by Marina Epley
I take off my clothes, placing them on the sand and step out into the water. It feels good, cool but not too cold. A few fish swim past. I smile, trying to snatch one, but it slips out of my hands. Thinking of Amy, I swim out toward the middle of the lake. I wonder whether Wreck was just joking about the snakes or if there really are some out here. I don’t know exactly why, but I’ve always liked snakes.
Twenty minutes later, I head back toward the shore, looking around and feeling more anxious. But my clothes are still right where I left them and I’m completely alone. I dress and walk back toward the camp.
I find Wreck napping beside an impressive pile of dry wood.
“Hey,” I say when I’m a few yards off.
He wakes with a start, sitting up and clutching an open switchblade, ready to stab someone. His eyes are blank, and for a moment I feel scared, because I realize he hasn’t recognized me. His normal expression slowly returns to his face.
“Dang it, Kora!” He laughs, lowering his knife. “Stop being so creepy. How was your swim?”
“It was good,” I say, sitting down. “Thanks for not trying to spy on me or steal my clothes.”
He remains quiet, just staring, then says, “I get the impression that you think I’m some sort of sick creep. Please tell me I’m wrong.”
“I just met you,” I shrug.
“Oh, come on,” he groans. “Do I really look like a creep to you?”
I don’t reply because with his painted face, creepy is exactly how he looks.
“Okay, don’t answer that one,” he adds. “Let’s go catch some breakfast.”
He rises to his feet and picks up the sharpened stick.
Back at the lake, Wreck wades knee deep into the water and stands unmoving, holding his self-made spear ready. I sit on the wet sand, watching him with curiosity. A few minutes later a good-sized fish swims past and he stabs it. He pulls the still squirming fish out of water, and we walk back into the woods.
Wreck builds a campfire, cleans the fish and then we sit on the ground side by side, watching it cook on the fire.
“You weren’t born in the roamer’s village, were you?” I ask.
“What makes you think not?”
“Ace called you an outsider.”
Wreck nods. “Good catch. Nah, I’m not from our village. I was born in Central Settlement.”
“Were you a slave?”
“I’ve never been a slave. I’m from a family of merchants. I ran off when I was much younger.”
“Why?”
Wreck shrugs, “I never like being told what to do.”
“Don’t you miss your parents?” I ask. “Wouldn’t you like to return?”
“Nah, being a ranger is much more fun.”
I can’t tell whether he’s putting on an act or not.
He turns to face me, smiling slightly. There’s something different in his gaze, something that makes me uneasy.
“I’m really glad we met, Kora,” he says, slowly leaning in and looking into my eyes.
My hands go numb. I realize that he intends to kiss me, and don’t know how to act. Should I push him away? Should I say something? My thoughts are racing. I want to scream or jump to my feet, but some compliant part in me doesn’t allow me to do so. I’m afraid I’ll make him frustrated and angry. Just letting him kiss me seems so much easier, although I worry he won’t stop after only one kiss. I also realize he isn’t the type of a guy who would listen or be respectful, but one who takes whatever he wants. So I just freeze, panicking, my heart pounding in my chest. His smile fades and he freezes too, our faces separated only by a couple of inches. I feel his hot breath on my lips and recognize uncertainty now in his eyes. He knows I’m scared and don’t want to kiss him.
For a long moment we both remain motionless, just looking at one another, and then Wreck squints, saying, “There’s something in your eye.”
“Oh,” I breathe out. “Are you just checking my eye?”
“Yeah, sure,” he lies, shuffling away from me.
“Thanks,” I say, playing along by rubbing at my eye.
“You’re always welcome,” Wreck grins but his voice sounds a little nervous. “That’s what friends are for, right?”
“Right,” I say, feeling relieved and grateful. I’m not sure why he backed off. I know he can be extremely forceful and cruel when he chooses.
He doesn’t say anything more and I can’t think of another topic either. We fall into an uncomfortable silence. I start feeling anxious again, but Wreck rescues us from the awkward situation.
