Climbing Rotting Tree was the only way over the boundary. Rena would rather be safely perched in the sulfur-smelling branches than standing in the middle of the badlands.
“You still can’t feel it, can you?” She knew the answer before she asked. She scanned the landscape for a wide space away from towering boulders where they could go to ride the coming shockwaves, and they were big.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I do know I’m tired, and I want to go home. I’m not saying you have to come with...” Blaze leaned back to look up at her. “If you could point me in the right direction.”
“You can’t go.” The words came out harsher than intended.
Blaze jumped to her feet. “Already have a boss. Don’t need another one.” Agitation made her clumsy on the gravel as she stumbled closer to the mountains.
“You don’t understand. You’re gonna get hurt,” Rena said. The tremors grew stronger with each second.
Blaze shielded her eyes as she glanced up. “I don’t see a storm coming.”
“There are worse things than electrical storms.” Knowing it was too late now, Rena pushed all her tension into the ground. If she got enough out, she wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally triggering another quake for a few days. Reverberations spread across her soles, twisted around her ankles, and shot straight to her stomach. Her nausea swelled and weakened her knees.
A warm hand touched her shoulder. “Rena, you okay? You’re scaring me.”
“It’s getting worse. We have to—” Pain forced a gurgling, pre-vomit noise out of her.
Blaze gagged.
With no time for comforting, Rena yelled, “Move!”
She hooked Blaze by the arm and hauled her to relative safety. Blaze’s sunhat dropped as they ran. The earthquake made it impossible to navigate the rubble underfoot. Blaze screamed, eyes wide with fear as her grip on Rena tightened. She knew words wouldn’t console her friend, even if she could hear them.
The pair plopped to the ground, huddled together as the wobbling earth tried to topple them. The ground shifted like liquid as it rose, then collapsed. They rode the seismic waves, bobbing and weaving with each rumble. Behind them, tree branches splintered and snapped. Their fractured limbs slammed the earth with loud whacks.
Massive boulders cracked, sending shards raining down on the girls. Rena tucked her head closer to Blaze’s shoulder while protecting her neck and head with her arm. Blaze did the same. A plume of dust swept toward them. The tiny particles caked Rena’s throat. She covered her mouth and nose, squeezing closer to Blaze who coughed hard.
After an hour-long minute, the shaking stopped. Dust settled on the ground as well as on Rena and Blaze. Shattered boulders surrounded them. A fracture stretched from where Rena stood toward the mountains. She stepped away from it, noticing the blue sunhat that lay pinned beneath a huge boulder at the same time as Blaze.
With a trembling hand, Blaze shoved her hair from her pale face. “Were we almost—?”
“Yep.”
“Did we just—?”
“Uh-huh.” Rena blew out a slow breath in an attempt to force herself to relax. This was the first quake she’d triggered with someone else around. “But we survived.”
“Remind me not to argue with you next time.” Blaze tried to make it a joke, but the hitch in her voice gave her away.
“Let’s hope there’s not a next time.” It was stupid to push out frustration in uncharted territory when she wasn’t alone. Rena wouldn’t make that mistake again. She would never forgive herself if her actions hurt anyone.
Blaze broke eye contact. A range of emotions flashed across her face—fear, relief, concern, but it settled on betrayal. “I thought we were best friends.”
“We are.” Without explanation, Rena understood the meaning. She’d only kept one secret from her. It’s not that she didn’t trust Blaze. She was only trying to protect her. Revealing secrets had a way of making people disappear.
“This…” Blaze swept her hand toward the rubble surrounding them. “You knew it was going to happen. Are you…? You’re…”
She waited. The word seemed trapped in Blaze’s mouth. Rena said it for her, “Other.”
Blaze blinked, slowly. Processing. “You’re Other.”
It didn’t sound like a question. She nodded anyway. Thanks to her mom, Rena didn’t view it as a stigma, but rather a blessing.
“And you kept it from me this whole time?”
“I couldn’t…” She reached out.
