by V. K. Ludwig
Interest in them? Ridiculous. Each one of them was the spitting image of a gorilla in pants and a tight shirt.
“Does that mean I also shouldn’t be friendly with you?”
River’s eyes narrowed, which caused the scar tissue on his temple to stretch and quiver underneath the strain. “I couldn’t care less.”
“I see,” I said and strolled over to him. “I will try my best, but I hope you understand it might be difficult for me in the beginning. In the Districts, I can be as friendly as I want with men and they wouldn’t take it as me being interested in them.”
“No kidding,” River said, “I wonder why that is. Oh, wait, I got why! That special water of yours makes sure of that. I bet you could strap a naked woman to one of your men, and it wouldn’t make him feel a thing.”
“You are making it sound like that’s a bad thing.”
“It’s unnatural. That’s what it is. And a damn shame for all those women you’re hiding in that fortress. We would treat them the way everyone should treat a woman.”
“Oh, you mean by raping them?” My skin crawled.
River’s eyes turned into narrow slits. “Seriously? We didn’t have a reported rape here in almost a year. Rowan turned this place around, and it might surprise you to hear that women actually move here from other clans. They know we treat them well.”
“Define treating them well.”
“We give them shelter and food. Rowan already explained that nobody can touch a woman. We respect them and their choices. I don’t care what kind of poison they whispered in your ear, but we treasure our women here. We love them.”
“With your bodies…” I said.
“Damn straight,” River smirked. “You should try it some time. Maybe if you did not drink that bottled poison, you would be the one who throws herself at us.”
My head rang alarm. I didn’t plan on drinking the enhanced water while here. With it, I couldn’t get pregnant. But without it… River’s statement made me worry about ill effects. Would I really throw myself at the men? My blood ran cold.
“You’ll never believe this, but they are not interested in your men,” I said as dismissive as my shaking voice would allow.
“That’s too bad,” he said and conjured a yellowish green pear from the pocket of his pants. He held it between his thumb and index finger and took a huge bite. Juice trickled down his palm as he waited until the fruit made it down his throat. “Friends told me it's great.”
Something about his statement dragged me down. Shouldn’t he know?
“So… you never…”
My cheeks grew warm and tingly at the thought of the word. As a remnant of the past, we spoke as much about sex as we did about ancient dial-up phones: never.
The pear in his hand stopped inches before his mouth. He dropped his hands onto his hips and gazed over to the door. “I’m not married if that’s what you wanted to ask.”
The tip of his boot tapped a nervous beat, muffled by the chocolate brown fur on which he stood. Why does the subject make him so uncomfortable?
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to pour salt into a wound.”
He threw the half-eaten piece of fruit into a nearby metal bucket which threatened to tip for a moment as it swayed in a distorted circle.
“Wound? Why would you think there’s a wound?” he asked and waited for an answer that never came. He continued. “At the end of the day, we have to accept that the Districts and the Clans do stuff differently. Don’t you have nothing but artificial insemination?”
Is he trying to change the subject? Never mind. I came here for a reason, and that wasn’t rummaging through River’s soul trying to find heartfelt emotions under these layers of leather and fur. Because he conveniently placed the question at my doorstep, I picked it right up.
“Yeah, a few years ago we started screening embryos again, and only the ones which are sound and healthy are being implanted.”
“Sounds romantic,” he mumbled and shook his head.
I ignored his derogatory statement. Time for step one: find out where the samples are.
“I could be wrong, but doesn’t your clan contribute to the sperm bank of the Newgenics program?”
“Yeah, but not because we want to. You guys care little about delicious deer jerky, fresh caught trout or wool lined leather jackets. We’ve got nothing left to trade with the Districts but our little swimmers. In a way, I guess we’re trading our own offspring for coffee, medicine, and passion fruit. Gosh, I love passion fruit.”
“And where do you guys keep those samples?” I asked and brushed imaginary dirt out from under my fingernails.
River arched one of his eyebrows. “Huh?”
“Um,” I stammered. “Like, where do you keep them? You store them in a cool place, right? I’m trying to find ways in which the Clans and the Districts might be similar.”
“Huh,” he said and let his eyes wander to the door once more. He chuckled and pushed the stray curl back under his beanie. “You want me to be honest with you? I have no clue. I don’t know who exactly donates, where they do it, and I sure as hell won't imagine how they do it,” he shuddered.
Bummer. River was of no help. This time I was the one who looked over to the door. Please, let Rowan come back. Surely, he could tell me more. I didn’t want to spend a minute longer here than needed. The faster I got my answers, the better.
“Maybe they should have made Adair your guard,” River said and swiped his finger over his holo-band. “He works at the lab when he is not busy with his food forest. He might tell you all about it.”
“You mean the attentive guy from earlier? Handsome? With the long blonde hair and the beard who came for Rowan?” I asked.
River’s face tensed. “You sure paid attention to him, huh? Especially if you consider that he peeked his head in for less than ten seconds.”
Was this male pride? I think I read about it during my studies.
“So, is he the one, yes or no?”
