Exile

by S. M. Wilson

  Reban shrugged. “Seems you got to see more of that book than I ever did.”

  She was surprised. Reban knew about Octavius’s book? She didn’t realize they had been that close.

  Reban frowned as he tried to peer at his injuries, then glanced over at Jesa’s elbow. “I think we should move.” He pointed beneath him. “This is predator heaven. A T-rex banquet. Let’s move before the smell of blood starts to permeate the forest.”

  The others nodded in agreement and started to scramble down from the trees. Storm winced as she retrieved her knives. Leif gave her a smile as he pulled one from the eye of one of the creatures and wiped it on the nearest tree leaf. “Remind me not to get you angry.”

  She shuddered as she placed it back in her belt. Instinct. That’s what she’d acted on. What was this place doing to her?

  Jesa was trying her best to be brave, but Storm could see the tremor along her jaw line. She walked over and touched Jesa’s arm. “You okay?” she asked quietly. “Let me take a look at that for you.”

  Jesa nodded, and Storm pulled back the cloth. “Ouch. I think that might need more than a little ointment. We need to find somewhere with clean water.”

  Leif walked over. “I know just the place,” he said, putting his hands on his hips and looking around. “If only we knew where it was…”

  Lincoln bent down. “Here.” He pointed to a red mark on the tree. “I remember this. I’m not sure why. But I’m sure I saw it on the way to Blaine’s shack.”

  Storm frowned. She didn’t remember seeing anything at all. Blaine had moved through the jungle at such a rapid pace she’d struggled to keep up.

  She touched the tree. There were no paths, just squishy undergrowth. “Okay, so you remember that. But how do you know which way?”

  Lincoln frowned as he looked around them. “I’m sure the red mark was to my right as we passed it. So that means I think it’s this way.” He pointed forward.

  Reban shook his head. “Well, lead on. That way is as good as any other.”

  Leif looked at the dinosaur bodies on the jungle floor. “We might as well. The sooner we get away from here the better.”

  They tramped on.

  After a while, Storm stopped, and Reban walked straight into the back of her. “Oof!” His head whipped from side to side. “What is it? Did you hear something?”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “No, but I smelled it.”

  Wrinkles formed across Reban’s brow. He looked at her as if she were mad. “What?”

  Storm held up her hands. “Guys. Stop a minute. Smell.”

  Jesa tilted her chin upwards and sniffed. So did Reban. But Storm watched Lincoln and Leif as they inhaled, waiting for the scent to hit their senses.

  “Evergreen.” They spoke in tandem.

  Storm nodded. “It is, isn’t it?”

  Both of them nodded in agreement and looked around, trying to pick out any kind of sign among the trees.

  “Someone want to tell me what’s going on?” asked Reban.

  Storm was still smiling. “This smell. It’s the leaves that make the ointment. The cure for the plague. Blaine uses it to line his shack. He says the smell hides him from predators. They can’t pick out the human scent because the scent from the leaves is so strong.”

  Reban breathed in too. Wrinkling his nose. “Okay. There is something. But what now?”

  “Now, we follow our noses.”

  Within a matter of minutes, the scent was overwhelming. Lincoln held out his hands. “Stop!” He pointed just in front of them.

  He could tell it took Reban’s and Jesa’s eyes a few seconds to adjust. The structure was almost invisible. Just a huge collage of thick leaves. It could be one enormous jungle plant that had taken over this part of the ground. But it wasn’t. The leaves were intertwined around a structure of wood and fabric. It was hidden in plain sight.

  Lincoln gave an anxious glance at Storm, conscious of the fact that neither of them had warned Jesa about what to expect when they found her father.

  “Wait here,” he said to Jesa as he walked around the other side of the shack, looking for the way in.

  Leif and Storm were right at his back. When he found the entrance, he parted the fabric that hung there. “Blaine? Are you there?”

  Silence.

  Lincoln walked in slowly, glancing around. Little had changed since the last time they were there. There was still a sheltered sleeping area, with a camp bed like the ones they had on the ship. Blaine had the equivalent of a noticeboard in one corner, covered in scraps of paper. A pad and some graphite sat on a tree stump in another corner, clearly prized from the last delivery. One kicked-in pair of sneakers was stacked against a wall. The new ones must be on his feet.