Blaze crossed her arms.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you. Remember what happened to that woman who could levitate and the boy who could outrun the Synbots until a so-called friend turned him over for a reward?”
“I wouldn’t turn you in and you know it.” Blaze’s green eyes darkened.
“I know you wouldn’t. Not on purpose anyway.” A kid in their neighborhood had accidentally snitched on his fire-starting mother when he threatened to send her after some bullies. The Synbots ‘relocated’ her before nightfall the same day. “Remember Micah?”
Anger burned from Blaze’s eyes. “How did you know?”
“Ground tremors. I sense them.” Half-true. Until recently, she merely detected vibrations. Now, Rena’s emotions triggered earthquakes. The edge of truth was safest where Other abilities were concerned. “You know when we’re at assembly and they announce a visit from Overlord Andrick and everyone starts stomping and cheering?”
“Yeah, can feel it through the bleachers.”
“That’s how it is for me all the time. I can sense people tiptoeing around if I want. If it makes you feel better, ‘Aunt’ Anata doesn’t know.” She leaned forward, hopeful.
A smile tugged at Blaze’s lips. “Petty, but it does make me feel better.”
Relieved, Rena started walking. There had to be more to life than protecting her secret, more than working herself to death in the factory. Her gaze drifted to the southern horizon. “Eden.”
“What?” Blaze shifted her puffy curls to shield her eyes from the sun.
“You said there was no place for people like us. Maybe we could escape to Eden.”
“Keep dreaming. They wouldn’t accept us there even if we could afford it. Are you taking us home now?” Blaze asked.
“We deserve a better life than this,” Rena said, ignoring the question.
“We were born on the wrong side of the domes.” Blaze stopped to look around. “We are heading back, right?”
Rena tugged her t-shirt away from her sweaty skin and marched forward. “I don’t want to end up like my dad. Another Dustie working in the factory. That can’t be my future.”
“It’s the way it’s always been.”
Less than five percent of the population inhabited the nest of bio domes inside Eden, and most Nesties were related to the Overlord. No matter how hard Hollowcrest residents worked to earn money or avoid fines, no one had ever saved enough to buy Eden land.
“It’s time for a change.” Rena lifted her chin, determined.
“How do you plan to manage that?”
She shrugged. Her gaze floated across the landscape with its boulders, large flat rocks, sparse trees, and dried brush. Something near the base of the mountains caught the sunlight, reflecting its brilliance, something synthetic. Everything man-made out here was either dust or rust. What was still mint enough to shine like that? With the sure-footedness of a mountain goat, she leapt a rugged path straight to it.
Chapter Three
A few trees clung to the steep hillside over the cave. The amount and varieties of grass thickened as it ascended the slope, but grew in random clusters where Rena stood. A jumble of huge rocks surrounded the mouth of a newly opened cavern.
Rena’s eyes grew wide as she peeked inside. Sunlight glinted off a silver pendant. That was what caught her attention. It dangled from the busted corner of a steel box half wedged in a hole carved into the wall. She sensed for any lingering vibrations undergro
und. When she didn’t feel any impending aftershocks, she took a step on the loose gravel and almost lost her balance. Using her walking stick, she tested the ground until she stood inside.
Dust still glittered like a billion tiny stars, which meant the quake she’d triggered must’ve unearthed the cave. According to Property Law 7.2, she had the right to claim the salvage. Though, considering the amount of stuff here, she’d probably need a salvaging code to make it legal. The sheer magnitude of goods reeked of risk and reward and drew her another step into the cave.
She slid her hand over the rough grain of the burnt sienna wall. The temperature was at least ten degrees cooler here. Daylight illuminated most of the space, but left a slanted shadow in the back. A thick layer of dust covered the faces of uniformly sized boxes tucked in compartments, each one carved in a perfect square, snug fit. Dislodged boxes lay scattered on the ground and more were pinned under a pile of larger rocks.
She set her backpack near the entrance and pushed her hat back. It hung by the chin cord around her neck. “Must’ve taken someone a lot of time to hide all this.”
“What?” Undertones of irritation filled Blaze’s voice. “I can’t hear you from way back here. Not everyone can run on rocks, you know.”
