Scavenger Girl: Season of Toridia

by Jennifer Arntson

  Trisk didn’t give him a chance to respond. “When you came to the prison, I was so angry when they handed you a green tunic. I wanted to rip it off you and keep it for myself, if only for a day. You were protected. I wasn’t. It felt so unfair.” She paused, and Marsh took her hand for support. “But you did something I never expected of anyone. You used that tunic to help us. It didn’t matter if you brought one roll back or a dozen, you shared everything you smuggled in with complete strangers. You didn’t ask what law we broke to be locked in there, nor did you show favoritism toward the colors they used to define us. You treated us all equally. You gave me hope I might actually survive and get out before I starved”—with a flick of her wrist, she swept a tear from her face—“or worse.”

  I fidgeted in my seat.

  She continued, “This is no different. You’re still protected, and these people are prisoners of their situations. I’m pretty sure they, like me, feel it’s unfair. That’s why they attacked you at the gate in Nik’s vision. I’m not a Seer, but I know because I’ve been there myself.

  “Desperate people do horrible things. But that’s just it; it doesn’t matter if they did something to deserve how they’re living now or not. Reinick and Noran blame the victim as if they asked for any of this to happen. If I know anything about you, I know that doesn’t matter to you. That’s not how you think. Not in prison, not now. I’m alive today because your heart, your convictions, made a difference. I’m your proof. You’re never going to measure up to your own expectations, Una, but you will fail if you hold back. Think about what you’ve already been through trying to make this happen. Did that crazy bastard kill your spirit the way he killed those people? Please don’t let him. If he, or anyone else, tries to hurt you, it will be my honor to die defending your purpose,” Trisk declared. Marsh and Ino nodded in agreement. “We’ll do our part if you do yours.”

  I used my shirt sleeve to dry the tears escaping from my eyes.

  I wish I had as much faith in myself as she does.

  “You can do this,” Hawk affirmed.

  My mother nodded her support.

  “I noticed you’ve already collected quite a few supplies and stashed them in the pantry.” Calish smiled slyly. “Let’s see what we can do when this group starts working together.”

  Without confidence, I nodded my reply.

  * * *

  Calish put away his own insecurities and facilitated the discussion with the others, including Nik, into the early hours of the morning. Every aspect of planning seemed to affect some other plot point, sending the conversation round and round as plans were altered to be plausible. Hawk littered the floor with crumpled papers of expired strategies, lists, and drawings as the night turned into morning. Ino tried to stifle a yawn, and Trisk pinched the bridge of her nose to soothe her dry eyes. I kept myself awake by counting how many times Marsh’s head dipped to his chest before his eyes pulled open again. Nik, obviously accustomed to long meetings, maintained pace with Hawk and Calish, who didn’t notice the struggle of the others sitting at the table.

  It would be foolish to believe the goals we outlined when we started hours before would be easily accomplished. Slouched in my seat with my head resting against the padded backing of the dining chair, I let my eyes rest. In the long blink I allowed them, they provided me a vision: a table, much like this one, surrounded by many of the same people as part of an alliance. A new governing body. My eyes flew open, adrenaline racing through my veins.

  Which of us were there?

  I searched the faces at our table, desperately trying to match them to what I’d seen. Nik took notice of the intensity of my stare.

  Was he in my vision? Was Calish?

  I saw myself there, I think, but who else did I see?

  Nik’s attention drew Calish to pause the meeting. “Is something wrong, Una?”

  I stood, not wanting to lead their discussion off topic. “No, I just need to get some air.”

  “You know, we could all use a break.” Calish stretched his back and rolled his shoulders as I made my way toward the back door. “On second thought, maybe we should call it a night.”

  As I opened the door, a blanket of humidity covered my face, robbing me of the refreshing night I had hoped for. I sat on the steps, clenching my eyes shut. “Come on,” I grumbled, pounding my fist into the top of my head.

