The crowd before me moved like a ripple of water—some chuckling, some annoyed, some smiling, some bored.
When my breathing returned to normal, I grinned and raised a hand in greeting. Soon the noise returned, and everyone resumed their previous tasks and conversations.
So many bodies closing in on me became difficult to handle. They didn’t smell bad, but now I saw what Mother had meant. Each had a distinct scent, and in this enclosed space, the odor was pungent.
“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Lock said, leading me farther into the room. “I told them all to leave Elgon alone. They’re more scared than curious, so hopefully they’ll just stay away.”
“Thanks,” I told him. Elgon remained so close to my side that I could feel the outline of his warmth against my leg. “Why does Lace do that?” I turned to find her watching me, her blond hair pulled atop her head, giving her the appearance of being stretched and tied off like a rag doll.
“She sucks,” a new voice said from one of the low chairs nearby.
“What?” I turned to see a man stand up.
He was tall but thin for an Erdlander, and broad in the shoulders. His light brown hair was cut short on the sides, but the bangs hung over one of his eyes. Small brown flecks spread across his face. The affect was quite charming.
“She sucks,” he repeated. “Anything she’s not in charge of is dirt according to her, and generally we don’t let her be in charge of anything.” His smile was wide and open. “I’m Ashrah. Ash.”
He extended his hand to me, and I took it. The contact disquieted me, crowding me with touch. The moment extended as he watched me, holding my hand in his.
“Nice to meet you, Sera,” he murmured at last, releasing me.
The air against my palm was a welcome relief.
“Um, hi, Ash.”
“Your eyes are amazing,” he blurted, bending down to study them.
“Oh, thanks.”
“No, really, what color are they?” He peered into my face, sending me into a fit of itchy discomfort.
As I was about to turn and run back to my room, Elgon’s low rumble interrupted Ash’s study. With two steps, he pushed Ash away from me, his dense bulk planted between us.
“I guess we know you’ll always be safe,” Ash joked, looking down at Elgon’s flat expression. “Is he really nice?”
“As long as you don’t make him angry.”
“I see that.” He laughed. Such easy acceptance of Elgon was a relief. A few of the others had gathered closer, no longer afraid now that they had seen Lock and Ash near the animal.
“You must be hungry,” Lock said, pulling my attention back to him. “Is Tor awake? Should we wait for him?”
“No, he was still fast asleep when I came out.”
“Oh, right. I heard you were Matched,” Ash commented, his voice a touch cooler.
“Finally.” A girl with curly hair said from behind me. Her dark blond tresses shone in the artificial light of the pod.
I stepped back, bumping into Elgon in the attempt to regain some space.
“I’m so glad to have another Matched Pair in the pod.” The girl only came up to my shoulders but filled plenty of space with her personality. She grinned, and the whole room brightened, like the light had been turned down and everyone waited for her to appear before turning it back on.
“Hi.”
“I’m Elle, and I’m Matched to Sal. Come on. Let’s go get you some food. The boys will keep you talking all night if you don’t just push through.”
Her hand inched forward, as if to take mine, so I stuffed mine in the pockets of my skirt, protecting them from further contact.
“Sera?” Tor’s bark broke through the din.
Elgon pushed through the few people standing near him, causing them to jump back. He yipped when he reached Tor and sat at his feet. Both had their gazes trained on me.
Tor stood silent in the doorway and at his full height. He rose at least a full head above Ash, by far the tallest person in the room. That wasn’t what pulled everyone’s attention and demanded their silence. The look in his eyes sparked, his hard features tight and angry. It amazed me that he was the same man who had been sleeping near me just a few moments ago.
Even Lock, usually the peacekeeper, stood awed at the energy Tor exuded. As if by sheer force of will, Tor could part the sea of bodies between us and pull me back.
I curled my lips into a plastered grin, battling the waves of agitation crashing against me. “Good morning.”
“Huh,” he grunted and gestured to the door behind him.
Elgon lowered his head and sulked back into our room.
Turning his glare back on me, Tor remained silent. Something about how he looked at me was unsettling. What was wrong with him?
“So, food?” Elle broke the silence, leaning into me.
“Yes. Um, Tor, are you hungry? Elle was going to show me where the food was.”
“No,” he said, his gaze still harsh.
I had hoped to ease him into the group at least a little. We weren’t going to get by unnoticed if he kept acting like that.
As though reading my mind, Lock pulled away from me and went to talk to Tor. The two retreated from the group and into the eating area.
“What’s with him?” Ash mumbled, his hair falling over one eye as he plopped back down in his oversized chair.
“Nothing, he’s just... he’s not used to so many people,” I explained, pulling my eyes away from Tor and back to the people around me.
“Right, the man gone feral,” Lace joked. She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.
I turned on her. “What’s your problem?” Exhaustion weighed me down even though I’d just woken up. My mother was dead, and the people responsible sat around me like nothing in the world mattered. Like no one had just died. Tor remained the only friend I had in the world, and he was upset about something I couldn’t understand.
Lace shrugged, her eyes narrowing into slits.
“Sera, come on.” Elle placed a hand on my shoulder, and I rolled it to end the contact.
