by Lynn Wahl
But then, I was glad she wasn’t here. The same voice in my head that tried to nag me about my creations being used to kill whispered that if she had been here, she would have stolen the spotlight. She was smarter than me, just not in a techy way. She’d always taken the lead on all of our projects and I’d grown used to letting her. We always succeeded when she was in charge, so it was easy not to argue with her about stuff.
If she were here, she would tell me to escape, even though I couldn’t. I was on a boat in the middle of an ocean, and the gate we’d used to arrive didn’t exist here. The Captain had explained that it was kind of like a wormhole in space, but one that only existed at certain times in different places around the island. The gate in the abandoned warehouse back on Earth only opened onto the ship every few months or so. Taking another gate back might land me in China. I didn’t really care if the Captain was telling the truth or not. I was given everything I needed to build and create the things I’d been dreaming of most of my life. Why would I want to leave?
If Paige were here, if she came to rescue me somehow, I’d tell her to leave me alone. I would miss her; we’d been friends since we were in pre-school, but this was a better life than I could ever have imagined for myself. Where else could I build steel wolves that actually ran and jumped? Where else could I build steel wings that when strapped to someone’s back could allow them to fly? The rules were different here: there were no rules, and I was just fine with that. Plus, she had Tyler Condie to hang out with now. She didn’t need me. My parents would be sad when I didn’t come home, but they were gone most of the time anyway. They’d get over it.
“Boy!” The Captain’s shout broke me out of my reverie, and I snapped to attention. I’d made the mistake at first of ignoring the Captain when I was called, too intent in my work to bother answering. I still had a black eye from the last time I’d tried it. I rubbed it and stared at the box the Captain was carrying. It was covered with a bit of burlap, but every now and then, my eyes caught a small arm poking out, tiny fist waving. The squealing coming from under the cloth was almost deafening.
“What is that?” I asked.
The Captain grinned, showing surprisingly white teeth for a pirate, and whipped the cloth off the box. “I’ve found what you needed to make your machine’s work. A self-propagating energy source ripe for the taking. There’s plenty more where these come from.”
I stared at the little fairies in amazement. Their bodies were human looking, even if they were all sorts of weird colors, but they were the size of my hand. Their wings were crumpled from being shoved in the cage, but I could see they looked like large dragonfly wings. At that thought, I whipped my notebook out and made a quick sketch. A steel dragon, lightweight and quick, would be perfect for reconnaissance. I looked back up from my sketch and shook my head.
“Those won’t work. I need electricity. How are those fairies going to power six hundred pounds of steel?”
The Captain set the cage down on my work table and without any warning, belted me across the face. The blow sent me crashing back into the spider, which held my weight. The legs, engineered to scythe through the jungle undergrowth like a hot spoon through ice cream, sliced a chunk out of my calf. I didn’t scream. The captain didn’t like how loud it was in the steel belly of his ship.
The Captain pointed at the cage with his hook while the fairies stared back at me with wide, wet eyes. “You will find a way to make it work, or I’ll kill you. Your creatures are worthless sculptures if they can’t move.”
I stared at the fairies, desperately trying to think of way to make it work. The Captain had explained right off that it was the fairy dust on the island that gave people the ability to do amazing things. There had to be energy in that, if only I could figure out a way to make it work.
“I’ll do it,” I said, not sure if I could but trusting my newfound skills to carry me through. I’d use the fairy dust to help figure out a way to get power from the fairies. It was ironic and cruel, but so was life. I knew the Captain would kill me if I didn’t figure it out, so I’d figure it out.
The fairies, as if sensing my resolve, let loose pitiful wails and enraged shrieks. The Captain grimaced and left, and after a moment’s thought, I shoved two small strips of cloth from my torn clothing into my ears. I didn’t need to hear their screams. It wouldn’t do them any good anyway.
As I moved to cover them with the cloth again, a small purple fairy twisted her head through the bars and bit my finger. I gave a little shriek, wrenching my hand free. Blood streamed from the wound. I darted a look back at the fairy. She bared her teeth and hissed. She raised her small fist and shook it at me. I shuddered and turned away.
Six: Paige
It was just barely light when William flipped my hammock over and threw me on the ground. I popped up covered in leaves and sticks to find Jasmine waiting with a piece of fruit and a cup of water. I looked around and gave a little sigh of relief that it wasn’t raining.
“We make sure we’re awake before William can come and do it for us. Saves a few bruises,” Jasmine said. She held out the food.
I took the food from the girl and bit in. The fruit tasted like a mango mixed with an orange. I watched William as he went around the clearing waking the other kids up. Knocking me out of my hammock before the sun was up wasn’t really a good way of getting to know me. Still, I couldn’t help but admire how graceful he was as he half walked, half flew around the camp.
Jasmine leaned over me and pulled out a sword from a rack on the wall of the lean-to behind the hammock. She held the sword out, turning it back and forth before looking up at me.
“You know, he does this with all the new girls,” she said.
I eyed the sword and set the bowl down. I’d never even seen a sword before, at least not in real life, and seeing this teenage girl strapping it to her hips with practiced grace sent a chill down my spine. Her words cut through my shock over seeing the sword.