  “What did you see?” Nik startled me. I turned to see him standing in the open doorway.

  “I’m not sure,” I huffed. “How do I get it back?”

  He sat next to me on the stone step. “Tell me what you remember.”

  “It was like the Council, some kind of governing body. I was there, I think. The faces were familiar, but I couldn’t see exactly who they were.” I closed my eyes again.

  “Don’t try.”

  “Why? What do you know?”

  “The people you care the most about are the ones whose futures are most obscure.”

  “I don’t want a riddle. Just tell me what happens.”

  He sighed and leaned forward with his arms casually draped over his knees. “This works. What happened tonight creates the alliance between the Resistance and the new Authority. You did that, Una.”

  I shook my head. He knew that’s not the answer I wanted. “How do I see who’s there?”

  “There are two schools of thought on this. The first is you are too emotionally tied to the outcome, and therefore your mind protects itself from too much information. It’s like a safeguard. Your gift knows what happens is for the best but is aware that you will try to alter it anyway. You’re hiding the most important details from yourself, so you don’t make things worse.”

  “What’s the other reason?”

  “The second thought is that it hasn’t been decided yet. Maybe there are a few undetermined variables resulting in several potential outcomes.”

  “Do you know who’s there?”

  “No.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Nik.”

  “If you don’t believe me, search me.” He held out his hands. “I won’t hide anything.”

  I didn’t take his hands; his offer convinced me enough. I folded my hands on top of my head, let my arms relax, and let a few cuss words fly.

  Nik responded with understanding. “As much as I would like to hug you and tell you everything’s going to be just fine, this time, you’re just going to have to take my word for it.”

  I lowered my arms, confused.

  Nik stood and leaned casually against the house.

  Calish appeared in the doorway, recovering from a yawn. “This is where you two went.”

  “Yeah, I wanted to tell Una her recommendation for the Council has been postponed until her return; if she returns to camp, that is.”

  “Ah.” He nodded, missing the suspicion I’d come to expect whenever Nik was near.

  “Good work tonight,” Nik said, calmly holding out his hand.

  “You, too, Nik.” Calish took his hand for a customary shake. “Hey, I’ve wanted to ask you something, but the time never seems right, so I’m just going to throw it out there.” He let go of Nik’s hand. “Do you mind if we start over? I’ve been unnecessarily rude to you ever since you’ve arrived, when I should have been grateful for your efforts.”

  “No apologies necessary, my friend.” He patted his shoulder. “It’s a new day.”

  Nik disappeared into the house, and Calish took his place seated next to me. “Can I join you?”

  “I’d like that.”

  He put his arm around me, and I tucked into him. I tried to read his future. I still couldn’t. The last few days had exhausted me. As tired as I felt, I doubt I could read what he experienced an hour before. To think I could stretch my gift beyond my ability was foolish. Instead, the rise and fall of his chest comforted me.

  Will there ever be a time I couldn’t feel this?

  “I love you so very much.”

  “I know you do, Una.” He held me tightly and looked to the sk
y with the same wonder he always did. “I love you, too.”

  Together, we experienced another perfect moment. If I could have frozen us in a sliver of time, that might have been the moment I’d choose to spend eternity in. I didn’t want to ever be without him, and until that night, that vision, I never considered the inevitable. There would come a time when death would claim one or the other of us. The question was when and whom.

  Chapter 11

  Calish woke up early and amorous. More than willing to comply with my partner’s plans for the morning, we began in the bedroom and ended in the shower. My lover pouted about not being able to go back to bed when he left me alone to finish bathing. I enjoyed the feeling of the foaming shampoo as I took my time washing my hair. It had grown a fair amount since it was cut at the beginning of Talium. When wet, it stretched to my Seer’s mark, but after it had dried, the wide curls tickled the tops of my shoulders.

