Arcene: The Island (30 page)

And Erato. Definitely a man, and quite wise, even for his extensive years. He was often serious, but when he smiled... Oh boy, it would melt your heart. He had the pick of the women and girls back home, but never showed much interest, dallying now and then but retaining his independence. He was a catch all right, with his weathered features, short beard and that mess of curls. Not to mention those green eyes that sparkled when he laughed. And the body. Scrawny, but with lean muscle and prominent veins on darkly tanned arms from the time he spent outside.

Yes, theirs was an unexpected friendship, yet she supposed they had always had something in common: they simply enjoyed each other's company.

She'd thought of it often over the years, wondered why she deserved such great company when others shunned her for her mother's unfortunate loss through The Lethargy, and maybe that was it. All of them had either lost their parents or in the case of Cashae just wasn't that close to them. But there was something more. They loved each other.

Who could explain friendship? It just was. You either connected or not, and for over a hundred years they had been best friends. Never tried to oust one to get closer to the other, never played those childish games of oneupmanship like so many children and adults did. They hardly bickered, sometimes kept a little distance when things got a little intense, but mostly they were inseparable. Three people who loved each other. They were a family.

Picking them had been a foregone conclusion, the pact made long ago that if any of them became a Judge then the others would be their first choice as Hunters. They had all been extremely excited once The Judgment became a reality, and they awoke to find themselves on the fabled mainland where their ancestors had lived and died for millennia.

Talia looked at her friends, wondered what they saw when they looked at her. They were like a bunch of little kids, excited to be allowed to stay up late. And why? Because they were pleased to be chosen to chase and kill a young human being because she had been rude?

No. The anticipation of such an act had long worn off for all of them, although none had spoken a word of their concerns. There would be serious, very serious consequences if they backed out, and a part of Talia didn't want to.

What kind of world would it be if arrogance and bad behavior went unpunished? Arcene had killed Elder Boehn, well, her dog at any rate, and that was unforgivable. But the edge was gone, the bloodlust faded. All that remained was a grim determination to see it through to the end.

Then what? Talia didn't want to think about it.

"Well?" Erato looked at them with those scary green eyes of his, as though he could read their minds. The fact was he might. He had always been quiet about his Awoken abilities, maintaining the "man of mystery" aura even with his best friends.

"Well, what?" Cashae squirmed a little and looked to Talia for help.

"Let's cut the nonsense. We all know this is great, if a little scary," Talia checked they were out of earshot, "but we also know something isn't right. This isn't how we thought it happened. It's like cheating. All those cameras, the fence, and this whole world, it feels so empty. The Hunt, it's not..."

"Not quite right. What you mean is it's wrong. What are we going to do?" Erato fiddled with a buckle on his pack, hair falling over his face.

"But she was rude and Talia Judged her. She's Prey, we have to do it."

"I'm not saying we don't, and I'm not saying she wasn't rude and all the rest, but to die? Now we're here, involved, well, it's not like seeing it on the screen, is it? You saw Elder Boehn, that's what it's really like. If you're lucky. All gross and bloody, and you soil yourself and go all blotchy, and..." Erato's hands fumbled nervously with the buckle; they were shaking.

"And nobody told us how it would feel, did they?" Talia was relieved, glad they all felt the same way. The only question now was what were they going to do? What could they do?

"Can we leave, go home?" asked Cashae, cheeks blotchy, tears running like the water that dripped off the tattered plastic sheets hung all over The Island to let fresh water from the air collect and drip slowly into the collection chambers. Cashae wiped away her tears and looked to her friends for advice. "Can we?"

"No, Cashae, we can't," said Erato.

"No, never. Not unless we finish this." Talia was certain of that. There had never been an incomplete Hunt. Never.

"So we do it? We hunt her because she was rude and she did hold a sword to Elder Boehn and she ate too much and..."

"Hush, it's okay. We're a team, we'll get this done and then that will be that." Erato wrapped his arms around Cashae and hugged her tight to his chest. He nodded to Talia, as if saying that they would work together, do what needed to be done, even if it was scary and not at all what they imagined.

He looked haunted, but he shook his head. The frown, and serious, strong face of a determined man was back, with the hint of laughter lines at the corners of his eyes. Talia loved him more than she ever had.

"Dry your eyes," said Talia. "We'll be going soon. Not a word of this to Vorce or Elder Janean. Just do as you are told and we'll be home tomorrow, telling stories of our bravery and the adventures we had."

Cashae sniffed then moved from Erato. She whispered, "Thank you," hugged Talia and kissed her cheek.

They finished packing, checked each other over, then walked to the front of the house and stared at the mangled remains of mass travel that had once been taken for granted, stood in their little patch of home surrounded by the madness.

How could somebody live here? What a strange people they were.

Get a Grip

How was it possible for your bottom to hurt so much? Arcene had thought the crashing through the trees and resulting bang on the bum had been about the limit, but that paled in comparison to a few hours on a bicycle. She rubbed it then slapped her head for being so forgetful.

With a quick adjustment of nociceptors, the pain eased until it was nothing but a gentle reminder to pad the saddle next time she went riding. The bike was abandoned two hours ago now, the tires giving out after centuries of slow decay, unable to be fixed.

Sometimes, a tiny part of her regretted halting her aging at fifteen. Not much, but when she found herself forgetting to do the simplest of things with her Awoken gifts, or caught herself being silly, even petulant and acting like a spoiled brat and wallowing in self-pity, she wondered what kind of proper, genuine grown-up woman she would be now her real age was twenty-two.

Would she be smart, sassy and wise? Or would she be exactly the same, just thinking things differently, hormone levels and brain development and all that went with it different enough to make her to all intents and purposes a different version of herself?