  Storm rushed over and bent down, lifting up a blanket. One large bowl with water and three small clay pots. Exactly where he’d kept them before. One with some kind of yellow glue, one with red powder – hadn’t he said it was spices? – and the third was the prize.

  The third held the pungent green ointment that seemed to heal all wounds.

  She held up the clay pot. “It looks like he just made some more,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

  “Jesa,” she called. “Come in here! I’ll clean up your arm.”

  There was a shout outside. “Who are you? What are you doing here? Why are you touching my home?” Followed by a loud squeal and a slap.

  Lincoln ran outside. Reban was nowhere to be seen. But Jesa looked terrified.

  Blaine’s appearance hadn’t improved any. His hair was still long and shaggy, streaked with grey. His beard was halfway down his chest. His clothes looked like a bunch of rags, stitched together roughly. The only thing that was relatively normal about him were the sneakers on his feet.

  Jesa’s eyes were wide. She was holding her hands to her face, while Blaine had a tight grip on one of her arms. There was a crumpled leaf at her feet – one that looked as if it had been tugged from the side of Blaine’s shack.

  “Leave her!” yelled Lincoln. “Let her go. She’s with us!”

  He could see the confusion on Blaine’s face. Watched him take a few seconds to place Lincoln again.

  Blaine let go of Jesa’s arm as if she were something poisonous, and his face contorted. He shook his head fiercely. “No. No. It’s not been a year yet. You shouldn’t be here. No one should be here.” He flung up his hands. “There’s no room for all these people!”

  Lincoln cringed and stepped between Blaine and Jesa.

  “Don’t worry. We won’t be here for long. We just came to try something out on the dinosaurs.”

  “So soon?”

  Lincoln nodded.

  Blaine immediately looked suspicious. “What is it this time?”

  Storm appeared from the shack. Her gaze narrowed slightly as she caught sight of the stunned Jesa. “It’s a virus. They want us to plant it in the water supply to see if it affects the dinosaurs.”

  “A virus? Are they still pursuing those crazy thoughts? Why on earth do they think they can kill the most dangerous creatures on the planet with a virus?” Blaine shook his head and walked away dismissively. “They’re even bigger fools than before. Idiots. Imbeciles,” he muttered.

  Storm licked her lips and stepped forward, touching him on the shoulder. He gave her hand a glance of disgust. “But we have another reason for being here – two, in fact.”

  Blaine stepped backwards, trying to get out of her reach. “What?”

  Storm kept her voice steady. “The ointment. The one you used on yourself. On Lincoln’s wounds and on my feet. We took some back home. There’s a plague on Earthasia. Do you remember it? The blistering plague. The ointment seems to help the condition. Can maybe even cure it. We need to find some of the plants and take them back. We need to grow them in Earthasia. And we need you to show us how to make the ointment.”

  Blaine shook his head. It was clear he didn’t really believe what she was saying. “What plague? I’ve never
heard of any plague.” He started pacing around.

  Leif appeared at Storm’s shoulder. Blaine blinked. “You too?” He let out a rasp. “Why can’t you all just go back to where you came from?”

  There was a noise. Almost like a whimper. Jesa’s eyes were still wide. When she slid her hands down she had a palm-shaped imprint on her face.

  Lincoln felt rage build inside him. He stepped in front of Blaine. Piloria didn’t belong to Blaine. He had no right to be like this. And if he wouldn’t help them, Lincoln would rip off every leaf that was currently covering his shack, shove them into a bag and work out how to make the ointment himself. As he looked at Jesa’s horrified face his anger intensified. This could never be the reunion she had in mind.

  “You mean the place you came from too,” he said, as he stepped in front of Blaine’s line of vision. “Enough,” he said, as he wrapped his hand around Blaine’s wrist. “Come with me.”