  After getting dressed and opening the door to leave the master suite, I retreated when a breathless moan came from down the hall. Calish and I were not the only active lovers in the house this morning. I peered down the hallway, confirming all the doors were shut before hustling past the room where the couple tried to hide their passion and failed. Not that it would help, but I shielded my face from that side of the hall in case they spilled into my path, naked, sweaty, and breathless. The more appropriate thing to do would have been to plunge my fingers deep into my ears to avoid the rhythmic grunt and the squeaking springs of an aging bed. My legs quickened their pace. My footsteps landed purposefully without sound on the carpet. I had no interest in listening to the intimate activities of my older brother and his betrothed any more than I’d want to hear anyone else. The guttural noises were not funny; still, I found myself suppressing my laughter as I moved on.

  Hopefully, I’m the only one hearing this.

  Hawk flew up the stairs two at a time, never acknowledging me as he passed by.

  With a clenched fist and twisted face, he banged on the first door he came to. “Get up!”

  The bed stopped moving, and a feminine giggle escaped in the silence.

  I scurried downstairs as Hawk continued his demands on the next door down until everyone confirmed they were awake.

  In the front room, Calish fumbled with the cufflinks of his Authority-issued uniform.

  “Let me help you,” I offered, thankful to distract myself from the obvious cat-and-mouse chase in the room above.

  Relieved, my husband’s shoulders lost tension, and he held his arm out as if grateful to be rescued. “I hate these things.” He glanced at the ceiling, hearing Marsh’s heavy paws in pursuit of his assumedly naked prey upstairs.

  I acted as if I couldn’t hear it. “Well, you look very handsome in this ensemble.” I finished with the link and adjusted the cuff of his uniform. “What’s your plan for today?”

  Trisk shrieked, Hawk yelled a warning, and Calish shook his head at the absurdity of it all. “I’ve got to meet Noran to start the processes of material collection and recruitment for building the Temple.”

  I fixed Calish’s collar and straightened his Authority badge. “Will you be home late again?”

  “Not if I can help it.” His eyes twinkled.

  Hawk jogged down the stairs, tucking his shirt into his trousers and yelling a final command at the people left upstairs before greeting us. “You ready?”

  “Yeah,” Calish answered. He kissed me tenderly before whispering in my ear, “I’ll see you tonight.” He breathed in the scent of my newly washed hair. His breath sent wanting shivers across my body, accompanied by an accepted sorrow of his parting goodbye.

  Hawk cleared his throat and opened the door for his nephew. I blushed, stepping back to give them both permission to leave.

  Calish grabbed his hat and, with a tilt of the brim, offered his final farewell. From the window, I watched as he signaled the gatemen to retrieve their horses. They weren’t yet out of sight when Nik and Ino came downstairs, followed by a grinning Marsh and his tousled woman still fixing her hair.

  “Do you have time for breakfast before you leave?” I asked Nik.

  “Maybe a cup of tea,” he compromised, and we walked into the dining room where a teapot, fresh biscuits, and my mother were waiting for us.

  “Good morning, sleepyheads.” She got up and gave me a hug.

  Marsh kissed her on the cheek before pulling back a chair for Trisk. Her eyes lingered on him as he gathered a variety of foods for them to share, and she regained her usual composure when she saw me watching their courting behavior. Although we spent time together in prison, where people became a different version of themselves to survive, I didn’t know her to be the sappy lovestruck kind of girl. She participated as one of the few female members of the security team, considered her hair a necessary nuisance, and handled a slingshot like a god. She stood her ground with any man of the camp, but something about Marsh let her fairer attributes escape her. I wasn’t sure anyone else noticed, but I did.

  Marsh plopped into the seat next to her and let her choose first from the plate. He accepted a cup of tea from Mother and asked for everyone’s attention. “I think we should review the plan.”

  A consensus came from the table, mostly lazy nods from a group who’d rather be in bed than at a breakfast spread.

