Chapter 14 #2
“But how do you know the gates take us back?” I regretted my comment immediately. Way to go, Charley. Burst Natalie’s bubble when she needs it to float her.
Natalie didn’t seem fazed. “We don’t, but it makes sense. They bring you here, and they take you somewhere. Why not back home?”
“But how do we know they don’t dump us on another island? Or in another time?” Desperate for answers, I couldn’t stop, but to her credit, Natalie didn’t seem to mind.
“We don’t,” she repeated in the same matter-of-fact tone.
“But all the people and animals here are from Earth, and we’re definitely still on Earth—you can tell by the stars—so we figure the gates take us back home.
Whatever this anomaly is, it’s tied to Earth.
To our Earth, and from what we can tell, to the same time.
Time on Nil tracks time back home. Didn’t Thad ask you for the date when he found you? ”
I nodded.
“Well, it’s because we keep checking to see if there’s a variation, if our calendar still holds. So far, so good. It’s August twenty-third on Nil, and August twenty-third back in our world.”
August 23. I should be in school right now. Studying calculus, reading Plath, playing volleyball, planning to visit Em on the weekend. But I wasn’t, I was here on Nil. Wherever—or whatever—Nil was.
“So what is this place? Nil, I mean.” I knew I was asking her the same questions Thad had already answered, but I couldn’t help it. I needed answers as much as I need food, and Natalie seemed more forthcoming than Thad. “A parallel world? An alternative universe?”
“Parallel world, crimp in space. Who knows.” She shrugged. “We get older here just like we would back home. Days pass, just the same. It doesn’t matter what Nil is. It just is.”
It just is. Thad’s exact words. No one seemed as desperate for understanding as me.
I played with my last piece of pineapple as Natalie finished her fish. Fish.
“Stupid question, but if only cold-blooded things come through the gates, how come there’s fish?” I pointed to her plate.
“We don’t know,” Natalie said. “The ocean’s full of cold-blooded creatures, but there aren’t any on the island.
Not one. Only warm-blooded things come through the gates.
So maybe the ocean was here before the island; maybe they appeared at the same time.
” She shrugged. Her tone of voice was identical to when she said It just is.
“But we do know that the gates are the only way out.”
“How do you know?”
“Every so often, someone takes a sea kayak or builds a raft, trying to escape. But the current brings them back. It’s pretty clear that if you want to leave Nil, you’d better catch a gate.”
If you want to leave Nil. I shivered.
“Why Nil?” I rubbed my bare arms. “I mean why is that the name?”
“Because it’s no-man’s-land, Charley,” Natalie said quietly. “A place that doesn’t exist. It’s nowhere, and yet we’re here.”
“Uh,” I said, feeling more creeped out than ever, “I meant how do you know it’s named Nil?”
“Oh, that.” Natalie waved her cup. “It’s carved into the top of the Naming Wall.” She pointed to the sign I’d seen Thad tracing this morning. “You’ll put your name up if you want to stay.”
“What do you mean, want to stay?” I asked, surprised.
“You’re so right.” She laughed, but it sounded hiccupy. “We all want to leave, the sooner the better. That’s why we set up the Search system, to give everyone the best chance at escape.” Her thoughtful look was back. “Did Thad explain Search?”
“He said the City supports the Search teams.”
She nodded, then looked over at Sabine, who was talking to a tall boy with jet black hair, mocha skin, and a thick beard.
I assumed he was Heesham, the boy she’d jumped up to greet.
He looked like he’d just stepped off a powerlifting mat; his muscles were ginormous.
He wore a loincloth, the kind I’d only seen in movies.
Then I realized there was no way his massive thighs would fit into a pair of shorts.
Grinning broadly, he cradled something green and leafy in his massive hands, holding it carefully as Sabine inspected the leaves.
But Heesham was watching Sabine’s face, not his hands.
Abruptly I felt like I was intruding on something intimate and looked away.
Natalie was still watching the couple. “Sabine’s amazing.
She knows tons about herbs and medicinal plants.
Her mom was into alternative medicine. I’ve been showing her what I know, which isn’t much.
” Now Natalie looked at me. “My dad’s an ER doctor.
Everyone comes to our house after falling off a bike or whatever, so I know enough to be helpful.
Or dangerous.” She smiled. “Anyway, if you’re good with blood, you might want to think about learning a little island medicine.
That’s what we call it. An inside joke.”
Neither of us laughed, and Natalie’s small face turned Em-kind.
“Take some time. Get to know everyone and what everyone does. Be thinking of what you’re good at or want to do.
Some people fish, some hunt. Others tend the crops.
There’s not many, just yams, other root veggies, and herbs.
Make sure to meet Jillian, she’s the best at identifying paper trees, and Julio, he’s our baker.
Macy’s learning how to make soap—it’s pretty easy—but we could use another baker, or a seamstress. Can you sew?”
She talked so fast I felt slow. “Um, sew? No.”
“Crap. Me either, and we haven’t had a good tailor since Han left. Just think of any skills you have and keep an open mind, okay?”
I nodded. I wondered what Thad’s job was.
“Did Thad mention the Covenant?” Natalie changed topics like most people blinked.
“No.”
“Well, if you put your name on the Wall, you’re agreeing to abide by the Covenant.
It’s just a pledge to do your part, to support the City and the Searchers.
