Elemental

by Antony John

  “No. Rose said not to.”

  She ran the back of her hand across her forehead and licked the sweat off it.

  “Why don’t you let me take over?”

  For once, she didn’t hesitate. She placed the paddle between us and curled up in the bow of the canoe, eyes shut tight.

  I grasped the metal shaft and pushed the paddle blades into the water—first one side, then the other. It felt strange at first, but soon I was alternating strokes smoothly. Even with just me paddling, the canoe slid through the water. Had the Guardians known about this too?

  I followed the contour of Roanoke Island, heading north. Waves lapped the sides and spilled into the bottom. The water sloshed around Alice, but she didn’t seem to care. She had nothing left, whereas I felt stronger after my rest. Or whatever it had been.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “For not helping, I mean.”

  “You don’t need to apologize. You saved us.”

  “What about the thing I told you in the lighthouse? I guess you want me to apologize for not telling you before, right?”

  I didn’t answer. I’d need far more than an apology for that. The girl who’d dedicated her life to revealing the Guardians’ lies was a liar too. Even when we’d touched each other’s hands—shared that connection—she’d made a lie of it. How much of the Alice I thought I knew was real at all?

  I paddled harder. If it had been my secret, I would’ve trusted Alice. Told her everything I was. How could you care about someone and not share who you really are? How could you take several trips to Roanoke Island without telling your only true friend? How could you suspect the colony was built on lies, and not share that?

  Rose would’ve trusted me. Rose would’ve told me everything.

  I was angry. I needed to slow down. I wouldn’t have the energy to make it back otherwise.

  “How did you know this canoe was hidden in the creek?” I asked.

  “I’ve told you. I know every grain of sand on Hatteras.”

  “Every drop of water too?”

  “More or less.”

  She was tired. I should have let her rest, but I was sick of lies. “Why can’t you just tell me the truth for a change?”

  Her eyes snapped open, jaw tense. Then, just as suddenly, she relaxed. “All right. A couple years ago I started exploring all the inlets on Hatteras, so I could make my own map of the island. I noticed the channel we just used near Bodie Lighthouse. Halfway along, there was a small bridge made of stone, like the buildings in Skeleton Town. I couldn’t paddle my canoe under it, so I got out. That’s when I stepped on this. I knew it was a canoe—or something like it—tethered underwater with rope. But it didn’t make any sense to me, so I left it be.”

  “Did you tell the Guardians?”

  “No. I thought they’d put it there. I knew there was a contingency plan, and I figured this must be part of it.” She sighed. “That’s what I thought, anyway.”

  “But not anymore.”

  “No. For one thing, they’ve had the contingency plan ever since your mother was killed. If this had stayed underwater for thirteen years, it’d be covered in silt. Plus, it was the only hidden canoe I ever found—trust me, I looked everywhere—and look at it. It’s not made of wood, and the paddles are so different. A lot faster too. Now that we know the seer has been living in the lighthouse, I figure it must be hers.”

  “Then where is she? And why did she leave it behind?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “And why haven’t you ever seen or heard her? You’ve had this element all your life—”

  “It’s not an element!” She closed her eyes again. “It’s not, all right? And I already told you—I can make objects appear closer, but only when I’m already looking at them. How should I have known she was in Bodie Lighthouse when no one else did? She’s obviously worked hard to stay hidden.”

  “True.”

  There was silence after that. Alice’s breathing became slow and even. In spite of my frustration, I hoped she wouldn’t be too cold. She seemed too exhausted to feel much of anything.

  As I paddled on, my thoughts returned to the pirates’ conversation. They honestly believed that either Griffin or I could be a solution to the Plague. But how could a disease be solved? What did that even mean?

  And why did they think the Plague had reached Roanoke Island? We’d been sheltering there during hurricanes for my entire life. There was no question that the island was Plague-free. And what difference would a map make?

  The sun was almost rising as the bridge emerged from behind a shroud of mist. My body felt numb, arms and hands and back worn out. Alice was still sprawled across the floor of the canoe, legs jutting out at awkward angles. She looked half-dead, but woke suddenly when I stopped paddling.

  She rested on her elbow and took in her surroundings. Then she pulled the rolled-up maps from her pocket and spread out the top one. “We should head in here,” she said, pointing to the left.

  “This isn’t the channel that leads to Skeleton Town.”

  “No. It’s part of this channel system called The Maze. If we get in there we’ll be out of sight of the pirates. We can hide the canoe as well, so they won’t find it.” She lay back down. “It gives us another escape option.”

  As I pulled into the creek, I took a final look at distant Pond Island. Fires still burned, and the figures beside them were visible too now. There were even more men than before. To the left was the soaring bridge, its span interrupted by a single large gap.

  Two more strokes and the bridge disappeared from view, hidden behind reeds. But my mind remained locked on the gap. I wasn’t paddling anymore.

  Alice sat up. “What is it? What did you see?”

  I pointed to the map, still open in her hands. “I know why Dare wanted that. I know why the map changes everything.”

  CHAPTER 26

  We grounded the canoe and dragged it onto land. Alice was right: With needlerush on three sides, no one would find it unless they knew exactly where to look.

