A bored-looking twentysomething out there looked at her quizzically, then, seeing the question in Sinder’s eyes, held up a placard. Searching for Loved Ones?
Yes, Sinder thought. I am. Loved ones. Living loved ones. I have plenty of dead loved ones.
Your Name?
Sinder had no paper. She wrote it in the dirt. The woman made the universal symbol for phone call. Then she pulled out a phone and started texting.
Sinder nodded her head gratefully. The woman signed that she should sit and wait patiently.
Sinder did just that. Then, to kill time while she waited, and to take her mind off the nervousness that came with the thought of seeing her parents again, she searched for some living thing she could help grow. Unfortunately the area had been trampled pretty thoroughly. Not even an intact blade of grass.
“How are you feeling, Sam?”
He opened his eyes, looked up at Astrid, seemed momentarily baffled as to where he was, looked back at her, and smiled. “Better now.”
He struggled to sit up.
“No, no, take it easy. You’re better, but you’re not well yet.” She stroked his hair, and he let her. “Also you’re strapped to a board.”
Suddenly he was alarmed. “Gaia?”
“She’s hurt. She ran off.”
“But not dead.”
Astrid shook her head.
“Something’s burning,” he said, sniffing the air.
“Yes,” Astrid said. “Yeah. The forest is burning. I don’t know how far it’s gone.”
Sam closed his eyes and nodded. “Me and Gaia. I wasn’t even thinking, I just fired . . .”
“Trying to stay alive?”
“How about Caine?”
Astrid began to unwind the shreds of cloth that held him to the board. The way he was straining to get up it was obvious his back was working.
“Are you ready for all this?” Astrid asked him.
“Lay it out for me,” he said, and smiled wanly at her and sat up. “You’re so beautiful. And my shoulder still hurts.”
Astrid filled him in on what had happened. She avoided talking about the fact that Sam, by his very existence, was empowering Gaia. Nor did she talk about her futile and now seemingly ridiculous attempt to contact Little Pete. She stuck to the facts: Caine and Diana reportedly run off to the island; Edilio bracing for Gaia’s next attack; fire visible in the northwest; kids in the fields but scared to death.
She waited until he had absorbed all of that before telling him the last fact.
“Sam. Brianna is dead.”
He just stared at her. Then, in a soft, almost childlike voice, he said, “Breeze?”
“She stopped Gaia. It looked like Brianna almost killed her. The second time she . . . But this time . . .”
There were tears in Sam’s eyes. “My God. How is Dekka?”
“Like you’d expect. Destroyed. Roger’s dead, too, so Edilio . . . It’s been really bad, Sam. Really bad. It’s like we’re in a war.”
“We are,” he said. “I don’t understand why Gaia didn’t kill me.”
Astrid said nothing.
Lana came over then, so Sam didn’t notice Astrid’s silence. “How do you feel, Sam?”
“Better than I should,” he said. Then: “I know you did all you could for Breeze.”
Lana shook her head. “I never had the chance to. The gaiaphage hit her point-blank through the heart with your light. Burned a hole six inches across. That’s not something I can heal.”
“What do you mean, my light?” Sam asked.
Astrid shot a dirty look at Lana, but it was too late. Sam wasn’t going to be put off.
“You need to tell him,” Lana said. Her voice wasn’t unkind, but it was uncompromising.
Astrid said, “It seems Gaia has some connection to your power. There’s a . . . I don’t know what to call it . . . no one knows what to call it, because it doesn’t exist in the world out there . . .” She was stalling. He saw it. So Astrid said, “Diana says Gaia let you and Caine live because if you die you take the power with you.”
Sam’s face turned to stone, completely immobile. Astrid wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. Lana flicked a dead cigarette butt into the corner of the room.
Sam held up his hands, looking at them as if he might find some meaningful answer in his palms. Finally he spoke in a near whisper. “My light killed those kids at the lake, all those kids? And Breeze?”
His gaze went inexorably to the big automatic pistol hanging at Lana’s waist.
“I know what you’re thinking, Sam,” Astrid said finally, “but no. No.”
“I’m not thinking anything,” Sam said softly, lying.
“You cannot take your own life,” Astrid said, putting steel into her voice. “It’s a crime. It’s a sin.”
“I thought you were done with all that religious belief,” Sam said.
“It’s worse than a sin or a crime; it’s a mistake,” Lana said. “At least for right now.” She knelt down to be closer to eye level. Patrick sidled up beside her. “Let’s say Gaia suddenly doesn’t have the light thing. Right? She still has Dekka’s power and Jack’s power and Caine’s power. Caine’s bailed. Which means how do you think we’re going to kill this monster? Jack’s not very useful lately, Caine’s gone, so it’s Gaia versus Dekka and Jack? How does that come out?”