  He didn’t give Blaine a chance to argue. Leif and Storm stepped aside as Lincoln pulled Blaine sharply inside the shack. Blaine was indignant, he started to protest, “Wha—”

  Lincoln cut him dead. “Don’t.” He walked over and tugged the graphite sketch from the wall, ignoring the fact that Blaine winced. “Your family. You wanted to know about your family.” The paper felt as if it could disintegrate in his fingertips. Now he was looking at the sketch – even though it was nine years old – everything seemed so clear. The hint of curl in Jesa’s hair. The almond shape of her eyes.

  Blaine nodded as he took the delicate paper away from Lincoln and cradled it in his hands. “You know about my family?” he asked.

  Lincoln breathed slowly. At this point Blaine looked quite pathetic. He gave him a sharp nod. “Yes. I do. I’ve met Kayna. I’ve met Caleb.”

  Blaine started to shake. “You have? They’re alive? How are they? Are they okay? Are they in Ambulus City?” One question seemed to tumble out after another.

  But Lincoln just shook his head. He stuck his head back out of the flap and gestured towards Jesa. She looked terrified but he gave her the most reassuring nod that he could and held out his hand towards her.

  She was trembling. But after a few seconds, she slipped her hand into his. He pulled her inside.

  Lincoln turned to face Blaine again. It was obvious he was agitated. His hands were fumbling in front of his chest. His mind was clearly on overdrive. He was mouthing the questions that were still streaming through his head.

  Lincoln spoke clearly. “I told you I met Kayna. I told you I met Caleb.”

  Blaine nodded his eyes wide. Then something happened. Part of his brain must have clicked into gear. “But, what about…”

  Lincoln gently slipped his arm around Jesa’s back and edged her forward. “Blaine, this is Jesa. Your daughter. The person you just slapped.” He watched as the words registered, then leaned forward and kept his voice low. “Touch her again and I’ll kill you myself.”

  The world moved in slow motion. Storm and Leif stepped back into the shack in time to see Blaine sway first one way, then another.

  Leif took a step up behind him, holding his hands out as if to catch Blaine if he fell.

  Jesa was still shaking. It was clear she was sick with nerves.

  Blaine’s mouth was open, his eyes wide. He didn’t say a word. He just stared. Then finally, he took a tiny step forward, with one hand held up.

  Storm could see Lincoln tighten his grip on Jesa’s waist, offering her reassurance that she’d be okay. There was nothing threatening about Blaine’s behaviour now. He was just stunned. Storm didn’t know who was shaking more – Blaine or Jesa.

  Blaine’s hand came up to Jesa’s cheek, Lincoln watching him every step of the way. The tremble was extreme, affecting his whole body. He was trying to find words. As his hand cradled Jesa’s cheek she let out a little whimper. “My…daughter.” The words came out so hesitantly. It was almost as if Blaine didn’t believe this was real.

  Jesa’s hand closed over Blaine’s and she started to sob. “Dad? Daddy?”

  Lincoln stepped back to allow Jesa to go forward into her father’s embrace. Storm turned away, facing Leif. It seemed like a moment of intrusion. Father and daughter hadn’t seen each other in more than nine years. She had the overwhelming sense that this wasn’t something she should watch.

  She stepped over to Leif and whispered, “Where’s Reban?”

  Leif shrugged. “I’ve no idea. He disappeared while we were in there with Blaine.”

  Lincoln walked over and joined them, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes kept darting back to Jesa and Blaine. “What now?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” said Storm.

  Blaine started babbling. “What about Caleb? What about Kayna? Are you happy? Where do you work? Have you had any trouble from the Stipulators? How is Kaden?”

  Jesa flinched at his final words. Kaden, the Stipulator who had been dragged from the house next door with his family. Storm hadn’t forgotten any of the details of that story. Would Blaine even realize the same fate could have befallen his family too if they hadn’t hidden?

  Jesa still seemed stunned that she’d finally been reunited with her father. “We…we…should sit down,” she said in the end.

  Blaine nodded. “Of course, of course.” At first Storm thought he’d stay inside the shack with her, but instead he took her back outside and guided her over to a very large tree trunk lying on its side. “Sit here,” he said, as he settled on the log.

  Jesa swallowed. Storm knew she was searching for the right words, and walked over, handing her a water bottle. She could only imagine how dry Jesa’s throat would be right now.