“I’m... I’m sorry.” I turned to the small woman who was only trying to be kind. “I don’t really like to be touched.”
“It’s all right.” Elle’s eyes crinkled, and her lips parted into a friendly smile. She led the way through the living room toward the kitchen.
Ash stayed behind, but Lace rounded a far couch and cut us off before we reached our destination.
“Since when does a Matched not like to be touched?” Her eyebrow raised, suspicion seeping from her words.
“By other people, obviously,” Elle defended.
“Whatever,” Lace grunted before turning away from us.
“Hey!” I called after her retreating back. “What’s going on? Why are you so... mean?”
The aggressive girl stopped and lowered her head, then retreated to her orange door.
Elle rolled her eyes and entered the kitchen. “Ignore her.”
The white room had tall ceilings and windows wrapping around two entire walls. The ruby moon would be up soon. Would she cry for the blood I’d lost?
Elle gave me the layout of the room—the cooking ingredient storage, the ordering panel for meals if you didn’t want to cook, and the medication dispenser. What she neglected to tell me were things I didn’t dare ask about. Things like, which object was the stove, and what was an ordering panel?
She moved her hand over small gray squares on one of the white walls to open panels where the food was stored. I studied every motion she made so I could copy it later. Between watching her and remembering everything I’d read about Erdlanders, I hoped I’d be able to manage by myself.. She pulled out two bottles of liquid and some thin bread. Out of another panel she retrieved a bowl filled with thick sauce and placed them all on the small white table.
“Let’s sit here instead of going to the main room. Sometimes it can get so loud out there.” Elle pulled out one of the hard,
black chairs and sat down.
I mimicked her movements, twisting off the top of the bottle so I could drink from it and pulling off pieces of bread to dip in the bowl. The sauce tasted like thick soup full of vegetables and cream.
Between bites I said, “This is really good.”
“It’s probably been a while since you had something that wasn’t spitted over a fire.”
I liked Elle’s easy manner and the way she handled Lace, so it felt easy to relax around her. “Feels like forever.”
“So, fill me in on your adventures in the wild!” she said, her curly hair bouncing along with her excitement.
“It’s not really that interesting.”
“Sure it is. You had to hunt for your food and sleep in the woods. I don’t know if I would have survived.”
“It’s not as difficult as you think.”
“I don’t know. I’m not really one for the outdoor adventuring.” She laughed and then took a drink from her bottle. I did the same and swallowed the strangely flavored liquid, hopefully without making a face. It tasted like someone had squeezed strawberries into my water. Not bad but very sweet.
“Where did you sleep?”
“Um, I slept in a hammock, in the cave.”
“At least you had that. Where was Tor? It’s hard to fit two people in a hammock.”
“Oh, he usually slept outside.”
“You mean he didn’t sleep with you?” Elle’s eyes grew round, and her eyebrows climbed her face, reaching toward her hair line.
“No.”
“But you’re Matched right?”
“Um, yeah,” I hedged, turning my attention to the table. The white stone was smooth to the touch. There weren’t any ridges or bumps, nothing like the furniture I was used to.
“Sera, you’re Matched but... are you not... you know... official?”
“I....”
“You were out there in the woods alone for over six months, and you never slept together?” Elle shook her head while she reevaluated me with whatever this new information meant.
“Tor likes sleeping outside, and Elgon slept with him. I think he felt like he was protecting me.”
“Yeah but, you really never had sex with him in all that time?”
What Elle didn’t know was “all that time” added up to only about forty-eight hours now. That, and the fact that sex was a concept so alien to me, it had never even crossed my mind. I didn’t even know for sure if I could mate with an Erdlander. I shook my head, my eyes trained on the table.
“Well, Ash will be thrilled to hear that, at least.”
“What?” My back straightened, and I whipped my gaze to her with surprise.
“If you haven’t slept with Tor in that much time, maybe the Match isn’t a good one. Most Matches get to it as soon as they are given the okay.”
“Tor’s just very... shy.”
“He is male, right?” she joked.
“Yes, I... it’s just...,” I stammered. Heat was trapped within me, and I couldn’t breathe.
“Sure, well, whatever the reason.... Matches who aren’t official are allowed to reMatch, and I saw the way Ash was looking at you.” She leaned forward and popped a piece of bread into her mouth.
“Oh, no. I don’t. I mean, I don’t want to be reMatched.”
“Sure, okay.” Elle shrugged and ripped off another piece of bread, still eying me. “I hope they don’t separate you two, then. A Matched Pair alone for that long with nothing to show for it? That’ll raise eyebrows.”
I wanted to ask what she meant by that. Who would separate us, and why would anyone care?
Before I could speak, Sal ducked his head into the doorway behind me. His dark hair was longer than most of the men here, but not as long as mine. “Elle, you wanna go for a walk?”
“Sure.” She grinned at her Match, and I could see the connection they shared by the light in her eyes. It was something like the “love” thing I’d read about in books. Books never mentioned Matching, though.
“I’ll get your sweater.”
I watched him until he disappeared behind the curtain.
“He’s the best,” Elle offered.
