chance," Jye ran a hand through his hair, shoving back his hat. "Thank you."
Just that. No explanation. No clarification. But Pora seemed to understand. Those walls she kept around herself were lowered slightly. He felt it. Just for a moment. This time the silence that followed wasn't quite so heavy.
He searched for a sly remark to rib her. Nothing came to mind.
She could be an ally. If I could trust her...
Pora opened her mouth to say something. But then her head whipped around toward the entrance. He heard it too. The growl. A flurry of movement through the darkness. Jye's body reacted, leaping in front of the sleeping girl as red eyes flashed in the night.
Wolves.
Adrenaline shot through his veins, stripping away the pain and replacing it with a deafening static. Every instinct roared to protect the girl. She was behind him, instantly wide awake and radiating fear. He felt that fear. Soaked it up. He wasn't sure why, but it gave him a trace of control.
Pora was at his side. Knives flashed in the firelight. Her hands steady, fingers flexing with anticipation. Fury rolled off her in waves. He absorbed that too. She would fight with him. At his side.
Fear and fury... and purpose.
~
As if this day can't get worse. Of course, the wolves are out tonight.
For years she'd seen their tracks while hunting, but always kept her distance. Had never been stupid enough to stay after sundown. Now the smell of blood made her a target. They'd practically left a trail of it for the wolves to follow.
Pora couldn't see how big the pack was. The darkness beyond the entrance was alive with moving shadows. Snarls cut through the night. She wasn't sure if they came from the wolves or Jye.
Gone was the man who'd grinned at her. Here was the predator she'd glimpsed. Felt crawling under his skin.
At least this time he's on my side.
The beasts leaped forward. Three slammed into Jye and shoved him back into a corner. Two more advanced on her. They circled slowly, spreading out across the opening of the cave and blocking any chance of escape. Deep growls rumbled from within their chests as red eyes battled hers.
She balanced on the balls of her feet, slashing knives through the air. One of the wolves was sleet grey. The other was a russet brown. It must have started raining again, because their fur was slicked back, rising in wet spikes across their scruff. They tried to back Pora against one of the walls but she held her ground, knives nicking at them whenever they came too close.
The muscles clenched in the grey wolf's haunch and Pora steadied herself. He struck forward and Pora spun, barely missing the flurry of sharp teeth. As she twisted, her knives slashed out and left long streaks of blood across the wolf's side. Before she could recover, the brown wolf darted forward. Dropping into a crouch, she shouldered the wolf's advance. With a powerful shrug, the wolf went skidding across the floor. Blood dripped from the brown scruff, matching the fresh blood that dripped from Pora's collar bone where a few claws had torn through cloth and skin, narrowly missing her throat.
A new scar to add to my collection. It felt like hours since Jye had patched her up. What good that did. Fresh blood stained her shirt and ran down her chest and arms, threatening her grip.
Taking deep breaths, she spun to face the grey wolf just as it came forward in a rush. Crouching lower, she threw an elbow into the wolf's jaw, breaking bone and sending the sharp teeth away from her skin as her left hand chopped upwards. As the wolf skidded away, it stumbled and fell. A blade buried deep in its chest.
The brown wolf snarled and attacked. Pora was momentarily thrown back against the rough wall. With her right forearm braced across its neck, she held the snapping teeth away from her throat. She struggled against the powerful animal, her back grinding against stone. Claws shot out, trying to tear away more of her skin.
Her free hand grabbed the flailing claws and snapped the wolf's foreleg. The animal whined and then lunged at her with desperate strength. Her hand dug into a hidden pocket. Then struck. The beast shivered and fell to the ground, twitching against the cold stone floor. A knife buried in its neck.
With a hand pressed against her bleeding collar, she spun to help Jye.
Two of the wolves were already dead, without a scratch on them. He crouched, empty-handed, before a great white wolf. The animal was limping slightly as though they had already gone a few rounds.
But it was Jye's vacant eyes that terrified her. The unnatural sounds coming from his throat.
The wolf lunged forward and Jye slanted out of its reach, turning and grabbing the beast around the shoulders. The wolf tossed and bucked, but Jye held on. His face was strangely blank and unfeeling. Bones cracked beneath his tightening grip. A moment later, he released and tossed the beast away from himself. Taunting it with death.
