Chapter 22
CHAPTER
CHARLEY
I sat on a rock, waiting.
So far, Thad had been behind the waterfall for at least an hour.
I knew he was alive and long since clean, but just needing that quiet space, that quiet time.
I pictured him sitting on the slick black ledge, breathing crisp air, hearing only the roar of the water cascading down in front of his face.
A wall like a shimmer, but just water. A wall that was exactly as it appeared to be.
I wondered if Thad was cold. I would be freezing under there. Inside the A-frame at night under thin covers, I no longer shook, but I was still cold. The only time I felt warm was in the sun, like now.
When Thad emerged, he looked exhausted.
“You pruney yet?” I asked.
His head whipped to me. “What are you doing here?” His voice sounded strange. Vacant, and distant.
“I thought you might like some fresh clothes and a towel.” I pointed to the Cove’s edge, where Thad had left the same offerings for me. “I’ll turn around. I promise I won’t peek.”
“It’s okay. I won’t mind if you do.” Thad’s tone was detached, like his thoughts were anywhere but here.
I turned around and studied the trees. Light crept through the branches, making each leaf pop with color.
Nil was breathtaking, no question, but there was ugliness, too.
The beauty was everywhere; the ugliness subtle.
But it was there all the same. I’d never been more aware of it than when I’d seen Thad stumbling back with Rory, covered in blood. Despite the sun, I shivered.
“I know those trees are riveting,” Thad’s deep voice came from behind me, “but you can turn around now.”
Wearing a clean version of the shorts that had been soaked with blood, Thad stood there, drying his hair with the thin towel, which was more like a cloth. Because, as I’d figured out, every bit of cloth was some version of the same, all made from the paper trees.
“How long were you waiting?” he asked.
“Not long.”
“Liar,” he said, almost breaking into a smile.
“How would you know? Were you watching?” My voice was teasing.
“Actually, no,” he said, and the light left his eyes. “I was just thinking. And trying not to think.”
“How’d that work out?”
“Not so great.” Thad sat beside me. The gash on his forearm looked raw. It would leave a scar, but at least it had stopped bleeding.
“Your arm looks better,” I offered.
“Yeah. That’s what washing off blood will do, eh?” He clenched and unclenched his fists so hard I wondered if it hurt.
“Thad, I know I just got here and that I’m way behind the curve.
But I’ve figured a few things out.” I paused, watching his knuckles turn white.
“One is that everyone looks to you. For help. For advice. It’s why you won the hand vote for Leader.
It’s why Talla came to you today. It wasn’t right that Rory stole stuff.
You went after him because it was the right thing to do, and then everything went to hell in a handbasket.
It’s not like you knocked him out, took the stuff back, and left him there.
” I stopped, feeling like I was rambling, but needing to finish.
“So you can’t beat yourself up over what happened. ”
Thad studied his hands. “I didn’t like him. From the get-go. But I didn’t want him dead.”
“Of course you didn’t. That’s why you carried him back. You did all you could.”
“Did I?” Thad lifted his head. His eyes were tortured.
“I missed, Charley. I had a shot, but I missed. If I’d gotten it the first time, maybe Rory would have made it.
I’m pretty sure it was the animal’s last strike that killed him.
And what if I’d just let him go? Not gone after Rory in the first place?
He went ballistic. I think the noise drew the hog.
” He looked away. “I think our fight triggered the attack.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” I said, my tone purposefully no-nonsense.
“You can play the what-if game all day, but it won’t change what happened.
You aren’t responsible for Rory’s death.
You tried to save him, in more ways than one.
And you tried to protect the City. No one blames you, so stop blaming yourself. ”
Thad didn’t reply. I could tell he didn’t expect me to say anything, which was good since I had no clue what else to say. The waterfall echoed like rain through the silence.
“Do you know that he didn’t use any of the knives that he took?” Thad said finally. “Not one. He didn’t even try to fight back.”
“But you did,” I said, refusing to let him wallow in self-doubt or, worse, self-hate. “Don’t you see? You fought for him, and that means something. And you could’ve gotten killed. Wild hogs can be really mean.”
