Nil (26 page)

“Where’s Nat?” I asked, taking a seat.

“Getting supplies for the girl. And talking to Talla about my charts.” Charley sounded less than enthusiastic.

“Hey.” I took her hand in mine; her fingers were chunks of ice. “You’ve said three words all afternoon. What’s wrong?”

“I think I made a mistake telling y’all about my theory. I shouldn’t have said anything, not until I really know something. I mean, I’ve been here all of three weeks, and y’all looked at me today like I had the answers to the final exam, ya know?” Charley tried to smile, but it came out a wince. “But I don’t. I only brought up my idea of how the gates might roll in sequence because Jason looked so darn upset when a gate didn’t flash, and I wanted Natalie to have a ray of hope. But she ran with it like it was solid, like it was more than a theory.”

I chuckled. “That’s Nat. She tends to get a little excited.”

“But that’s just it. Now I feel like I’ve given her false hope. Like I’ve given
everyone
false hope. Thad, my maps are rough, and my wave idea is just a guess. What if Natalie misses a gate? Because of me?” She bit her lower lip.

“Look, no one’s expecting you to swoop in and save the City. Your maps are great, and your theory is, too. And yeah, it’s just an idea. But it’s a starting point, and it gives us something to work with. To prove right or wrong, okay? You gotta understand. Your wave idea beats the shotgun approach any day, which is all we had. Your idea can’t be any worse.”

Then I winked. “But hey, if you want to sit here and beat yourself up, go right ahead.”

Charley rolled her eyes, but stayed quiet. I realized she had a point.

“Tell you what. Over the next few days, we’ll toss around your theory and gather gate information from everyone. Make it a City effort, not just a Charley effort. Would that take the pressure off?”

“Okay.” She sighed. Reluctantly, she unrolled her main map and weighted the edges with pebbles from her satchel. The island’s rough outline looked like a fat diamond. “Rives described the east coast, just to give me a starting point, but it’s not to scale yet, not even close. And I know that the southeast portion has the active volcano, behind Mount Nil. Lava’s not shooting up in the sky, but it’s flowing, dropping into the water and cutting off the coastline. Rives told me it looks like thick tar with a layer of fire. Plus, there’s steam and active vents. So the southeast corner is out of bounds.”

I nodded, and she continued. “And from what I hear, the northern tip has cliffs and rock beaches. No sand. Tough for running. Past the north shore, due east, past the hills, the rain forest is here.” Her finger dropped a little. “While it’s great for gathering twine and other stuff, it would be tougher to see a gate because of the growth. Not to mention you’d have to be there on a day it was sunny
and
due a gate, so it lowers your odds even more. The sun is always shining when a gate flashes, right?”

“As far as I know,” I said.

“So, from what I can tell, the best place to catch gates—and still eat—is this area.” Charley swept a large arc around the City. “The west coast—White Beach above Nil City, south to Black Bay, South Beach below the Arches until the South Cliffs—and then inland: the lava fields, the meadow, the hills, and possibly the groves. It’s basically what you’ve been doing. I guess all I’m saying is that heading to the northeast corner—the rain forest—is a three-day hike, and I’m not sure it’s worth it. And Jason says that coastline is narrow. No running room.”

“I hear you. But people have caught gates near the rain forest, so it’s not hopeless.”

“Not hopeless, just harder. Again, just guessing here.” She shrugged.

For a minute we stared at her map.

“I wonder how long it takes for the gate wave to cross the entire island,” I said. “From tip to tip.”

“I’ve wondered the same thing. And does it cross the whole island every time or just sweep across part? The only given is that once gates flash, they roll on straight longitudinal lines, always north.” She paused. “We know gates never flash in the same exact spot two days in a row, and I’m guessing they don’t even flash on the same
latitude
two days in a row. Hence the wave. But how many days before a latitude is repeated? Could be three weeks, could be two, could be four. Or more. And what’s the gap between different latitudes? Take the beach at Black Bay. Two gates, one day apart. Same beach, different latitude. Maybe even same longitudinal line, or does that change daily, too? And did I even see a gate at all?” She looked unsure. “And Rives said there hadn’t been a gate at Black Bay in months, but I also know it doesn’t mean one wasn’t there. It just means no one saw it, at least no one we know. Then, after Jason missed, the gate wave jumped north, above the Arches, to the beach at Nil City, where Sabine caught it.” She sighed. “I’m also not sure how far apart the individual gates of a noon set are. I think it varies, and I don’t know why. Does it relate to the speed of the gates? Or something else?”