  “Cal is going to do some recon at the old house, hopefully today, but like he said, there’s no reason for the rest of you to stay.”

  Nik nodded. “I should get back to the camp.”

  “After we’re all situated—” Ino started but was interrupted.

  “And I can tell your father you’re fine.” Mother winked at me.

  “—yes, well, we will meet you back at the property.”

  “I appreciate you all wanting to babysit me,” I confessed. “Don’t you think Calish’s men will be enough?”

  Ino shook his head. “And why would we?”

  I shrugged.

  Nik used his napkin to clean the corner of his mouth, “Our people will look like normal Citizens but will be an extra layer of protection. Besides, I have a feeling you’re going to need the help with all of this once you get started.”

  “And considering I’ve never had a job, got dragged to Counsel twice, and stole the heart of the best woman in camp, I still got a promotion as security lead of the old homestead—”

  “As we discussed,” Nik’s voice rose to take the attention from my brother’s brag, “the assignment will be determined by the Counsel when we return.”

  Marsh chuckled. “I think we both know what’s going to happen, and I’m not even a Seer.”

  Nik dismissed my brother with a subtle roll of his eyes.

  “We’re staying here, right?” Trisk confirmed.

  “Yes. I know how to prepare the stalks, so we’ll start the process here and transport it to the homestead once Calish’s men secure it.”

  “We never did discuss exactly how that would happen,” I said.

  Ino glanced at my brother as an awkward silence descended from the air. “I’m sure Calish and Hawk will figure something out.” He forced a reassuring smile.

  The conversation paused again, because Qarla and Sterle distributed provisions to the people scheduled to depart. As was the custom, they did not speak to any of us. Given the level of tension in the room, such norms provided them a reasonable excuse not to get involved. I imagined Hawk orchestrated the preparations before any of the rest of us woke up. He always seemed to be on task. No doubt his organizational skills stemmed from being raised in an authoritarian family. His actions and efficiency were rather impressive. Scavenger life could also be demanding, but in comparison, we lived far less regimented. Then again, we were expected to die within a year.

  The time had come. Bringing little with them meant there was little to pack, and soon my mother, Ino, and Nik were standing at the front door with their lunches in their hands. We didn’t make our goodbyes too long, and for that I was thankful. Since Calish had left
some time before, I was able to show a more natural, sincere affection toward both of them before they mounted their horses.

  “It was nice to see you, Nik.”

  He nodded and held my hand loosely. “I’m proud of you, Una.”

  “Thanks. And thank you for being here for me. I don’t know if I would have made it without you.”

  We hugged, and the warmth of his touch overwhelmed my senses. I would never admit it, but we were more than friends. As much as I wanted him to stay, there was no better reason for him to leave. The love in his embrace and the pain I heard in his shallow breath further convinced me of it.

  He knew it too. I could feel it.

  “If you need me, I don’t care why, you enter the mirror and find the one in my room.”

  I pulled back. “I can find you? Can you find me and see me, too?”

  He nodded. “It’s a little trick,” he confessed, masking his emotion. “When you’re inside the glass, you cannot see out. It’s not like we can spy on each other or anything.”

  “That’s a relief.” I blushed. “But how will you know it’s me?”

  “No one else will, but I’ll see you behind the glass. I’ll reach in and join you. It always helps if you find a pen and some paper on your way; otherwise, I may not understand what you’re trying to tell me.”

  “I’m not sure Calish will be comfortable with me walking through mirrors.”

  “Your body stays here. You know that, don’t you?”

  I shook my head.

  “We can be there for hours, but in reality, it’s a blink of an eye.”

  “So, when you took me into my memory—”

  Nik snapped his fingers. “That quick.”

  My hands rested on my hips. “Then why did Calish get so angry?”

  “Um, I was in bed with his wife, maybe?” He shrugged, and I nodded, tucking the wispy ends of my hair behind my ear.

  “And you’re sure you can’t spy on me from inside the glass?”