“The fish is ready,” he announces. “Are you hungry? Let’s see how much you can eat today.”
After breakfast we continue walking toward the caverns where the chimeras can be found. Wreck whistles, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary happened earlier.
“Who’s Trent by the way?” he asks.
I feel the blood rushing to my face. “How do you know about him?”
“You spoke his name in your sleep last night.”
Damn. I should really try to stop talking in my sleep, otherwise he’ll learn my whole life story.
“He’s just another racer,” I answer. “We’re from the same village.”
“I see,” Wreck chuckles. “So he’s your boyfriend.”
“No!” I exclaim, a little too loudly.
“Ooh… Kora is in love,” he teases.
“Stop it,” I snap, wondering why I’m getting so angry. Maybe because I do wish Trent was my boyfriend. “Don’t you have a girlfriend?” I ask, remembering that offense is the best defense.
“Nah,” he answers. “I’m currently free and available. But that’s only because it’s just so hard for me to choose a girl. I mean, all the girls in our village are in love with me. So how am I supposed to choose only one?”
“I bet you’ve never even had a girlfriend,” I say spitefully, still irritated that he now knows about Trent. My personal life isn’t his business.
“Come on,” he groans. “I’ve had plenty of girlfriends. So many I’ve lost count.”
“You haven’t lived long enough to have had so many girlfriends,” I say, bringing him back to reality.
“I admit it’s hard to believe,” Wreck says. “But I’m a very special guy.”
A moment later he bursts out laughing.
I sigh, offering no further comment. There’s something clownish about him at times.
The air is getting hot so I take off my jacket and tie it around my waist. Wreck pulls off his hoodie, and underneath he’s wearing a black t-shirt with short sleeves. His arms are bare now and there’s a rough scar running across his left wrist.
“I did it a long time ago,” he says sheepishly upon catching me looking. “I was just being stupid.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything bad,” I say. “Why did you do it?”
“I don’t really remember,” he answers vaguely. “And as you can see, it obviously didn’t work. My mentor found me before I bled to death.”
“I didn’t know you had a mentor,” I say.
“All rangers have mentors.”
“Who is yours?”
“A great warrior who taught me almost everything I know.” He pauses, glancing at me. “Anyway, what was it like to live in the Recycling village? I heard life was kinda tough there.”
“Yeah, but the people are really nice. I had a lot of friends,” I say, wondering why I’m bothering to lie. “I was the leader of a group of girls. And plenty of guys were interested in me too.”
“I’m sure,” he nods.
We finally arrive at a large open space strewn with large rocks and fallen trees, and Wreck pulls the axe from his pack. My heart rate accelerates for a moment, and then an odd calmness envelops me. I’ve never been in this place before but it seems familiar.
“Ready to have some fun?” Wreck asks.
I take a deep breath and nod, remembering running from chimeras. I can still hear Topaz’s scream.
“Stay bac
k behind me,” Wreck commands, walking toward the rocks.
“Wait,” I say and he stops, turning to face me. “I have a better plan. You wait here and I’ll bring a chimera to you.”
His expression becomes astonished.
“Seriously? You want to act as bait?”
“Don’t worry,” I smile. “I’ve done it before. I’m really good at being the bait.”
Wreck looks me over, assessing, and slowly returns my smile.
“All right then,” he says.
CHAPTER 27
Why am I doing this? Why am I walking alone toward a chimera cavern offering myself as bait? Why not have Wreck take all the risk?
Well, I guess partly I’m just showing off, trying to maintain an image of a strong, tough girl. It’s an attempt to prove to Wreck that I’m worth something. But even as I’m thinking it, I know that’s not my only reason. The truth is, I want to prove something to myself, become something more than just a helpless victim.
