Nil Unlocked (41 page)

“I’m so glad you agree with me.” I raised an eyebrow at Skye, grinning. She dumped the twine in a pile and mashed it down with more force than necessary, grumbling “Stubborn.”

I turned to Dex. “You want to go? Lead a Search team?”

Dex shook his head. “I’m with you to the end, mate.” His voice was quiet.

His time. His choice.

“Thanks.” I swallowed, fighting the knot in my throat. “Let’s go see if Ahmad’s willing to head up a team. I’d like to see Julio go, too, and maybe a couple of rookies for balance.”

“I like it,” Dex said. “Ahmad’s at the beach firepit. Julio was stocking it with veggies and, I think, the last chicken.”

The last chicken.

“Have you noticed that there are fewer animals?” I asked as we walked. “When I was on Search with Raj, I went hours without seeing a squirrel or rabbit or even a cat. It’s weird.”

Dex looked thoughtful. “Now that you mention it, you’re exactly right. And I don’t think the lions can take credit for thinning out the island.” He paused. “I bloody well hope Nil isn’t driving the cats toward us. But I wouldn’t put it past her.”

“Her?” I asked.

Dex looked sheepish. “When I think of Nil, I think she. I know I’m mental, but sometimes I think she talks to me.” He sighed. “I’m totally mental.”

I grinned. “Join the club.”

“We have snacks,” Skye said.

“Awesome snacks,” I added.

“Fish wraps?” Dex asked suspiciously.

“Nope. Skye’s talking cr
è
me br
û
l
é
e, steak, lasagna, and everything tasty and decadent and not from the sea.”

“Cruel,” Dex moaned. “The both of you. I was fine this morning. A little roast pineapple, a shrimp wrap—not bad, mind you, even though I’ve only eaten about, oh,
hundreds
in recent months—but oh no, you two have to come along and tempt me with all the tasty things. Curse you both.” He grinned.

Skye laughed. “Sorry, Dex. When we get back, I’ll make you something special. You pick.”

“Honestly, you know what I miss most?” His voice was wistful. “A good cuppa tea. Not that bloody deadsleep tea.” He shot me a dark look. “I’m not stupid enough to dabble in that.”

I grinned. “So noted.”

We broke out onto the beach into strong Nil light.

Julio was tossing a green coconut to Zane, who lobbed it back. Macy was chatting with Jillian and Brittney; Ahmad was laughing with Kiera.

I walked up to Ahmad. “You up for Search? I’d love to send out a team.” I turned to Kiera. “You too, Kiera. You ready for a Search?”

“Absolutely,” she replied. “Are you going?”

I shook my head. “I’m thinking you two, plus Julio and maybe Macy or Brittney. What do you think?”

“I’m cool with it,” Ahmad said. “But Julio goes first. He’s got Priority over me.”

I wondered if his words were for me or Kiera.

“Sounds good. Let me check with Julio.”

Julio was all in, and to my surprise, when I asked him who else he wanted on Search, he said, “Brittney.” He didn’t explain why. Then again, he didn’t need to. It was his Search.

Brittney declined Search without hesitation. Just a fast, firm no.

“This is the second Search you’ve turned down.” I frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t care about leaving.” Her voice was a rough whisper. “I’m not like you. Or Skye.” Brittney glanced at Skye, who had just walked up. She kept looking at Skye as she spoke. “You’ve got a mom and a dad, Skye. I heard you talking to Rives once. Telling him about your dad. I never met my dad. I live in a double-wide with my mom and her boyfriend. And he’s mean. Yells all the time, takes my money from the Metroplex. Here, it’s pretty. Prettier than I’ve ever seen. I have more room that I’ve ever had, I have friends, and I’m part of something. I want to stay as long as I can. Like my granny says, it’s better to have a few weeks of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”

“I think that was from a movie,” Jillian said quietly. “But it’s wrong.”

“Totally,” I said. “Brittney, this is temporary. People will leave, new ones will come. It won’t stay like this. And if you’re still here in ten months, you’ll die. You have to go on Search.”

“No.” She shook her head and cast a longing look at the beach. “If all I have is ten months, then it’ll be the best ten months of my life. And if I’m supposed to leave, then a gate will pick me up right here. But you go on. Don’t let me take someone’s place who wants to leave. I’m happy living right here.”