It was slower to attack this time, still growling. Jye made a fist with middle knuckled extended and slammed it into the wolf's chest. Simultaneously he dug steely fingers into the left side of the wolf's neck. Flipping it onto its side, Jye pinned the animal down. The wolf let out a shuddering howl and went limp. Jye straightened.
His face was still terrifyingly blank. He strode to the cave's entrance.
"Come on!" Jye shouted through the rain to the remaining wolves, "COME ON!"
The wolves hesitated as if considering his challenge. Then they let out a series of howls and turned as a pack, leaving quickly through the light rain. Jye shouted after them until they were far out of earshot. The wet wind plastered his hair to his face. Soaked his clothes. He didn't seem to notice, wildly pacing the entrance.
Pora checked the animals within the cave to assure they were dead, sneaking glances at Jye. She found the girl hiding behind a rock, shaking with fear. Without thinking, Pora wrapped her arms around the girl, humming a tune from her memory. Something her mother had sung to hold the fear at bay. Finally, the girl quieted.
"Stay here," Pora warned her, wanting to approach Jye herself.
He was still pacing. His eyes empty and wild.
"Jye," she called.
He whipped around to attack.
She held up a knife between them and said his name again. Firmly this time. "Jye. It's done."
He took a step towards her. Blinded by violence.
"Don't make me kill you," Pora growled.
Something in her words stopped him. The girl peeked over the rock and his eyes darted to her. And held. A shudder. Then he blinked and came back from wherever he'd gone.
"No promises," he replied in a hoarse whisper.
Pora dropped her knife a few inches but didn't put it away. For a moment, he'd looked at her like an enemy. Like he didn't recognize her.
Scratches covered his arms and hands. A slow trickle of blood. But otherwise, he seemed unhurt. Pora ignored his flinch as she grabbed his arms, dragged him back to the fire, and sat him down. She might not know about fancy medicine like he did but she'd watched closely enough before to mimick his process now. Ignoring his hollow expression, she cleaned the scratches and wiped away the thin trails of blood. After the first hesitation, he let her. His eyes kept moving. From the entrance of the cave to the dead wolves to the girl. Processing what had happened.
They'd survived. Fought together. Won. But Pora was cooly furious.
She didn't let it show when she asked, "Are you okay?"
"Fine," he gave her a thin smile. It faded when he finally noticed the growing stain of blood around her collar. She hadn't gotten off so easily.
"But you're not. I guess I'll have to patch you up again."
His attempt at humor just added fuel to her anger. He sensed it and backed off. Pora moved away to clean and bandage herself. This time she didn't let him help. Her shirt was ruined and she turned away to change.
Then she dragged the bodies away from where the girl was huddled, retrieving her knives from where they'd struck. The white wolf, and the others he'd killed, were different. They looked unharmed. She must have been staring because Jye appeared at her side.
"I stopped their hearts."
"What?" she turned her head to look at him.
"Hit certain pressure points with enough force and it stops," he replied matter-of-factly.
He helped her throw a roll of canvas over the wolves. Hiding them from the girl as much as protecting them from the elements.
"I was trained... The things they made me do... I don't want to be that person anymore."
Pora hesitated, then whispered, "You don't need me, do you?"
"I can protect myself just fine if that's what you're asking. I don't need another fighter," he replied, "But I appreciate having someone at my back... to help."
Help in a fight or help him come back after? She wondered.
He sensed her unease and moved away to comfort the girl in quiet words. Pora put her back against the wall. A knife out and close at hand. The small moments of connection shattered. The fear was back in full force, simmering beneath her skin. She itched to run as far and fast as she could away from him.
Jye would have killed me.
But he hadn't. Not because of Pora. Because of the girl. He might not admit it, but Pora had seen what he could do. She knew he'd been trained. But now she suspected he'd also been broken.
A trained pet. With no one holding his leash.
The scarf around her head had come loose in the fight, so she yanked it free with angry motions. Not caring anymore if anyone saw. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders in a long braid. With a sigh of relief, she untied it and brushed it out with her fingers in quick strokes.
Growing up, she'd been tempted to cut it all off. A few times she'd tried to dye it dark. But every time her mother stopped her. Told her that her secret wasn't a weakness, it was a strength. Something powerful enough that it might save her life someday. Pora tried to believe her, but couldn't see what her mother did. It was a death sentence, not a gift. A weight she desperately wanted off her shoulders.