Now Thad looked over, one eyebrow raised. “Do you run into lots of wild hogs in Georgia?”
My face felt hot. “Well, I haven’t, but they’ve made the papers.
There was this one, named Hogzilla. It was huge, like, a thousand pounds.
” Knowing I sounded Southern crazy, I got back on track.
“My point is, wild hogs can be dangerous, especially when they’re protecting their babies.
And if you want to play what-if, what if the hog had gored you, too?
When you came back, covered in blood, I thought—”
I broke off, remembering Thad staggering down the trail, drenched in red. My voice shook. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.” He sounded choked. “Thanks.”
Thad’s eyes dropped to my lips.
Finally, I thought. I felt guilty for wanting Thad so much, especially right now, but heaven help me, I did. My lips tingled in anticipation. As I leaned closer, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
Reaching over, he took my hand. With his thumb, Thad rubbed the inside of my wrist, then my palm, making me shiver—until I realized he was rubbing away blood. Dried blood, staining my skin like a macabre tattoo, from the few seconds I’d held Thad’s arm.
My skin burned; he was rubbing too hard.
“It’s okay,” I said, covering his hand with mine. “It’s okay.”
Thad jerked his hand back, and my hands fell together, empty. As I tucked them in my lap, Thad put his hands on his knees and closed his eyes, like he was fighting something—maybe himself. “Charley, I—”
Thad broke off, listening. As Thad stood, I heard the sounds of people. Moments later, Miguel, Johan, and Rives came into view.
“What’s up?” Thad asked.
“Just getting dinner,” Rives said. “Julio wants to get the pig on the coals ASAP.”
Thad nodded, then turned to me. “Charley, thanks for the shorts and towel. And—for what you said. I’ll catch you later, okay?” The distance was back.
Rives spoke up. “Thad, we’ve got this, bro. You don’t have to come.”
“Yes, I do.” Thad’s jaw was hard.
He looked back at me, but he was already gone, withdrawn to a place I couldn’t reach and wasn’t sure I wanted to. Then, without another word, Thad took off, striding down the trail alone. Miguel and Rives exchanged a long glance, then jogged after Thad. Johan lagged a few yards behind.
Ten quick steps later, the group was gone.
Thad’s bloody clothes lay by the bank. Using a stick, I flicked them into the Cove, into the same spot where Thad and I had washed Kevin’s clothes.
I swished and rinsed, repulsed by the blood seeping from the cloth, and grateful I’d thought to bring soap.
When the cloth finally rinsed clean, I wrung out the shorts and tucked them in my bag along with Thad’s towel. Then I wondered what to do next.
Oddly enough, I didn’t feel like company.
I headed west, winding through thick foliage.
Eventually the path shifted north, and as the ground rose, I came to a junction.
One route cut hard left, toward the ocean, I guessed; the other veered slightly east. Inland, I thought.
I thought of the prehistoric roars—roars I hadn’t heard since I’d come to the City—and without hesitation, I hooked left.
I’d just spied the ocean through the trees when a boy popped into sight, his back to me. He lunged toward the beach, like a sprinter bursting from the blocks, and recognition hit me like a rock.
At the same moment I said, “Bart?” a burst of noise cut the quiet; it was a girl, barking commands like a Spanish general.
Bart spun toward me, startled. “Charley! You scared the crap out of me!” Color flooded his pale face as he waved for me to follow. “C’mon, let’s go!”
Three more commands, then a shout. More like a whoop.
Bart broke through the trees. A few steps behind, so did I, and I nearly ran smack into a dark-haired girl.
Heesham stood a few feet away, on a white sand beach I’d never seen. Both wore grins brighter than the sun. Seeing us, the girl threw both hands in the air in triumph. Dangling from her fingers was a twine circle, holding the biggest shark’s tooth I’d ever seen.
“Samuel!” she cried. “He’s gone!”
“Awesome,” I said, watching Bart slap Heesham’s giant palm in a sloppy high-five. “Where was the gate?”
“Near the trees.” Heesham grinned. But even before he pointed to the spot, I knew.
It was precisely where Bart had been hiding.