Rena un-wedged the busted box, set it on the ground, and knelt next to it. Careful of the sharp edges, she tugged out a thin silver chain. As an industrial apprentice, she spent half of her days surrounded by large, loud machines that mass-produced cold, hard parts for the devices necessary to live both in Hollowcrest and Eden. Looking at the pendant on the chain, she imagined the maker sitting in a quiet place using tiny hand tools and a magnifying glass to carve the intricate vein patterns on the singular leaf. It was shaped sort of like a heart with a jagged border.
It looked too delicate. Part of her cringed at touching it, but then there were no watchful eyes here to make sure “the Dustie” didn’t spoil something pristine.
She didn’t own jewelry. She had an ID band, but words like “pretty” or “delicate” or “optional” couldn’t be applied to it. “Mandatory” and “device” and “permanent,” those were the words the band embedded to her finger conjured. Three years ago, Overlord Andrick ‘gifted’ her and every other person turning thirteen with a permanent ID band. Her whole hand throbbed for an entire week after the thing attached itself to flesh and bone.
If anyone owned decorative jewelry, they only wore it twice a year—Summer or Winter Solstice. Most families, including hers, had sold or traded their heirlooms long ago. Perhaps Rena would find a new heirloom in one of these boxes.
“Ugh! My hair is driving me crazy.” Blaze shoved unruly strands out of her face.
“Here.” She pulled off her hair tie and offered it to Blaze. Caramel-colored braids fell over her shoulders.
“Thanks,” she said as she wrangled her hair.
She handed Blaze the necklace. “Can you believe this place? Wonder how long it’s been sealed off?”
When Blaze didn’t respond, she looked up at her. Moisture clung to the corner of her green eyes. “You okay?”
Blaze tossed the necklace next to her foot. “This is a bunch of junk.”
“How can you say that?” She scooped it up and shook off the dirt before fastening it around her neck. The metal, cool at first, warmed against her skin. Something so Aggie-like made her think of Nevan. He’d probably be able to identify the leaf.
“Bet we could use this stuff for barter at the market,” Rena said.
“I don’t want anything to do with this.”
Rena locked eyes with her. “It’s not stealing. We have a right to claim this salvage.”
Blaze held up her hands and backed away. “We don’t have codes.” Always the law-abiding citizen. She didn’t even have debt on her future wages.
Rena clicked her tongue and focused on prying open a nearby damaged box. On top, lay a framed image with the numbers 1980 2057 printed along the bottom edge. She waved her hand over the woman’s face, but the image didn’t activate, so she set it aside to get to the real treasures. Soft pouches held a variety of jewelry, from rings to bracelets to necklaces. The smaller objects, like ceramic statues and metallic animals, were nice to look at, but she couldn’t figure out their purpose—not that she would admit it. The books were made from actual paper. When she opened the first one, it made a soft crackling sound and emitted a dusty odor. The brownish-yellow paper felt slightly rough under her fingertips.
“The whole thing’s intact. The grade alone is enough to trade for cash,” Rena said.
“The book might be worth something as fuel for burning, but the rest is garbage.” Blaze’s voice came out flat and clinical. “Can’t eat it, can’t cook with it, won’t keep you warm at night.”
“It might be valuable to someone.” She closed the book and tapped it against her palm. “Can you imagine it? I’ll take this straight to the Buyers. They’ll throw money at me for more. There must be hundreds of boxes here. I’ll for sure get out of Hollowdump.”
Blaze studied her fingernails. “What makes you think Eden’s better?”
“Are you serious?” Her voice bounced off the walls as she counted advantages on her fingers. “Running water anytime. Clean air. Everything’s new, not ‘repurposed’ and—”
“They probably don’t have Solstice Celebrations.”
“Who cares about Solstice when they’ve got continuous electricity and huge houses that people don’t have to share with other families? I’ve heard they’ve got real quality boys.”
“Well, I bet those scraps won’t get you anything but dirty looks.”
