Pearl's Number: The Number Series

by Bethany Atazadeh

  After a few hours passed, they felt confident the Riders wouldn’t pursue. Evalene found herself hoping for the sight of even one cactus or tiny mammal, something that would hint at water, but the desert landscape continued on, unbroken. By the time the sun began to set, everyone was sore and exhausted. The Riders hadn’t found them, but the truth was settling in. They wouldn’t have to. The desert didn’t need any help to kill them.

  Evalene’s lips were chapped. Her throat burned with the taste of sand and dry air and her tongue was bone dry. The others were in similar shape. Olive whined about being thirsty every so often, which only made it worse.

  Sol never once complained, but Olive walked close to him, keeping an eye on him, catching his arm when he stumbled, which he started doing more and more often.

  The fourth-time Olive caught him, he mumbled, “Thanks Merissa.”

  Evalene glanced at Jeremiah and then back at Sol and Olive, slowing a bit.

  “Who’s Merissa?” Olive asked.

  “Very funny,” Sol said, ruffling Olive’s hair out of nowhere, smiling at her in a strange haze. “I’ve missed you, you know.”

  “Sol,” Olive stopped, shaking his shoulders, then catching herself and pulling back abruptly to wring her hands in worry. “Sol, listen, I’m Olive.”

  He blinked at her. “Of course you are.” Evalene and Jeremiah drew closer.

  “Who’s Merissa?” Evalene tried asking again when he didn’t say anything futher.

  A dark cloud passed over Sol’s face. Was he still lucid? “She was my little sister,” he said finally, so soft she barely caught it.

  Something in his voice broke and Evalene prepared to drop it, but Olive either didn’t catch the note of pain or thought to help. “What happened to her?”

  “She died.” Sol didn’t elaborate, but Olive wasn’t done.

  “I’m so sorry,” she murmured, taking his arm in sympathy, “Was she in an accident?”

  Sol’s pain seemed to reduce slightly under her touch. He dropped to the ground as if too exhausted to stand. They joined him. Evalene’s whole body protested. Dusk fell rapidly as they sat in silence, and it began to grow cold as the sun bent down and touched the horizon. The wind mixed with the sudden drop in temperature made Evalene shiver. “Only in the paperwork,” Sol bit out finally. And to himself, in a somber tone, “She would have been 16 this year.” He smiled sadly at Olive. “She had long, blonde hair like you.”

  Olive belatedly recognized his agony and held her tongue, with effort. But now that Sol had started, it seemed he needed to spill the whole story.

  “She was six when she died,” he whispered. His voice sounded sharp, like the edge of cut glass, as if the words might draw blood. “She liked to play in the streets with the other kids. I was a brand-new Regulator in training, and I wanted to prove myself. Especially during the Bloom Rebellion. My mother wanted me at home, safe, but instead I moved into the barracks a whole year early. If I’d been home, even one more week, I could’ve pulled her inside. She got caught in the crossfire.”

  Evalene’s hands flew to her mouth. She couldn’t even imagine his pain. His voice was numb, retelling in a flat tone. “I had no status. No way to even request her body be returned to my family. And I was too ashamed to ask to go home. I thought they might call me a traitor too.”

  Tears tracked down Olive’s face as he spoke, making trails in the red dust and sweat. She reached out to take his hand and held it. “Sol… I’m so sorry…”

  He shrugged, but even Sol couldn’t hide his pain as he finished. “They told me my mother died of a broken heart. My father took his life the following week. The government became my family, for better or worse. Until I met you.”

  Evalene put a hand on his shoulder in silent understanding, and they stayed like that, for a long time. Everything about Sol made so much more sense. How had she never known he had a little sister?

  After some time had passed, Olive let go of Sol’s hand to check his bandages, although what exactly she hoped to accomplish, Evalene didn’t know. “Does it hurt?” Evalene heard her whisper as she replaced the crusty, stained fabric.

  “No, I’m fine,” Sol told her, and Evalene and Jeremiah too, as they looked on, concerned. “I’ve been through worse. No need to worry.” He pasted a smile on for Olive’s benefit, leaning forward so she could better tie the knot on the bandage.