  Jesa gave a grateful nod and gulped down some water, keeping the bottle in her hands. “Mum…is fine. Well, she’s fine now. When she hears about this?” Now Jesa’s voice started to shake. “She won’t believe it. She’ll be so happy. She always believed that you could still be alive.”

  Blaine gave a nod. He seemed to be soaking up her words.

  “Caleb? He’s good. He’s just started in one of the food plants. He says it’s okay. A few of his friends from school started at the same time.”

  She paused and took a deep breath. “Kaden. I haven’t seen him since I was small. We…we left. As soon as they took you, Mum made us pack up a bag and leave right away. We walked for days and ended up at Meridian City. It wasn’t quite so cramped then and we managed to find somewhere and stay there for a few years. When we came back to Ambulus City, Mum tried to find Kaden and his family. But…the neighbours told us that the Stipulators had come the next day – the one after you were taken – and kicked down the door.” A tear slid down her cheek. “They said that Kaden and his family were dragged out into the street.” She shook her head. “Nobody ever saw them again.”

  For Storm it was like a cold wind dancing over her skin. Jesa had mentioned this before. But now? Hearing her tell the tale to her father? It seemed to give the story new context. A level of understanding that Storm hadn’t felt before. If Reban had been discovered, would Storm and her mother have been in the same position?

  She watched as Blaine put his hands over Jesa’s. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry that I caused this.” He started to rock back and forward a little. “This is my fault. I kept your mother secret. I kept you all secret. It was the only way to try and keep you safe.” He stopped for a moment and seemed to fixate on the trees in front of him. “But if I’d wanted to keep you truly safe I would have stayed away. I wouldn’t have visited. I shouldn’t have visited.”

  “But then we would have never known you,” Jesa said quickly. “It was hard enough when you were taken away. But to have never known you?” She shook her head. “No. No. That’s not what Caleb and I would have wanted.”

  She pulled her hands away from her father’s and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and tangling her fingers through her curls. “Caleb will be so angry with me. So angry. I know he would have wanted to be here. But I
just thought it was too risky. When I heard that Lincoln had told Mum and Caleb about you I was mad. How dare they speak to Lincoln without me? Then, when I got the note asking if we wanted to send a message?” She shook her head again. “A message wasn’t good enough. It just wasn’t. So I packed my bag and headed down to the dock.”

  Blaine sat back. He glanced first at Lincoln and then at Jesa. “Kayna – your mum? She doesn’t know you’re here? She doesn’t know that you’ve come?”

  Jesa let out a wry laugh. “Oh, she’ll know by now. But she would never have let me come here. Never in a million years.”

  Blaine shifted uncomfortably and Storm smiled. It was almost like Blaine was contemplating whether he should actually be telling Jesa off or not. Storm watched as he stared down at his patchwork clothes. He shifted a little further along the log, one hand coming up and patting his shaggy hair. He was becoming self-conscious. The only way Blaine would have seen his appearance over the years must have been as a reflection in water. Was he even aware how he really looked? Or how he smelled?

  He stood up, taking tiny steps back and forward. Storm felt Lincoln tense next to her. They’d seen Blaine’s agitated behaviour before. It was almost like he had a pressure valve. Too many people, too many questions just seemed to set him off.

  Jesa was totally unaware of this. She pointed at his sneakers. “Lincoln said you ask for these every year. What else do you ask for? What else do they give you?” She frowned a little. “Do you get any new clothes?”

  There was a noise. A crack. A twig breaking in the jungle. Everyone was on their feet instantly.

  Leaves rustled, then parted, as Reban walked back through the bushes, examining a piece of fruit he held in his hand. He didn’t even look up.

  There was a split second when nothing happened. Then Blaine’s eyes widened. There was a frown. A few seconds of recognition. Then fury erupted across his face.

  Before anyone had a chance to do anything, Blaine let out a blood-curdling yell and launched himself at Reban.

  “Don! You—” The word was lost as Blaine landed on Reban, knocking him to the jungle floor. There was a punch. Then another. The sound of flesh impacting on flesh. A groan from Reban as Blaine pushed himself back to his feet and started kicking furiously at the man on the ground.