She chewed her bottom lip. “My gut says it takes around two weeks to cross the island before the wave starts over, but within that stretch there might be clumps and rogue sets, which could affect the overall timing. Ugh.” She looked frustrated. “Don’t you see? I don’t know anything. I’m trying to make the pieces fit, but I don’t even have all the pieces. And maybe they won’t ever fit. My whole idea might be junk.”

“Then we’ll figure it out.”

She looked at me.

“We’ll walk Nil, mapping the island and charting gates. We’ll time the gates, test your theory. It’ll help everyone, including us.” Leaning back, I pointed to the pebbles scattered around the map and smiled. “Nice rocks.”

“Thanks. I found them in the Cavern, on the way to Black Bay.” She pointed to one that looked like a dirty ice cube. “That one’s my favorite. It reminds me of the island. It’s murky, like something mysterious hides inside. But others are clear, like diamonds.”

I chuckled, picking up her favorite and holding it up to the firelight, trying to see it through Charley’s eyes. “They
are
diamonds, Charley. Raw, uncut diamonds. But unlike us, they’re not going anywhere.”

CHAPTER

36

CHARLEY

DAY 26, NIGHT

Thad was like an atomic heater. I wriggled closer, feeling warmer than I’d felt in weeks. I’d finally relaxed, now that he’d stopped talking about my gate wave theory and started playing with my hair.

We lay together, fully clothed, or at least as clothed as we ever were on Nil, which meant Thad’s chest was bare, except for my arm resting across it. Lying in bed with a boy was a first for me. Feeling his body resting against mine, and mine against his, feeling safe and wanted. It was comforting and electrifying, both at once, or maybe that was because it was Thad. And it made me wonder about Thad’s past, of which I knew nothing.

“Have you ever had a serious girlfriend?” I asked.

“One.” He paused. “Mallory. It was over before I got here.”

“What happened?”

“She wasn’t who I thought she was.”

When he didn’t add anything to his very vague statement, I said, “What does that mean? She lied to you?”

“That too. She cheated on me with my best friend, then lied about it.”

“Wow. That sucks. Sounds like you could use a new best friend.”

Thad grinned, a lazy grin that made my breath catch. “Got it covered.” He swept my hair off my shoulders, making my scalp tingle, then slowly traced my collarbone with his fingers. “What about you? Ever had a serious boyfriend?”

I faked a serious look. “Just one.”

“Oh?” Thad’s fingers stopped for one noticeable second.

“Yup. But it didn’t last.”

“What happened? Did you break his heart?”

“Doubtful. We were in the sixth grade. Jack Rodgers passed me a note asking me to go with him. There were two boxes. I checked no.”

Thad chuckled. “You crushed that boy for life!”

“Nah.” I smiled. “I just wasn’t ready to get serious.”

“And now?” he whispered, his sapphire eyes intense.

“If Jack Rodgers passed me the note now, I’d still check no.” Thad groaned as I laughed. “But if you passed me the note, well, that’s a different story.”

He kissed me, first sweet and warm, then urgently. Then he pulled away, abruptly.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing.” Thad’s breathing was ragged. “Absolutely nothing.”

Reaching up, I touched the scar over his left eyebrow, the one that looked like a tiny mountain. He closed his eyes, and in that minute, he looked seventeen and relaxed. A rare sight.

“How’d you get this? Snowboarding?”

“Nope.” He didn’t move, letting me trace his scar. “Skateboarding. Flipped off a rail.”

“Do you ever get scared when you snowboard?” I pictured the Winter X games in my head. “Afraid you might crash?” My finger left his scar and traced his eyebrow, then his cheek.

“Never.” His eyes stayed closed.

“Not afraid of anything, are you, fearless Leader?” I teased.

Thad’s eyes flew open. He stared at me, and the carefree seventeen-year-old was gone. “Losing you,” he said, his voice rough. “Before we’ve ever had a chance. That’s my greatest fear.”

“Then you have nothing to be afraid of,” I said. “You’ll make it. So will I. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Then I kissed him, as urgently as he’d kissed me, and in that moment, I tasted fear.
Thad’s
fear. It was powerful and real, and for the first time, doubt crept in.