  Evalene studied the way his hands shook and didn’t believe him. Her whole body hurt. Her tender feet felt covered in blisters, and her skin burned hot to the touch even as she shivered.

  As the sun disappeared and dusk took over, it had grown too dark to see, but she had no doubt her pale skin was now a fiery red to match the sand. Her stomach growled, and her thirst was so strong it felt like a hot fire burning in her throat. If she was in this much pain, how could Sol, with his head injury adding to his misery, possibly be fine?

  But she said nothing. What would it do to point out the obvious?

  “We’ll rest here tonight,” Jeremiah finally spoke in the darkness. “We’ll need to sleep close together to stay warm.” They laid down without a word, exhausted. At first it felt awkward to lay so close, especially to Jeremiah. His warm breath brushed the back of her neck.

  But as the desert heat faded and the sand cooled, the air grew bone-cold. Soon everyone was shivering and inching closer. Sandwiched between Olive and Jeremiah, Evalene watched Olive’s shadow in the dark as she reached out an arm and tugged Sol closer. A minute later, his teeth stopped chattering. Jeremiah moved closer without needing to be asked. His body heat warmed Evalene much quicker than Olive had. They nestled together as close as possible as the night sky turned black and the stars came out. Evalene had never in her life seen them shine so brightly.

  Everyone’s breathing slowed. She knew she should sleep too. Every bone in her body was exhausted. But Jeremiah’s presence, along with an unrelenting thirst, had her wide awake. The intimacy was comforting, and at the same time a reminder of all the things still left unsaid between them. She nearly rolled over to check if he was still awake. But she didn’t want to rouse the others.

  Long minutes passed, but all Evalene could think about was how this was all her fault. Her body couldn’t spare a drop of water for even a single tear, but that only made her wish she could cry. They were going to die out in the middle of the desert. Because of her. What had happened to Grandma Mae’s dream? Had she actually seen them standing with her in a church back home, or had she seen them laying in a coffin? They should have asked her to be more specific.

  “I’m sorry…” Evalene whispered finally, to all of them, even though they were asleep. She needed to say it. “I’m so sorry.”

  Jeremiah shifted behind her, and rested an arm on her shoulder, squeezing once in silent comfort. Her face scrunched up, even though her eyes were still too dry for tears. She reached up and rested her hand on his in thanks, feeling some of the tension finally drain away. This small reassurance was enough to finally allow her exhaustion to rush in and claim her.

  18

  Jeremiah

  THEY WOKE TO FIND themselves half buried in the red sand. It’d blown across them constantly during the night. But the weight of it held in their body heat, and at some point, Jeremiah had fallen into an exhausted sleep.

  He blinked and rubbed away the sand on his lashes, feeling a layer of dust inside his nose, on his lips, in his ears, and over every inch of exposed skin. The sunrise slowly woke the others as well.

  Without any supplies to gather, or breakfast to eat, they took just a moment to stretch before beginning their journey again.

  “I studied the stars last night,” Jeremiah told them in a rough voice. His throat was so dry it hurt to speak. He’d spent enough time on his ship to have a general understanding of the stars, but what he left unsaid was how it all looked different on this side of the world, and he still felt uncertain.

  Shading his eyes, he considered the horizon. The never-ending hills of red sand stre
tching out before them in every direction. He was so tired. His lips were cracked and burned when he spoke. “I’m going from memory of our map, but I think I know which direction we need to go.”

  Without further ado, they started walking. Jeremiah kept an eye on the sun as the hours went by, trying to keep his bearings, but it was so easy to get confused and off track in the never-changing landscape.

  None of them had needed to stop for a private moment since the day before, and Jeremiah quickly realized he was hardly sweating anymore either. His body didn’t have any moisture left to produce sweat. That was a bad sign. And the way Sol walked, almost as if drunk, revealed he was in worse shape than the rest of them.

  It was sometime in the afternoon when Jeremiah startled. Squinting at the buildings rising in the distance, he cried out in excitement. “I see a city!” he yelled to the group. He whirled around to wave at them. Evalene and the others squinted in the direction he pointed. Why weren’t they as excited as he was? Less than a mile ahead of them was a small city with a shimmering lake visible on the far side. “Hurry! We’re almost there! I can see water!” And he lurched forward into a run.

