by V. L. Dreyer
"You tell her," I answered, fighting the urge to laugh. I stopped walking and turned to face him fully. "You know as well as I do that the only person who makes decisions for Skylar is herself. I don't know if she likes you as more than a friend, but I know she respects people that tell her the truth. I'm not exactly the best person to give you romantic advice, but I'd say the best thing you can do is be honest with her."
"Honest… right." He nodded slowly, processing the information – then, suddenly, his expression changed to one of open panic. "But what if she says no? What if she isn't interested? What if she laughs at me?"
"I'm pretty sure she won't laugh at you." I gave him my gentlest smile, and reached out to rest my hands reassuringly on his shoulders. "But if she says no, so be it. You're still friends, and that's the most important thing, right? I know it feels terrifying, but even if she says no it's not the end of the world. Just relax and tell her how you feel. You won't know for sure until you do."
"True." Hemi took a long, deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Yeah. Yeah. Too right. Okay. I'm going to go do it right now, just get it out the way, and we'll see how it goes. Yeah! Thanks, Sandy!"
"Any time, kiddo." I released my grip on his shoulders and stood back. Hemi scampered past me and raced back to the warehouse, leaving me alone in his wake.
I loitered for a couple of minutes, just enjoying the sound of birdsong, and the clean smell of the breeze. Unlike many of the bigger cities, Arapuni wasn't full of the stench of decay. I suspected that Rebecca had spent some time cleaning up the bodies, with the exception of the two that she'd missed. She seemed a lot like me, in that regard.
Once I judged that enough time had passed, I headed back to the warehouse. I rapped on the door with my knuckles, and waited until I heard the rusted bolt slide back. The door opened, and the doctor waved me inside.
"Hey, Doc," I greeted. "What's our status?"
Doctor Cross closed the door behind me, and bolted it firmly. "Everyone's reported in to drop off various things, then the good constable came and took most of them down to the docks to fish for supper. The children are upstairs with Anahera and Skylar having a cooking lesson, and I'm working on an updated inventory."
"Great." I smiled at him and nodded my approval. "I'm going to go look in on them, then I'll be off to help the fishers."
"Understood." The doctor adjusted his spectacles, and pointed towards the stairs. "Up there, second door on the left."
"Thanks." I nodded in acknowledgement and headed off. Before I could get more than a dozen steps, he called out to stop me.
"Oh, Ms McDermott?" I paused and looked back at him. To my surprise, our perpetually-grumpy doctor was actually smiling. "Excellent find with the honey. Well done."
"No problem at all, Doc," I answered with a grin. "I'm going to teach everyone to keep an eye out for it. It's nature's super-food, after all."
"That it is." He chuckled quietly, and waved me away. I left him in peace and headed up the stairs to the second floor of the building. The noise of the children would have led me right to them, even if he hadn't given me directions; the sound of Maddy's delighted squeals made me smile. I opened the door, and peeked inside.
What I saw was a scene right out of a holiday postcard. Anahera stood at the stove, stirring something in a pot and speaking patiently to the children gathered around her. Even little Ommie was there, swathed in bandages but wide-awake and alert. They glanced up when I entered the room, and I found myself the recipient of many smiles and waves.
"Well, what's going on here, then?" I asked curiously.
"We're learning how to make flour out of white rice, aren't we children?" Anahera looked down at her young charges and gave them one of those smiles that made my stomach do backflips. I was obviously not the only one drawn in by her natural charisma; the kids all nodded happily and shouted excited nonsense.
"Well, that sounds great!" I answered, as cheerfully as possible. "Are you guys having a good time?"
"Yes!" Maddy shouted at the top of her lungs. The volume made me cringe, but it was a good kind of cringe. There was nothing quite like the happy noise of children at play, and they were definitely happy.
"Good." I grinned and looked back at Anahera, my eyebrows raised in silent inquiry. She looked at me knowingly, winked, and pointed in a general 'down-the-hall' sort of way. I nodded, and withdrew. Somehow, she knew that I was hoping to check on my sister, and had supplied the information I needed without words.