  “So what’s on the map?” she asked again as we headed toward Skeleton Town.

  I was about to tell her when she flapped it in front of me impatiently. “We’re wasting time, Thom.”

  I didn’t respond. I hated that she kept so many secrets and yet assumed I’d share everything. It felt good to be the one with answers for a change.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I get it. You really do want me to apologize for not telling you what I can do, right? Well, I’m not going to. Because I’m not sorry.”

  “You sure about that? You seemed plenty guilty in the lighthouse.”

  She looked confused for a moment, but then her expression cleared. “Because I cried, you mean? That’s because I didn’t want to tell you. From now on I have to count on you not to tell anyone. Anyone. And if you want to know the truth, I don’t trust you to keep your mouth shut.” Her smile felt venomous. “If I’m sorry about anything, it’s that you know my secret. Believe me, every single person in this colony has one just as big.”

  “You’re wrong. I have no secrets.”

  “If you say so.”

  She brushed the needlerush aside and pressed ahead. She didn’t stop until we were on the edge of Skeleton Town. “You really don’t get it, do you? You think you’re going to walk into the shelter and solve the puzzle for us. But it won’t work like that.”

  “Everyone deserves to know what’s going on.”

  “Everyone? Or Rose?” She tilted her head to the side. “You sure you want to tell her that Bodie Lighthouse is open, and your grandmother is alive, and there are identical maps, and—oh, yes—a picture of your family that defies explanation? If you’re smart, you’ll keep quiet about the map, and you’ll hide that picture where no one will see it. Because it’s your family—not mine, not Rose’s. And something tel
ls me she’d choose to shut you out before she’ll accept her family’s as mixed up in all this as yours is.”

  I hated how confident she was in every word. Even more, I hated that she was right.

  I hesitated, but it was just for show. Alice was prepared to wait. “All right, fine. The reason your father tore the mainland section off his map is because it’s uninhabitable; the Plague is there. It’s like it no longer exists to him. I think the seer did the same thing, except she crossed out the mainland instead. She did it in stages too, like she was tracking the Plague’s progress. But she never crossed out Roanoke Island.”

  Alice’s eyes grew wide. “Of course—because the Plague never got there. And because he saw the map, Dare knows it too.” She nodded. “But what does it have to do with the bridge? That’s what you were looking at when you realized all this.”

  Did she miss anything?

  “There are gaps in both bridges leading from Roanoke Island,” I explained. “It makes sense to have a gap in the mainland bridge—stops rats from crossing and bringing the Plague. What doesn’t make sense is for the Guardians to put a hole in the bridge between Roanoke and Hatteras.”

  “Hold on. You think the Guardians did that?”

  “Yes. On your father’s map, the gaps are marked in the same handwriting as the grove and the store. Plus, the picture I found in the lighthouse shows that Skeleton Town was destroyed after I was born.”

  “But how would they do that?”

  “I don’t know. But I think I know why they did it: They wanted to make it look like the Plague was on Roanoke Island. It worked too. The pirates still believe it. At least, they did until Dare saw the map.”

  Alice began pacing in circles. I could tell she wasn’t convinced.

  “Look, the pirates landed on Hatteras thirteen years ago and stole everything, right?” I continued. “Well, what if we’d still been living on Roanoke Island now? They’d have taken everything—the boats, food, clothes. All these things we don’t have the materials to make. What I’m saying is, maybe it wasn’t us the Guardians were worried about. Maybe it was the pirates.”

  With every word, I grew more certain that I was right; and that Alice was coming around too. All the same, it was a while before she stopped pacing. “It’s true, the hole in the bridge has kept the pirates away. But you’re forgetting two things.”

  I tried to hide my irritation. “What?”

  “The Guardians have been keeping us away too. Why? Why not just tell us the truth? It doesn’t add up.” She continued walking.

  I hurried to catch up. “What’s the other thing?”

  “The Guardians gave up an easy life on Roanoke for a harder and more dangerous one on Hatteras. Who moves their colony and destroys a bridge just in case pirates decide to visit?” She paused to let me answer, but probably knew I wouldn’t. “No, I think the Guardians must’ve been absolutely certain the pirates would come back. Now, how on earth would they know that?”

  * * *

  Rose was kneeling on the grass beside the shelter. I almost called out to her, but then remembered that Alice was with me. The situation felt strange and uncomfortable.

  As soon as she saw me, Rose’s face brightened. “You’re back!” She sounded relieved, as though our arrival could undo all the other problems we had yet to face. There were dark circles under her eyes.

  Dennis lay on the ground beside her, deathly pale. Rose dipped a cloth into a bowl of water and wrung it out. She laid it carefully across her brother’s forehead.

  It wasn’t until Alice walked past us and into the shelter that I felt comfortable joining her. “What happened to Dennis?”

  “It started last night. He woke up a few strikes after you left. At first he was just moaning, but he got louder and louder. And then he threw up. I gave him sips of water, but he couldn’t keep them down. I’ve never seen anything like it. I swear, I thought he was going to die.”