“Handsome and attentive, huh? Yeah, that’s him all over.” He tapped a beat on his thigh. “Why are you so interested in the program?”
Yikes! Was he on to me?
“I want to be honest with you,” I said. Bitterness clung to my gums. Lately, my lies seemed to pile up. But did I have another choice? I took a deep breath. “There is a position at one of our fertility clinics that I desperately want. I figured I would be better qualified if I can put this project on my resume. As a highlight of some sort. I’m really interested in this subject, and I would like to learn more about how you handle things from this side of the wall.”
He busied himself with his holo-band once more, completely ignoring me. With each of his swipes, my heart climbed higher and higher into my throat. Would he see right through my lie?
“Just a heads up.” He finally looked up. “Most people here hate the program, so you better don’t mention this to anybody else. With that being said, Rowan won’t come back anytime soon. He sent me a message, telling me to take you home.”
“To the cabin he mentioned?”
“Uh-huh.” He pulled keys out from yet another pocket. “We’ll take the Jeep up there since you’re not used to walking so much… yet.”
He flung the keys into the air with one hand and caught them with the other. Then he winked at me and gestured for me to follow.
The village seemed busier than when I arrived two hours prior. Weathered faces surveyed me from the top of my puffy ponytail to the hem of my heather-colored linen dress.
Strutting his black feathered chest, a rooster crowed from atop a clay-colored hut. Right next to him, a young boy held his head over the edge of the golden straw roof.
He let his saliva drool down a few inches. Sometimes he sucked it back into his mouth and make it drool out again the very next moment. Other times he wasn’t quick enough, and the droopy goo fell onto the sand beneath him.
Rust covered and puffing like an old steam train, the so-called Jeep took us on
a boulder-bumpy ride up the hill. I would never understand how River dodged the countless trees.
Then, just behind a school of tiny pines, five deer stood on elegant and slender legs. Wow! Their ears turned toward the sputtering engine.
“Stop the car, stop!” I shouted and grabbed River’s arm. He stepped on the break. If I hadn't held on to the door, it would have catapulted me out of my seat.
My fingers barely wrapped around a third of his arm, but I bore them into his skin, nonetheless.
“This is amazing,” I whispered, although it wasn’t likely these magnificent animals would actually hear us. “I’ve only ever seen them on pictures and once our teacher showed us an ancient movie. Still two-dimensional and all. Are they always this big?” I asked.
“Oh look, look. That one has those things on his head. Ugh, I forgot what they’re called. What are they called again, River? That’s the male, right?”
Again, no answer. Why doesn’t he answer?
I turned my head, and I had to swallow a sudden lump at the back of my throat. His eyes weren’t on the deer. They weren’t even on me. Instead, his entire being seemed focused on where my palm rested on his arm.
A subtle sheen of sweat had settled on his forehead. How long has he been like that?
“Um, River?” I asked.
He looked up at me, his lips slightly parted as if the words got stuck somewhere on their way out.
“I had no idea you already hated me this much,” he said with a low and husky voice.
“Excuse me?”
He lifted his arm, my hand firmly attached to it, and pushed it towards me.
“If anybody would have seen us like that, Rowan would take me to the Ash Zones first thing in the morning. You’ve got the Imperial system at the Districts, right?”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”
He sighed and pointed at his arm with his other hand. “Just making sure, because this is totally less than three feet distance between us.”
Is he serious? This was nothing but an innocent touch out of excitement. Surely nobody would think any of it?
“But you didn’t touch me. I touched you,” I defended myself.
“It doesn’t matter,” he wiggled his wrist, and my palm slipped off his arm and onto my lap. “No closer than three feet. That’s a bit less than one meter, in case you’re confused. And to answer your questions… it’s called antlers, and yes he was the male.”
Was? I turned back to look out of the windshield. Gone.
“Do you think I can meet this Adair?” I asked.
He turned around, a cold stare on his face. “Why would you want to meet Adair?”
I pushed myself back into the seat and clicked the seatbelt into the buckle. “Because you said he knows about the program.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he fumbled with the weird knob between us and hit the gas.
Chapter 9
Home Sweet Home
River
We climbed up the porch. “Home sweet home,” I said, and pointed at the weathered red and blonde fir logs.
Ayanna’s almond-shaped eyes gazed over the cabin like a camera, taking pictures of every spiderweb and the abandoned bird's nest underneath the rafters. “That’s the tiniest community home I’ve ever seen.”
“Community home?” I wiggled the rust-stained doorknob. “We don’t have community homes here. Everyone has their own house, but families usually live together. Like couples with their kids. Or grandma, if they are lucky enough to have one.”
“That sounds like a waste of resources.”
The knob wouldn’t budge. I optioned for a hearty kick with my boot instead, and the door flung open.
I shook my head. “Uh-uh. Nothing goes to waste here. I cut those logs myself and only used trees which grew too crowded, anyway. Most people have homes made of clay. We try to use what nature provides out here. Besides, I like the privacy.”
She walked inside, placing one foot in front of the other in a slow and precise manner. I listened for the familiar sputters of heat and flames. I looked over to the cast-iron stove. They had died down. Right next to it, in the corner, stood my bed with the pillow bunched up against the wall, and the down blanket halfway on the ground.