“Does what?” I asked.
She shot me a look. “Please. No reason to act stupid. You know what I mean.”
I licked my lips and dropped my head, trying to hide my blush. “Uh, sure,” I said. The idea of William taking each new girl off to the waterfall made me sort of sick. I squared my shoulders. It wasn’t a big deal. I wasn’t here to chase after some boy like some silly girl with a crush. I squashed the tiny part of my brain that reminded me of how nice the kiss was and pointed at the sword.
“What’s that for?” I changed the subject and emptied the bowl of fruit into my mouth, not sure when I’d get to eat again.
Jasmine gave me a look, knowing full well I was trying to distract her. “We’re going on a mission,” she finally said.
The militant gleam in the girl’s eyes made me swallow wrong, and I choked on the last piece of my fruit.
“A mission?” My voice wheezed out of my throat, and I coughed. When Jasmine leaned back over me, retrieved a long staff of polished wood, and thrust it into my hands, I nearly dropped it.
“Yes,” Jasmine said. “And you’re coming too. William specifically requested your attendance.”
I stood up and planted the staff on the ground. “No. I’m not going. I’m not playing any of William’s war games.”
Jasmine dropped her hand until it was resting on the hilt of her sword. She looked to see who’d heard my outburst. “You don’t really have a choice,” she said. “It’s better if you just get used to it and go along with whatever William says.”
“Or what?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Or the next time the Captain does a raid on the camp or you need help, William won’t save you. You won’t last long without his protection.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would he do that? Why bother rescuing us just to let us die later?”
I jumped as William’s voice sounded right in my ear. “Because if you don’t fight, you’re a liability, a mouth to feed. I need soldiers, not useless little girls.”
His words stu
ng, and I turned around to face him, but he was already across the clearing. He smirked at me and winked before turning back to dragging a little kid out of his blankets.
“I am not a useless girl,” I said.
Jasmine kicked the bottom of the staff I held. It banged into my shins, bringing tears to my eyes.
“Then prove it. Stop complaining and let’s go.” Her voice was harsh, but her eyes were sad, as if she secretly agreed with me but couldn’t say anything.
“Besides,” she said. “If you stay here, you’ve got to dig another privy.”
She walked away. She was right. I’d rather go and hit things with a stick than dig another hole. I followed her to where she stood next to William. The rest of the kids had already lined up at the edge of the clearing. Most of them were yawning and rubbing sleep out of their eyes. Their ages ranged from six to fifteen, and every single one of them looked too young to be carrying the weapons they were. When I saw an eight year old caressing a mace with what looked like dried blood on its spikes, my stomach rolled and I tried to fade back away from the line.
A burning touch at my shoulder stopped me, and I turned to find Pyro giving me a happy grin.
“Don’t like digging, huh?” he asked.
I nodded, pretending that I hadn’t been trying to sneak away. “What are we doing?”
Pyro shrugged. “Who knows. William will tell us when we get closer.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. Caught up in the group, I couldn’t stop myself from being forced forward when William thrust out his arm and marched off into the jungle. When my bare feet splashed through the stream, I tried to stop and was shoved forward into the kid in front of me.
“Wait,” I cried. “What about the spiders?” The kids snickered and ignored me and kept marching. Pyro, reappearing at my side, gave me a friendly pat on the arm that left a little patch of burned skin. I winced and pulled away from him.
“The spiders only come out at night. Unless you fall in one of their traps, you’re fine.”
“Traps?” I asked.
He led me a few feet into the woods and pointed at the patch of ground in front of us.
“They dig a hole and then cover it with web and leaves. When you step into the hole, the web breaks and you fall in. If you’re lucky, you land on the spider, crush it, and just climb back out.”
I swallowed hard and stared at the ground. It looked just like the rest of the forest floor. “What happens if you don’t land on the spider?”
Pyro shrugged. “The spiders’ venom is paralyzing. It only takes a few seconds, and then they eat you. Alive. Let’s see if there’s something in this one. Sometimes they dig the trap and then forget where it is when they come back at night. If you’re really lucky, the trap will be empty.”
He grabbed my staff and stabbed it through the webbing. From below my feet, I heard a nervous shuffling and then a soft hissing noise that sounded like steel wool on glass. I shuddered and waited for the monster to explode up out of the hole, but when nothing happened, Pyro pulled the stick up and handed it back to me. The light colored staff was dark and glistening at the bottom. Deep gouges had been scratched into the wood.
“Don’t touch that end,” he suggested and wandered away.
I stood there for a few seconds more, afraid to turn my back on the pit, before hurrying to catch up with the group.
When we emerged into a natural clearing ringed with giant moss-covered trees, I sank onto a log with a groan after checking to make sure there weren’t any centipedes. I’d never walked so far in my life. Every part of me was soaking wet and caked with mud. All I wanted was a hot bath and a plate of spaghetti. At the thought of spaghetti with steaming, cheesy garlic bread, my mouth started watering. William was giving some stupid speech about snakes and cutting off their heads when I came out of my Italian food fantasy.