“It’s not living.” Jillian frowned. “It’s waiting for death. What we’re doing—going on Search, hunting the equinox gate—is trying to find a way to live.”

Brittney looked at her. “It’s better than what I had.”

“Don’t you want more?” Skye asked gently. “Don’t you want more for yourself and your life?”

Brittney smiled at her. “This is the best I’ve ever had.”

But the best is yet to come,
I thought, my eyes on Skye.

It had to be.

Skye shook her head at Brittney.

“This is just a beginning,” she said, rewarding me with a slight smile. “The rest is up to you.” Then she hugged Brittney.

When a gate flashed an hour later, Brittney let it streak by. She didn’t have to run; all she had to do was step to her left. Literally, a meter max.

But she didn’t. She stood rock still. Arms tight to her chest, feet rooted, mind set.

That was the moment that I knew the hardest part of Skye’s island annihilation plan was getting everyone else on board. Because participation wasn’t a given, even in the City. Not by a long shot.

Right now I freaking hated the idea of a long shot.

Because that was me.

CHAPTER

63

SKYE

DAY 51, ALMOST DUSK

Paulo stared at the Wall, leaning on his crutches. He still used them, but he was definitely moving better. It wouldn’t be long until he was strong enough to walk without them. I’d guess a week, maybe two.

“See anything interesting?” I asked.

He turned, startled. “You really shouldn’t sneak up on people, Skye. It’s rude.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” I hadn’t been quiet, not even close. It made me worry for Paulo when he left. “Are you looking for something? Or someone?”

He tapped the end of his crutch against the Wall, directly on a name. “That’s my cousin,” he said. “I didn’t know any of my people joined the City.”

The name he’d tapped was Ramia.

“She never came home,” he said. “I wonder what happened to her.”

“I think her time ran out.”

Paulo frowned. “But she could leave. She shouldn’t have been here past the third season.”

I thought about that. “Maybe something kept her from going. Or maybe she chose to stay.”

“Why would she choose that?”

I thought of Brittney, who refused to go on Search. For all I knew, she’d refuse to join us when the time came to take the equinox gate, too.

“People have their reasons. I’m not saying she did; I’m just saying it’s a possibility.”

Paulo fell silent. His eyes stayed on the Wall—on Ramia’s name. Like me, he had family that had come before, family he’d lost.

My heart seized and in that moment, I knew I’d been approaching Paulo all wrong.
I’d
been the bull in a china shop, not Rives.
I’d
been the one pushing,
I’d
been the one pressing, never stopping to consider Paulo’s feelings. I’d treated him like he owed us, and that was wrong.

“Paulo, I owe you an apology, and a thank-you. First, thank you for the bracelet.” I raised my arm, where the crescent moon dangled from my wrist beside Jillian and Macy’s tri-shell bracelet. “It’s beautiful. And it was sweet. And to be honest, it was also a little creepy to wake up and find it beside my pillow, but I know you meant well.”

Paulo looked chagrined. “Sorry.”

I waved it off. “This is my apology. It’s fine. I know you didn’t want me to see you, and I know you gave it to me so we could be even. And”—I took a deep breath—“I know it’s been hard on you being in the City. You feel like you owe us for taking care of you, and I’ve pushed you to tell us about the gate and the island, using the fact that you feel obligated, and sometimes I’ve pushed too hard. I’m sorry for making you more uncomfortable than you already are, because I know even though we’re here under different circumstances, you don’t want to be here any more than we do. You’re my friend, Paulo. You don’t owe me anything else; we’re even. I’m going to tell you what’s going on so you can make your own choices, okay? Choices for your own reasons, not because you feel obligated or guilty, not because you feel honor bound. Choose for
you.
You don’t owe me, okay?”

Paulo stared at me and then slowly nodded.

“Okay.” I smiled, feeling relief I didn’t even know I needed. “The gate will open at noon on the equinox, which you already know, and we’re all planning to take it. I know we need to wait three seconds between people; I remember you counting after the chicken and the goat. It will be the end of Maaka’s third season, so I’m guessing he’ll take it, too. Which means you’ll be here alone.”

Paulo gulped.

I touched his shoulder. “I’m not trying to scare you. Your ancestors were here alone, too, remember?”

