by Rinelle Grey
He couldn’t meet her eyes, sure that he’d see that she wished his brother was here instead of him too. So he wasn’t prepared for the hand she laid on his arm. He looked up, to find her smiling at him. “I bet he couldn’t take me surfing though.”
Kerit wasn’t sure exactly what her words meant, but he didn’t want to examine them. They made him unreasonably happy just as they were.
Chapter 10
“Do you have any more water?”
Kerit shook his head. “I drank the last of it back before we got to the ship yards. You?”
Folly licked her lips, but the tiny bit of moisture that imparted to them dried almost instantly. “No. I’ve used far more than I thought I would. I hadn’t planned on running around in the middle of the day.”
Kerit sighed. “Going to be a long afternoon then.”
Folly didn’t answer, she was busy looked down each street they passed, until she found what she was after. “There’s a corner store down there.”
“Um, I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think they’re open.”
She looked at him for a moment, but his face was serious. She broke out in a laugh. “I’m not wanting to buy water. But all their stock will still be there.”
“Will the water be drinkable after this long?” Kerit asked doubtfully.
“Water doesn’t go bad.”
“Well yeah, obviously. But won’t it be pretty awful after sitting in plastic bottles for twenty years?”
Turning down the street, Folly shrugged. “It might not taste the best, but it will be wet. I don’t think we can afford to be picky at this point.”
Kerit didn’t argue, just followed her, limping slightly.
He didn’t even gasp when Folly smashed the window and opened the door. A bell rang somewhere in the back of the building.
The light inside was dim. That was a good sign. Bright sunlight would break down the plastic bottles much faster. The shelves near the windows had been blown down in the blast, but those further back still stood. Kerit walked down the shelves, looking at the dusty boxes and bottles. “It’s so weird, that it’s all just sitting here.” He paused and pulled a bottle off the shelf, looking at it doubtfully. “Are you really sure it will be safe?”
“Wait a sec.” Folly walked past the shelves, past the counter, through the door at the back. Here, in the insulated store room, it was almost cool. And much darker. Kerit followed her, pulling out his torch and shining it around.
Boxes and creates were stacked up to the ceiling, each labelled with their brand. “Over here.” Folly walked to the back of the room where there were several stacked crates of water. “These will be better. It’s cooler and darker here.”
Kerit put the torch down, and both of them pulled out a bottle. Kerit uncapped his, and sniffed it.
Folly didn’t bother. She just took a swig straight from the bottle. The cool liquid soothed her sandpaper throat. Yes, it tasted a little like plastic. But it was better than the thirst. She poured some into her hand and held it out for Chicken who drank just as thirstily.
After watching her, Kerit did the same, breathing a sigh of relief. He pulled out several more bottles and stuffed them into his backpack. Folly copied him.
“Well, that should do us until the Resolution lands,” Kerit said.
*****
A chill ran up Folly’s spine. Ahead of them, the broken houses gave way to what couldn’t be described as anything more than rubble. And a few hundred metres beyond that, the ground rose sharply. A sharp, salty tang, different to the acidic dust she was used to, teased her nose.
“That must be the rim of the crater,” Kerit said. “We can probably turn now if you want, there’s really no point in walking to the top. There’s nothing up there.”
His words made sense, but the fact that his paced quickened and his steps grew lighter, told Folly he didn’t believe them. And she knew what they’d see from the rim of the crater because she’d seen it from the shuttle as they flew over.
And she had to admit, she was as curious as he was. She gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “Sure. You have no interest in seeing the water. None at all.”
Kerit’s grin grew wider. He held out his hand to her.
The moment hung in time. Folly stared at him. Something had changed in that moment while they were talking to his brother on the radio. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what, or perhaps she just didn’t want to.
She should pull back. She barely knew Kerit, and despite appearances to the contrary, he would probably eventually bow to popular opinion and agree that she was crazy. If things continued the way they were going and neither of them got eaten by an alien, he was bound to meet her family eventually. That would be the start of the end.
Somehow, she found herself putting her hand into his anyway.
She wasn’t sure who was more eager, her or him, but they practically pulled each other up the slope.
At the top, Folly gasped.
Ahead of her stretched the biggest expanse of blue she’d ever seen. It extended all the way to the horizon and out into the open ocean. Closer in, where the colour faded to a brilliant aqua, white topped waves rolled.
Chicken’s nose stuck out of her pocket, sniffing the air, followed by her head. But true to her name, the newness of the situation kept the rest of her huddled safely in Folly’s pocket.
Beside her, Kerit whistled. “Wish I had my board. Those waves are wicked.”
She tried to imagine him, standing up on a board, doing something out in the waves. She still didn’t quite get how that worked.
Would she ever get the chance to find out?
Pushing that thought away, she pointed to the left where the curve to the edge of the crater was only faintly noticeable. It was quite a distance to the point at which the collapsed buildings thinned and then disappeared. “We’d better get moving if we want to be at the edge of the city and settled before the sun goes down.”