Would that be good? Or bad? She had no way of knowing and was unsure she would have ever wanted to find out, not that she had the option now anyway. Mostly, she just got annoyed with herself now and then. She could stop herself hurting with a simple thought, internal mastery was complete, but she forgot. That wasn't how true adults acted, was it? You remembered to do that kind of thing, not let your mind wander, get caught up in the now and in adventure and not let your mind think deeply and clearly about things.

That was how it should be, how it was for those with bodies that matched their minds. Right?

It wasn't the first time Arcene had such thoughts and it wouldn't be the last, but there was never an easy answer. How much of how she was now was a result of her static existence and how much was her personality shining through no matter what? She came to the same conclusion she always did — being an adult, be that twenty-five or three hundred and five, never made you a better person or due respect merely because of your age.

People were people. Some were good. Others were very bad.

Maybe she would deal with the bad ones differently if she had allowed her mind to mature, but she doubted it. She showed respect to those that acted in a way that deserved it, and expected the same. There were good and bad people in the world and age had nothing to do with it.

While they walked, bellies still full from lunch, although it was approaching supper time so they would have to stop soon, Arcene focused and let the struggle between the wild child of youth and the adult mind that could consider options with detachment and clarity slip away. Her mind opened to her own nature and searched for the right way to proceed. Her wild side said, turn around, slice them to bits. Her more sensible side said, keep on moving, get home, cuddle Lucien and leave them to their fruitless search.

Was it worth the risk, just for revenge over something she had already escaped from? Was it fair to the next unfortunate soul for her to allow them to continue? What were the chances of another one anyway? Would this be lesson enough for them and they would change their ways? Doubtful, but you never knew. What would her friends do? They would tell her to leave well alone, that's what. That she had responsibilities. She was a mother and she should value her safety so she could see her child grow and mature.

But maybe not. Maybe they would say it was her duty to get rid of the bad in the world if she encountered it, so that the good people could live, not be scared and have to hide. To make the country a better place now there were so few left. She had a duty to ensure the survival of the pure and the kind, no matter the risk to her own personal safety.

There had to be an answer, a right answer, but both were certainly an option. No, who was she kidding? There was one answer. Arcene had never backed down from a fight in her life, and she wasn't about to do it now. Not when leaving well alone meant that some other poor person would find themselves running for their lives, terrified, alone and confused by such barbarism.

For sport! She and Leel hunted because that was the natural way of things if you wanted to eat, they didn't do it for fun and entertainment. It was survival, and they never made their prey suffer. That was unthinkable. To let it happen to an innocent human being? She would play no part in it, would not let it continue. She could never forgive herself. Never.

Mind made up, her mood lifted. She felt lighter and happier about life now she had come to a firm decision. She noted for the first time that her surroundings had completely changed. She stopped and turned.

The city mangled the skyline, broken dreams of her ancestors. A reminder of what had been tried. It wasn't the end, far from it. This was just the beginning and there were those in the world trying to make things better. Like The Commorancy, a place where people could stay as long as they needed to, learn how to Awaken, become something more, return to the world and make a change for the better. Her home, where her family and friends lived, where she belonged as much as she belonged out under the open sky, playing her own small part to improve things, even if she went about it in rather an unconventional way.

Arcene smiled. How wonderful it all was. Who would deny an innocent person the chance to live in such a world for as long as they possibly could?

Woof?

"Good idea. Sorry for being so quiet this afternoon, Leel. I've had a lot to think about. Being serious and using the old brain cells takes a lot out of you, so let's stop and have a rest."

Woof, woof.

"Yes, and something to eat." Arcene smiled at Leel, stupid dog that she was.

How Frogs Live

The city was lost to sight. Its absence made the day feel like a dream, like none of it was real. Like she was on her way home and had slept with a full belly as she sheltered from the strong afternoon sun while the humidity increased and the insects began to bite.

It was the dark, and the damp, and the
drip, drip, dripping.
That was what sent her thoughts into disarray, made her feel like a frog hiding in a muddy river bed, or maybe right next to her under a rock in a pool of mineral-enriched water.

She could smell it, the minerals and salts that seeped through the rock. Natural things crucial to life, tiny molecules that combined with carbon to make you function properly and have such bizarre thoughts.

The cave felt delicious. Cool and dark and with only a few insects whining near the entrance, not bothering to come in as deep as her and Leel. They both sat on a perfectly flat rock, on a blanket, nice and dry while everything else was wet with moisture that ever so slowly seeped through the rock above and
splish-sploshed
into the shallow pool at Arcene's feet.

Once they found themselves in proper countryside, Arcene looked for a suitable place to rest. The cave seemed perfect. They weren't in too deep, that would be silly. They had merely walked into the gaping mouth of the massive cave sunk into the hillside and found it so peaceful and cool after a strenuous and taxing day that their thoughts had dulled, senses calmed. Both sat, lost in nothingness for a while, enjoying the sounds of water that might have taken years to percolate from the top of the cliff far above.

This was what life was all about. Getting back to the simple things and being a part of the real world, if only for a while. Obviously, Arcene would go mad if she lived a life this quiet, but for a little rest it was perfect.

She would have to think about food soon, but this was not the place to cook. There was no dry wood inside for a start, and smoke would billow out the entrance even if she dragged some in.

"Let's sit here for a while longer, Leel, and relax. It's nice to not be walking or looking over our shoulder, right?" Arcene turned to Leel when she didn't answer. "Leel?"

Leel turned her head and their noses touched, the hazel eyes somewhat distant, like she wasn't really paying attention. "What you doing, girl? Something happening?" Leel just sat, her breath hot on Arcene's face. "You're a strange one at times, you know that, right?" Leel licked Arcene's chin. "Leel! Gross." Leel seemed to snap out of it and padded to the mouth of the cave.