For a moment, I regretted that I had shut all the windows before I left to pick her up. The unforgiving scent of overly ripe socks clung to the room, but I hoped she wouldn’t notice.
“You prefer to live here alone instead of with your family?” Her voice rose into a shrill of wonder.
“Nope,” I said, and closed the door in slow-motion as not to scare her. “I have no family.”
She answered with nothing but a drawn-out hmm. Did she believe this was weird?
Ayanna took a lazy spin around. A kettle with chipped blue paint stood dry and quiet on the stove. Clay mugs drowned in an ocean of cream colored foam inside the ceramic sink. Behind a heavy gray wool curtain, glass bottles of enhanced water peaked out from underneath.
“Councilman Merrick told me some of you have hygiene pods?” Her hope-filled eyes darted to the only other door in the room.
“The Districts gave us two hygiene pods a few months ago when we traded them some additional… um…” I pulled the collar of my shirt. I can’t say that word in front of her. “Some additional protein powder. One of them quit working on the first day. Well, and Rowan has the other pod. But the bathroom is in there if you have to, like, go and stuff. I’ll show you.”
Jerking my head in the direction of the door, Ayanna followed me to the other side of the room. Pinned between the frame, we stood so close I could sense how the heat emanated from her torso.
Three-feet-rule, River. Three-feet-rule.
I took a step back, not liking the idea of how a rope would look around my neck. What if she would touch me again like she did in the car? I almost died of a heart attack when it happened. The view of her tiny hand on my muscular arm didn’t go unnoticed by my cock either. Shame on me. I am her guard for fuck’s sake. I warned them, didn’t I? My little friend and I made for a clueless pair — overwhelmed three hours into the adventure.
“What is that?” She hurried to the eggshell white porcelain throne and pointed at the pink lid.
“Trust me, I didn’t choose this color.” Warmth spread to my ears. “But beggars can’t be choosers, and you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find one of these. The single most difficult item to scavenge, right after weapons and —”
“No, I mean what is it?” She pointed at my throne, her lips parted by curiosity.
I scratched the nape of my neck. “Um, the toilet?”
She threw me a surprised look. After she lifted the lid, she shuffled around and observed it from every possible angle. “Where am I supposed to put my feet?”
“I guess anywhere is fine as long as you don’t put them in inside the bowl.”
Ayanna crossed her arms and frowned, apparently taken by some sort of cultural shock. I walked past her and sat down to demonstrate.
“I see,” she said. “You don’t squat?”
“Not unless I’m in the woods and have to take a dump.”
She scrunched her nose. “Eww… that is unsanitary. We have public bathrooms at almost every corner in our district.”
“Well.” I shrugged my shoulders and pushed the handle on the water tank. Her eyes watched the whirl disappear. “There are no public bathrooms in the forest. Probably because none of us want our balls ripped off by a raccoon.”
“In the Districts, we squat. Our scientists say it’s much healthier for our digestive system.”
“Uh-huh.” I breathed, almost relieved that the subject distracted me enough to quit staring at her flawless cinnamon skin. “I always figured the scientists of the Districts worked on other things. Like creating an artificial uterus or how to triple human intelligence. But if they get your pipes working great instead, more power to you I guess.”
I chuckled and turned to grab a hand full
of kindling wood from the wooden box beside my bed. Ash crumbled from the coals and revealed impatient embers, which flared up as soon as the twigs touched them.
“Is that the enhanced water the Districts delivered for me?” Ayanna pointed at the glass bottles underneath the curtain’s edge.
“Yup.” I grinned wide and gave her a wink. “It's enough to keep you from falling in love with me for at least a year.”
Ayanna shrunk back and bumped into the corner of the dining table. That’s when shit turned from bad to worse, in some sort of mind-boggling chain reaction. The horse-high tower of books which rested atop swung in slow motion, yet still too quick for her to notice.
One tumbled to the ground. Thud! A second later, two more followed. Thud, thud! The wooden floor vibrated underneath their weight.
Ayanna threw her hands up to cover her head and ears. My adrenalin spiked. The pile now swayed like a drunkard leaving the O’Connor at two AM on a Saturday. Once the rest thunders to the ground, the poor girl will get scared shitless.
I dived headlong to her side and reached out for the pile. If I could just get them to fall the other… Too late! One dust-smudged cover after another, the books tumbled down in a thunder of words and century-old wisdom.
And the way luck had it with me, the last one flopped against the backrest of a chair. Its corner spun around and planted itself firmly in the crease where her perfectly rounded ass stopped, and her long skinny thighs started.
Ayanna jumped up, turned, and her sharp stare made me stop in my tracks. There was nothing between us now, but that damned chair and really awkward silence.
Her eyes burned with such fury, I felt my heart skip a beat.
Any woman would have stood there like a deer in headlights, but not her. She took a step towards me and pointed her index finger right at my neck.
“Did you just touch my butt?”
I cleared my throat. “Absolutely not.”
Her eyes bored into mine, like two suspicious special agents who came looking for the truth.