  She dunked the cloth in the water again, and this time I could see that it was a strip of her tunic that she’d torn off. It made her appear even more ragged.

  “You should take some of the new clothes,” I said.

  She followed my eyes to her tunic. Then she folded her arms across her chest like she was trying to hide. I felt bad for saying anything. She’d been too busy tending to her brother to worry about how she looked.

  “Where’s Griffin?” I asked.

  “In the shelter. He didn’t sleep much either. Spent most of the night reading that book from your dune box. Something has him excited, but I couldn’t follow what he was trying to tell me.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. One deep breath, and she opened them again, ready to continue—ready to be pretend she wasn’t really suffering. “Griffin was sweet—wanted to help me, but I couldn’t let him touch Dennis in case . . .” She bit her lip. “You know.”

  Yes, I knew. In case he foresaw Dennis’s death.

  “I saw that picture he drew of Guardian Lora,” she continued.

  “It’s good, isn’t it?”

  “Hmm. Why did he draw her after she’d died?”

  “He didn’t. She was still alive. He drew it the evening we got here.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Trust me. I was with him when he drew it.”

  Rose shook her head. “There’s just something creepy about it. The way he has these visions.”

  “It’s not his fault. You can see what it does to him.”

  “I didn’t mean . . .” She turned red. “I’m sorry. It must be hard for you too—when it happens.”

  I shrugged.

  “It’s okay to say it, Thomas. I know you like to be strong for Alice, but you can be honest with me. You must realize how alike we are—devoting ourselves to our younger brothers.”

  It was true—I had always devoted myself to Griffin—but not for the reasons she thought. I did it because I wanted others to see him the way I did. I wanted the Guardians to acknowledge his intelligence and determination. His self-sufficiency. Instead, most of them couldn’t see past his limp, and had learned barely a handful of our signs.

  Rose dabbed Dennis’s face with the cloth and shivered.

  “Do you want a blanket?” I asked.

  “No. We haven’t been out here long. I just needed some fresh air. It was so stuffy in the shelter.” She draped the cloth across Dennis’s forehead. He didn’t respond at all.

  “Is he going to get better?”

  “I don’t know. Normally the echo is worst as the storm approaches, so maybe he’s over the hardest part. Then again, the storm’s not here yet. It could be approaching for the rest of the day. In which case . . .” She took a steadying breath. “He was muttering during the night. Things about the wind and clouds, and where the storm will make landfall.”

  “Like your father.”

  “No.” She faced me then, eyes bright and earnest. “My father would tell us within a hundred miles where the eye of the storm would pass. Dennis told me to within a mile. One mile. There’s something strange going on here, Thomas. I don’t know if Roanoke Island is cursed, or what. But no one is the same here.”

  As soon as she’d said the words, she looked away. At least it saved me having to state the obvious: One of us was still the same.

  She returned her attention to Dennis. With his eyes closed and face ghostly white, it was as though the hurricane had already passed through, and he was its first victim.

  CHAPTER 27

  I wanted to see Griffin. If he’d spent most of the night reading the journal, it must be important. But Alice was leaning against the shelter door, staring at the sound.

  Had she been spying on Rose and me? Given what I knew about her now, it wouldn’t have been difficult.

  Without turning around, she passed a small piece of paper over her shoulder. “This is what
was stuck between the maps. I think you should read it.”

  I studied the tiny words, so perfectly formed. It didn’t look like any handwriting I’d ever seen.

  PLAGUE FEARS INTENSIFY AS EXODUS NEARS COMPLETION

  Mandatory evacuations of east and west seaboards almost complete. 92 percent of population relocated to central states.

  All coastal cities shut down pending biohazard clearance.

  Government sources dismiss reports of new strain of Plague in three refugee camps as scaremongering.

  Food and water rationing remains in effect as drought conditions persist.

  Fuel restricted to government and emergency use only.

  * * *

  The paper was torn at the bottom, so I read it again. It made no more sense than before. “What does this mean? Fuel. Water rationing. Biohazard. I’ve never heard of these things.”

  “I know one thing it means: The Plague didn’t come first. Whatever the exodus was, it came before everything else.”

  Alice had unrolled the two maps she’d taken from the lighthouse. She pointed to the bottom left-hand corner of the one I didn’t recognize. “Look at this.”

  It was a scale, I knew that much. But instead of measuring fractions of miles, it measured hundreds of miles.

  Alice watched me closely. “Now look over here.” Her finger drifted to the far right-hand side, to what looked like a tiny island. But it wasn’t the island she was pointing at. It was the word written beside it: Hatteras.

  I knew what it must mean, but I couldn’t comprehend it.

  Alice’s finger slid a tiny degree to the left. “If that’s Hatteras—our Hatteras—then this is Roanoke.” She stabbed the outline, barely larger than a dot. “Which means that everything else you see is the mainland.”

  I looked at the vast expanse of land. I’d always figured the mainland was bigger than either Hatteras or Roanoke. But this was unthinkable.

  “Do you suppose the Guardians—”

  “Know? Of course they know. But if that piece of paper is right and the Plague started in the center and spread out all the way to the coasts, then none of the mainland is inhabitable.”