Plenty of time
, I’d said.
But is it enough?

CHAPTER

37

THAD

DAY 293, DAWN

Sunlight creeping in, Charley in my arms. It was the best morning on Nil yet. For the first time in weeks, I’d actually slept. No dreams, no nightmares. Just sleep.

Watching Charley sleep, I thought again of my greatest fear, the one I’d admitted last night. I thought I’d loved Mallory, but I was wrong.

The idea of losing Charley was unbearable.

You’ll make it
, Charley had said fiercely last night
. And so will I. We’ve got plenty of time.

I hoped Charley was right.

And that Ramia was wrong
. That thought shot from nowhere, making me jerk, and the movement woke Charley up.

“Morning.” I kissed her forehead. “How’d you sleep?”

“Great.” She smiled, turning away to yawn. “Best night ever.”

“Did you miss your socks?”

“Socks?” Charley looked confused.

“You said you miss socks. That your feet freeze at night. So I’m wondering if you missed socks.”

Charley laid her hand on my chest, over my heart. “I didn’t miss anything,” she said softly. “Not one thing.”

“Good to hear,” I said, kissing her forehead and alternately wanting Charley closer and desperately needing space before I lost control. “We’d better get some food before we miss out.”

Natalie sat with Talla by the fire, a bowl of cut pineapple between them. It looked untouched.

“Morning, ladies. Dibs on the pineapple?” I asked.

“All yours,” Talla said. “The pit’s full of fish wraps. Good ones, too. Seasoned with lime and sea salt. You can thank Rives and Jason for that.”

Nodding, I grabbed two wraps and gave one to Charley.

“There’s fresh coconut milk, too,” Talla offered.

Charley made a face as she sat. “Thanks. I’m good with water.”

“How’s coma-girl gate-crasher?” I asked.

“Six feet under,” Talla said.

“What?” Charley said as my stomach dropped. “She
died
?”

“We buried her last night,” Natalie said in a small voice. “Me, Rives, and Talla.” She looked at me, guilt coating her face. “And it’s all my fault!”

“Huh?” I frowned. “How do you figure that?”

“I let you put her in my bed!” Natalie cried. “I didn’t stay with you, and when I went inside the hut to check on her, she was dead.”

“What does your bed have to do with it?” I asked, not following.

“Ramia.” Natalie’s voice was anguished. “She warned me, but I forgot! I was so obsessed with Charley’s charts, I totally blanked. And now the girl’s dead. Ramia warned me, Thad. And I blew it.”

“No.” I said sharply. “I don’t know what she told you, but it means nothing. Ramia was a fruit loop, Nat. You know that.”

“Was she?” Natalie asked, suddenly quiet, her eyes intense. “She sat with me, Thad. By the fire, the night before she left. I wished her good luck on Search, gave her a hug, and when I pulled away, she stared at me, like she was looking
through
me. ‘Keep your luck,’ she said. ‘You need it. You will lose the one you love, and when you try to save another, she will die. Dead in your bed.” Natalie shivered, twisting her hands. “‘Dead in your bed,’ she told me. Rubbing that stupid bone bracelet! And now the girl is dead! And she died
in my bed
!” Natalie’s rising voice now bordered on hysterical, and her hands shook.

Ramia’s singsong voice echoed in my head.
Dead in your bed. Open your eyes, Thad. The blind leading the blind. Will you open your eyes?

“Nat—” I faltered, not sure what to say.

Charley gave me a long look, then reached over and clasped Natalie’s hands, holding them steady. “Natalie, I never knew Ramia, but she sounds like a complete whack-a-doo. My nana likes to say that you’ll find what you’re looking for, and no offense, but right now you’re looking for the weird. You’re looking for something to fit her crazy predictions, and if you look hard enough, I guarantee you’ll find it. But it doesn’t make it true. And it doesn’t make you responsible for that girl’s death.” Charley paused. “Besides, it wasn’t your bed.”

Natalie head jerked up.

“It’s just borrowed,” Charley continued. “Temporary, like everything else on Nil. Like your separation from Kevin. You’re just another Nil visitor, living a temporary time-out from home. Nothing here is yours. Not your A-frame, not your bed. So if I were you,” Charley said softly, “I’d let it go. But that’s just me.”