Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
My body shivered as I tried to fall asleep.
Out there. We were going out there.
Before Fairwell, I had never known a life beyond the shelter of the treetops.
To even think about how others might be living, or trying to live, beyond the shelter of the jungles, had always been a horror to me.
We had heard enough terrifying stories drifting through our colonies of what life was like outside, to last us a lifetime.
Pictures of barren wastelands and deformed-yet-somehow-still-living bodies crowded my mind’s eye.
The logical side of my brain tried to persuade me that everything couldn’t be bad—just like Fairwell had managed to carve out a small haven for itself.
But Fairwell was different. It was way out on the ocean, miles upon miles away from where disaster had struck and left a bloody heritage for centuries to come.
Imagining going outside felt like entering a nightmare. Entering the deep recesses of my imagination where I had always feared to tread—and always endeavored to escape whenever another rumor came trickling through our colony that reminded me of life outside for the unprotected.
I now had a lifetime of rumors to haunt me, about what we could possibly be facing tomorrow, as I tried to fall asleep.
Of course, it was impossible. I sat up, rubbing my eyes hopelessly.
I hadn’t even spoken to Jessie about it yet, since by the time I arrived back at my house it had been close to 11 p.m. and I hadn’t wanted to risk waking her, in case she had managed to fall asleep.
She hadn’t mentioned anything about an excursion, or anything out of the ordinary, happening for her tomorrow.
Unless she just hadn’t been told yet when I last spoke to her.
I pulled my phone off the bedside table. A missed call and a text awaited me. The missed call was from Jessie, while the text was from Hayden:
“Can you let me know if you’re okay?”
He’d sent it at 12:16 a.m.: almost half an hour ago. That was late for him.
And I still hadn’t called him. I hadn’t even texted him yet in response to his request to let him know how things went yesterday with my parents.
Was that really yesterday? It felt more like a week ago.
I sat up, gripping my phone with my thumbs placed over the keyboard letters. I needed to talk to Jessie, but it felt like I owed Hayden this first.
“I’m okay,” I typed. “Got my parents into Beauchamp.”
I tapped the send button and waited.
His response came back barely fifteen seconds later.
“How?”
I leaned my head back against the wall, closing my eyes and letting out a slow breath.
This was the harder part. We needed to talk.
I considered suggesting that I call him, or vice versa, but I remembered Jessie’s hesitancy to discuss sensitive matters indoors.
I didn’t know how much of that was justified, and how much could be paranoia over all the unknown technology that surrounded us.
But it wasn’t worth taking risks. The last thing I needed was for all this to somehow blow up in my face and for my parents to get kicked out of the hospital.
Before I could mull over it longer, my phone rang. Hayden’s number flashed on the screen.
I placed it to my ear tentatively. “Hello.” My voice rasped like I hadn’t drunk water in days, even though I’d downed half a glass before bed.
“Tani?” Hayden’s voice was rough too, though it sounded like the type of hoarseness that came from something like concern.
“Yeah, it’s me.” I took another sip of water, trying to clear the sandpaper from my throat. “You’re up late.”
“Yeah, well. You went dark on me. I thought something might have happened. I’m still your employment officer, remember?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” I muttered, though I wasn’t sure that title applied anymore. Anna seemed to have claimed that territory. I wasn’t sure how to tell him that.
A long silence stretched between us, neither quite willing to voice what mattered. I could almost hear him sorting through what to say.
“Is there anything you can tell me?” he asked finally, his voice quieter.
No, was the short answer. But I wasn’t about to give up that easily. Not now I had him on the line. I didn’t know when I might be able to speak to him again. “Training” had officially started.
I thought back to how Jessie had begun our conversation earlier. I’d probably better be subtler than that given that we weren’t outside.
“Yes,” I replied. “I want you to… think of your favorite person on the island.”
I could practically hear his frown down the line.
“I mean, there must be one person in particular in this place with whom you absolutely love spending time,” I continued.
“You know. She always looks after your comfort and interests, always makes sure your safety is her priority, along with always keeping you fully informed. In sum: she never springs unexpected surprises on you.”
There was another pause. Then a final, quiet: “Shit.”
My lips tugged into something halfway between a smile and a grimace. Of course he got it. He knew Anna better than he’d let on.
Anna’s how I did it, was what I would have replied, if I could.
“I have to go somewhere early tomorrow morning,” I concluded. “Can’t wait. So… I hope I can see you sometime soon to talk further, but I don’t know when that might be. I need to try get some rest now.”
What would he actually tell me, even if he came to see me now? I wondered. Would he be any different to how he was before?
There was a long pause, seconds stretching into what felt like a minute. “Tani, I…” he said finally. “Just… hang on tomorrow. We’ll talk afterwards.”
I nodded to myself, then cut the call, exhaling heavily and lowering myself in bed.
My phone’s screen flashed again. A text from Jessie:
“Got some news… going out tomorrow… somewhere… 7 a.m.”
I stared heavily down at the screen.
At least two was company, I supposed.