There’s plenty of food on the island, but we’ve got to catch it, pick it, and sometimes cook it, and that takes time.
Other people repair gliders, make clothes, whatever.
We all support the Search teams. That’s the whole point of the City.
So, if you want to stay here in the City, you’ve got to figure out something to contribute. It’s just the way the City is.”
She must have read my face because she said, “It’s not as scary as it sounds.
It’s just that there aren’t that many of us, so to support the teams, those staying behind keep the City running.
It’s more like a camp than a City, but it’s ours.
” There was pride in her voice, the same pride I’d heard in Thad’s earlier this morning.
“Does anyone not stay?” It sounded like a really bad idea.
“Occasionally newbs go off alone. Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don’t.” Her matter-of-fact tone gave me chills. “It’s a personal choice, but I hope you’ll stay.” She smiled.
After being alone for twelve days, I had no urge for a solitary jungle quest. And part of me worried that Nil harbored secrets making snakes look downright warm and fuzzy.
“I’m in,” I told Natalie. “I’ll figure out something to contribute.”
Easier said than done. I couldn’t spear fish, weave a stupid net, or make fire. I’d no clue how to bake island bread. At home I made cakes from a box.
Maybe I could make soap.
“Charley,” Natalie said hesitantly, “would you like to bunk with me? It’d be nice to have a roommate again.”
Somehow I knew who her old roommate was. I’d been wearing his clothes.
“Sure. And—I’m sorry about Kevin.”
“I’m not.” Her voice was fierce. “He made it.”
I meant I’m sorry you miss him. But feeling awkward, I let the subject drop.
“So how long have you been here?” I asked.
“Too long.” Natalie traced the edge of her coconut cup with one finger. “So long that home seems like another life.”
Sabine came back, a welcome diversion.
“Sorry,” she said. “Got caught up with Sham. He found a plant I’ve been looking for.” Sabine babbled on about plants and herbs, most of which I missed; her accent was entrancing. So was her grin.
“Sabine’s the one who found the deadleaf,” Natalie offered, smiling.
“If you crush the leaves, it makes a numbing salve, which is a huge help. The fruit’s poisonous, but Sabine uses the seeds to brew a tea that works like a sleeping potion after it ferments.
It’s what knocked you out last night, when you were hurting after you started to wake up.
It’s the closest thing to Tylenol PM that we’ve got.
” A wistful look passed over her face. “Would’ve been nice for Kev to have had some when he broke his arm.
But at least now he’s home, in the land of Motrin and orthopedic surgeons.
Sometimes I think that’s the best thing I’ve ever done here.
Setting his arm, making sure he didn’t lose it.
He wants to be a surgeon. Anyway”—she took a deep breath—“let’s take a look at your head.
” Natalie talked fast; I had to work to keep up.
Natalie’s fingers danced across my scalp. “Looks good. Just don’t mess with it, okay?”
“Okay.” As if I wanted to touch blood. Dried, fresh, mine, someone else’s, it didn’t matter. Blood gave me the willies, in any form. No island medicine for me.
Soon the breakfast area cleared, of food and of people. Again I felt grateful to Natalie, a stranger who took care of me last night and kept me company today. But I couldn’t help noticing that my island guide was still missing.
Sabine stood. “Let’s go see how things are shaping up for tonight.”
“Tonight?” I asked, feeling lost, again.
“Tonight’s a Nil Night,” Natalie said, smiling impishly. “We have one to celebrate whenever someone makes it home. Like Kevin.” She positively beamed. “And to welcome newcomers—like you.” Seeing my face, she laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s no big deal.”
Big deal or not, I hoped the spotlight stayed on Kevin rather than me. As the newest contestant, I felt conspicuous enough.
As we cut through the trees, the unmistakable smell of roasting meat filled the air. “Someone’s smoking something,” I said, taking a deep breath. Even though I’d just eaten, my mouth watered like I’d just walked by a pregame tailgate at UGA.
Sabine made a face. “It’s the hog. Don’t worry, Charley, you don’t have to eat it.”
“Have to? I want to. I haven’t smelled anything this good in weeks.”
Natalie laughed. “Sabine’s a vegan, Charley. No meat.”
“I take it you’re not?” Sabine asked, crinkling her nose. But she was smiling.
“Nope. I’m a Southerner. Barbecue is its own food group for us.”
The trees fell away, dumping us on the beach. White sand shifted under my sandals, finer than the black sand I’d been walking on for the past two weeks. But the sand was nothing compared with the scene before me.
The sun sparkled, rising into a cloudless sky.
The ocean lay ahead, stretching until it met the horizon, blue kissing blue.
Close to shore, the waves broke and retreated.
But for the first time since I’d set foot on Nil, the beach was full of people and activity.
A firepit wafted lazy smoke into the air.
Around the fire, kids laughed and talked.
Two shirtless boys were playing catch with a coconut, throwing it like a football, their shoulders and backs rippling under a sheen of sweat.
The girl built like a Playboy bunny was sprinting down the beach beside a tall boy with dreadlocks, like an advertisement for island athletic wear.
Other kids floated on surfboards past the whitewater.
It looked like an island retreat, like the perfect Hawaiian vacation spot.
Something twanged, like when a violist strikes a sour note.
“Natalie,” I said, turning, “where are the adults? The little kids?”