  Jeremiah couldn’t keep up the jog for very long, and when he looked behind him, he found the others struggling too. Evie stumbled after him, not even looking up, just watching her feet to keep from falling. Sol was the furthest back, leaning heavily on Olive, though she looked as if she might drop too.

  But slowly, steadily, they pushed forward, eager to reach the city. One sand dune, and another, and another. Jeremiah grew frustrated that the city didn’t get any closer.

  The sun was changing position as they chased the hope of the city, hinting at them getting off their original course, but Jeremiah ignored it and the sensation niggling at the back of his mind. The city was there. He could see it. They couldn’t make it much further, it had to be real. He was dizzy and his hands were starting to shake.

  But no matter how far they walked, they never reached the city and as he stared at it, it began to disappear. He slowed until he walked next to Evie. His tired brain knew what was happening, but he didn’t want to admit the truth and dash everyone’s hopes.

  They kept going until finally Jeremiah lurched to a halt, nearly falling over. He’d used up all his strength sprinting toward the mirage. “It was here,” his voice was rough from thirst and disappointment. “I swear I saw it. It was right here…”

  All of them stopped where they stood, spinning to look at the red sand to the left and the right, ahead and behind. There was no city. Jeremiah dropped to the ground to rest, not sure if he could get back up.

  “Come on,” Evie said after they’d stood silent for a few moments, taking two steps to where Jeremiah sat on the ground, hunched over. She held out a hand to him. “You said it yourself, we have to keep going.”

  He took her hand. They both almost lost their balance as she pulled him up. He swayed for a moment, feeling lost.

  The heat of the afternoon sun beat down on them. “God, please help us,” Evie whispered, as she faced the horizon. And Jeremiah silently sent up a prayer of his own begging for help. He was responsible for these people and he’d never felt more incapable in his entire life. How was he going to get them through this day?

  “Let’s get back to our original course,” Evalene suggested to Jeremiah. He nodded, and they turned to face the direction the sun was starting to set once more.

  But before they could take a single step, Sol keeled over. Olive dropped down beside him in an instant, and Jeremiah and Evie rushed over to kneel on his other side. Picking up Sol’s wrist, Jeremiah felt for the man’s pulse. It was as fast and erratic as his breathing, and his skin was hot to the touch.

  “What’s wrong? Is he going to be okay?” Olive asked, distressed, looking as if she would cry if she could form tears.

  “He’s dehydrated. His head wound probably sped up the process…” Jeremiah guessed. Sol was unresponsive.

  Evie felt his forehead. “I think he has a fever.”

  “Sol,” Olive shook him, her face crumpling into dry sobs. “Sol, you’ve got to wake up. We need to keep going…” her voice cracked, “We’re almost there…”

  Sol didn’t respond, except to start shivering. But when Olive shook him again, almost violently this time, he blinked, staring up at her face. “Olive…” Sol whispered, “Is that you?”

  “Of course, it’s me,” Olive said, with an effort to sound lighthearted. But it came out strained. Sol’s eyes fluttered closed again. Jeremiah thought he looked pale underneath his sunburn. “What should I do?” Olive whispered, looking between Jeremiah and Evie.

  Sol twitched, not opening his eyes, and raised his voice, “Don’t leave me.”

  “I won’t,” Olive promised.

  “Don’t leave me,” he repeated. “You’re all I have left.”

  “Sol!” Olive shook him a little, but his eyes didn’t open. “That’s not true! You have all of us. C’mon, you’ve gotta wake up.”

  “No, it’s true,” Sol mumbled. Jeremiah couldn’t help but think of Sol’s revelation the day before. Was he talking to his little sister again? Or did he mean Olive?

  He muttered something and they all leaned closer. “Can you say that again?” Olive asked, gently brushing his dark hair away from his eyes where it grew long.

  “Don’t tell Olive,” Sol’s eyes were closed and he shook his head, “But I love her…”

  Olive froze, staring down at him.