When I looked where he was pointing and saw the sword raised above his head, I thought I was imagining things. When he began to swing the sword down, I lunged off the log and pushed him to the side. We both lay sprawled on the ground. William stared up at me, his face tight with anger. Jasmine came up and pulled William back to his feet. She looked down at me.
“Explain yourself,” she said.
I looked at the thick black wires William had been calling snakes and pushed myself away. Now that I knew what I was listening for, I could hear the buzz in the air. It made my teeth buzz, just like it did at home.
“If William cuts these with his sword, he’ll die.” I threw a quick glance at William. He was still angry. I sort of wished I’d just let him fry himself.
The child I’d seen with the mace earlier that morning rushed forward, his face twisted in a wild grin. The other kids seemed to melt away as he leaped over the line and straddled it.
“I’ll get it, William!” he cried.
I shook my head and moved to pull the kid back to safety, but William grabbed my arm.
“Stop,” I pleaded, but William’s face was set in a hard, blank mask.
The little boy grinned at me and raised the mace over his head with a wild war cry before bringing it down on the power line. The severed line jumped and snapped like an enraged animal, but the boy stood, rigid and unmoving, the muscles writhing beneath his skin. The smell of cooked meat began to fill the air.
I wrenched myself free of William’s bruising grip and swung my staff at the boy’s hand. The mace fell to the ground and the boy slumped to the side. His arm, shoulder, and one side of his face were the color of charred wood. He was dead.
I rounded on William. “What is wrong with you?” I yelled. “Why wouldn’t you listen to me?”
I stepped closer, but William didn’t react. He was staring at the boy, his face pale and shocked. His hands were clenched at his sides. “I forgot,” he said.
I leaned in to hear his whisper. “What?” I asked.
“Some of the others told me about electricity, but I forgot.”
I stepped back, confused. When William pushed past me to stand over the dead boy, I let him go.
“The enemy has been vanquished! Our brother was brave in the face of danger and has won a great victory against the Captain and his abominations. We will remember him!” William’s voice shattered the silence that had fallen over the jungle and the rag-tag group of children screamed and hooted in response.
I let myself sink to the ground. What had William meant when he said he’d forgotten about electricity? How could someone just forget something like that? I thought back to the movies I’d seen about Peter Pan and Neverland. The characters in those shows forgot too. They forgot who they were and where they came from. Would that happen to me too? Would I forget Jake?
The thought made me sick and I heaved up my breakfast until all that remained was thick, bitter stomach bile and the slightly sweet, heavy taste of cooked meat on my tongue. Pyro came over and helped me to my feet. He was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
I looked at him. “Did you forget about electricity too?”
Pyro shrugged. “I didn’t remember until it was too late.”
My stomach rolled again. “Do we all forget?”
Pyro shrugged again, but this time it was defensive. His shoulders curved in and he crossed his arms over his chest.
I stared at him, unable to hide the pity in my eyes. I need to get out of here. Just get Jake and leave. This place is cursed. Before I could stand to confront William, we were off again, following the black snake of line further into the jungle. We left the charred corpse of the child behind, and I was the only one who looked back.
Seven: Paige
We walked for what felt like hours. When one girl was stung by a wasp the size of my fist, the group stopped long enough for Jasmine to give the girl some leaves to reduce the swelling, and then marched on. I couldn’t help staring at the wounded girl. Her arm looked like one of those cheap plastic bats they gave as prizes at the fair: all red and swollen and tight. When another kid fell into one o
f the spider’s traps but climbed out again a few minutes later with a pink and black smear across his back, any plans I had for slipping off into the jungle and sneaking back to the Captain’s ship died a quick death. I wouldn’t make it three minutes alone in this jungle.
William seemed oblivious to the group’s suffering. Occasionally, he would turn and say something to Pyro, but most of the time he walked with his eyes on the ground, a serious frown on his face and his hand in a white-knuckled grip on his sword. When I was so tired and thirsty I could barely put one foot in front of the other and noticed that William was actually floating a quarter inch off the ground and wasn’t walking at all, I wished again that I’d let him cut the power line with his sword. Instead, a child had died for his stupid mission, and we were stuck walking through this green hell of a jungle without food or water. The sound of water dripping off everything was so constant it was beginning to drive me a little bit crazy.
Night was beginning to fall when William finally looked up. “There’s a river ahead with an island in it where we can stay for the night, but you’ll have to run.” He looked at me.
Before I could step away, he walked forward, pulled me close to him and shot us both up into the air. I beat at him with my fists, but stopped when his grip slipped and I slid down his body a little.
“Hold still,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to drop you.”
I glanced up at him, but this close all I could see was the edge of his jaw. It was set in a hard line.
When we landed on a small island in the center of a river, he let me go, pushing me away from him.
I stumbled back, nearly falling as I tripped over a rock. “What’s your problem?” I asked.
He followed after me as I backed up, his fists clenched. “I wanted to thank you.”
I stared at him. “Could have fooled me.”
His shoulders slumped, and he looked down at the ground. “It’s just … no one rescues me. I do the rescuing.”
I tried to hold my snarky comment back, but I never was very good at keeping my thoughts to myself. “Like you rescued that kid this morning?”