After her mother's death, those words had stopped her every time she got the temptation. So, she let it grow until it brushed her waist. A constant heavy reminder. A buried hope that her mother would be right, that it would mean something someday. Pora hated that she'd been proven right in the worst way. It had meant something... betrayal and pain.
Their faces were burned into her memory. Maltow's slack hands. The shake of Raisa's head. She knew they had guessed what she was. Hoped they might fight beside her if it came to it. Hope had always let her down. Because when that moment came, she'd been written off as a regrettable casualty. Not worth the risk.
I wonder if Jye feels the same way. The thought unsettled her.
A small noise sounded behind her and she turned. The girl had approached, eyeing the mirror-like stream of it with keen interest. Her small hand rose and she tugged on a strand.
"Back off," Pora snapped, stepping away quickly. Gone was the moment for comfort. She wasn't feeling up to being ogled like a piece of meat. Like a freak.
The girl ignored her unease and moved forward again, grabbing another piece and pulling her out of her angry memories. Pora bit back the urge to lash out. The girl wasn't looking at her with a mix of pity or greed like the others had. She was looking at all of her – not just her hair – with an eager expression.
"What is it?" Jye asked.
The girl pointed at Pora's hair, and then at Jye's as well.
He took off his hat. "You've seen people like us before?"
She shook her head, confusing them both. But then she crouched down to trace her finger through the dirt. Pora stiffened as they read the four words the girl wrote.
Four words to change their lives.
Safe. Hope. Go back.
...
Location: Western Desert
Elik ran his fingers through the green leaves. Overhead, fluorescent lights buzzed and beat down with a harsh white light over the huge underground nursery. One of the dozens that provided the city with food. He moved through the rows and rows of plants towards his mother.
She hummed quietly to herself, happily lost in her task. Dirt was sprinkled over arms, legs, and apron. She didn't seem to notice, wielding scissors like an artist as she pruned down a tomato plant. He watched the leaves fall to the ground. Some stained yellow but others still a healthy green.
She finally glanced up and smiled at him, "Hello darling, this is a nice surprise. What happened to your lessons?"
"Dad got called into something. So, he sent me out."
Her lips pursed and they both knew what he meant. Why Elik had to leave and not be seen again. He shuffled a foot through the pruned bits on the floor.
"Why are you cutting off pieces of the plant?"
She paused, smiling at her work. "Plants are dreamers. If I let this one, it would grow big and wild."
Elik reached out and touched the cut ends, "Why aren't you?"
"Eventually it would grow too big for the space. It would struggle to carry water to every single branch. The furthest branches would wither and die. The plant would keep trying to revive them and stop growing. Stop providing fruit. By cutting it back, I'm stimulating growth. Giving it strength again."
Elik considered this. Silent for a moment. And then spoke in a soft voice. "Do you think that's what happened to us, Before? We were cut back?"
His mother looked at him with a hard expression. "The earth fought us, yes. But we started the war. Against each other. People will always be their own predator."
"Why doesn't anyone else talk about it?"
She set down her scissors and sat on the edge of a planter. He did the same – effectively dropping them out of sight within the row of plants. The fragile scraps of life that kept them from disappearing back into the desert.
Her hand touched his face, "You are different. You see more than what's right in front of you. You see what was before. You think about the consequences and what comes next."
"So do you," Elik offered. Her smile turned bittersweet.
"In that, we are unique. Would you believe me if I told you there was a bigger plan for all of us? For everything. The whole world isn't like the desert out there, each grain of sand separate. We are a giant network of leaves and vines woven together, connecting us all."
She took his palm and traced the lines and calluses there, "Your life isn't a straight path to death. It's a thread in a larger design. Curved and twisting and yours to take. Every obstacle an opportunity for a new direction. You just need to have faith that you are meant for more."
Elik grinned, "Mom. You're doing it again..."
She started to laugh and let go of his hand. "Sorry, darling. I started drifting, didn't I?"
He nodded, his fingers toying with a nearby plant.
"Shall we continue lessons in here? Where were we?"
"You stared showing me the hybrids."
She nodded and zig-zagged her way towards another second of the nursery, Elik trailing in her wake. Feeling pulled by some invisible thread.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
You may not know her name yet, but this little girl changes everything. To me, she symbolizes hope in every way. And she forces the bond between them to be both strengthened and tested. What do you think about this crazy first day of freedom for Jye and Pora?
xoxo