I crept down the hallway on stealthy feet, carefully checking each room for any sign of life. There was nothing to be seen in most of them: just a lot of dust, old furniture, and faded paperwork. But then, I reached the door at the end of the hall, which stood ever-so-slightly ajar. With as much subtlety as I could, I snuck up to the door and peeked through.
Inside, Hemi and Skylar were wrapped up in a kiss of such intensity that neither of them noticed me snooping. I just grinned to myself and withdrew, leaving them in peace. My little sister was more than okay, and that meant my interest in the matter was at an end. She was quite capable of handling her own blossoming relationship.
I jogged back down the stairs, just in time to catch Michael coming inside with an armload of fabric, Alfred bounding along hot on his heels.
"Just put it over there, boy," Doctor Cross instructed with a long-suffering sigh, then he vanished through a doorway, back to whatever he had been doing before the interruption.
I fixed Michael with a disapproving look. "Aren't you supposed to be fishing with the others? And while we're on the subject, where's your forage buddy, Constable Chan? You know you're not supposed to go out alone."
"There weren't enough rods for me to help out, so I decided to find something else to do. Don't worry, I had Alfred with me." Michael grinned cheekily. He went over and dumped his armload of clothing where Doc had instructed, then came back to give me a kiss of greeting. "I take it everything is okay with Hemi?"
"It's fine," I answered, shoving my instinctive worry back down. Michael was anything but stupid, and he knew that I'd kill him if he put himself at risk. "He just needed a bit of advice, is all."
"Ah." Michael nodded and gave me a curious look. "Did he tell her, then?"
"Apparently." I grinned brightly and gave him a wink in return. "You know, I feel like I'm all up in everyone's business today. I'm not sure how to react to that."
"Well, so long as you're not interfering where it's not wanted, I imagine that it's fine." Michael shrugged, sliding his arm around my waist. "Part of it is your newfound sense of responsibility, I think. You want everyone to be happy."
"You reckon?" I leaned up against him, studying the contours of his face in the artificial light. "I'm not just being a busybody, then?"
"Maybe a little bit, but you mean well," he answered dryly. Sliding his finger up beneath my chin, he tilted my face up and planted a quick, tender kiss on my lips. Then, he drew back and smiled at me. "If we want our species to survive, then the children have to come from somewhere, right?"
"I suppose, if you ignore the fact that I'm trying to set up two gay guys," I pointed out dryly.
"It doesn't matter," he said, shrugging. "Love is love. They're just as entitled to find love as straight people are. Just because their love can't produce offspring doesn't mean they're any different to you or I."
"That's how I see it," I agreed, leaning up against his broad chest. His touch relaxed me, as it always did. I closed my eyes, and relished in his warmth and tenderness.
He seemed to sense my need, as he often did, and held me quietly for a couple of minutes. Eventually, he drew back and looked down at me. "I got you a present."
"Oh?" I looked up at him, curious. His dark eyes were twinkling, and there was a mischievous smile dancing across his lips. "Oh dear. I know that look. What have you done?"
"Why do you always assume I've done something wrong?" Michael exclaimed, his brows knitting together. "I just found something, and I want to give it to
you. Is that a bad thing, Miss Negativity?"
"And I was just teasing you, Mister Takes-Everything-Literally," I answered, playfully nudging him in the ribs.
"Oh!" He laughed, his expression immediately brightening. "Sorry. You're so deadpan that I can't always tell when you're kidding. "
"I know." I grinned at him and gave him a wink. "So, what'd you find?"
"Hold that thought two seconds," he ordered, holding up a finger to stay my curiosity. He disentangled himself from my embrace and hurried back over to the mound of clothing he'd brought in a few minutes earlier. He grabbed something black and glossy from the bottom of the pile, and held it up for me to see. "Tada!"
"Whoa, is that leather?" I enquired, closing the gap between us to get a better look at the trench coat.