So I make my way between the rocks and fallen trees, stopping in front of a large cavern at the bottom of a hill. I stand unmoving, steadying my nerves, then take a deep slow breath and proceed inside. Entering the dark cave, I stop again just long enough to wait until my eyes adjust to the dim light. The air smells murky, which brings a flashback of Dimitri carrying me through the underground tunnel. I feel a twinge of sadness as my eyes begin to water. I wipe my face, remaining still and listening attentively. There’s no growling or any other sounds indicating a chimera. My hands tremble slightly and I’m anxious but not really frightened yet. I’ve never been scared of animals, no matter how big and dangerous they may be.
I proceed further, coming to a widening of the cave. I can make out a massive shadow in front of a small underground stream. Drops of sweat roll down my face. The shadow moves, turning toward me, and I suddenly see a giant chimera only several yards away. It’s much larger than any other chimeras I’ve encountered. For an instant I verge on panic, and can almost hear Topaz’s desperate screams. But the chimera neither attacks nor moves closer.
Blood, I think. Last time I was smudged in blood. I smelled like a wounded animal.
I feel like an intruder. This chimera apparently doesn’t intend to hurt me. It’s me who is the aggressor. I consider walking away, but then remember the roamers will kill Tanya if I fail my test.
I pick up a small stone and throw it at the animal. An image of Samantha and her friends throwing rocks at me pops up in my head. I turn and run, not waiting around to see what happens. I sprint as fast as I can toward the entrance of the cavern, and hear a furious roar behind me.
I break outside, running over the rough terrain. The chimera gives chase. My legs ache, and I immediately realize that I’m already in worse shape than while training. The chimera is closing fast, and I can’t move any quicker. I dive down flat on my stomach, squeezing myself in between two boulders. The animal lunges at me, clawing my bare arm. I scream, rolling onto my back. The beast’s huge head gets lodged between the rocks. I pull my knife, slicing it across the nose. The animal pulls back and leaps away, snarling in fury. I take the opportunity to rise to my feet, leaving the relative safety of my cover. The chimera immediately starts after me again.
I race toward the brush where Wreck hopefully waits in ambush, putting all my energy into the effort. Running past, I feel myself losing vision and blacking out from all the exertion. A second later I find myself lying on the ground on my side, and turn just in time to see the furious chimera charging at me. I brandish my knife, understanding it won’t really do any good.
Wreck suddenly leaps from the brush, swinging his axe and connecting with the neck of the chimera. The animal roars, crashing to the ground. I roll away to not get smashed. I’m certain that he would have killed a smaller chimera with such a blow. But this particular animal is too large and strong, as it spins around slamming him with a paw. He flies backward several yards, landing on his back. I believe someone else would be knocked out cold from such a tremendous impact. But Wreck scrambles to his feet, once again raising the axe. The chimera charges at him, but he somehow manages to avoid the direct line of attack, striking the chimera’s leg.
I sit on the ground in a daze, just watching. My mind is still foggy and I don’t feel fully present. The chimera comes back so viciously that Wreck has to retreat toward a pile of large stones. I realize he’s cornered. He continues swinging his axe, but the wounded animal is crazed.
He’s not going to make it, I think in terror. I don’t really care whether Wreck lives or dies. I just know that I don’t want to witness someone being eaten ever again.
The chimera hurls itself forward, knocking Wreck to the ground, landing on top of him. It attempts to bite his face but Wreck shoves the axe between its jaws. The animal growls furiously, white foam spilling from its huge gaping mouth. I understand he is about to be killed.
I don’t hesitate or think about what I’m doing. I just scramble to my feet, run toward the pile of stones and begin climbing as quickly as I can. Topping the rocks, I jump down, landing right on the chimera’s back. The animal roars, rising on its hind legs in attempt to shake me off. I wrap an arm around its neck, and stab my trophy knife deeply into its eye. We both collapse to the ground, and I land on my side, losing my breath. I expect the chimera to now finish me off, but it remains motionless.
“You all right?” Wreck asks, breathing heavily. “Are you hurt?”
I stare blankly at him. He kneels in front of me, looking over the scratches on my arm. They’re not too deep. Carefully holding my arm, he pours water from his flask. It hurts a little.