Kerit followed the direction her finger pointed, then glanced up at the sun that hovered above the water, sending glinting reflections dancing over the waves. He nodded. “It shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.”
He tugged her along the edge.
Folly didn’t have the heart to pull her hand out of his.
It didn’t make sense to upset the only other person she had to rely on right now, she told herself. Not that she couldn’t manage perfectly well on her own. Well, except that turning the radio and talking at the same time would be a little tricky. And Kerit’s brother might not be so helpful if Kerit wasn’t with her.
No, it made perfect sense to humour Kerit.
Giving her the perfect reason to keep holding his hand.
But she was not going to pretend that there was anything else going on. Because there wasn’t. Kerit was a nice guy, there was no arguing with that. And she liked him as a friend. That’s where it ended.
Like Chicken, she wasn’t quite ready to trust a new situation even though it didn’t appear to be dangerous.
After a brief pause to radio Tyris and check that the alien still hadn’t moved, they settled into an easy pace. Somehow, walking along the edge of the crater was less tiring than through the city. Kerit’s limp even seemed less pronounced. He pointed out a couple of birds flying low over the waves.
Folly stared at them so hard she forgot to keep walking. Birds! Living animals, out here in the outside. “How did they survive the meteor impact?”
Chicken’s nose twitched, and she gave an almost inaudible growl. Then disappeared back inside Folly’s pocket as though she thought the birds might have heard her.
Kerit stopped too. It was either that or run into her. “I guess they were far enough away not to be impacted by the initial blast, and then they found enough food to live on. Fish maybe? They wouldn’t be as affected by the blast.”
It made sense, but the idea was still unbelievable to Folly. She’d spent so long walking around outside, far more than anyone else
in the caves, and this was the first time she’d ever seen another living creature.
Kerit didn’t hurry her on, just waited patiently while she stared. The birds skimmed over the water, their wingtips looking like they were trailing through the waves. They looked to tiny, but given the distance, their wingspans must be almost as wide as her arms.
“I guess this is your first time seeing birds?” Kerit asked.
“No, we have some little ones in the caves, but nothing this size. They’re so majestic.”
He didn’t ask any more questions, but when the birds had flown out of sight, and they continued walking along the crater edge, he asked, “You’ve mentioned caves a couple of times now. So where exactly do all your people live?”
It seemed like a million years ago that she’d refused to tell him where everybody was. Was it really only that morning? It didn’t matter anymore. “There’s a big cave near Prioris, that’s why the city was there, full of biologists exploring it and learning about the unique ecosystem that exists inside it. When the meteor blast hit, it was the perfect place for everyone to go.”
“Ahh, yes, caves would protect you from the UV and probably keep out a fair bit of the dust too. But… what are birds doing there?”
Folly grinned. “This probably isn’t the sort of cave you’re thinking of. When I said ‘huge’, I meant a few hundred metres deep, and several kilometres long. We haven’t even explored them all fully. There’s a whole jungle in part of it.”
This time, Kerit was the one who stopped and stared. “A jungle? In a cave? On this planet?”
She nodded, amused by his surprise. “We had to seal off a few of the entrances, but we’ve been pretty safe and comfortable inside.”
Kerit whistled. “I never would have guessed.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“Maybe tomorrow.” The thought warmed her. “After your brother picks us up, I guess that’s where we’ll be going.”
His grin changed to a frown. “Maybe. Though we’ll have to take care of that alien first. We can’t have him following us there.”
“No, definitely not. Does your ship have any weapons? Maybe we can shoot him from the air?”
Kerit gave a laugh. “No. We’re rebels, remember? No one would have let us leave with a ship with weapons. But I’m sure Tyris will have come up with something by the time he lands tomorrow. He’s pretty resourceful. He and Nerris will have probably rigged up a way to turn the garbage disposal into a weapon.”
She laughed with him. It was such a relief to be so close to being rescued. And to know for certain that the alien was so far away. She hadn’t realised how much it was weighing on her.
Ahead, the edge of the city was getting closer. The crater still curved away from them, it was a lot further to the real edge of the ocean, the city had been inland a bit. Not too long now until they reached their destination for tonight.
“So, I’m guessing you have siblings too?” Kerit asked. “A brother at least?”
Aleck’s image immediately sprang to mind, and Folly grimaced. “A whole parcel of them. Not real siblings though, just the kids of the woman who took me in when my mum died. We don’t really get on. Not like you and Tyris.”
“That must be hard.” Kerit’s voice was quiet. “How long ago did your mum die?”
Folly shrugged. “A few years after the meteor impact. I was seven. She…” her voice broke, and she took a deep breath. Kerit didn’t say anything, just squeezed her hand, and that almost made her start crying. But she fought it off. “She just gave up, I think, without my dad around. She missed him so much. And no one really believed her, who he was, what he’d done. They thought she was crazy too.”