"Yep!" he answered. "Genuine leather, treated to be waterproof according to the label. I went back to the hunting and fishing store the guys found to see if there was anything else of use to us. If there were any guns in there then they're long gone, but I found a few of these up the back. This one looks just about your size, and it'll last you a lifetime." He turned the trench around so that I could slide it on, if I wanted to.
I hesitated, though. He was right, it would last me a lifetime. And with winter coming, I was going to need it. But… could I accept something like that knowing that there were other people in need? Reluctantly, I shook my head and took a step back.
"Honey, I appreciate the thought, but I can't take that," I said quietly. "Give it to Priya, or one of the other kids. They need it more than I do."
Michael's expression darkened. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed my arm, though his grip wasn't hard enough to hurt.
"Oh no you don't," he scolded. "I found this, Sandy. Scavenger's law says that I have first right of control over where it goes, and who gets it. You taught me that, and I brought this coat back for you, not anyone else."
"But—" I started to protest, but he interrupted me.
"No way. I'm not letting you do this to yourself." Michael heaved a long sigh, and released his grip on my arm. "Just take it, Sandy. Winter is coming, and you're going to need this to keep you warm and dry. Knowing you, you're going to be out in the thick of it all the way south, and the last thing we need is for our leader to freeze to death. The only thing resembling cold weather gear you have is that little army surplus jacket of yours, and that's summer weight."
My automatic response was to keep protesting until I got my way, but something about his expression silenced me. He was so determined, so intensely focused on winning this one particular battle that I couldn't turn it down in good conscience. I looked down at my feet and nodded once.
"Okay. Okay, I'll take it," I agreed reluctantly. "But you better have found something for the kids in there. You know they come first to me."
"I know they do." Michael's expression softened into a smile. He reached out and put the coat around my shoulders, using it to draw me into a warm, leather-scented hug. "But that's exactly why someone has to put you first. You're not immune to the 'flu, you know. What good are you to anyone if you catch a sniffle?"
"Oh, thanks. Much appreciated." I shoved him back and feigned a dirty look. "Some boyfriend you are."
"Fiancé," he corrected, returning my look with a playful grin. "And don't you forget it."
"I'm pretty sure I couldn't, even if I wanted to," I answered teasingly. On a sudden, overwhelming impulse, I leaned up and planted a kiss on his lips. When we separated, I smiled at him. "Thank you. Now, we really should get back to work."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Sounds like the others are coming back from fishing, anyway."
Right on cue, someone banged on the door beside us, making me jump. I laughed and nodded to him. Without me even having to ask, Michael went off to sort out the night's watch, while I went to organise the group going to help at the power station.
Then Skylar appeared, manifesting out of the chaos like a goddess come to tame the throngs, and soon everything was under control.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Looks like we pissed off the weather gods," I commented thoughtfully to myself.
The night had passed uneventfully, but when the sun rose it revealed a day that was dark and dreary. The rain had already settled in, and it clearly had no intention of letting up any time soon. I stood in the doorway, watching the weather and absently fingering my radio, waiting for the call from Rebecca that would let us know it was time to leave.
"Indeed. Tāwhirimātea has sent his children to hinder us once again," a voice said softly behind me. I glanced back, and found Anahera standing there, watching the rain over my shoulder. She handed me a bowl of leftover fish stew from the night before. I accepted it silently, and eased to one side so that she could join me in the doorway.
I ate quietly for a couple of minutes, enjoying a moment of peace while I could get it. I'd spent most of the night brooding on what Javed had told me the day before, and my mood was almost as bleak as the clouds outside. Eventually, the silence started to bother me a little. I glanced at Anahera, and asked simply, "Tell me about him?"
"About who?" She looked back at me, surprised.
"About Tāwhiri—what was it?"
"Tāwhirimātea," she supplied, a smile growing on her face. "You're interested in my people's legends?"
"Of course I am," I answered with a shrug. "There's no one else left to keep the tales alive, except for us."