As Rena crossed the rubble-choked floor, curiosity erased her agitation. “I think there might be more boxes behind these rocks.” Most of them were smaller than her head. “Once we move them—”
“I’m not getting all scratched up based on a hunch. Besides, we should be conserving energy for the walk home.”
“Why are you being so difficult? We just discovered hidden time capsules, which might be worth a lot of money. I’m surprised you’re not happy.”
“I am. It’s just…” Blaze paused before climbing the rock pile. “Forget about it. We’d better start at the top so the rocks won’t fall on us.”
She still couldn’t figure out what had caused her friend to have such a negative reaction to such an incredible discovery. “You mad at me?”
Blaze grabbed a large stone and tugged until it came free, then pushed it down the pile. “Isn’t Nevan quality enough for you? I mean, you actually almost talked to him the other day. If you move to Eden, we won’t get to spy on him anymore.”
“Thought you didn’t like Nevan.”
“I don’t. He’s too skinny.”
“Like Torley the Tree is much better,” Rena teased. “At least Nevan has a strong build; he’s not all long-limbed like Tree.”
They laughed as they worked to pull down rocks. Rena shifted closer for a better position. Her foot slipped and her knee landed hard. The force ripped her cargo pants and cut into flesh. It hurt, but she was more concerned about the pants. She dabbed at the ruined patch. Hopefully, she’d be able to trade items from the cave for newer pants instead of asking Anata for scrap and thread.
“Why are you suddenly concerned about my non-existent relationship with Nevan?”
Blaze shrugged.
“I mean, he’s the most-quality guy ever but, it’s not like I really have a chance with him.” She held her breath as she struggled to yank a large rock loose. She watched it roll down the pile. “He probably doesn’t like younger girls. Or Dusties.”
Another rock slipped out, taking three smaller ones with it.
“At least you have a chance with Tree.”
“He doesn’t even know I exist. I…” Blaze trailed off. “I think I see light.”
“Move over, let me look.” She leaned well into her friend’s personal space to peek through the small gap. “Sweet Mother Earth, it’s incredible! Hurry, move the rest o
f these. You’ve got to see this!”
Before long, they managed to create a big enough space to crawl through. Her hat brushed against the ceiling as she inched along. The cut on her knee throbbed in time with her heartbeat. They walked down a short, narrow passageway, which let out into a larger cavern. Rena stood in stunned silence. Her vision blurred at the sight. Sunlight poured through a massive opening near the highest area of the ceiling. The smooth, yet lumpy surface of the interior walls reminded her of mud-covered bed sheets. Chiseled passages led to large tunnels deeper into the mountain.
There were many, many more boxes along those paths.
Crystal-clear water sparkled in a small spring. Tawny rocks glistened beneath ripples, giving the water a golden glow as it flowed in a narrow stream deeper into the mountain.
“Can you believe it?” Rena raced forward. At the sight of clear water, her mouth dried.
“Rena, wait! Don’t drink. It could be contaminated.”
“I’ve never seen water so clear.” She dipped her hands into the pool, letting the cold wetness drip between her fingers and roll down to her elbows. A splash landed on her knee both stinging and numbing the cut. “It’s not even gritty.”
“Really?” Licking her parched lips, Blaze inched forward.
“No metallic smell either.”
“What does it smell like?” Blaze knelt a safe distance away.
With her hands cupped, she dipped into the water and brought it close, too close. Water went up her nose, burning her sinuses. Between fits of snorting and spitting, she giggled, yet still managed to expel the water, while Blaze’s hiccupping snorts fuelled on Rena’s laughter.
“Well…?” Blaze asked, when she finally caught her breath.
Rena wiped happy tears from her cheeks. “Nothing. It doesn’t have a smell.”
“I guess it is moving water. We have been in the hot sun most of the day. I suppose one small drink won’t hurt.”
Rena scooped up a handful and slurped it. She drank more with deep, satisfying gulps. Water dripped from her chin as she spoke in a half whisper, “I’ve never tasted water this clean. I wish my mom could’ve been here for this.”
Edge of Truth (9781310978142) Page 2