When Sal returned, we had already finished our meal. Elle had even shown me where to put our trash for disposal and where to place our dishes for cleaning. Everything was automated. Here, no one had to scrub dishes at the water’s edge or haul trash deep into the woods and bury it so animals wouldn’t come scavenging. This life was easy. Too easy, perhaps.
I wasn’t sure I liked that.
Elle took Sal’s hand and walked back into the main room, with me trailing behind.
“Sera, do you want to go with us?” Elle offered.
“No, I’m still pretty tired.”
Sal and Elle walked to the platform. He pressed the wall panel, but before the walls of the chamber came down, he lowered his face and pressed his lips to hers.
The rest of the room ignored their moment of intimacy. Everyone else was engrossed in conversations, board games, and books. I was mesmerized. I’d never seen anything so beautiful.
Sal’s hand rested on Elle’s hip as she wrapped one arm around his neck, pulling him closer. Their bodies curved together, deepening the contact. My breathing sped up, and my skin prickled, like a thousand suns had been ignited within the room. Their touch was so easy, their love so clear. I had dreamed of a prince who would save me from my life of monotony and offer me something more. Watching Elle open her mouth and reach out to Sal showed me what that “something more” was.
Too soon, the chamber walls descended, and I was alone in a room full of strangers. The tingling of my skin remained.
As I turned, I saw Tor standing on the other side of the room, next to a chattering Lock. His eyes full of hunger.
15
Evening fell, and the light of the moon filtered through the frosted windows of our new home. Everyone was nice enough—other than Lace. She stayed in her room, and I can’t say I wasn’t glad. Over the next few hours, I came to know a few more of the people I would be living and working with. It was hard to relax around them, knowing at any moment I might say or do something to put Tor and myself at risk.
Tor had ventured into the group for a while, staying with Lock or observing everyone from the far wall. He didn’t speak to me or look at me again for the rest of the night, and I found myself nervous at the idea of being alone with him later. At one point, he and Lock excused themselves to take Elgon outside. Lock made the announcement to the group, and I was not invited.
I tried to get to know everyone a little. There must have been a dozen people there. The sheer number of people around us threw my mind into turmoil, but I was determined to survive here. No matter what it took, I would be one of them, and I would be what they wanted me to be, so they never had reason to question what I really was.
Of those I hadn’t already met, Kal made the biggest impression on me. He was short but attractive, with deep, green eyes and dark skin. He was the darkest Erdlander I’d met so far, and his skin shone like the sea at night. I wanted to touch it, to see what my almost-transparent flesh would look like against such deep color. His wrist was broken, thanks to an accident at his job in the training center. He and Tor spoke for a while, comparing scars and bruises with a strange sort of pride.
Soon my mind swam with the effort to keep my story straight and remain friendly. I sat with a woman named Jai and melted into the pale couch beneath me, allowing it to conceal me from their questions. On my other side, engrossed in a book, was Traz. When he looked up, his expression mesmerized me. Eyes so pale they shimmered struck me silent, and he spoke with a soft, even voice.
Ash sat down across from the couch I was nestled in. “Lock says you were in Linguistics before you went off the reservation,” he said, pulling Jai, Nalla, and Traz’s attention back to me.
“Um, yeah.”
“You mean you speak Fish?” Nalla joked, earning a laugh from the rest of the group.
I smiled, trying not to let the insult offend me.
“Yeah, does that mean you can squeak like a dolphin?” Jai chimed in.
“It’s just another language,” Traz said, setting his book down on his lap. “Do you guys have to be so childish?” His pale eyes focused on the girls at the other end of the couch.
“Will you ever learn how to take a joke?” Jai retorted, rolling her eyes.
“Just because they’re different doesn’t mean they’re a joke.”
“Traz is our resident Sualwetarian,” Ash said with a smirk. “He seems to have missed the memo that we’re at war.”
“I got the memo. I just wonder if anyone has ever tried talking to one of them instead of cutting them up into chum!”
“Fish food for the Fish,” Nalla said, as Jai laughed along with her.
My nerves pulled taut, reminding me just how much danger I faced. Across the room, Tor examined the books stacked on shelves. His finger traced the name of a large one, bound in leather. Finally, he chose one and nodded to Lock before returning to our room. He never even glanced in my direction. The nervous tingling from earlier returned, and the noise in my mind drowned out the conversation around me.
Traz sighed, pulling me back to the present with his soft, smooth voice, “I’m embarrassed for them, you know? They’ve never even tried to understand more than what they’re told. You do linguistics, Sera. You understand, right? I mean, Sualwet is an oddly beautiful language.”
“It’s prettier underwater,” I added without thinking, earning me a look of shock from Traz.
“You’ve heard it spoken underwater?”
“Oh, no, I mean, just... you know, recordings.” I tripped on my words as I tried to extricate myself from the minefield I’d stumbled into.
“Right. That must be the kind of thing you listen to in Linguistics, huh? Decoding recorded messages?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“I’d love to hear it spoken in real life,” Traz mused, earning a round of eye-rolling from the others.
Ash leaned toward me and gestured toward Traz. “This is what happens when you spend too much time in your department.”
Two Moons of Sera Page 9