"No, I suppose there isn't," she agreed. Her dark eyes flicked away from me, back to the rain. "How much do you know about our tales regarding the creation of the world?"
"I know a little bit," I replied. "They taught us in school about how the Earth Mother and Sky Father used to be joined together, until their children forced them apart. I also know the origin story of New Zealand. Māui, the demi-god, went fishing and caught a giant stingray which became the North Island. His canoe became the South."
"Ah, yes, an old favourite!" Anahera laughed merrily and shook her head. "Tāwhirimātea, or Tāwhiri for short, was one of the sons of Ranginui, the Sky Father, and Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother. When his brothers were trying to separate them, Tāwhiri fought to keep them together. He argued that they were happy together, so why drive them apart?
"In the end, Tāwhiri lost and his parents were driven apart. He was so angry that he sent his children – the winds, the rain, the snow, and the storms – to attack his brothers endlessly. Unfortunately, we frail mortals are trapped in the middle of that never-ending war."
"Wow," I murmured thoughtfully to myself, staring out at the dark clouds. A few splatters of rain made it past the overhang of the roof and struck me in the chest and stomach, but my new coat reached all the way to my knees, and kept me well and truly dry. "I can't help but wonder if any of it's real. Do you think it is?"
"Yes and no," Anahera admitted with a shrug. "Who are we to say what lives beyond this world that we see? Who knows whether my gods are real, or yours, or Elira's, or anyone else's. We won't know until we die, and even then I'm not entirely convinced that we'll ever be sure."
"I don't have a god," I said, shooting her a curious look. "You assumed I'm Christian?"
"No judgement was intended." Anahera smiled back at me, reaching out to touch my arm. "I just took a guess. If I was wrong, please don't take offense."
"It's okay. I'm not offended." I shrugged and returned my gaze to the pelting rain. "I guess I just don't know what I believe. Part of me feels like no kind god would ever force us to go through this kind of pain, but another part of me wonders if it's not for the best in the long term."
"Oh?" Even without seeing her face, I could hear the curiosity in her voice. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you remember what it was like," I said, gesturing at the world around us. "We took everything for granted. It was just assumed that you'd grow up, go to school, get married, have a family. We were so busy following the steps that society laid out for us that we never stopped to appreciate the ti
ny, every-day miracles of the world. I don't know about you, but I notice it now. I hold my breath and marvel at the way the rising sun creeps across the ground every morning. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the rain on the roof. I marvel at the tiny miracle that can turn a seed into a plant that bears us food. We've all seen so much death, but we're alive." I paused and looked at her. "Life is a gift. I can see that now. I don't think I would have before."
"You are very philosophical for someone awake so early in the morning," Anahera answered dryly. Her dark eyes studied me thoughtfully in the gloom. "Sandy, what's wrong?"
I shrugged and glanced away, focusing on the falling rain. "It's something Javed said to me yesterday. Do you remember when we first met, we asked you if any members of your tribe had given birth since the plague?"
"Of course," she replied. "You were concerned about whether or not the immunity would be passed from mother to child."
"It turns out that we were right to worry," I said quietly, hugging myself against a chill that came from the inside more than the out. "Javed told me that Ommie had a twin sister, but when she was born she didn't cry. That she was alive, but… wrong. From birth." I glanced at her just in time to see the understanding dawning in her eyes. "You know what that means."
"The child was born infected?" Anahera whispered, a horrified look crossing her face, the kind of look that mirrored the way I'd been feeling since Javed told me. "But the other children..."
"Exactly. Javed was born just before the plague, but Barry, Ommie, and Maddy were born afterwards." I swallowed hard, and closed my eyes. "I don't know what to do, Ana. This changes everything."
"No, it doesn't." Her voice turned firm, and I felt her hand land on my shoulder. I opened my eyes, and saw a look of determination on her face. "We still have to have children, or our species is guaranteed to die out. At least now we know the risk is real, so we can plan for it. If it happens, it will be terrible but it won't be a surprise. It's better to know there is a risk and face it bravely than to have it come without warning and devastate us all."