“I don’t think you need stitches,” he says. “But you tell me if this arm starts bothering you, all right? It could be dangerous if it becomes infected.”
I nod indifferently, still in a daze.
“You really killed it, Kora!” Wrecks laughs, thrilled. “You actually killed this huge beast! I’ve never seen anything like that before. You were magnificent!”
I don’t react, gazing in awe at the dead animal. Wreck removes the knife from its eye-socket and wipes the blood off with his hand.
“This is a very lucky knife indeed,” he says, returning it to me.
I slip my trophy back into my pocket and crawl toward the dead chimera on hands and knees. Remorse sets in as I run my fingers through its long silver fur.
“This chimera didn’t want to kill me,” I sigh. “I had to provoke it.”
Wreck ignores my words, offering me the axe. “Like to take its head?”
I turn away, my eyes welling with tears. Smiling broadly, Wreck raises the axe and brings it down violently, lopping off the huge head. He smears the animal’s blood on his hands, and then smudges it across my face.
“From this point on, you’ll be as strong and fierce as this chimera,” he whispers solemnly. “The animal’s spirit will always be with you, protecting and helping to defeat any enemies.”
“Why would this chimera help me?” I wipe my eyes. “I killed it.”
“It was a fair fight,” he says, licking blood from his fingers.
“What are you doing?” I ask, wincing. “That’s gross.”
“I actually like the taste of blood,” he states. “I sometimes eat raw meat.”
I don’t comment, feeling too weak and worn out.
“This chimera would have killed me if you hadn’t intervened,” Wreck says. “So the score is now one to one.”
“What score?”
“I saved your life the night we met, by beating the heck out of Ace. Today, you’ve saved mine. And I do appreciate it.”
I don’t bother to answer, my thoughts drifting back to my mother whom I failed to save. I have to block the memory, pushing it out of my consciousness.
Wreck pulls me to my feet, and we head back toward the village. It’s still daylight, but the woods appear dark and grim. Wreck walks beside me, whistling carefree. I feel gratitude toward him, because he didn’t have to risk his life fi
ghting the chimera. He didn’t even have to spare our lives the night we met, but for some inexplicable reason he did. I wish I could trust him, but how can I? I still don’t understand what he wants from me.
“Kris,” I say softly, and he looks at me in surprise, not used to my using his real name. “Please tell me why you’re helping me.”
“I’ve hardly helped you at all,” he laughs. “You killed that chimera all by yourself. Dang, Kora! You’re a beast.”
“I’m being serious. Please tell me, whatever it is... I need to know.”
Wreck remains silent a few moments, just grinning, then says, “I’m just returning a favor.”
“What favor? I don’t understand.”
“You’re not supposed to understand.”
I sigh, feeling irritated. He winks, smiling slyly, and continues with his whistling. I wonder what this guy is hiding from me.
***
It’s late when we arrive back at the village. I have to walk through a crowd of rangers, carrying the head of the chimera, my face still smeared with its blood. The rangers begin yelling and clapping their hands upon our arrival. I straighten my back, smiling and feeling like a conqueror. We approach the platform where Tartis sits in a chair, and I toss the chimera’s head at his feet.
“I’ve passed your test!” I exclaim, wondering where this new found confidence has come from.
Tartis frowns, his face darkening. I don’t lower my eyes, willing myself to look at him. Wreck stands beside me, arms folded across his chest, and his presence does make me feel stronger.
“She didn’t kill it!” Ace yells, stepping out from the crowd. A few muscular guys follow behind him. “Look at her! She’s weak! She couldn’t possibly have done it by herself.”
I freeze, wondering how I could kill a chimera yet remain so frightened by Ace.
“Shut your trap!” Wreck shouts. “She’s one of us now.”
“Maybe in your dreams, psycho boy,” Ace growls. “We don’t have to accept an outsider only because you want to get laid.”
I feel my face growing warm, and lower my eyes. Is it true what he says? Is that the real reason Wreck wants me to be part of their gang?