This time she did cry. But at least it wasn’t undignified sobs, just tears running down her face.
Kerit pulled her into his arms, and after a moment, she let her head rest on his shoulder. The tears slowed of their own accord, and she pulled back to reach up a hand to wipe them away. “Sorry, I don’t usually bawl like this.”
“That’s okay. Nothing to be sorry about. It sounds like you had a pretty rough time, losing your dad and then your mum. It must have been pretty scary, being all alone like that.”
Folly shrugged. “I don’t really remember being scared, just angry. Ma, that’s my foster mum, took me in. Must have been pretty rough for her, since I think I spent the first year yelling at her and hitting her. She… was pretty patient really.”
Kerit grinned at her, making her realise how close he was. He still had an arm around her waist, and her belly touched his. His breath tickled her nose. “I’ll bet you were a real handful,” he teased.
She laughed too, a little too hard. “Yeah. Aleck, that’s my brother, we’re pretty much the same age—we used to fight all the time. Still do.”
“But he’s still your brother, right? I know how that feels.”
He was right. Aleck still was her brother. And all the others too. She heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m nothing like them though.”
That was the real issue. They all wanted her to be someone she wasn’t. They didn’t even want to know who she really was.
Kerit’s sigh echoed hers. “I know exactly what you mean.”
He looked down at her, his expression serious.
Why was her heart hammering in her chest and her knees feeling weak? Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to?
Panic and indecision swirled through her, and fear won out. She pulled back so quickly she almost tripped over. Glancing up at the sun, she used its hovering position to explain her actions. “It’s going to be dark soon, we should keep moving.”
Kerit stared at her for one long moment, his expression unreadable, before following her pointing finger. “Right. We don’t want to be shining torches around after dark, even though that alien is a long way away.”
He didn’t take her hand this time, just began to walk along the crater edge as they had been doing earlier.
Had she upset him?
Stupid question. Of course she had. First she’d cried on his shoulder and rattled off that sob story about her family, shared an understanding with him of being different and not fitting in, then she’d broken all that when she’d pulled away in fear.
What was she doing? How could she possibly feel so close to him after having only known him for one day?
It didn’t matter. They were just friends. She just needed to keep that boundary clearer in her own mind, and he would respect that. She’d let the line blur, that was where he’d gotten confused.
She hurried to catch up with him and pointed down the slope. “That looks like the best we’re going to find tonight.”
The buildings here, so close to the impact, were pretty much completely flattened. Only one or two had even a few walls standing. The one she pointed to must have had a steel frame because it still had two walls and a corner intact.
Kerit didn’t speak, just nodded, and changed his direction.
She must have really upset him.
They half scrambled, half slid down the side of the crater and picked their way through the rubble.
Folly busied herself with pulling out the blanket she’d brought with her and tying the corners to the exposed steel studs. It wouldn’t do much more than give the illusion of shelter, but it was better than nothing.
“Can I borrow your little stove?”
She turned at the sound of Kerit’s voice. He was smiling at her, holding something in a little plastic package. Maybe he wasn’t annoyed at her after all.
“What’s that?” Folly asked, wrinkling her nose.
“Lasagne.” He pealed back a corner of the case and poured a little water from his water bottle into it.
“Sure.” She handed it over and watched as he did his best to heat the container without letting it melt.
The smell made her mouth water. Chicken wriggled out of her pocket and jumped across the ground, standing on her hind legs and putting her front paw
s up on Kerit’s leg. Folly covered her mouth to stop herself laughing. Apparently, Kerit’s love of food was fast endearing him to the little skuttle.
“In a minute, Chicken,” he said, ruffling her fur. Chicken didn’t even shrink back. When the food was warm, he scraped some onto the lid for Chicken, then laid the rest out on the back of his bag between them and handed her a plastic fork.
Folly didn’t have to be asked twice. “Mmm, this is good,” she said with her mouth full.
Kerit grinned at her, his mouth equally full. “These package meals aren’t half bad. After all this is over though, I’ll cook you a proper lasagne.”
His words hung in the air, making her feel warm and terrified at the same time. Apparently, her pulling back earlier hadn’t deterred him any. Folly put the fork down, suddenly not hungry anymore.
“Look, Kerit. I really appreciate all this and how nice you’ve been to me. But I just… I’m not interested in that sort of thing.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Not interested in lasagne? No, that’s not possible.”
She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped at his disbelieving tone. “Come on, you know what I mean.”
His expression turned serious. “I’m sorry, Folly. I didn’t mean to imply anything. I thought, after all this, we were friends. Aren’t we?”
She shrugged uncomfortably. “Of course we are.”
“And can’t friends share a meal together?”
“Of course they can, it’s just…”
“Who was it who scared you off?”
Kerit’s words startled her. “Excuse me?”
“It must have been someone in particular, I think. Some guy who made you freak out about being in a relationship. It was for me. A girl of course.”