“But they didn’t have leopards.” Paulo sighed. “Or tigers. Or rhinos.”

“True. And it’s because of the leopards and tigers and rhinos that we believe Nil has changed; that it’s not the place it once was. That it’s outlived its purpose. It’s no longer the peaceful place where you can find your way. We think”—I paused, knowing I had one chance to say this right—“that if all the kids leave the island at once, that the island will cease to exist. The island has some link with us; we feel it. I know you do, too. And without the kids, the island may not survive. We don’t know for sure, but we have to try. I’m not going to force you to come with us. The choice is yours.”

“So you’re saying the choice whether this place continues to live is up to me?” He looked stunned. “That my vote is the deciding factor?”

“Not totally up to you. Everyone has to leave. If one person stays back, the chance to end this place ends, too. You’re not more important than the rest of us, but you’re just as important.”

I squeezed his hand.

“No pressure. Just telling you what we’re planning. You follow your heart, Paulo. I’m your friend no matter what you choose.”

Paulo’s eyes fell on my bracelet. “Thanks, Skye.”

I squeezed his forearm and walked away.

“Skye.” Paulo’s soft voice made me turn back.

“I don’t know, but I think the doorway stays open for one minute. And you don’t have to wait three seconds, just two, actually. The beat of one heart.” He smiled sheepishly. “I was just being cautious.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Think about coming with us, okay? I want to know you made it, too.”

“I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can do.”

I nodded. It was enough, for now.

I turned to find Rives lounging against a tree by the beach path, a smile playing across his face. The island shrunk to just us. Wrapped in sweet, clean Nil air, under a gorgeous clear Nil sky, it was just me and Rives, connected by something stronger than Nil, an electricity I felt crackle between us as I approached.

“That was kind,” he said, tipping his head toward Paulo.

“Thanks.” I took one of his hands and pulled him close, close enough for me to find his lips with mine.

Rives groaned, folding me against him, leaning his cheek against mine. “You undo me, Skye.” His voice was ragged. “Before I lose my mind, follow me. I’ve got a surprise.”

He led me down the path, then we cut right. He was leading me down to the pile of black boulders at the water’s edge, out of sight of the City.

A white cloth covered the biggest rock; it was strewn with gorgeous purple blossoms. Two small planks sat on the cloth, each holding fish, pineapple, and, oh my stars,
bread
. Two torches were stuck in the sand, already lit.

“What’s this?” I asked, turning to Rives.

“Keep walking. You’ll see.”

He led me to the rocks and gestured for me to take a seat.

“Julio made the bread especially for you, and Jillian helped me gather the flowers.” Gently, he picked up a lei made of small white flowers and placed it around my neck. “Look,” he whispered. He pointed to the beach, where
Happy Birthday, Skye
was written in the sand.

“Rives,” I whispered, stunned and moved and falling so deep into the moment I had no words. Instead, I kissed Rives hard, trying to show him all I couldn’t say. My eyes were watering as I pulled away.

“This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me,” I said.

Rives smiled as he reached up and wiped the tear from the corner of my eye. “I was going to add hula dancers, but I thought that might’ve been over the top.”

“Totally,” I said, smiling as I pulled myself together.

“Word of warning: Dex and Zane were vying for the job. Ahmad too. It took all I had to talk them down. Zane was making coconut jock straps.” He winked. “I thought you might like this better. More low key, less awkward.”

“You know me so well,” I said.

“I do,” he whispered. “And you know me.”

It was the best birthday of my life.

“One more thing.” He reached behind him and handed something to me. A bracelet, made of two pieces of twine, perfectly knotted to hold a small rock that glittered in the firelight like a piece of silver ice. “Happy birthday, Skye. I couldn’t have you just wearing Paulo’s bracelet.”

I grinned, amused. “I also wear Jillian and Macy’s.”

He laughed. “I know. But this”—he tapped the rock—“matches the flecks in your eyes. And at night by the fire, it glitters like a star pulled to Nil.” His voice softened. “Like a piece of Orion’s belt. I thought you might like something that reminded you of home.”

“It’s gorgeous.” I stared at the bracelet, loving the simplicity, the style, the breathtakingly beautiful crystal, but loving the thoughtfulness most of all. It took me a minute to be able to speak. “Thank you,” I said softly, my voice still choked.