Yes, Sinder thought. I am. Loved ones. Living loved ones. I have plenty of dead loved ones.
Your Name?
Sinder had no paper. She wrote it in the dirt. The woman made the universal symbol for phone call. Then she pulled out a phone and started texting.
Sinder nodded her head gratefully. The woman signed that she should sit and wait patiently.
Sinder did just that. Then, to kill time while she waited, and to take her mind off the nervousness that came with the thought of seeing her parents again, she searched for some living thing she could help grow. Unfortunately the area had been trampled pretty thoroughly. Not even an intact blade of grass.
“How are you feeling, Sam?”
He opened his eyes, looked up at Astrid, seemed momentarily baffled as to where he was, looked back at her, and smiled. “Better now.”
He struggled to sit up.
“No, no, take it easy. You’re better, but you’re not well yet.” She stroked his hair, and he let her. “Also you’re strapped to a board.”
Suddenly he was alarmed. “Gaia?”
“She’s hurt. She ran off.”
“But not dead.”
Astrid shook her head.
“Something’s burning,” he said, sniffing the air.
“Yes,” Astrid said. “Yeah. The forest is burning. I don’t know how far it’s gone.”
Sam closed his eyes and nodded. “Me and Gaia. I wasn’t even thinking, I just fired . . .”
“Trying to stay alive?”
“How about Caine?”
Astrid began to unwind the shreds of cloth that held him to the board. The way he was straining to get up it was obvious his back was working.
“Are you ready for all this?” Astrid asked him.
“Lay it out for me,” he said, and smiled wanly at her and sat up. “You’re so beautiful. And my shoulder still hurts.”
Astrid filled him in on what had happened. She avoided talking about the fact that Sam, by his very existence, was empowering Gaia. Nor did she talk about her futile and now seemingly ridiculous attempt to contact Little Pete. She stuck to the facts: Caine and Diana reportedly run off to the island; Edilio bracing for Gaia’s next attack; fire visible in the northwest; kids in the fields but scared to death.
She waited until he had absorbed all of that before telling him the last fact.
“Sam. Brianna is dead.”
He just stared at her. Then, in a soft, almost childlike voice, he said, “Breeze?”
“She stopped Gaia. It looked like Brianna almost killed her. The second time she . . . But this time . . .”
There were tears in Sam’s eyes. “My God. How is Dekka?”
“Like you’d expect. Destroyed. Roger’s dead, too, so Edilio . . . It’s been really bad, Sam. Really bad. It’s like we’re in a war.”
“We are,” he said. “I don’t understand why Gaia didn’t kill me.”
Astrid said nothing.
Lana came over then, so Sam didn’t notice Astrid’s silence. “How do you feel, Sam?”
“Better than I should,” he said. Then: “I know you did all you could for Breeze.”
Lana shook her head. “I never had the chance to. The gaiaphage hit her point-blank through the heart with your light. Burned a hole six inches across. That’s not something I can heal.”
“What do you mean, my light?” Sam asked.
Astrid shot a dirty look at Lana, but it was too late. Sam wasn’t going to be put off.
“You need to tell him,” Lana said. Her voice wasn’t unkind, but it was uncompromising.
Astrid said, “It seems Gaia has some connection to your power. There’s a . . . I don’t know what to call it . . . no one knows what to call it, because it doesn’t exist in the world out there . . .” She was stalling. He saw it. So Astrid said, “Diana says Gaia let you and Caine live because if you die you take the power with you.”
Sam’s face turned to stone, completely immobile. Astrid wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. Lana flicked a dead cigarette butt into the corner of the room.
Sam held up his hands, looking at them as if he might find some meaningful answer in his palms. Finally he spoke in a near whisper. “My light killed those kids at the lake, all those kids? And Breeze?”
His gaze went inexorably to the big automatic pistol hanging at Lana’s waist.
“I know what you’re thinking, Sam,” Astrid said finally, “but no. No.”
“I’m not thinking anything,” Sam said softly, lying.
“You cannot take your own life,” Astrid said, putting steel into her voice. “It’s a crime. It’s a sin.”
“I thought you were done with all that religious belief,” Sam said.
“It’s worse than a sin or a crime; it’s a mistake,” Lana said. “At least for right now.” She knelt down to be closer to eye level. Patrick sidled up beside her. “Let’s say Gaia suddenly doesn’t have the light thing. Right? She still has Dekka’s power and Jack’s power and Caine’s power. Caine’s bailed. Which means how do you think we’re going to kill this monster? Jack’s not very useful lately, Caine’s gone, so it’s Gaia versus Dekka and Jack? How does that come out?”