  Sol mumbled something further, but it was incomprehensible. “What?” Olive leaned in to listen closer, but shook her head at his mutterings, unable to understand anything he was saying. He was delusional.

  “Sol,” Jeremiah tried. “Sol, you need to wake up. We need to keep moving.”

  The man blinked, eyes half open, staring at Jeremiah in confusion.

  “Can you get up?” Jeremiah asked him, already moving to help Sol stand. He ignored the girls’ protests to let Sol rest. “We have to keep moving,” he said to them, pulling Sol to a standing position. “Lean on me.”

  Sol’s confusion lessened slightly once he was standing. He shook his head as if to clear the bewilderment, wincing as he did. The razor focus normally in his eyes partially returned, and in a gravelly voice that was dry from the wind and sand, he said, “I’m okay. Lead on.”

  Jeremiah let Olive duck under Sol’s other shoulder, and they helped him together. They set out at a slow pace, angling away from the non-existent city to return to their previous path.

  Sol leaned heavily on him and Olive, seeming more lucid than before. But Jeremiah wasn’t sure how much longer that would last. He scanned the horizon for any sign of hope.

  Evie kept pace with them, leading the way without faltering. Jeremiah was glad for her confidence. She never complained—although Olive did enough of that for all four of them—and she never gave up.

  Sol stumbled, drawing Jeremiah’s attention away from Evie. Now was not the time, he needed to focus. He shifted to bear more of Sol’s weight, as the man muttered to himself incoherently. First, they needed to get through this desert. Then, he promised himself, he and Evie would talk.

  An hour or so later, Jeremiah saw another mirage on the horizon. The shimmer of a vast lake stretched out ahead, even larger than the first he’d seen. Of course, because it was a vision, there was also greenery on both sides, as if the desert was ending, and plants had a chance to take root. But he kept his mouth shut. He knew better.

  Everyone pressed on across the red sand in silence.

  As they walked on, the mirage grew larger and didn’t fade. Evie sighed where she walked next to him. “I wish that lake was real.”

  Olive piped up from the other side of Sol, who was shivering again, “I know, it’s making me so thirsty.”

  Jeremiah jerked, surprising Sol enough that the man half opened his eyes, blinking. “You both see it too?” Jeremiah asked, louder than he’d intended. “I thought it was just me!”

  Still w
ary of another trick, they picked up their pace to a fast walk. Jeremiah tried to lick his lips at the sight of all that water, but his tongue was too dry. Olive tripped once, caught herself, then tripped again. Evie came to link arms with her on the other side, and together the four of them held each other up and pressed on.

  It wasn’t until the ground began to harden into dirt instead of sand, with bits of grass, that Jeremiah began to believe it might be real. It continued to grow firmer and greener. Despite the evidence, he felt afraid to trust it. But when they dipped their toes into the cool, refreshing water, he finally allowed himself to celebrate with a hoarse laugh of excitement.

  It was real.

  Evie let go and splashed into the water, crying out in pure joy. Olive and Sol waded in after her. Jeremiah swam past them, farther out into the enormous lake.

  The cool liquid seemed to wake Sol out of his daze and his eyes opened fully again as he sank deeper into the water. He swayed a bit and Olive stayed close, keeping him from wading too far out, but as he stood half-submerged, his eyes brightened and he managed a grin.

  Evie had barely dipped a toe in the water.

  “What’s the matter?” Jeremiah called, swimming back toward her. “Can’t swim?”

  She shook her head, embarrassed.

  “It’s okay,” he encouraged her, “There aren’t any drop offs. Come in, cool off!” He grinned as she carefully made her way closer to the group, stopping when the water was at her chest. The cool liquid refreshed his spirits, and even though Jeremiah could see layers of sand and sweat flowing away from him into the water, he was too desperate and thirsty to care. He leaned forward and drank deeply. Never had water tasted so fresh and so pure in his entire life.

  When he finally lifted his head, he found the others gulping it down too. The water revived them. Olive helped Sol lean back and washed his wound. Cleaning the bandage in the water, they decided to let it air dry. When they finally waded back to shore and crawled out onto the soft grassy beach afterwards, Jeremiah fell onto his back in relief and just laid there.